Many people add tasks to their daily and weekly to-do lists which are actually a major project in themselves. For example:

• Complete report …
• Arrange meeting/event …
• Create system/process …

In reality, they’re not one task but a series tasks that need to be completed. This is one of the reasons those particular items often get left.  They’re just to big to manage in one go.

• Are you having difficulty prioritising what’s on your list?
• Is it difficult to work out what’s important?
• Are you putting off larger tasks because you don’t have time or you’re reluctant to do them?

Think about all the tasks on your to-do list.  Are they actually projects or large tasks that will in reality take longer than two hours?

Break larger tasks down into smaller, simpler tasks you can achieve in less than two hours.

Be realistic about what you can get done in a day.  Only write down as many tasks as you can actually complete in the time available.

You have your day to day work, so there’s no point in allocating an additional 8 hours of tasks.  It just won’t happen.  In all likelihood you won’t get more than 3-5 done.

Allocate time in your schedule to complete each of the tasks on your list.

If you do have a large project to complete – how important is it in the grand scheme of things, how much time do you need to spend on it? Break it down into a series of mini-projects.

Set aside time on a daily or weekly basis to work on a large project.  Having a regular time slot for a particular project enables you to make steady progress, without having to find a large chunk of time get it all done in one go.

Review your list and break any larger tasks down into more manageable, realistic actions.