To-do lists – love them or hate them, we’ve all got them.

But while to-do lists are a ubiquitous feature of most of our lives, few of us know how to make a really good one – or, for that matter, how to manage the list once we’ve made it.

For most of us, our to-do lists grow quickly from cute little checklists into overwhelming, mile-long epics, taunting us from our Notes app or notepads, daring us to tick just one item off. Soon enough, these sprawling lists pile up to the point where completing even one task can feel impossible – so, we simply ignore the terrifying list as it grows and grows.

According to Alison Blackler, a career coach and founder of 2 Minds, to-do list paralysis is surprisingly common. Because structureless to-do lists can so easily become overwhelming, she prefers a slightly different approach. “I’m a big fan of today lists,” Blackler tells Stylist. “With a today list, you can keep it realistic and get your oxytocin buzz, because you get your ticks. It’s a little contract with yourself.”

We spoke with Blackler about her ‘today list’ technique to find out how it could help us all feel a little less overwhelmed.

Forget to-do lists, here’s why you need to start making ‘today lists’ instead