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I have a black, pocket-sized Moleskine notebook that I try to keep an "To Do" list in. I'll make a fresh list each Monday morning and add to or check off items as the week progresses. Extra-important tasks get a space on the whiteboard in my office for all to see (and a big check mark when they're completed). I'll sometimes resort to a Post-it label slapped on the computer monitor so I'll be sure to see it staring me in the face as a stark, yellow reminder. So, this is not really one of those GTD-style systems that you read about but it works for me. Until recently...
Lately, my lists and notes have not helped to get through all the items that need to get done. What has usually resulted in a First-In-First-Out list has become a Last-In-First-Out stack. It should come as no surprise that the items at the bottom of the list never get the attention they deserve and remain at the bottom. Some of these are important, and often time-consuming tasks yet there they stay at the bottom of the stack as more important "priorities" hit the top of the stack. The stack is growing and it feels like everything just can't get done.
I'm suffering a stack overflow, really and not even in the metaphorical sense. There is a limited amount of resources and an increasing number of items.
How does one correct a stack overflow?
There are several answers, of course, but the one that doesn't work is avoidance. I need to turn the stack over and work from the bottom back to the top, one item at a time. It will be a long and arduous process but it's the only way.
Here goes...
