Sisterfriend, I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but your to-do list is actually NOT contributing to improving your time management or productivity. Instead, it’s making you anxious and contributing to the overwhelm.

I’m not against to-do lists. In fact, I use them as part of my own time management and productivity systems.

However, the to-do list is not the primary driver of my productivity. The to-do list actually serves as more of a list of prompts. It reminds me of what’s needed, but it doesn’t tell me how or when to get it done.

Soooo, if you’ve ever looked at your to-do list and thought, “how am I going to get all this done?”, this is for you.

Here are three reasons your to-do list is contributing to your time management problems, and why it’s actually triggering anxiety and overwhelm.

1. The to-do list is not helping you because, on its own, it’s not a complete system.
   
   It’s just a list. I LOVE A LIST! Trust me! However, realistically speaking, a list usually includes key phrases or quick thoughts. God forbid you throw something on there that’s important, but only represented by a phrase you can’t remember. That will absolutely contribute to stress, if not in that moment, definitely down the line, when you remember that thing was left undone.
   
   I remember working on a project back in my corporate days. At that time, I was experiencing chronic stress and work-related anxiety, which made it really hard (almost impossible) to think clearly at times. I was having one of those moments, when I opened a to-do list that I wrote and felt completely overwhelmed by everything on it. I had no idea where to start or what to prioritize. They keywords and phrases weren’t new, but in that moment, my mental and emotional state just didn’t have the capacity to try to remember what each to-do list item required. I did what I could remember needed to be done. Later on, that file was pulled for an audit. Unfortunately, it scored poorly because there were missing steps and incomplete items. The feedback? “Project lacked clear structure and process execution.”
   
   
2. Let’s be honest, just looking at a long list of incomplete tasks triggers overwhelm.
   
   You probably hear lots of type-A women say things like, “I love a good list!” I know I say it! (I said it before! LOL!) I really DO love a good list, BUT only because it serves as a prompt. It is the thing that tells me to get started on the process I’ve created for those prompts.
   
   When you’re in the habit of executing on a good process or system, the to-do list is much more likely to act as a guide toward reaching your goals for the day. In those instances, to-do lists are fabulous. If that isn’t your situation, you’re just hurting yourself.
   
   What about the things that are quick and mindless, like folding clothes or washing dishes? Well, those are prompts, too! You don’t just fold clothes and leave them where they are. Well, depending on the day, you might. (I’m guilty of it, too!) However, a more productive and peace-promoting approach is to fold the clothes, categorize them appropriately, then put them away. That completes the “fold clothes” process and results in that moment of gratification we all love…crossing it off the list. The same goes for washing dishes. Unless you have a total of 10 pieces of dinnerware, you have to, eventually, put it all away.
   
   
3. Without solid systems, your brain is registering problems, not solutions.
   
   Assuming you have no solid systems in place, your to-do list is simply a stress factory brewing up your next shot of stress hormones. Those same stress hormones trigger a physiological response, including entering into “fight or flight” mode. I address that in more detail in Episode 190: Struggling with Anxiety or Overwhelm? How To Have Peace & Get Out of Fight or Flight Mode When You’re Struggling with Time Management As A Christian Woman. 
   
   Before I knew the Lord, I did not live life in a way that was consistently organized or structured. I was flying by the seat of my pants kinda gal. I did what I could, when I could. There was no strategy and hardly any intention. So, when I overcommitted, which happened a lot (hellooooo, people-pleaser!), I would write down all the things I could remember and then freak out when I realized there were a boatload of problems I needed to solve. Why did I freak out? I had no strategy for when to do things and, most days, how to get it all done. I either abused substances to cope with the stress or just froze in response to the anxiety and overwhelm.
   
   AFTER I committed my life to Jesus, I began to read the Word of God… eventually becoming a student of the Word. It led me to understand prioritization in a much more effective way. Everything had its place… every activity its own season (Ecclesiastes 3:1). I developed systems to cultivate a lifestyle that put Jesus first and helped me get everything done…with excellence.

You’re aware of your time management problems… now what?

If you have no idea where to start with creating your own systems, you need to join me inside my live training, which I run a couple times a year. You can click here to get registered for the next one!

In the meantime, you can start with this simple process:

1. Write out your to-do list the day before.
2. Take time to brainstorm what a complete process looks like for each task/prompt.
3. Understand what the purpose of that task is and what the end goal is.
4. Write the follow-up steps somewhere (I use ClickUp, my absolute favorite project management software/app) and schedule them into a set time-frame in your calendar. 

Voila! You have a system! It’s that simple, sistafriend! 

Creating systems and processes for your life might seem daunting at first. It may even seem a bit too “corporate” for your taste. Trust me, I thought about things that way in the past. Let me just offer a little reframe: corporations only grow into large organizations because they implement systems. Your capacity for getting more done increases when you have a process that removes that overthinking and decision fatigue. 

You may need some support with all of this, and that’s okay! We’re here to help and would love to walk alongside you to get more done, stop stressing about your to-do list and have time for what matters to you… like intentional time with God or your family… honoring time for rest… and so many other things that contribute to peace, joy and a deeper relationship with the Lord. 

---

Did you enjoy this blog post? If so, make sure you check out Her Renewed Strength-The Podcast!

Click below to listen to Episode 204: Why Your To Do List Isn’t Improving Your Time Management or Productivity… +Why It’s Actually Making You MORE Anxious and Overwhelmed!

Connect with us…

Coaching: https://herrenewedstrength.com/coaching
Community: https://herrenewedstrength.com/community
Podcast: https://herrenewedstrength.com/podcast