How to Deal with an Overloaded To Do List

It's a rarity to come across someone who is truly bored, 24 hours a day.  We live in a world that prioritizes and cheers on the overachiever, a world that promises that you'll feel better by putting more and more things on your calendar and to-do list and checking those things off.  Oh, the sweet, sweet satisfaction of checking off that to do list.
And Plum Deluxe tells you about so many beautiful things to do -- tea parties, meditations, baking projects -- it can all feel overwhelming.
Here's what to do if you feel that way.  (Yes, it's a list, but I promise it's short.)

First, ask yourself: what really isn't a priority here?

Time-out for a sec.  Is there stuff on your to-do list that really isn't essential?  No, really -- are you doing things out of obligation?  Doing things because that's how we always have done things?  It's a good time to question assumptions because you're not superhuman; you cannot do it all.
Another way to look at this is to ask, "Is this important or urgent (or neither)?"  Here's how that plays out:

Second, ask for help.

You don't have to do this alone -- ask for help.  That doesn't necessarily mean calling a family member to help out with childcare issues or just asking for your deskmate to pick up the slack. We live in an age of technological innovation, so think about what kind of help would be useful; almost everything is available on the internet right now!  There are sites where you can hire people for $5 to help you out on small projects, or maybe it's time for you to invest in support on an ongoing basis.  As the cliches go, they apply here:  just google it -- there is probably an app for that.

Lastly, make sure you're charging your batteries.

Even if you only have 15 minutes, there's time for self care.  You can burn the candle at both ends, but sooner or later you'll pay the price. I'm full of cliches today, but you need the reminders:  your health is in your wealth, and the only person who can take the best care of you is yourself.
The best self care practices for people with an overloaded to do list?

• drink more water
• have a healing cup of herbal tea to help you "shut off" before bed
• get a hobby (these, specifically)

Ok, I promised that this to do list would not be long. So ask yourself, what is your biggest source of "overload" right now?  Are you working on too many unimportant things?  Are you not asking for help?  Or, are you not taking downtime to ensure peak performance?  Pick the one that feels the most urgent, and take 1 action today to start changing your habits and behavior.