Although you were energized and excited about jumping into 2012, the 20+ tasks added to your to-do list and an inbox full of e-mails begging for an immediate response sidetracked you into feeling overwhelmed and incapable of getting everything done. Will 2012 become another year of wishing things were different?

It’s true: For too many of us, feeling anxious and overwhelmed has become the new normal. But 2012 can be the year you finally get a handle on your to-do list and start working—and living—at your best.

Most of your dread doesn’t come from the work itself; it comes from how you think about the work. The psychological weight of unfinished tasks and unmade decisions is huge. There is a constant feeling of pressure to do more with less. You can’t change that reality, but you can make peace with it.

 …