Do you ever have so much to do that you don’t know where to start? Sometimes what happens is that we do everything except what really needs to get done – like cleaning up email, straightening out desk drawers. Ever done that?

All we’re doing is putting off the inevitable, and then it just piles up and makes us feel even more overwhelmed. I have found that the way to initially deal with this dilemma is to just start on any one thing that has to be done. Forget about the others for the moment, and just jump into one task. This gets you going, and just the act of starting tends to calm you down.

Then, after you’re making some progress and find yourself at a natural break, take about 10 minutes and make a list of the most important things on your “to do list” for just that day. Don’t try to figure out your whole week or month at that point – just that day. And, them systematically work through those tasks.

This goes back to the old saying, “How do you eat an elephant?” – One bite at a time.

Doing a little of something is far better than doing a lot of nothing.