How to stop to-do lists ruining your life

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1. Streamline your day-to-day tasks
Having some reminders in an email, others in a calendar and yet more on a tatty piece of paper is a recipe for missed deadlines and confusion.

2. Don’t load your list with unachievable assignments
Think about how and when you would achieve a task on your list before you commit to it. Break huge, difficult jobs into smaller achievable steps.

3. Don’t use your to-do list as a memory aid
It’s tempting to put every passing thought on to-do lists – particularly digital versions, which never run out of space. But having scores of impossible wishes on your list will only camouflage those tasks that you actually need to do.

4. Consider grouping your to-do lists by deadline
It’s a relief to look at your to-do list and know, immediately, which tasks are urgent. One strategy is to have three versions: one “now” list for immediate tasks, another for things to do over the next week, and a third for those annoying duties you will get to when you have run out of excuses.

5. Then pare down your “now” list
Pick an achievable amount of tasks – three is a good number – to complete each day. Leave other tasks on your longer term lists until you have ticked off the most important.

6. Don’t keep your to-do list in your smart phone
Controversial, for some, but flicking between a digital to-do list and the other functions of your phone is cognitively exhausting. That goes for your digital calendar, too. Try reverting to the old-school system: a paper to-do list tucked into a leather-bound diary.

7. Or try an even more low-tech approach
According to cognitive psychologist and neuroscientist Daniel J Letvin, many successful people use 5x3 inch index cards to plan their tasks, writing one “to-do” on each card. The key here is that, unlike a long paper list, cards can be re-prioritised without any effort – and the ability to prioritise your tasks with ease is crucial to avoiding feeling overtaxed in the moment.