People tend to either love or hate to-do lists (often in the same day). On one hand, it can be quite helpful to have a record of what needs to be done and extremely satisfying to tick off those items you’ve completed. On the other hand, it’s easy to get bogged down when you haven’t accomplished what you expected or when too many items simply overwhelm you. Luckily, with a few simple tricks and some handy tools, these pitfalls can be easily avoided and maybe even have you swooning over your to-do list. Okay, well at least maybe no longer hating it

A little honesty goes a long way
First, be realistic about what you can and will accomplish and when, paying special attention to promises you’ve made to your clients. The best way to begin is to sit in a quiet place and jot everything down you can, no matter how small or large. Don’t organize just yet, just get stuff down, preferably on that antiquated thing we call “paper”. This exercise of writing it in your hand and seeing it will help your mind sort things. Sometimes this is a painful process: you realize just how much stuff you have ahead, but really, it will get better.