Task paralysis in end of year organising

Hey,
My end of year goals are about rest and recovery and reflection. But I also feel a strong urge to ‘tie up loose ends’ with work and life admin. This is also part of coming out of an intense few months focussing on a book proposal submission where this was the main priority, and along the way I intentionally neglected other things in order to get it done.
Eg, my emails are in chaos… there’s urgent health and finance admin that needs doing… and I’d like to do some other digital decluttering, especially around systems for my work (where I write certain lists and how I organise it etc)…
I’ve made a to do list of tasks. But it feels overwhelming! And as I’ve started to work through it, I’m realising some of it is taking longer than anticipated. Sometimes I get started on one task, then quickly forget because I get distracted by something else…
Do you have any tips on helping my brain work through this systematically without panicking / getting overwhelmed? And also not beating myself up for not having done these things yet and not thinking that i’m ‘behind’.
Also maybe in being at peace that I might do more of this at the start of next year and this is a self-imposed deadline to get it done by xmas… and that possible more rest and recovery will do me just as much good first!
Thank you!

 

 

Answer:

A wise coach I know always says “Plan to the level that quiets your mind.”  How could you lean into this as you look at your inbox? What strategy would best serve you in this season? There is no right way to do this. I know someone who regularly just deletes everything and believes if it’s important, they will get another email about it. That works for them. You know what works for you. Make a decision, get started and adjust if necessary. Work with your brain. Love it. See what happens.