The Nonprofit Leader’s Guide to Overcoming To-Do List Overwhelm

Are you tired of your to-do list haunting you at night, leaving you feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and stuck? If so, you're not alone. As a leader, tackling that never-ending list is a daily battle.

What Really Goes Through Your Mind When You Look at Your To-Do List

As a nonprofit leader, you’ve probably found yourself in this situation: you finally have a rare break in your day, and you’re staring at your endless to-do list, searching for something quick to cross off. As you skim through the tasks, a series of thoughts run through your mind:

• I don't have time to do that.
• I still have time for that, so I can do it later.
• I'm waiting for Angela's part. I can't do that.
• That's not even my job. I don't know why I still do it.
• I'm not in the right space to do that.
• I don't even know how to do that.
• Ugh, I hate doing those!

Your to-do list is like an emotional roller coaster

As you scan your endless to-do list, your emotions shift from overwhelm to anxiety, annoyance, and doubt, leaving you feeling discouraged. You push the list aside and mindlessly scroll through emails, avoiding tasks and falling further behind. Sound familiar? As a nonprofit leader, this cycle of overwhelm haunts you, often keeping you up at night. But why does the to-do list never get done? The answer lies in two key reasons.

?? REASON # 1

First, your to-do list is a disorganized list that is more of a?holding place?than a completion place.

• A storage place for everything you should, might, and want to do, but without delineating between the items.
• It consists of projects and tasks jumbled together without any indication of which tasks belong with which projects and in what order.
• It is not only your tasks but embedded in between are things others need to do.

?? REASON # 2

Second, we view the list as items that need time to be completed and blame lack of time as the enemy ?? ? It's way more complicated than just not enough time.

For example, look at your to-do list and consider:

• Who else is involved in the tasks
• The level of complexity in the tasks
• How confident do you feel about taking on the tasks
• What else is happening around you, such as distractions, projects, clients, what's going on in your personal life, and, of course, world issues
• Your energy level, physical well-being, mental clarity and emotional capacity

Without taking all of that into consideration, our to-do list becomes an impossible challenge, and time becomes the enemy.

But time is getting a bad rap. ?

It's not ? time's fault.

The time available to complete tasks is only one small factor in managing our to-do list. There are other things to consider. Below are three steps to help you manage your to-do list with much greater success????

QUESTION:?How do I get done, what matters on my to-do list?

ANSWER:?You create order and awareness.

How to Transform Your To-Do List into a Productivity Tool

1?? First, prioritize your to-do list into some semblance of order. That way, your to-do list can become a tool working for you instead of a threat against you.?

• Use the?3-step weekly planning for leaders who want to get done what matters most

2???Next, let go of inappropriate expectations of your to-do list You change expectations of your to-do list by shifting your mindset from believing your to-do list is a list of things that need doing to a holding place for projects and tasks.

• David Allen's book?Getting Things Done will help you make this mindset shift.

3???Finally, move a few key items to each day's agenda, plan or priorities When you only have three things to get done each day, you will check them off with greater speed and satisfaction.?

• Use?t he Eisenhower Matrix? to help you prioritize what you should be working on today.

Why Your Emotions Are the Real Obstacle to Getting Things Done

But we are still overlooking something That covers the tactical side of getting through your to-do list. But there is something bigger that needs addressing. ?? The elephant in the room is the emotions you felt when you scanned the list.?

• Jobs you hate doing?can make you feel?unmotivated, and there is a good chance you'll struggle to get them done.?
• Tasks that you don't know how to do?can leave you feeling?unsure?about where to start, doubtful you'll be able to pull it off and have a way of rearing?imposter syndrome.?
• When you?know it's someone else's job, not yours, your?resentment?may get in the way of getting it done.

Your emotions play a big role in productivity

Many of us are unaware of our feelings, let alone?how our emotions affect our productivity. We can choose our responses better by slowing down and getting a better awareness of what we are experiencing and how our emotions distract us from getting done what matters most. If you want more help with this, read this next:?Why Your Emotions Are Sabotaging Your Productivity

Ready to Take Control of Your To-Do List and Manage Overwhelm?

Don’t let your to-do list and emotions run the show. Take the next step toward mastering your time and balancing your work and life with confidence. Sign up for The Training Library today and dive into the course, The Emotions of Time Management . Learn practical strategies to manage your tasks, understand your emotional triggers, and finally get done what matters most.

Join The Training Library Now and Start Your Journey to Better Time Management!