The New Nation - Internet Edition

It seems that most items on people's to-do lists get carried over to the next day for months and months which creates more stress than having a to-do lists relieves. We have suggestions for what they can do to trim those to do lists and make them more realistic. Create a Master List. Get it out of your head and on paper. The next step is to break down the master list into categories. Your pillars are the major categories of your life: personal, relationships, work, health and financial. They're like the pillars of a house - the foundation.

We don't have room to work on all five pillars at once. Focus on just two or three at a time. Now, take a hard look at your list and decide what truly matters. Then focus on those items that are most important to you. Get them done!

If organizing your CD rack is on your list next to organize your kitchen drawers, think about what is most important at this time in your life. If organizing those kitchen drawers will save you time in hunting for things, and if this has been weighing on you emotionally, then, it is probably more important than organizing your CD rack right now. Save the CD rack for a later point, when the urgency feels higher.

By going through this process of prioritizing and focusing your to-do list on a regular basis, you can be more successful, effective and efficient with your to-dos. The goal is to accomplish what is doable at any given point in our lives.

If an item stays on your list for months, ask yourself why you have it on your list. If it is going to add value then keep it on your list and ultimately you will either find time or make time to take care of it. If it isn't truly important, then cross it off of your list and let go of the guilt.

Now that our current to-do lists are manageable we maintain the habit of keeping them manageable. Each day, evaluate the items on your list and really reflect on what is important on that day. We spend so much of our lives doing activities that drain us vs. excite us. Many activities are out of our control. However, our to-do lists can be in our control by reflecting what is important in our lives at this particular point in time.

Be patient with yourself. Organizing is a process and is also a thought process. It takes practice. With each step, you get to know yourself a little bit better. Each time you get to know your needs better, you make progress.

Throughout your day, take a break if you need to. Don't force yourself. Breathe and relax. If you are really drained, relax (guilt free) and you will be re-energized for the next day. It's ok to take a break, honest! There will always be stuff to do. Let's assure that the stuff we do adds value to our lives.