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Task Management: Why Traditional To-Do Lists Do NOT Work & What to Do Instead

Allison GrahamNovember 30, 2021

Okay, so if you are feeling overwhelmed by your never ending to do list, I’m gonna encourage you to adopt my philosophy – which is different – a task circle.

If we want to interrupt our pattern of feeling overwhelmed and the destructive stress, we have to figure out a better way to manage all of the stuff we need to get done. But also, we need to accept the fact that the stuff we need to is never going to stop. There’s always going to be more and more and more and more things to do!

Task Management: 2 Wrong Things Done by Professionals

Based on countless consultation calls I’ve done, there are two wrong things I noticed that are done by professionals when it comes with task management.

1. To-do lists are kept in the mind. This is probably because some are afraid of looking at their long to-do list and do not want to feel overwhelmed.

2. Having multiple to-do lists but not tracking everything in the right spot. Sometimes, we have to-do lists and we break it down to fast tasks and more intense tasks – but, we only do the “fast task” list because it’s easier to get done.

How to Manage Your Tasks Without Stress & Overwhelm

There are two strategies that you can do to manage your tasks without stress and overwhelm:

#1 Sprint for 45 to 75 minutes

You can do a situational awareness by listing down the things you actually need to do. Put a timeline on them and do 45 to 75-minute focused work then a 15-minute break cycle. This can help overcome to-do list stress.

#2 Divide your tasks into “Areas of Responsibility”

You can break down your to-do list into areas of responsibility or buckets of tasks. If you’re a business owner, you probably wear many hats. By breaking tasks into themes and patterns, you can see your list as less overwhelming. Plus, you can focus on doing the tasks one bucket at a time for maximum productivity.

Take Control of Your Life Today

I’m on a mission to turn you into a Resiliency Ninja! That means you can reach your full potential, no matter what stress, obstacles or adversity gets in your way. 

Join the conversation Lockdown LiftUp LIVE on my Youtube Channel every 3:15 EDT Monday through Thursday. It’s a riff where I aim to share inspiration, ideas and a couple of laughs.

To schedule me to speak to your leadership team, check out my Resilience programs here: https://allisongraham.co/services/.

Allison Graham headshot smiling leaning against a grey wall, blue cardigan and white top

Welcome! I'm Allison Graham

Let’s face it – life is tough enough without having behaviour patterns that make life harder than it needs to be! 

That’s why I’m obsessed with finding ways to make the human experience easier by offering strategies for problem solving, dealing with chronic pain, leveraging empowering stress, and stopping patterns that create destructive stress. 

I hope you find huge value in my content. To go deeper please check out my online courses, coaching, and keynote speeches.