I had the pleasure of speaking with my good friend Vania Tashjian about the subject of our overwhelming to-do lists.  Vania is a professional organizer and this is a topic she is passionate about.

Q. 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.  Do you have suggestions for what they can do to trim those to do lists and make them more realistic?
 
A. 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 or what I like to call "pillars".  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.

Q. If an item stays on my list for months, what do I do?

A. 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.

Q. Now that our current to-do lists are manageable how do we maintain the habit of keeping them manageable?  In other words, how do we keep ourselves from the innate desire to start piling to-dos on our list again?
 
A. 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.

Wise words from Vania about organization:
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.

Vania Tashjian is a professional organizer in the San Francisco Bay Area and a member of NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers). If you have any questions regarding professional organizing or would like to reach her, please visit www.vaniatashjian.com.