Why One Executive Ditched 80% of Their To-Do List — and Succeeded More
Written by: Jocelyne Bilodeau, Heart & Vision Specialist
Edited by: Jocelyn Martin
When financial strategist Camille Diaz looked at her life a few years ago, one thing didn’t add up: She was working constantly… and still wasn’t getting paid the way she wanted.
“I had this mentality of, well, if I just keep working harder,” she said. “So then you get busier and busier and do more and more stuff, but the results don’t happen. The clients don’t show up. The bank account doesn’t get filled… If the goal isn’t showing up but you’re working really hard, something is amiss in where we’re placing our activity.” | |
That uncomfortable truth became her wake-up call.
Instead of trying to do everything, Camille began ruthlessly focusing on the few actions that actually moved her business forward—and let the rest of her to-do list go. What she discovered is exactly what your overloaded executives and entrepreneurs need to hear:
She didn’t need a longer to-do list.
She needed a sharper filter.
From “Get It All Done” to “Get the Right Things Done”
Camille still keeps a task list, but her relationship with it has completely changed.
“Even now when there is an abundance of things on there, the important things are always getting done,” she explained. “I’m not trying to get everything done. I’m trying to get the critical things done, and then the next critical things, and then the next most important. As long as we’re always doing the things that move the needle, move us forward, then it’s OK.”
That means accepting some things just won’t happen right now—and that’s intentional, not a failure. She laughed as she shared an example:
“Yeah, that’s not gonna happen right now. I’m not gonna reorganize my favorite books today like I wish I could. They’d be so pretty if they were in order… but it’s not the critical thing. So maybe I don’t do it.”
The old Camille might have tried to squeeze it all in. The new Camille is okay with “dropping the ball” on the non-essential.
She even referenced a book that influenced her thinking, Drop the Ball, where the author finally stops silently picking up the slack at home and lets a system break so a real conversation and better structure can emerge.
“The concept behind it is to figure out what really needs to happen,” Camille said. “And it’s OK if you drop the ball on other stuff. As long as the really important stuff gets done, we don’t need all this stress and guilt about the rest of the list.”
That’s the first shift:
Less guilt about unfinished tasks.
More intention about which tasks deserve your energy in the first place.
The Moment Busy Stopped Being Impressive
When did she realize busyness wasn’t cutting it?
“Yeah… when I wasn’t getting paid,” she said bluntly.
She was working long hours, constantly “doing,” and yet the outcomes she actually wanted weren’t materializing—financially or otherwise.
She points out this pattern shows up everywhere: in business, in health, in goals.
“Whatever the goal was—if it’s not showing up but you’re working really hard—something is amiss in where we’re placing our activity.”
This realization pushed her to stop asking, “How can I do more?” and start asking, “What actually works?”
How She Rebuilt Her Habits (Without Burning Out)
Underneath Camille’s new way of working is a completely different approach to habits and self-expectation.
1. Identity-Driven Habits
She uses identity statements as filters.
 | “I see myself as someone who provides an outstanding experience for those in my network,” she explained. “I continuously improve my health and fitness so it’s really easy for me to get out of bed in the morning and go work out.” |
Is it actually easy when she’s sleep-deprived and it’s cold? Not really.
“But it’s easy mentally because that fits with my identity. That’s who I am. So it’s something that I do.”
Once the identity is solid, the habits almost become non-negotiable.
2. A Tiny, Realistic Priority List
Each day, she chooses no more than three priority items—often only two.
“I consistently write out what my priority items are for the day. No more than three,” she said. “If I put three, that’s usually a bad idea because the third one’s gonna get dropped.”
These aren’t vague “work on business” tasks. They’re targeted actions that truly matter for the week’s goals.
 | “If those things get done, we’re winning,” she said. “If they do not get done, we have a problem in our schedule or tasks. As long as the important stuff is happening, the other stuff might fall through the cracks—but I’m not stressing about it. I’m not having guilt about it.” |
3. Ending the Day in “The Gain,” Not “The Gap”
At night, she asks herself one powerful question:
“What went right today?”
Inspired by the book The Gap and The Gain, she lists her wins—big or small—then mentally rehearses what she wants tomorrow’s wins to be.
“Then I say what the wins are going to be for tomorrow,” she said. “I go to sleep thinking about tomorrow night’s wins.”
She knows the unconscious mind doesn’t sleep, so she gives it instructions.
“Since it’s going to be up anyway,” she joked, “why not tell it what you want it to focus on?”
Accountability Without Shame
One of Camille’s most refreshing philosophies is how she approaches accountability.
“In reality, the only person that can hold you accountable is you,” she said. “The whole reason for the group is for you to be able to check in with yourself in front of the group.”
No lectures, no elaborate punishments, no dramatic rewards.
“All they have to do is: What did you say you were going to do? Did you do it—yes or no? What are you doing going forward?”
What’s hard is doing that without excuses.
“We live in stories. If we didn’t do it, we want to come in with, ‘Well, see what had happened…’” she laughed. “Instead, you just show up and say, ‘I said I was gonna do this and I failed to get it done. Next week I’ve scheduled an additional two hours on my calendar to make sure that happens.’”
No shame. Just data and a new plan.
She’s also a fan of lowering the bar instead of inflating it after a “failure.”
If your goal was 10 cold calls and you made one, most people respond by saying, “Next week, I’ll do 20.” Camille’s approach is the opposite:
“You could barely make one without getting your feelings hurt—you’re not going to make 20. That’s ridiculous. Instead, say, ‘My goal is one’ or ‘My goal is two.’ Put the bar so low you almost trip over it.”
When you hit those smaller goals consistently, your brain starts associating the behavior with success—not failure. That’s when it becomes much easier to do more.
Redefining Success So You Can Actually Reach It
For leaders who feel like they can’t slow down or simplify without losing success, Camille starts with one question:
“What is success?”
She doesn’t mean the Instagram version. She means their version.
“Is it lots of money, fast cars, planes?” she asked. “Cool. Do you love that version? Or are you burned out, stressed out, overworked, never seeing your family?”
If the picture of success in your head doesn’t match how your life actually feels, she says, that’s your signal.
 | “If the success they’re picturing and the success they supposedly have are not the same, then there’s a gap to bridge and a place to start. Maybe they already have the success they want. Maybe they don’t. But they have to decide what success is for them.” |
That’s the heart of her story:
Camille didn’t succeed more because she learned to tolerate more chaos, juggle more tasks, or sprint harder.
She succeeded more because she got brutally honest about:
What actually drives results
What actually matters to her
And what she’s no longer willing to sacrifice to chase someone else’s version of success
She stopped worshiping the long to-do list and started honoring the right actions instead. And her challenge to every overwhelmed leader is simple and confronting: Are you chasing busyness—or your real definition of success?
References
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