Overwhelmed by to-dos? Here are 5 steps to take

Do you feel like your to-do list is on fire? You put one fire out, only to have 3 more pop-up.

Guess what? Your to-do list isn’t going away. It might decrease during some seasons of life. It will increase during other seasons, such as when you get a new medical diagnosis or have a health condition change in some way.

Does this sound familiar?

• more tasks added than removed
• to-dos scattered everywhere
• you flinch if someone asks you to do something
• overwhelmed by huge number of duties
• perplexed when you work all day, yet no to-dos are crossed out

People have several misconceptions related to their to-dos. There’s no need to write them down. Projects and tasks are on the same list. If you just keep working on the list, everything will eventually be completed.

One truth is that with the amount of information we receive each day, not recording to-dos somewhere and somehow will cause you to drop the ball. You’ll either completely forget one or you’ll miss a deadline.

Another truth is that keeping tasks and projects on the same list is overwhelming. Why? Because we like to see progress. A task requires one step and/or can be finished in a short amount of time. A project entails multiple steps or tasks and generally take longer than a day. When the two are mixed, tasks get crossed off yet projects stay on the list much longer.

A third truth is that between activities we want to do and required duties, there will always be more on your list than you can complete.

 

What happens if you keep mismanaging your to-dos? Here are some of the consequences I’ve faced when I’m inconsistent implementing my personalized task and project solution, I:

•     frustrate others
•     get hit with late fees
•     pay more for house repairs
•     don’t have the necessary supplies
•     etc.

Many of my clients experience task overwhelm! Here are factors we discuss to make their to-dos more manageable:

FIRST, differentiate projects from tasks. (See criteria above.) It is helpful to have separate systems for tracking each, though the methods will be related.

SECOND, discover the important features that you’ll need for a successful task list, by determining the following:

• Who needs access?
•     How will you show priority or importance?
•     Where will you note the location of auxiliary supplies?
•     How will you note the deadline?
•     How will you distinguish between tasks and projects?

THIRD, decide whether to try a physical or digital option as the main location for your to-dos. You can change your mind later, but you have to start somewhere.

Then put all of your tasks and projects in this place going forward. New ones can be easily added. Older ones, which may be in a variety of places, will also be transferred to this new location.

FOURTH, define how you’ll “connect” tasks to a calendar. Some to-dos have hard deadlines, others have soft deadlines, and some have no time frame. You need to have a way to track those with calendar-based end points.

Similarly, it’s necessary to define how you’ll note where any supplies or information are housed. Sometimes there is information in an email or on a website. Sometime you already have what you need to complete the to-do (nails, notebooks, etc.) and you have to remember where they are located. Other times you may need to purchase supplies.

FIFTH, declutter your list proactively by asking “what’s the worst that could happen if I defer or delete <x>?” before you add anything to your list.

Bottomline, your to-do list will feel overwhelming unless you intentionally take action to manage it better.

Even the smallest, mini-step you can take to Differentiate, Discover, Decide, Define, and Declutter, will move you closer to a more realistic to-do list!

Which step will you start with in your effort to put out the fire on your to-do list feel more realistic? Type the step number you’re starting with below, along with any questions or comments.