Your To-Do List Actually Growing Your Business? (A Simple Test to Find Out)

If you walked into my house today, you might think this woman has never heard the word restraint.

I love Christmas, so it's the one time of year when I abandon my usual delight in simplicity and go all out on festive, tacky cheer.

There are "no vacancy" signs in every nook and cranny because they've been occupied by Santa sleighs, sparkling angels, and elves that might fall on your head (depending on how quickly my husband completes his annual Christmas-land creation project).

There's no real plan to this extravaganza, and I'm perfectly fine with that. It's part of the fun.

But I'd have serious problems if I ran my business the same way.

The Danger of Running Your Business on Autopilot

Don't get me wrong - I'm all for having fun in business. But if I don't have a clear reason for doing what's on my to-do list, I could waste hours on random tasks that lead absolutely nowhere.

You'd be surprised how often clients can't give me a 'real' answer when I ask why they're doing a particular task.

They do it because it's on their list.

It's on their list because they added it two years ago and kept doing it.

By doing it, they might attract some new people interested in their products.

There's no strategy behind their to-do list. Or maybe there was once a plan that caused those items to be added, but it's outdated now—and they're still following it on autopilot.

The Cost of Never Questioning Your Tasks

This is the perfect time of year to start questioning your to-do list.

Before you drag an out-of-date list into 2026 - along with all the excess baggage that comes with it (lost time and energy ticking meaningless boxes).

When you keep doing things simply because you’ve always done them, you end up:
• Spending hours on tasks that don't directly generate revenue
• Feeling perpetually busy but never getting ahead
• Exhausting yourself with outdated strategies while better opportunities pass you by
• Missing the most direct path to growing your business

A Simple Test for Every Task

Here's a simple process to follow for each of your to-dos:

Ask yourself: 'Why am I doing this?'

Then ask: 'And how does this help?'

Then ask again: 'And how does this help?'

Keep going.

If you find yourself creating elaborate, six-degrees-of-separation connections about how a task helps you achieve your business goals, that's a red flag. You're probably not taking the most direct path to increasing your revenue.

Example 1: The Autopilot Trap
Task: Generate 10 posts and 5 reels for social media about a new offer

Why am I doing this? To sell more products.

And how does this help? My followers might see my posts and purchase.

And how does this help? Well… more content means more visibility, and more visibility might lead to more sales...

Example 2: The Strategic Path
Task: Send 3 personal emails to old clients about my new offer

Why am I doing this? To sell more products.

And how does this help? My old clients already know and like me, and this offer is a good fit for them.

And how does this help? These clients have a buying history with me and trust my recommendations - they're 10 times more likely to buy because they know me.

Stop, Question, Decide

See the difference between the two examples?

One task stays on your list because it's always been there. The other stays on your list because you know exactly how it contributes to your business goals.

The problem isn't that Example 1 is inherently wrong—it's that most business owners never stop to question whether it's actually working for them. They just keep doing it, year after year, because they started it once and never evaluated whether it was worth continuing.

Your Year-End Audit

As you wind down 2025 and look ahead to next year, this is your moment to break the autopilot cycle.

Ask yourself: "Am I doing this because it works, or because I've always done it?"

Because here's what I know after years of coaching overwhelmed business owners: the path to sustainable revenue isn't more tasks. It's being intentional about the tasks you choose to keep.

What to Do Right Now

Take some time this month to genuinely assess your to-do list.

1. Run each task through the "why" test - Ask "why am I doing this?" and "how does this help?" multiple times until you reach the real impact on your revenue.

2. Look for vague justifications - If you're using words like "might," "could," or "maybe," or creating complex reasoning chains, it's time to question whether this task is worth your time.

3. Check for outdated strategies - When did you add this task to your list? Is the reason you added it still valid today? Has your business changed in ways that make this task less relevant?

4. Be honest about results - Can you point to concrete results from this task, or are you just assuming it helps because you've been doing it for so long?

5. Eliminate - Give yourself permission to stop doing things that no longer serve you, even if they've been on your list for years.

You'll go into 2026 lighter, clearer, and more focused on what actually grows your business.

Ready to Think Like a CEO?

This shift from "doing all the things" to "doing the right things"? That's exactly what happens in my Taskmaster to CEO Transformation program. You stop operating like an overwhelmed employee in your own business and start thinking like a strategic CEO.

This kind of CEO-level thinking - questioning the "why" behind every action and ruthlessly prioritising what actually moves the needle - becomes automatic when you work with me.

If you're tired of being busy without being profitable, book a call HERE to talk about 2026.