The Overwhelming To-Do List

Do you have a to-do list that's a mile long?  If so you know how overwhelming this can be. Many times the proper timeline to achieve each goal hasn't been alloted. Some things on your to do list might not need to be done for months, therefore they do not belong on your daily to do list. Steps towards achieving the goal, maybe.

Don't set yourself up for failure by making your to-do list too long. Pick 3 goals a day, that have to be accomplished, and if you have the time and energy hit 4 and 5 too. Otherwise, pat yourself on the back for knocking out the top 3. Set small, achievable goals.

For example, if your goal is to declutter your whole home, how would you break that down into bite-size pieces?

1. Your first step might be brainstorming which rooms to tackle first.
   • Start with the hall closet
   • Take everything out
   • Assess what stays and what goes
   • Give everything that is staying a home
   • Repeat in the bedroom closet

These goals can be accomplished in a day and many within a week.

Your next step to breaking down a large goal is to give yourself an achievable time frame.  If you've lived in your home for twenty years and have slowly brought in clutter and now you want it organized in a day, how do you think you'll feel when you can't make that happen? Part of creating goals is also creating a timeline to achieve those goals.

1. How long should it take to organize and declutter your home?
   • A year?
   • A month?
   • A day?

Be reasonable with your expectations and timeframes. Things  take more time than we initially think they will. I think I can lose 10lbs in a month, but being realistic I give myself a year. Allow yourself a reasonable timeline to accomplish tasks. And don't forget to applaud yourself along the way. Allow yourself joy and take time to enjoy little things. Moving one step forward is better than none.

Remember it may take weeks, months, or even years for today's efforts to pay off. That's why it's important to have small consistent goals that you are working on all the time. When one seed is planted another can be sprouting.

You’ll walk away feeling discouraged if you don't organize your entire home because you probably didn't give yourself enough time to achieve that. Again, this is if you are putting this large goal on your daily to do list. You're putting these massive things on there that really should be the smaller steps that would lead you to accomplishing your goals. Organizing your entire home should be on your yearly list not your monthly, weekly or daily. Those lists should include the examples I suggested earlier.

If your daily or weekly goal was easy, clear out and organize one small space, you would be much more relaxed, thus attracting what you seek. Maybe you look back a year later and see a new organized home. Break down larger goals and allow a reasonable time frame to accomplish them. 

Once you set a small goal and you reach it you're able to celebrate a little. Small celebrations will energize you to keep going forward. Once one goal is under wraps it's time to make another small goal. This is the trick to how you build upon your goals and truly become productive and successful.
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Focusing on one goal at a time allows you to digest and build upon that goal. You will feel more accomplished by setting small goals then you will by setting gigantic ones. That's not to say you can't have a large overall goal, just remember to allow yourself the time to achieve them. Keeping your to do list small and streamlined and learning to set realistic expectations and timelines will make you feel more productive. Before you know it you will be checking things off you bucket list.


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