What To Do When There is Too Much To Do

There is a common theme among women that are trying to do it all; trying to have it all. They have a long to-do list that tends to be never-ending and never fulfilling. I’ve discovered what to do when there is too much to do, and I’ve streamlined it so well that I’ve ditched the long to-do lists altogether.

You might be thinking it’s impossible but I live my days and weeks exactly this way and it works over and over again. This process is one of the steps I’ve used to simplified my life and with practice you can do it too.

As busy moms, we tend to have a long to-do list. We take on the world around us and put everything on ourselves to get it all done. Then we drive ourselves into exhaustion and overwhelm, constantly wondering how we are going to get it all done. After all, there are only so many hours in the day.

Life doesn’t need to suck this much! Trust me.

What To Do When There is Too Much To Do

I spent years helping businesses improve their productivity targets so their employees could be more productive. There are a few common things most people do that hinder their productivity throughout the day.

Here are the top 3 common mistakes impacting productivity:

focusing on tasks that don’t make an impact on the goals
taking on too much, and not delegating
planning the day or week isn’t done

I’ve managed to ditch the long to-do lists, guilt-free, and create a happy life consistently doing this exact process. However, there are still times where it seems like there is too much to do, and when that happens it is because I’ve made one or more of the top 3 common mistakes I just mentioned.

Here’s what to do when there is too much to do:

1. Reduce Overwhelm by Looking At It

When your mind is spinning because you are feeling overwhelmed you need to stop the mind from spinning. The best way to stop the overwhelm is to look at it directly. I like to give it my “mom look”. You know the one you give your kids when they are doing something they shouldn’t be doing or the one your mom gave you when you were doing something you shouldn’t. That one.

When you bring attention to the feeling of being overwhelmed your brain stops spinning because it knows it got your attention for something it was worried about. Much the same as a toddler having a tantrum wanting to get your attention, except in this case ignoring it doesn’t help.

Then mindfully explore what could be causing the overwhelm. Have you made any of the 3 common mistakes to trigger this overwhelm: focusing on the wrong tasks, taking on too much, or not having a plan for your day?

2. Make an Intentional Plan

Many experts will tell you to write the list down and prioritize it. While that’s a good start, an intentional plan is more defined. The first step would be to write that list of tasks that you have floating around in your head. This is commonly called a brain dump and doing the brain dump gives your brain the ability to focus on one task, instead of trying to remember everything that you are trying not to forget at the same time.

Then you need to prioritize the list between “leading actions”, “time-sensitive tasks” and “if I have time tasks”.

How we word things makes a difference for our outlook on what’s on the to-do list. I’ve stopped using the words, “must-do list” for this very reason. I wanted my brain to ignite excitement when I was working towards my life goals, so I use the term “leading actions” instead. Leading actions are tasks you have complete control over that directly map to your life goals. They ignite a passion within you because you know they help lead you to a life you love. At work, these are the tasks that directly drive results towards your goals. At home, these are also linked to your life goals. There is no difference. If your life goals include building stronger relationships with your spouse or kids, then actions that drive these results must have a priority.

Time-sensitive tasks may be important tasks that need to get done, but you may be able to delegate the whole task or part of it, so it optimizes your time for your leading actions. Be open to explore opportunities that you might be able to create with these task delegations. What beliefs are you holding onto that might be creating unnecessary stress for you?

The final part of the list is strictly labeled, “if you have time”. These are the task you may want to work on in the future but they aren’t pressing at this moment. These are the ones that you can let go of at the end of the day because they aren’t leading you towards life goals at the moment, and they aren’t time-sensitive.

3. Make Kaizen Part of Your Routine

Kaizen is a Japanese term meaning “change for the better” or “continuous improvement”. No one is perfect, but we can learn and grow with every opportunity. Will you sometimes take on too much? Yes, but you can use the steps and create an intentional plan. You can practice doing these steps and continue to improve each time.

Will you sometimes say yes, when you know you should have said no? Possibly, and it will be okay. Learning to say no when you’ve spent a lifetime, so far, saying yes to everything takes practice. This is the same as feeling compelled to do everything versus learning to delegate for the tasks that aren’t leading actions towards your life goals. It all takes practice and kaizen as part of your routine. Learning and improving with every opportunity.

In short, learning what to do when there is too much to do takes practice and intention. Don’t beat yourself up over taking on too much, just give the overwhelm your best mom look and make your intentional plan. Then at the end of the day, know that you did what you could do. You delegated what you could. You focused on what was important towards your life goals and the rest you can let go. Tomorrow is a new day.