01/09/2025
📝 Feeling overwhelmed by your to-do list? Try keeping your active list to three things.
Pick the three most important tasks and do them one at a time. When those are done, choose three more.
It sounds simple, but small wins really do build momentum. When you’re looking at a long list, it’s easy to freeze or waste energy worrying about where to start. With only three things on your list, you get stuff done and feel a proper sense of achievement, which means you can tackle the next three from a calmer place. ✅✅✅
Why this helps
Finishing a task produces a small, motivating reward. Behavioural research shows that setting clear, achievable goals makes starting easier and helps sustain effort. Breaking a long list into several short sets gives you more moments of completion and more chances to feel that motivating sense of progress. It’s a practical, evidence-informed approach rather than a literal explanation of brain chemistry — the important point is that frequent, achievable successes make it easier to keep going.
A clear example
Three main tasks: email a client, prepare slides, clear inbox.
Write the next steps:
⏺️ Email client → “write opening paragraph and one key question”
⏺️ Slides → “create title slide and outline three bullet points”
⏺️ Inbox → “archive or delete emails older than 3 months (first 20)”
Do each small step, tick it off, then move on.
How to do it (step-by-step)
1️⃣ Choose your three. Each morning, pick the three tasks that matter most today and write them down.
2️⃣ Be clear about each task. If something’s large, break it into manageable chunks.
3️⃣ Start the first task. When it’s done, tick it off. ✅
4️⃣ Notice the win. Take a moment - grab a coffee, have a little dance, whatever works for you - and appreciate the achievement. It matters that you feel pleased with what you’ve done. ☕💃
5️⃣ Move to task two, then three. Use the same approach: one step at a time, finish it, tick it off.
6️⃣ When the three are done, repeat. Pick the next three if you need to. You’re always aiming for progress, not perfection.
If a task feels huge, break it into a small first action you can finish quickly. If you don’t finish all three, move unfinished items to tomorrow’s three and reset. Progress, not perfection.
Give it a go today: pick your three, do the first, and see if the rest of your day feels a bit clearer. Tell me how it goes - I’d love to hear about your small wins. 🙌
📩 If you’d like support, I offer a FREE into session to talk about what you need and how I can help: https://www.dldcounselling.co.uk/get-started/
