Have you tried Oliver Burkeman's 3/3/3 Technique for planning your work?

Do you ever find yourself lying awake, running through tomorrow’s to-do list or worrying about a thing you've forgotten (although you are not quite sure what it is)? This is often the result of open loops.

You're doing everything right. You have a to-do list, and it's up to date. Everything has a due date. So how come deadlines still seem to take you by surprise, and you end up rushing to complete things on time?

I just delayed starting an important project until next week. Am I procrastinating?

If you’re feeling overwhelmed at work, you’re probably juggling too many priorities at once. And when everything is urgent, nothing is.

Are your chunks too big?

When it comes to sustainable productivity, I often talk about "systems over tools". Without a system, the best tool in the world won’t get you very far. Task management and note-taking apps are good examples.

Your task list is a mountain to climb.

One of the mistakes I see most often in people trying to get on top of their workload is reaching for a new task management app, thinking it will solve all their problems.

Overwhelm is not a personal failing. It’s not a reflection of your character. You’re not broken. You’re not bad at your job. You’re not lazy or disorganised.

Do you ever get to the end of the day feeling like you’ve achieved nothing, even though you’ve barely stopped?

If everything is urgent, nothing is. We talk a lot about HOW to prioritise. But what about WHAT we prioritise?

The best tools in the world won’t make you more productive—solid systems will.

A task list isn’t just for you—it’s also a tool for managing expectations.

You don’t have to do everything at once.

Delete, Delegate, Defer, Do is a classic task management framework that is especially useful for tackling your inbox.

I use Todoist daily—it’s a brilliant tool for managing tasks and projects. But even the best tools need a system behind them to support your best work.

The Iron Triangle is commonly used in project management. Each project has three key constraints: scope, time, and resources. You cannot change one without it affecting the other two.

Acknowledging you have “a lot on your plate” isn’t fun; what makes it worse is that you probably haven’t accounted for all the tasks and projects you’re juggling.