Cringe-bust your to-do list

Merlin Mann’s advice on how to attack those tasks you put off:

  1. Print out your TODO list (alphabetically, if possible)
  2. Read it over?beginning to end
  3. Go back and circle each item that makes you cringe, or that causes you some kind of existential angst
  4. Per cringe item, think honestly about why you?re freaked out about it. Seriously. What?s the hang-up? (Fear of failure? Dreading bad news? Angry you?re already way overdue?)
  5. Now, again, per cringe item, add a new TODO that will a) make the loathsome task less cringe-worthy, or b) just get the damned thing done
  6. Cross the original cringe items off your list

Lots more here–all worth trying.
Susan sez: I have two sets of detailed to-do lists I update about twice a week–one is for personal items, the other work-related. Inspired by David Allen, I try to make each item into an actionable task and keep the top priorities at–yep, you guessed it–the top of the page.