Banishing Burnout: A Balanced Productivity System (A Todoist Guide for 2025)

I’ve tried nearly every planning method under the sun—sticky notes all over my desk, bullet journals stacked like towers, and digital planners that promised me everything but delivered too little. What I eventually realized was that even the fanciest calendar or tick-box system could push me toward burnout if I wasn’t also factoring in my mental health, energy levels, and personal habits. Enter my Todoist Guide—a tool and system that became the bridge between productivity and self-care in my life.

In this post, I’ll walk you through the critical connection between mental well-being and effective to-do list management. I’m convinced that making small shifts in how we schedule tasks can be transformative. Especially if you’re juggling multiple hats—professional, personal, or both—these Todoist best practices can help you carve out a healthier routine and prevent burnout before it derails your life.

Why Traditional To-Do Lists Can Spike Your Stress

I remember when I started out with traditional to-do lists. I’d scribble down every little thing I had to do—buy groceries, answer emails, prep for the big client project, and carve out time for exercise. Then I’d stare at this massive list, and my stress would skyrocket. There was no context, no structure, and no way to understand which tasks were urgent or physically/mentally draining.

1. All Tasks Look Equal: A simple list with bullet points doesn’t differentiate between “Finalize client presentation” and “Pick up laundry.” When everything appears equally important, it can create decision fatigue.
2. Lack of Time Blocking: Scheduling is more than just writing tasks down. If you don’t factor in realistic time estimates, you may find yourself frustrated by running out of hours in the day.
3. No Energy Context: Some tasks require intense focus, others are more mechanical—but a traditional list doesn’t tell you which is which.

Over time, the mental strain of seeing all tasks jumbled together led to analysis paralysis. I’ve long struggled with procrastination triggered by anxiety, and an unorganized list often made it worse. That’s when I realized I needed a tool that let me classify tasks by urgency, energy, and priority, rather than just lumping them all into a daily avalanche.

If you’re finding yourself regularly missing deadlines or feeling overwhelmed, you may also want to see my earlier deep dive into Todoist best practices to stop missing deadlines and finally get stuff done.

Identify Your Energy Patterns, Not Just Deadlines

One of the biggest shifts I made in my productivity journey was focusing on my energy management rather than clock time alone. Like many folks, I have certain windows during the day—often late morning—where my creativity peaks. By mid-afternoon, my energy can dip, and by evening, I might only have enough mental bandwidth for simple “admin” tasks or personal errands.

Why It Matters:

• Scheduling a high-level creative task at your naturally low-energy point is a recipe for frustration and subpar results.
• Shifting tasks to match your internal energy cycles can improve both the quality of work and reduce stress.

Using Todoist for Energy-Aware Scheduling:

• Time Blocking: Instead of just listing tasks, I schedule them with a due time. By doing so, I can fit crucial tasks into those “prime-time” slots.
• Flexible Deadlines: If I know a certain morning is slammed, I can push a smaller task to the afternoon or the next day. Todoist’s drag-and-drop rescheduling makes this seamless.

At first, it felt odd to schedule around my energy rather than pure clock-time. However, the boost in productivity was almost immediate. I found myself knocking out creative tasks faster, with more joy and less stress.

For more insights on core habits that align with mental wellness, check out my thoughts on digital minimalism and how it leads to focused productivity—it’s another angle on how to make technology serve your well-being, not dominate it.

Todoist Features That Support Self-Care

(Labels for Low-Energy vs. High-Energy Tasks)

When I started using Todoist, I discovered labels. Labels quickly became a self-care hero in my daily routine. By labeling tasks based on their energy requirement, I could avoid an all-or-nothing approach to my to-do list.

How to Set It Up

1. Create Two Main Labels:

• @high-energy for work that requires extended concentration (e.g., writing reports, brainstorming new business ideas).
• @low-energy for simpler tasks (e.g., data entry, updating personal errands, reading short articles).

1. Assign Labels Immediately:

• Whenever I add a task, I label it based on whether it needs my “spark” or if it’s fairly mindless.
• Over time, I’ve added intermediate labels like @medium-energy for tasks that fall in between.

1. Filter Views for Each Energy Level:

• Todoist filters let you group tasks by @high-energy, @low-energy, or any custom label.
• On days when I wake up bursting with energy, I’ll tackle my @high-energy list. On sluggish days, I’ll do the @low-energy tasks.

This approach means I’m not forcing myself to do mentally exhausting tasks when I’m already running on fumes. It’s a strategic step that recognizes we aren’t robots; we have emotional and physical cycles that impact how we work.

If you’re curious about other Todoist guide details that have helped me or if you want more in-depth psychology on the matter, I recommend exploring which Todoist best practices work in 2025 focusing on the psychology of task management. The insights there truly elevated my routine.

How to Avoid Overcommitment with Priority Flags & Scheduling

I spent years over-committing—saying yes to every project, volunteering for extra responsibilities, launching new side hustles—and I’d end up exhausted. Eventually, I realized that I only have so many high-intensity hours in a day. So, I had to become more strategic.

Overcommitment is fueled by:

• Optimism bias (overestimating how much you can accomplish).
• Fear of missing out or letting people down.
• Inflexible systems that don’t visually show your daily/weekly capacity.

My Todoist Best Practices for Avoiding Overcommitment

1. Priority Flags: Todoist allows you to mark tasks with different priority levels—P1, P2, P3, etc. I limit how many high-priority tasks I can assign myself each day. If that imaginary “P1 quota” is filled, I’m forced to schedule the rest later.
2. Calendar Integration: Syncing Todoist with Google Calendar was a game-changer. If I see that my calendar is jam-packed, I’ll push less urgent tasks to another day, preventing them from piling up.
3. Weekly Task Limit: Each Sunday, I set a max number of tasks for the upcoming week. If I’m already at capacity mid-week, I’ll reschedule or delegate.

Using these methods to pace myself has significantly lowered my stress levels. There’s an honest comfort in visually seeing that tasks are queued and won’t vanish—I just trust Todoist to remind me when it’s time to look at them again.

For more on exploring alternative tools or confirming if Todoist is right for you, glance at my curated list of 8 game-changing to-do list apps that actually work in 2025. Sometimes it helps to compare features and find the perfect fit for your personal workflow.

Quick Mindset Hacks: Weekly Reviews for Mental Reset

Finally, one habit I picked up from productivity gurus but adapted to my own mental wellness was the weekly review. Simply put, I take 15-20 minutes every Sunday afternoon to review all completed tasks and upcoming priorities in Todoist.

What My Weekly Review Looks Like

• Reflect & Celebrate: I check off everything I finished that week. It’s a small dopamine hit to see those tasks vanish from my to-do list and realize I’ve made progress.
• Plan Next Week’s Tasks: I load new tasks or carry over anything incomplete, then distribute them based on the upcoming schedule.
• Energy Check: I ask myself, “How did I feel this week?” If I see I was overwhelmed on Thursday, I’ll try to block fewer demanding tasks on next Thursday.
• Set a Personal Goal: This might be something like “take a 30-minute walk daily” or “finish reading a personal development book.” Putting this small personal project in Todoist ensures I keep mental and physical health as part of the plan.

This step might sound simple, but it’s immensely powerful. It ensures that tasks don’t linger out of visibility and it fosters a healthy sense of accountability—without the guilt or panic that can come with letting tasks slip through the cracks.

Your Path to Work-Life Balance: A Simple Next Step

We’ve walked through energy-savvy scheduling, labeling tasks by intensity, and using priority flags to avoid overcommitment. If you’ve been searching for a holistic “Todoist guide” that weaves mental health and productivity together, I genuinely hope you’ll give these practices a try.

Now, if you’re tired of feeling like your to-do list is controlling you—instead of the other way around—let Todoist be the system that helps you banish burnout and establish a more balanced workflow.

Here’s a direct path forward:

1. Set up a free account or log in to your existing account.
2. Start labeling tasks according to energy level.
3. Flag your high-priority tasks for the day or week.
4. Incorporate at least one self-care item into your daily list—treat your well-being as a legitimate task that matters.

When you’re ready to take your productivity to the next level, check out the special link below. You’ll find exclusive perks and a chance to truly integrate Todoist into your routine. It’s not just another tool—it’s your ally in crafting a better life balance.

Discover Exclusive Todoist Perks for Busy Professionals

Trust me: Once you experience a calmer schedule, consistent follow-through on tasks, and a daily routine aligned with your mental and physical energy, you’ll see why so many of us have made Todoist a cornerstone of balanced productivity.

If you’re still craving more context or advanced tips, you can dive deeper into my other resources on productivity and minimalism. But the main idea is simple: your to-do list shouldn’t be a source of burnout. With the right system and the right practices in place, it becomes a tool to support your goals, guard your mental energy, and lead you toward the well-rounded life you deserve.

Final Thoughts: Balance doesn’t come from crossing off everything on a giant list; it comes from harmonizing your tasks with the rhythms of your life. I’ve found that by placing value on my mental health and leveraging Todoist accordingly, I’ve banished burnout for good. Give it a try, and discover how quickly you can transform stress into structure with 2 months of Todoist Pro free:

Grab Your Exclusive Offer & Start Your Balanced Productivity Journey Here

By Baizaar Lee, Founder of Baizaar Tools | Published: March 21, 2025 | Reading Time: 10 minutes

Affiliate Disclaimer: The link above may earn me a small commission if you upgrade after the free trial. That said, I only recommend products I truly use and believe in. Because with Todoist, missing deadlines really can meet its match.