Is your to do list too long? Chances are, the answer is yes. And you're not alone. Time management stress is all too common. Here's what you can do to reduce your stress about that endless list.

I'm sure you've heard about the 80/20 principle, also known as the Pareto principle. It means that 20% of the things we do bring us 80% of the benefits. It works in sales, and it works just about anywhere else.

How can that help you with your to do list? Here's how:

Just because an item is on your list doesn't mean you have to actually do it. Refuse to submit to time management stress. There's a better way.

Just think about it. If there are more things on that list than you can possibly do, you simply cannot do them. It's physically impossible.

So what to do? Relax! That's right. It may seem counterproductive, but it's actually going to help you get MORE done.

The reason for that is that stress slows your brain down and saps your energy. So you'll work more slowly and get less done. Once that stress is taken care of, you'll feel invigorated and able to tackle your tasks.

So eliminating the stress over the impossible to do list is our number one priority.

Here's what you need to do instead of getting stressed: Go over that list and figure out which of these tasks simply must get done, and get done right away, on that day.

Write those down on a separate list. Consider how long it will take you to do them all and whether you can actually do them in the allotted time. If the answer is no, you need to cut something out.

However, if you believe you can do those and only those that you have written down, that's going to be your new to do list for the day.

If there's room to spare, look back over the original list and see if there is another really important task that you can fit in without driving yourself ragged.

If so, add that to your list.

And what about the rest? There's always another day. Maybe they're not yours to do in the first place, or maybe whoever wants you to do them will simply have to wait.

So if you refuse to be held hostage by time management stress, and instead follow the 80/20 principle, you will likely get done what really needs to get done. And you'll be able to do a better job than if you had had a nervous breakdown.