Quick Tricks to Tame Your To-Do List
Let’s be real, starting a business comes with a never-ending list of tasks. From designing a website to setting up email funnels, planning your services, creating content, invoicing…the list grows faster than you can check things off.
When I was getting ready to launch my business, I was drowning in sticky notes, half-finished to-do lists, and mental checklists that kept me up at night. I knew I had to get it under control or risk burning out before I even got started.
So, I tried a bunch of systems (and abandoned half of them), but eventually I landed on a few simple tricks that actually worked and helped me move from chaos to clarity. Here are 4 quick ones you can try today:
1. Brain Dump Everything
Before you can organize your tasks, you need to get them all out of your head. Seriously. Every task, idea, random “maybe one day” thought — write it all down.
I used to try to organize as I brainstormed, but that only led to decision fatigue. Instead, I gave myself permission to just dump everything into a doc or notebook. No order, no edits, just everything that was floating in my brain.
Why it works:
It clears the mental clutter and gives you a full view of what you’re dealing with before you try to plan.
2. Break Big Tasks into Smaller Chunks
One of my biggest mistakes was writing vague to-dos like “build website” or “set up email.” Those sound like one task, but they’re actually a series of steps.
So I started breaking them down:
“Write homepage copy”
“Choose a template”
“Connect domain”
“Test mobile view”
Each task became clearer and more manageable — and bonus: I got to check off more things each day, which kept me motivated.
Pro tip: If a task takes more than 30 minutes, it’s probably two or three tasks in disguise.
3. Pick a Daily Top 3
Every morning, I picked just three things to focus on. Not the whole to-do list, just the most important or time-sensitive ones.
Instead of feeling like I had to tackle the whole list, I focused on just three priorities. Some days that meant client work. Other days it was backend setup or social media planning. But I stopped pressuring myself to do it all, and it helped me move the needle without burning out.
The win: It gave me permission to feel accomplished without completing 47 things a day.
4. Create a “Parking Lot” List
Entrepreneurs (and creatives, and educators, and pretty much every human) get ideas constantly. I’d be in the middle of designing a page when suddenly I’d think, “Ooh, I really need to work on xyz instead!” And just like that, my focus would disappear.
So I created a “Not Now” list — a.k.a. my parking lot. It became the place where I could drop every good idea that wasn’t urgent. I didn’t have to act on them right away, but I didn’t lose them either.
It kept me focused without killing my creativity.
Final Thoughts
There’s no perfect system—but there is a better way than trying to do everything at once. These four tricks helped me stay sane (and actually enjoy the process) while launching my business.
If you're feeling overwhelmed by your to-do list, try one or two of these and see what works for you. And if you have a favorite trick of your own, I’d love to hear it—drop it in the comments or shoot me a message!