Why Youre Drowning in Tasks and How to Fix It Fast

Friday, 11 April 2025 Written by Leo Babauta

Each day, we’re faced with a thousand decisions about what to do, because there’s just too many things on our list and in our inboxes.

We can feel overwhelmed and anxiety starts to arise. This all leads to decision fatigue and indecision as well.

So how do we deal with all of this?

I’m going to recommend some things that will sound too simple. And I’m going to ask you to trust me, and give them your best effort, even if you’ve heard these a thousand times before.

Here we go!

Make a Short List

Every day, I encourage you to make a short list of 3 important things you’d like to get done that day. If they’re small, you can do 5. If you’re struggling to do 3 every day, just have 1 thing on your list.

Have a second list below it of a handful of other smaller things you’d also like to get done — admin tasks, little things that shouldn’t take long and aren’t a big priority but that would be good to get done.

Focus first on the first short list.

How do you choose things for this short list? Choosing practice: Close your eyes, breathe, and ask yourself what’s most important for today. A few things will arise in your mind. This can take practice, so practice every day even if you’re not good at it at first.

Pick One at a Time, and Make It Your Entire Universe

Do the same choosing practice when it’s time to do a task: what task from your short list feels most important? Pick that task, and focus on it.

Maybe you only focus on the first 20–30 minutes of it, if it’s something that feels daunting and might take a few hours. Maybe you need to sit and breathe before you start. Or do some physical movements to overcome your overwhelm about the task.

But whatever you do, don’t jump around to other things. Make this the only thing that exists in the universe. Clear everything else. Get yourself into the right headspace. Let yourself fully focus on this one thing, as I’m doing as I write this task.

If you need to move away from it, don’t go on your phone or another app or browser tab. Get up, move around, drink some water, shake off the overwhelm. Then start again.

We can only do one task at a time. It helps me to remember that I can only take one breath at a time. Doing can be just like breathing.

Breathe

When you’re done, take some breaths. Acknowledge yourself for the hard work. Feel the meaningfulness of doing that task. Cross it off your list.

Take a short self-care break if needed. Then look at your short list and choose another.

Repeat this until your short list is done or until you have something else on your calendar. One task at a time. Too simple, I know, but try it.

Make a Place for Things

The approach I describe above is the main approach I recommend, but it also can help to make a place for things when you have too many to manage.

For example:

• Do all your financial tasks on Wednesdays.
• Plan your week and do your weekly review on Mondays.
• Do administrative tasks and errands every Friday.
• Do household chores and yardwork on Saturdays.
• Do your email first thing in the morning and mid-afternoon.
• Exercise after work.
• Meditate before you plan and start your day.
• Read to bed.

These are just examples, of course, but you can see that by putting things in a place, you have less to think about. You know when you’ll do these things. Block them off on your calendar as well.

Simple things, executed simply, can make a profound difference.

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