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For most people, having a massive to-do list can feel extremely overwhelming. As summer comes to a close and the hectic back to school season begins, our daily to-do lists must pivot while we switch gears. Changing routines, schedules, and tasks can impact our responsibilities, projects, and daily duties. Having a system to organize our busy to-do lists can help to improve work flow and efficiency, while also reducing stress and overwhelm. 

The Triage Strategy 

A few years ago, I took a Professional Development course titled “Be Well” which explored strategies to improve your personal workplace wellness. In that course, we watched a TedTalk featuring Dr. Darria Long titled An ER Doctor on Triaging Your Crazy Busy Life. This short video, just about 10 minutes long, has managed to stick with me for years after watching it. While there are many references to working in a hospital, takeaways can be applied to any profession. 

Essentially, Dr. Long shares how we can switch our workflow perspective from “crazy busy mode” to “ready mode” by triaging. This means to prioritize by degree of urgency and involves being able to differentiate between tasks that are time sensitive versus tasks that are not. She shares an analogy of “red”, “yellow”, and “green” to separate our tasks: “red” is urgent, “yellow” is serious but not urgent, and “green” is minor. The best way to start with triaging is to know what your reds are, and go from there. 

Dr. Long also makes a point to mention the “black” triage category. This category includes tasks that simply cannot be done and must be taken off your list. It may be hard to do so, and may even involve uncomfortable conversations or setting boundaries, but we have to remember that we cannot do it all. 

Positive Effects

I have personally followed this triaging method as a way to organize my to-do lists for work as well as at home! When I’m feeling overwhelmed by a large project or multiple tasks at once, it’s a great way to “zoom out” and objectively categorize what needs to be done so that I can work efficiently and effectively. All it takes is a little organization and awareness! 

Would you try this method?

This blog post relates to ALSC Core Competency of VII. Professionalism and Professional Development.

Joannie Lauria is the Youth Services Consultant at the Suffolk Cooperative Library System in New York and is a current member of the 2025-2027 ALSC Membership Committee. 

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