It’s easy to lose track of everything you need and want to do to where you become overwhelmed and stressed by what you are doing. Things come up. Distractions hit. And you soon run behind. You try scheduling, time-blocking, have multiple lists, but nothing seems to put a collar on everything that needs to be done.

Here’s part of the problem. Todo, reminders, calendars are all great tools for what they do, but they are separate. Yes, there are apps that integrate these. But the problem remains. Many people use these tools incorrectly. Also, these lists never limit you to what you add to them or tell you that you have too much.

Here is an approach to help you see when you are overloaded and to set limits on yourself. Reduce the stress. Stop being overwhelmed.

First things first. Let’s define how your existing tools and lists should be used.

Calendars: these are ONLY for events. They are NOT for reminding you of when to do something. They are NOT for noting deadlines. They are for events that have an actual time associated with them. Scheduled meetings (not meetings to be scheduled), week long vacations, dental appointments. Calendars are for things that will occupy your TIME and need to be done at a SPECIFIC TIME or range.

Reminders: These are for things you want to be REMINDED about. Birthdays, deadlines, reminders to pick up groceries, planning a trip, etc. Reminders ALWAYS have a date or time attached. A reminder for a birthday would have a date attached. You want to be reminded what and when you need to do something. Reminders tell you when something is DUE.

To do: These lists are pure lists. Things you WANT or NEED to do. These items NEVER have a date or time attached. These are pure tasks. If they have a deadline, that should be placed in your reminders app. To do lists are not for keeping track of the things you are currently working on.

Doing list: This list is for things in-process; to do items, you’re actually doing. It’s as simple as that. Prioritize this list. Don’t worry about prioritizing the others. The doing list items can be quick, or full-fledged multi-day projects. As long as you’re working on it, it goes on this list. Once you’re doing with the item, it gets dropped.

The basic idea is don’t meld or confuse the purpose of each list. Keep their purpose clearly separate. Items shouldn’t be on multiple lists.

That should clarify how you approach what you do.

In Part 2, I’ll talk about how to determine you’re overloaded and what do to about it.