It doesn’t; seem to matter how much you have to do, there’s always more to be done.  Whether it’s that report that’s due, the phone calls that need to be made, the repair to the washing machine that has to be organised, clearing out clutter, getting ready for next weekends barbecue, preparing the minutes from the last meeting .. the list goes on and just gets bigger.

It gets even bigger when you don’t get some of those things out of the way. They have a habit of piling up. One on top of the other. Yeah, sometimes if you let something go long enough it will disappear of its own accord. It’s just that three other things have jumped in to fill the space!

Well, if you think I’ve been reading your mind, here’s a few things to get out of overwhelm and start to feel better about getting things done. Trust me. It works … but not by wishing!

1. Get it down on paper. Whatever has to be done, pile it into one tray and write up a task list of what has to happen – small or large. Now that you feel really bad   it gets better. Focus on what you want to get done today (or tomorrow). Be realistic. Part of the issue is we sometimes think we can do more than we have time available for!

2. For your today (or tomorrow) list, jot down how long you think each task might take – estimate on the heavy side. If you have an ‘oh this one task alone will take me half the day!) then break it down., Try and have your task list items so that no one item takes more than 30 minutes to do. Chunking is your friend. Short bursts are better than spending hours planning or procrastinating.

3. OK, clear your desk of everything but what you need for the first task you’re about to work on from your list. Notice the time you assigned. DO NOT check your email, answer the phones or take interruptions during the next period of time you’ve assigned to this task. Let people know you are unavailable for the next XX minutes. Set yourself an alarm (I use an egg timer- it works brilliantly but can be noisy in an open office!) and don’t stop until you finish the task or your time runs out.

By the end of the day I’ll guarantee you will have achieved way more than your average day if you attack your task list like so.

The trick is not to fill your day up only with your task list. You will need to build in some time for unexpected stuff that happens – those interruptions, the ‘but it’s urgent’ calls and so on. Just work at dedicating at least a couple of hours a day to working on your task list and you’ll find you get a lot more done.

There’s nothing like the satisfaction of ticking things off your list and feeling that you’re getting ahead! In fact, I jot my tasks on a separate piece of paper so when I finish them I spike them. You know …  one of those old spikes they use in retail. There’s a perverse pleasure in plunging a done task onto a spike – it’s a visceral “done” feeling + action all rolled into one! And at the end of the week there’s a bunch of done bits of paper that I pull off and look at to remind myself of what I’ve managed to get through before I bin them. Funny how at the end of the week we often think ‘what have I done this week??’ – this is a great way to recall and feel good about it.

If you find this works for you – and it will, if you apply it – then keep at it for 30 days to build a new neural pathway and make it an habitual way of working.. Let me know how you get on!