Effective Ways to Deal with an Overwhelming To Do List
If you’re looking for effective ways to deal with an overwhelming to do list, you have options on what you can do. You’ll get great tips that are easily actionable to put your plan in motion.
We make a to-do list because we want to be organized and know exactly what it is that has to be done. But what happens when our to-do list just keeps growing and growing, to the point where it just gets overwhelming, daunting, and unhelpful?
If you are feeling a little overwhelmed with your to do list, it is time to regain control and get those tasks done. In order to regain control of the to do list and our sanity, here are a few effective ways to deal with an overwhelming to do list.
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Effective Ways to Deal with an Overwhelming to Do List
All of these tips are easy to implement right away. You can immediately start using any of these tips to start whittling down your to do list and to get organized fast.
Make One Single List
Do you use Post-It notes or scrap paper to write down the things that need to be done? If you do use them, it is time to do away with all the Post-It notes. Take your notes and use them to create one master list of things to do. In your master list, write down everything that you have running through your head on what needs to be done.
If you do not keep it to just one list, as your to-do items get bigger, so will your paper stack. Once that paper stack gets larger, you will get more overwhelmed and your to-do lists will just become a stack of daunting things that need to be done.
Prioritize Your To-Do List
This may be a challenging one depending on what is on your to-do list. But sit back, look over your list, and prioritize the tasks that need to be done first. Rate them from most pressing to least pressing.
When you are prioritizing, put your most pressing tasks on the top so that you can see them any time you look at the list. It will be a reminder that they need to be done sooner than the others.
You can also prioritize them by how much time they will take to complete. Then, if you have some extra time, you can knock out some of the longer tasks. When you have less time, you can knock off a shorter task.
Break Up the Tasks
For major tasks, break them up into sections. If you have a large project on your to-do list, you are more likely to put it off because it is such a big daunting project. You know it needs to be done, it is just a big job that you don’t want to get into right now or don’t have time to do right now.
To avoid continuously putting it off, break it up into smaller tasks so that they all come together, and you are not so overwhelmed. As you complete the smaller tasks and cross them off, you will soon be able to cross off that big daunting task you have been putting off for however long.
A long to-do list doesn’t have to be so overwhelming that it leaves you in the corner crying because you have lost your sanity. Remember, to-do lists are meant to be helpful, organized, and sane.
Ask for Help
You don’t have to do everything alone. If you’re needing help, ask someone to help you. Spouses and children are more than capable of pitching in and doing what they can to help. Even though it’s great to have a list to motivate you, the list doesn’t define who you are.
If there are projects that need to be done but you have no idea how you’re going to get them done, just ask someone for help. You’ll be amazed at how much easier your list can suddenly be.
Be Flexible
Sometimes, life just happens. And even though you’re dead set on hitting your deadline of getting everything done on your to-do list, you have to realize that this is life and there are things that will happen that might throw your day off a bit.
Realize this, adjust, and allow yourself to rearrange. There are some tasks on your to-do list that can wait until the next day.
Give Yourself Grace
It’s no secret that we’re our own worst critics. And if something happens that you don’t get your list done, remember that you’re human and give yourself grace. Things happen. Life happens. But in the end, you have another day to get done what you need to get done as well.
Make certain to physically cross off items that are done
I don’t know why but there is something so amazing at crossing off the items physically that is on your to-do list. And don’t just do a checkmark, it’s not the same. Take a big line and draw it right through the tasks when you get done…it really does feel amazing! This will actually make you motivated to have the feeling over and over again which will help you get those items on your list done!
That’s why I love my Happy Planner, I still enjoy the physical act of checking up a to do list rather than having it in an app.
Want more printables to help you get organized? Get access to the Resource Library for more organization printables to use in any planner.
Hopefully, these ideas will give you a way to work on getting things done on your to-do list without being too overwhelmed. Remember that you’re feeling overwhelmed because you’re uncertain of your outcome.
If you were to take a step back and realize that you’re doing the best that you can, it would immediately have you feeling calm and help you to focus, too.
Try these simple tips for dealing with your to-do and do your best to keep your anxiousness at bay. Trust in yourself and your process and know that everything will be okay! The last thing that you need is to add a ton more pressure when it’s really not necessary.
Just breath and do what you can on your list. Once you relax, you’ll be able to function more better than before!
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