Sometimes our lives seem ruled by “to-do’s”.

How will I ever get done
I can’t get to sleep early, I have a million things to do
I’m exhausted and the dishes arn’t done, the bills are not paid yet, and the laundry also needs folding

These are common thoughts and frustrations keeping us up at night, putting strain and stress on our relationships and depriving us from enjoying our lives. Compound any regular person’s responsibilities with the crippling inability to be efficient because you are so bogged down by the many things that need to get done, or by natural causes such as depression or other mental illnesses, and it is easy to understand why bills are past due and the laundry is piling up.

If the things you have to do are keeping you up at night, you need to reorganize your life and learn to make some handy to-do lists.

When we have too many tasks on our hands, it is really difficult to keep track of each one that needs to be done and to prioritize. As a result, most people resort to the oh-so-familiar “where do I start? exclamation as they grab their head in frustration.

This is where a good To Do list comes in. So,… how do we go about making a To Do list that will work for you and give you the peace of mind you deserve?

How to prioritize to keep your sanity
Each one of us have a slew of bills to pay, house work to do, kids to look after, pets to care for and sometimes elderly or ill parents, our jobs and about a million other things to worry about.
Knowing what needs to be done when is half the battle; there is no point fretting over your visa bill if it is really just due in two weeks. However, keeping it on your desk with a pile of other papers that need to be filed or looked at will only make sure it is on your mind when it doesn’t have to be.

The trick is not just to make a to-do list to keep sane, the trick is to know what needs to be put on the to-do list.

Ask yourself: What needs to be accomplished today, what are the things that can absolutely not wait?
Here, you include tasks such as cleaning a spill in the kitchen, sorting laundry (only if you ran out of underwear and have the option of going to work commando the next day) and paying the bill that is already overdue.

This will be your to do today to-do list. It is imperative to remember ONLY the most urgent matters can go onto this list. Anything that can reasonably wait until tomorrow should not be written down yet.

Ask yourself: What do I need to get done by the end of the week?
Here, your next list will include those tasks that are less urgent but do need to get done in the next few days. This may - for example - include doing groceries, buying pet food, filing bank statements and paying this month’s bills.

Ask yourself: What would I like to get done this month?
On your last list you write down the tasks or issues you’d like to get done within the next 30 days. This is more of a goals-list than a to-do list because it can include enjoyable tasks as well. For example; you may want to look at your stock portfolio and do some research, you’d like to get the dryer fixed or shop for a new winter coat.

By writing out everything that needs to get done, and categorizing the tasks according to their urgency, you can learn to clear your mind and discover how satisfying it is to start striking items off the to-do list! If we are trying to remember everything we need to do, and we cannot effectively organize these things in our head, the sheer pressure of possibly forgetting something important can be nerve-wrecking and the weight of everything that could possibly need attention in the next month (or longer!) can feel paralyzing. This of course ends in you not being able to do anything at all, or at least be less effective than you could be if you were less stressed about your to-do list.