Our brain is designed to think: one, two, three… MANY. That’s why to-do lists seem never-ending and even when you complete them there is usually a feeling of fatigue rather than celebration. One way to conquer that is the concept of ‘chunking’ – collect several action items under one outcome. So a to-do list of 75 items could be chunked down to around 7 outcomes that are much less overwhelming for your brain.

The process is simple. First, collect all the things that you need to do in one place. This is critical, because if your to-do’s are on sticky notes, in your head, and in several notebooks, then it feels like ‘many’ and the brain can go into avoidance from the whole thing.

Once you’ve collected all action items, group them under categories in your life: health, finances, kids, spouse, hobby, household, etc. (the same can be done for school – by subject – or for business by using categories such as marketing, legal, sales, management, Project X, etc.). In each one of the categories, what is the outcome you are looking for? I.e. what is the result you’re after? For health this could be ‘increasing energy and fitness’, for finances it could be ‘create and follow a budget’, etc. (remember to include a target date).

You now have a list of 7 outcomes with action items below each one. Focusing on the outcomes helps you get closer to the result you’re after even if you don’t accomplish all the to-do’s. That is the psychological WIN that will help you feel productive. Each day choose the 2 action items under each outcome that will make the biggest difference (think 80-20 rule) and SCHEDULE TIME in your calendar to do them.

You’ve now reduced a list of 75 actions (overwhelming) to a list of 14 high-leverage actions specifically geared towards the outcomes you want (exciting). Repeat this process daily and check-in weekly to re-dump your to-do’s from your brain by writing down ALL of them in one place and re-starting this process.

Remember, you get what you focus on. If you focus on a long list of to-do’s, you’ll get tired and overwhelmed. If you focus on a few outcomes that you’ve designed for your life, you will get energized and empowered.