1. Learn to say NO

“Life is a journey, but it is not a race. Do yourself a favor and slow down.” Richard Swenson, MD

• Don’t volunteer until you take a moment to determine whether you have the time to fulfill the commitment
• Give yourself permission to reconsider commitments
• Delete unnecessary tasks from your schedule that detract from your BIG picture goals

2. Pre-plan and then plan again – keep your eye on your large goals

• Plan next week either on Friday afternoon (business) or Sunday evening (mom)

• Plan your day before it plans you!

Set your intentions and goals for the day in advance of that day

• The day before, the night before or in the morning before you begin your tasks for that day
• Allocate specific time slots for recurring tasks, do them over and over at the same time each week: Gasoline, banking, grocery shopping, calls, reports, marketing

Arrive early for appointments

Spend the time you wait for others to plan what you want to accomplish in the meeting

• This will decrease your stress level
• You will appear poised, professional & in control of your schedule instead of harried and disorganized

3. Umbrella Your Day

(create chunks of time for related activities)

Divide your main responsibilities into 5 days, for example:

• Planning Day – (Friday or Monday)
• Current Large Project
• Outside Appointments, Errands
• Bills / Paperwork
• Research

4. Create an exit area in your home and office for all items that need to leave  your space. Place things there as you find them.

• Home – locate a basket by the door
• Office – An area on your desk or credenza that is positioned towards the door

5. Manage your emails and phone calls

• Never check email or voice mail first thing in the    morning
• Schedule regular times to check emails and stick to it
• Read recent emails first
• Allocate the amount of time you will spend and stop promptly
• Create email signatures to sign off with one    click
• Read it, delete or move it

6. Create ‘To Do’ Lists

• Complete the three most important tasks each day before you move onto anything else

7. Control Your Papers

• Check it, move it into a predetermined place off the counter until you are ready to take action
• Handle it only once before you work on it