Yea, this seems to be the biggest takeaway from what everyone is saying here. I've tried to do this in the past and found that I don't do a good job of managing the list -- at some point, I'll just forget to add things to it or mark things off when I'm done; it's easier to just do them, right? But you're right, this is the right answer, if for no other reason than that it forces me to organize my thoughts, something I've noticed I'm bad at.
> You should break them into SMART goals (you've probably heart about this concept already).
Yea, I think this is key. When I do write a list, it's usually too abstract or in way too large chunks. What I'm trying now: put those large things down at the start of the day, then break them down when I decide to tackle that 'project'. I shouldn't start working until I've made the effort to break things down into atomic steps.
> Physically ticking off the item (pen and paper) is even better.
You know, I've never tried this... I'll give it a shot and see if that goes better than a list in vim.
> Meditation is also good to sharpen your focus.
Exactly how I narrowed down the vague feeling of 'agh, too much to do' in the first place :)