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"Plenty of us create a to-do list to address feelings of being overwhelmed, but we rarely use these tools to their best effect. They wind up being guilt-provoking reminders of the fact that we're overcommitted and losing control of our priorities."

This observation comes from Kathleen McGowan in her article, "Is the To-Do List Doing You In?" on the Psychology Today website. In this article, McGowan offers these tips for using to-do lists the right way:

• Make a flow chart. This type of list becomes a 'flow chart' that tells you when to start and when you'll be finished. Each item on the list should have a priority assigned to it.
• Schedule alternating tasks. Spend one hour on a number-one priority item, and then "reward" yourself by doing something easier and lower-priority for the next 30 minutes.
• Maintain focus. Lists help you maintain momentum. If you're working on an important but difficult task, and a concern or a thought bubbles up regarding a different responsibility, jot it down and return to it in a half hour or so when you're done with the project you were working on.
• 8 Get real! A strength of to-do lists is that they force you to be realistic about the amount of time you have and to make some hard decisions about priorities. Realistically, you can't do it all. But you can focus on the best use of your time now, in alignment with your higher priorities and with the reality of human limits, humbly accepted.

Exchange's best selling book, The Art of Leadership: Managing Early Childhood Organizations, contains an entire chapter on "Getting Organized," including the article, "Getting Organized: 50 Ideas for More Effective Use of Your Time." Check out the entire contents of this practical guidebook for early childhood leaders.

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