One strategy to work productively without getting overwhelmed is this method from Oliver Burkeman is this week’s Casey’s eTip: Prioritize with a Fixed Volume Approach.
Have a to-do list (List 1) that is, essentially, a complete inventory of all your commitments (actions to accomplish). Then create a new list (List 2) with only ten or fewer slots. You fill List 2 with items from List 1 — these are the things you are working on currently (today or this week). The catch is that you can’t move any additional item from Lst 1 onto List 2 until you’ve opened up a slot by finishing one of the List 2 items.
(This eTip brought to you by the Goal-setting/Prioritization link in your Productivity Chain.