Finding things a bit overwhelming?

An ever-growing to-do list can quickly leave us feeling overwhelmed, stressed and unsure where to start. When everything seems urgent, it becomes difficult to focus on what really matters. The good news is that with a little space, clarity and a simple process, you can regain control of your workload, prioritise effectively and make meaningful progress on the tasks that matter most. These seven practical steps will help you move from feeling stuck to feeling productive and focused.

Why we get overwhelmed by our to-do lists

So often we get overwhelmed with our to-do list that never gets 'to-done', and other items keep getting added to it.

Each item seems just as important and urgent, and it is really hard for us to see clearly what to do next. Often, we get so blurred and fuzzy that we can't do anything at all, and the list just keeps getting longer and longer.

It can seem scary to take time out when you feel that you have so much to do, but getting clarity on your tasks should be your number one priority. This will enable you to get through your list easily and swiftly, and perhaps you could delegate or reframe some items on there so they are not getting in the way of the really important stuff.

I often find that my clients need this kind of space and time to declutter what is going on in their heads, and it can be really helpful when you're trying to clarify what your goal is to go through these steps to focus on what's important and take the actions that get you where you want to be.

Here are seven steps to help you regain clarity and focus so that you can reconnect with what is important to you. This will help you to focus on the key things you want to get done.

7 steps to regain clarity and focus

Step one

Take a break from it all

Go and sit somewhere else, get your favourite drink or snack and just take a breather. I know it feels like you haven't got time for it, but trust me here. You need to give yourself a break from being in it to get the clarity you need. How often have you managed to help out a friend who was in a tricky situation with your new perspective on it? They were stuck inside the problem and couldn't see the obvious solution that you could. You can give yourself this perspective by taking yourself out of it for a few moments.

Step two

Reconnect with what is important to you

Think about what is motivating you to do your job or certain tasks. What is it all for - what made you start on this path? What do you want to get out of it? What is so important to you about doing a good job here? What is the number one outcome for you that you want to achieve?

Step three

Using your to-do list, go through and highlight what you don't have to do. 

What can you delegate? What could someone else do? What doesn't need to be done right now? Cross them off and delegate to someone else, or put them on a 'to-do next week' list.

Step four 

With the remaining items, pick just three things that you would really like to achieve today. 

Pick them based on what is important to you and imagine how you will feel when you have achieved them.

Step five

Decide the order to do them in.

I suggest you pick the hardest one first, as then, when you've achieved that, you'll feel you can do anything.

Step six

Crack on with the first item.

Just get it done. Don't think about it or the other things taking your attention. Turn emails, phone and Facebook off. Just focus on that one task and get it done.

Step seven

Complete the other two items.

Give yourself a break between activities and reflect on how you are doing and what you have achieved.

Turning your to-do list into a to-done list 

When you've finished, pat yourself on the back for doing so well and getting those important three things done. You've probably done these before the end of the day, so I'm guessing you may have a bit of time to do the next item on the list, but take some time here if you are tired to make sure you have the energy to do a good job.

Again, focus on the next three items you want to do based on what is important. By breaking it down like this, it seems more manageable, and when you have achieved things, you will feel more able to cope with the other things on the list.

All the very best with getting your to-do list 'to-done'.