Thank you for this article.
Until recently I had more than 100 things on my work to do list. This number had built up over some years; a burden that was my constant companion. (Occasionally the number would even double in "bursts of creative thinking").
A couple of months ago I decided that for every task I completed I would delete another one without worrying about it. This quickly reduced the tasks to a more manageable number, and I haven't missed any of deleted ones. I can't even think what any of them were, so they mustn't have been too important!
Now I have a similar approach to yours, except that I choose 3 projects to focus on each day (not necessarily complete) and 3 small things that are easy to finish. It's been a good health strategy for me.
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For me, lists are very important. Before I received my diagnoses, I had long lists and usually accomplished everything on the list every day. After I became so sick mentally, I was really unable to do anything for a few years -- not hold down a job, not do housework, not taking care of personal hygiene at times, not cook, and often could not read or watch TV because I couldn't follow what was going on. I could either listen to the dialogue, look at the scenery or set, follow the plot somewhat, or just enjoy the music. I couldn't put them all together. And I couldn't focus on any task long enough to remember what it was I had started out to do. Very frustrating. So I stopped the lists. After all, I wasn't checking anything off anyway.
But when I entered recovery and began to climb out of the foggy pit and things began to come into focus around me and to make sense, I needed a plan and stability. So I assigned one task to each day of the week, Mon-Fri. Weekends were free. On Mondays, it was help with housework. (I was living with my parents.) Tuesdays, wash and iron clothes. Wednesday work on my journal or poetry. Thursday try to read a few pages of anything until I understood what was being written. So I got myself up and going and had this schedule for a while so I wouldn't just sit there. It helped a lot. Did I always accomplish what I set out to do? Not nearly. But it offered an option and sometimes a way to help someone else.
Now I have a short running list of things I absolutely cannot forget (like paying my rent on the 1st of the month.) And a few things that sound like fun if I want to venture out, and then I parcel out the housekeeping so that I don't feel it all has to be done in one day.
And I have learned about myself that I absolutely cannot have more than 2 "big" projects in one week's time, or I get really stressed and start feeling anxious and depressed. This means taking Mom or myself to the doctor, going to a baby shower, having the carpets cleaned, mainly things dealing with other people are the worst. But I think that I'm handling things as well as possible and actually feel happy some days. I want more of those! So maybe I am on the right track.