3 Strategies to Stop To-Do List Overwhelm

One most challenging aspects of learning something new is feeling overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of what you don’t know. Your To-Do list is probably a mile long already.

And, if you’re like most people, you haven’t even made a dent in it. In fact, you’ve probably already added a few additional items. Every day you fall further and further behind.

In Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength, authors Burmeister and Tierney state that a person typically has 150 different tasks on their To-Do list.

Think about your own. You have prospecting calls to make, proposals to write, emails to send, service issues to solve. Now, add all the new things you have to learn on top of it: new products, new markets, new pricing plans, new technology. The list goes on.

Then, throw in the birthday card you need to pick up, the groceries you need to get, and the tax forms that have to be sent in.

Here’s what’s even more discouraging. Research shows that the longer your list, the less likely you are to get things done. Overwhelm hits. Your brain start spinning again. You get anxious that you won’t get it all done. And you don't. Or, should I say, you can’t. It’s literally impossible.

Here are 3 strategies to keep yourself from having an unproductive day – or even life!