What to Do When Your To-do List Keeps on Piling Up

I keep my own to-do list. And I encourage you to do so. A

to-do list helps you plan, organize and prioritize your life.

Personally, it helps me become more productive and

encouraged all day. My personal favorite is when I check

each item as done. Don’t you just love it when you

accomplish tasks here and there?

But what happens when your to-do list keeps on piling up? When not a single line gets crossed

out as done? What if your to-do list is tormenting you instead of giving you relief? What to do

when your to-do remains as that… a list?

Most often, people who experience this shut down and wallow. Sometimes they even give up or

give in. With the overwhelming feeling that a to-do list undone costs an individual, it is difficult

to overcome the failure. It is debilitating and paralyzing at most. To prevent you for becoming a

loser, let me share with you this self tested tips on how to be productive with your to do list:

Keep your list limit. Take a look at your planner/notebook/ scratch of paper again. Take a really

good look at it. Is it reaching bottom line in length? Is it mind-spinning just to look at? Then we

have a problem. You have to learn to only write time-measured tasks that you can accomplish

within the day. Do not consume yourself with too many things that won’t possibly fit in your

day. Decide what is immediate and what is important but not necessarily urgent. When you

have done this, revise your to-do list and voila, you’re on your way to be productive in finishing

that list.

Use specific actionable words. Whenever you add a task on your to-do list, use verbs. For

example in my to-do list for today one of the task says, “Write 2 blog posts”, below that I wrote

the specific topics and keywords. I then feel energized since that translates to a small

accomplishment in my day. Making things specific will keep you on track and it will lessen the

hassle on knowing where to start.

Take down the biggest task first. Take on the most difficult or most hated task first, once you

do this, your biggest hurdle is out of your way. You can now have greater confidence to finish all

the other tasks. Don’t believe the myth that you should start slow. This will only delay the

inevitable. So go ahead, you can finish that big task, you will have to face it soon anyway, why

not first.

Stick with your deadline. If you have set a period for tasks to be done, make sure that you

keep it. Have you ever felt relieved or happy whenever you do things at your preferred time

table? Have you ever felt defeated and discouraged when you would postpone a task due to

your leniency with time? This is a morale game. Every day is an opportunity for you to finish the

race on time and boost your morale.

Be on the move. Once you strike out a to-do, do not sit back, relax, and celebrate just yet. You

have more time to do that at the end of your work day. Continue moving through your list until

all tasks are done. When the work time is up, see what you have accomplished and you will be

surprised to see your list going, going and now gone!

These are just some of the things that you should do when you get overwhelmed with your own

list. Remember, you created that list to help you and not to torment you. So make it an ally by

following these tips on how to be productive with your tasks.

Karen May Dy is a social media marketing specialist and wants you to

build your authentic social brand, create a powerful online presence, and

ultimately step up your social media game. With a passion in taking

overwhelm about social media and online marketing, Karen teaches and

serves women service-based solopreneurs in using online tools and the

internet to grow their business. To grab your free copy of Karen’s social

media kit (with social media management video series + action guide,

social media workbook with planning sheets + checklists) through email and to receive exclusive weekly

social media coaching straight to your inbox every Tuesday, visit http://socialmediamarketinggirl.com/