Why Your To-Do List Is Keeping You Busy (But Not Successful)

Why the tasks keeping you busy might be keeping you broke.

If you're a business owner, you're no stranger to audits. We audit our finances for tax compliance. We review our profit and loss statements to identify what's working and what's not. Audits are simply part of running a business - even if the word makes us want to run for the hills.

But there's one type of audit most entrepreneurs never do, and it could be the difference between spinning your wheels and actually moving forward.

It's called an E&I audit - an Energy and Impact audit - and it might just transform how you work.

What Is an Energy and Impact Audit?

An E&I audit is a simple assessment that evaluates two critical factors for every task on your plate:

1. Energy: How much time and mental energy does this task require?
2. Impact: How much does this task actually contribute to your business success?

The goal is to identify where you're investing energy without getting meaningful returns - so you can redirect that energy toward activities that actually move the needle.

The Hidden Danger of "Productive" Busy Work

Here's what happens to many business owners (myself included): we love the dopamine hit of ticking boxes off our to-do lists. It feels good to get things done. We end the day feeling accomplished because we completed our tasks.

But here's the problem: feeling productive and being successful aren't the same thing.

You might be spending - let's be honest, wasting - massive amounts of time and energy on recurring tasks that don't make you money and don't drive your business forward. They just drain your energy reserves while giving you the illusion of progress.

Real Results: When One Task Change Transforms a Business

One of my clients recently discovered they were spending hours each week perfecting videos for an online course that wasn't generating revenue. They kept re-recording content, tweaking slides, and obsessing over production quality.

The course itself wasn't the problem. The problem was where they were investing their energy.

Once we identified this, the solution became obvious: stop re-recording existing content and start marketing the course more effectively. That single shift freed up hours of time and redirected their energy toward activities that actually drove sales.

How to Conduct Your Own E&I Audit

Ready to stop wasting energy and start focusing on what matters? Here's how to do your own Energy and Impact audit:

Step 1: Grab Your To-Do List
Look at your recurring tasks and ongoing projects. What are you doing week after week?

Step 2: Ask Two Simple Questions
For each task, ask yourself:
• Does this drain my energy?
• Does it actually move the needle on my goals?

Be ruthlessly honest. If a task feels exhausting and isn't contributing to revenue, growth, or your key business objectives, you've found a problem.

Step 3: Make a Decision
If a task is draining you without driving results, you have three options:
• Stop doing it entirely - Delegate it to someone else – or Do it completely differently (like my client who shifted from perfecting to marketing)

The Benefits of Regular E&I Audits

When you make E&I audits a regular practice in your business, you'll:

• Reclaim hours each week that you can redirect toward high-impact activities
• Reduce burnout by eliminating energy-draining tasks that serve no purpose
• Increase revenue by focusing on activities that actually drive business growth
• Gain clarity about what's truly moving your business forward versus what's just keeping you busy

Overcoming the "But I Have To" Mindset

Here's a hiccup you might encounter: if you love ticking boxes and feeling productive, you'll find it hard to let go of certain tasks. Your brain will dig in deep and argue why you can't stop doing them.

Just recognise the hidden agenda behind that resistance - it's the part of you that likes feeling busy and productive.

But remember: busy isn't the goal. Successful is the goal.

Take Action: Do Your E&I Audit This Week

Don't let another week go by spending energy on tasks that don't matter. Set aside 30 minutes this week to conduct your first Energy and Impact audit.

Look at your recurring tasks. Identify what's draining you without driving results. Then make the brave decision to stop doing it - or at least to do it completely differently.

Your energy is your most valuable business asset. It's time to invest it wisely.