You’re never going to finish everything, there will always be more to do. Every time you cross something off of your todo list, something new will be added (or maybe a few things).

And that’s ok.

But once you realize that getting everything done is impossible, you need to focus more intently on deciding what’s most important.

The top of the list

Decide what should be on top of that todo list, what’s most important. Decide what you will actually finish (soon, like today, not over the more ambiguous “long term”).

Ignoring the rest of the items right now is ok. In fact, taking away the distraction of the bottomless list is key to committing to the top of the list items.

Focus on the top items, get them done.

The bottom will rise, decide again

The bottom items will rise up as soon as you are finished. And when they do, don’t just slide them into place. Re-evaluate the order. Decide what is most important, because even the important stuff is going to have to wait until the most important stuff is done.

Photo credit: Manu Contreras