4 Reasons You Have Too Many To-Dos On Your To-Do List

This is for you if you have too many to-do's sitting on your task list and you just keep moving them from today to tomorrow and never seem to get to them.

One of the core principles that I teach and live by that has brought a serious level of peace and ease in my life is based on a productivity principle by David Allen: centralize your to-do's.

Every single thing that I need to DO in my life, goes into Asana.

If I'm out in the world and think of something I have to do, I pop it into Asana via the app on my phone.

If I'm on my computer but don't have Asana open, I'll pop a task into Asana via the chrome extension.

If I'm in my email and I get an email with something to do, I'll forward it to Asana.

EVERYTHING goes to my "My Tasks" list in Asana.

Each morning, I take a look at my list and adjust it for the day based on my top priorities, how much white space I have in my calendar, and what I need personally to feel my best.

But, one question that comes up ALL THE TIME from my clients and students is...

If EVERYTHING is going in Asana.. the to-do list just grows and grows... how do I get on top of it?

So often people find their "today" list is too long and they end up feeling discouraged or defeated by the sheer volume of stuff to do.

Time for a little bit of tough love:

If your to-do list is too long it is a SYMPTOM of the problem, not the actual problem.

What might it be the symptom of?

Here are a few things that I see over and over again:

1. Lack of clear priorities in a clear hierarchy.

If you're not sure what the top, top priorities are in your business, it can be so hard to choose what needs to be prioritized today and this week so everything lands on your today list and you feel "behind."

But "behind" is a construct.

When you know that those random to-do's really aren't a priority this week and you move them to two months from now, are you still behind?

2. Being hesitant to delete tasks.

Just because I added a thought / idea / task to Asana it does not mean that I then have to carry it out. Many times by the time I get to Asana and see the things I added in the context of my priorities, I end up unapologetically deleting them.

It's ok to change your mind.

3. Being too attached to their timeline.

I see people adding tasks to Asana that they really want to do but don't have space for right now so they just keep moving the deadline daily.

It's ok to put something off for A MONTH or MORE. If it's not one of the most important things to move your business and goals forward, it can wait.

OR, does it even need to be on your to-do list?

Is it a potential future project?

Be ok with a narrow set of priorities for now and keep everything that you MIGHT do in a "someday" or "project queue" project and when you set your priorities for the quarter or the month, take a peek in there.

Remove the date and remove yourself as an assignee.

(Of course, anything that you do need Asana to remind you of at a certain time DOES need to be on your task list with a due date but make sure you pop it into your "Later" section.)

Learn more about how this works in my free Asana Mini Training.

4. Unrealistic expectations about what can get done in a day.

Look, I know that productivity is rewarded in our society but your life is not about how many tasks you can get done in a day.

And your business is not a sprint, it's a marathon and asking too much of yourself day in and day out isn't serving anyone.

Give yourself more time.

I'm not saying don't push yourself.

I'm saying, there is absolutely nothing wrong with not getting all your tasks done in a day.

What's the benefit to all the mental chatter pressuring you to do more if it's at your expense?

Instead ask questions like:

→ What can I get done today that truly helps me move towards my goals?

→ How can I challenge myself to do a hard, important thing rather than 20 easy unimportant things?

→ How can I take care of myself today?

→ What can I unapologetically delete from my to-do list?

→ How can I set myself up to FEEL GOOD this week?

Your task list is about HONOURING your time, not stealing it.

It's 1000% ok to get ruthless with what gets your time and attention - nobody is going to do that for you.

Amy x