Keeping my To Do list To-doable

To make a to do list, I used to get out a legal pad and list everything floating around in my head. It set off this cycle...

1. Worry about what has to be done.
2. Take action. Make a list. Feel a little better.
3. Keep adding to the list until my head is ready to pop.
4. Look at list in despair.
5. Stress response "She's out of control. We're taking the system down."
6. Camera zooms in on the closed eyes of our heroine collapsed on the couch.

Now I use an index card. Even if I write really tiny and all over the back, I still can't fit the 25 or more tasks I used to on the legal pad. The beauty is that what matters most floats to the top. Instant priorities!