How to handle the never-ending to-do lists?

To-do lists can easily seem never-ending and too much to handle. No matter how much we get done, the list never seem to end. This bottomless nature of to-do lists is a big cause of the chronic stress and anxiety we feel on a regular basis.

One way to overcome this challenge is to create a numbered list instead of a bulleted one. It is a simple hack but it makes our list finite and helps us in looking at the complete picture and assessing what is the priority that needs to be handled.

While making the list, it also helps to make it mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive, meaning that there is no overlap between two items and there is nothing that's not on the list. Without this, the list becomes either complicated or incomplete.

Over time, there would be additions and subtractions to the list, but when you see a finite number of tasks in front of you, you feel empowered to be able to tackle them and your stress and anxiety get drastically reduced.

Recommended reading: The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande