When projects and to do lists begin to pile up, it can feel like a pressure cooker that is on a high flame.  Although a pressure cooker is designed to release steam, if no one is there to turn down the heat, eventually all the steam it has to vent is used up, and the pressure cooker explodes.
 
This may describe a familiar feeling, and we wonder how much longer we can tolerate sitting on the "high" flame before running out of steam.  However, we are not in fact an inanimate kitchen pot, and do have the power to turn down the flame a bit on our own!
 
One of the main causes for the pressure cooker like feelings is the pile up of tasks affiliated with large projects.  Because there are so many tasks related to so many projects, there is always more to do, resulting in that feeling of relentless pressure.  Even when one project has finally been completed, there are still unfinished tasks from the next project nagging at you.
 
An effective way to turn down the steam to a more manageable steady flow is to break down the projects to definable tasks.  Start by listing everything that has to happen in order to complete the project.  Don't assign times, or order of tasks, or due dates yet There is no need to use a fancy computer project management system, just grab a scrap of paper, a pencil and start writing.  You may find you already feel better just by having everything on a defined list, rather than just in your head. From this brainstormed list you place the tasks into the order that they need to be completed and how long you estimate each task will take you.  Finally, work backwards from your deadline to figure out when you must finish each task in order to meet it.  Do this for each project you have on your plate shifting tasks from each to meet the highest to lowest priority deadlines.  The reality of life is that you will need to continue to move tasks around as priorities shift and life interferes, but by having a tangible list of tasks that you can look at and move around, you reduce the feeling of uncontrolled pressure.