I’ve made a promise to myself that my list of to-dos will shrink without my having to skip sleep, a well-earned bit of couch potato time, or a mile or two on the elliptical.

Thus far, I’m finding it’s working well, and the best part may be the relief I feel at not facing the day-after-day pressure of working hard and still being behind.

Are you ready to get more done in the time you have each day? Then get ready to embrace Feel Good Time Management!

1. Complete a one-time analysis of where each of your 24 hours goes daily.
For this to work, you have to pick a typical day, and then you have to be honest!

During your Analysis Day, carry a small notepad with you, and jot down everything you do for the day along with how much time you spend doing it. Begin with the moment you get up, and write down how long you spend making coffee, taking out the dogs, handling e-mail. . .everything!

(Make sure not to alter your behavior simply because you are paying close attention to what’s going on. Remember, this exercise is for your benefit, so be brutally honest!)

After you spend a day writing everything you do down, take a look at what’s there. Can you eliminate anything? Can you streamline a few things?

I noticed I spent little bits of time all over my day dealing with e-mail, and I realized setting aside a block of time in the morning and another in the evening was far more efficient. (It also means I’m not constantly distracted by any new mail alerts: I keep my e-mail application closed unless I’m using it.)

2. Decide what priority each of your professional and personal commitments requires.
Let’s face it: some of the things in our lives MUST be done, and in many cases those things must be done as they come up regardless of our schedules. Often, those things don’t make it to our to-do lists, and they tend to get done at the expense of other things because they must be done.

Next, we come to the things we SHOULD do. The bulk of my to-dos fall into this category, and if you’re like me, they get routinely postponed.

In part, this is because of the intruding must-dos, but the should-dos also get sidelined because they aren’t things we enjoy. Shredding all of those paid bills, going to the dentist, cleaning out the gutters, filing, etc.

Not doing these things creates two problems: first, your to-do list grows out of control; second, these things add unnecessary psychological weight to the day. We may ignore the should-dos, but we know they are there not getting done!

At the end of the list are the WANT to-dos, and if left unchecked, they can bring the house of cards tumbling down! It’s so easy to skip over the should-dos and indulge in a few wants, isn’t it?

Take a look at your list, and categorize each item as a MUST, a SHOULD, or a WANT to-do. (Be honest!)

3. Reorganize your to-do list to feel good and increase your efficiency.
Instead of one long list of things, divide your list into the three separate lists based on the categories above (must, should, want), and then further divide each category by priority.

Don’t get bogged down with an exact numerical list, simple classify each item as high, medium, or low priority.

Now, here’s where it begins to Feel Good!

Create a separate to-do list for tomorrow, and put 3 items onto it. Choose one of the high priority items from each of your lists, and order them as shown below:

1. Should Do
2. Want to Do
3. Must Do

The order is important: Getting the Should Do done first will fill you with a sense of relief, and you can ride that wave into item 2 because you Want to do that thing anyway!

With all of that satisfaction coursing through you, the Must Do will feel like a piece of cake.

Give this a try for a few days, and once you’ve basked in the good feelings, try to add one of each item to your list. Keep the order, but double it: Should, Want, Must, Should, Want, Must.

If you’re thinking there’s no way this will work for you because your list is too long, think again! Right now, you’re not getting things done, and you don’t feel good about it.

Using this simple, three-step method, you’ll see your to-do list shrink, and day-by-day, the weight of the undone things will slowly lift.

Remember, item #74 on that list you have right now is never going to get done if you don’t analyze, prioritize, and reorganize. When you do, you’re going to feel good about the way you manage your Time, and you’re going to see a rise in your productivity level!