Tick off, or erase? Why you don’t need to do everything this Christmas

It’s easy to get overwhelmed in the run-up to Christmas. This year, Gemma Hunt is chopping down her to-do list and choosing a better way 

I’m really distracted.

I am trying to write my column, and I know what I need to do, but I keep procrastinating. Other things just seem to catch my attention – like how I have to clean out the cutlery drawer right now, or the event booking I promised a friend I would do (and did start) before I got distracted and didn’t finish it.

I do try to be organised. I have lists on my phone, on scraps of paper and in journals – but mostly in my mind. A word or phrase can trigger me and, suddenly, I am thinking of an abundance of jobs to be done, tasks to be fulfilled and ticked off. But are they always helpful?