Many of us feel pulled in a dozen directions – too much to do in too little time. How do we get things done without feeling overwhelmed by it all?  I’d like to share with you what I do to manage my to-do list and get projects done.  I tend to keep three to-do lists. 

One has a long list of things to do eventually. This I prioritize with numbers: 1) work on immediately; 2) important; 3) work on in the next week or two; 4) only if I have time. 

My second to-do list is what I’d like to work on this week. It’s culled from the first list, and may have only ten items. This get prioritized too.

The third list is even shorter and is only for today. It might have 5 items on the list. This is part of reducing the sense of being overwhelmed. I don’t look at the long list very often! I also prioritize today’s to-do list. I might have a couple of #1′s and three #2′s on my short list. If I get those five things done today, then I’m happy. I love crossing things off my little list!

Regarding big projects: I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but I’ll say it again. When I do a big project, I break it up into small steps. Once I have my plan in place, I forget about the work of the entire project and only look at the one piece I have to do next. This little piece goes on today’s to-do list. This process leads to progress on big projects that might never get done otherwise.

Don’t forget to include fun things on your to-do list, or even time to just be! See the 10-Habits above, Re-scheduling below, and the Mission work for help in how and what to prioritize.

Let me know how it goes and if you have any comments.

Visit Creating Balance and Professional Coaching on Steve’s website and read about Change That Lasts.