You're struggling to manage your time effectively. How can you avoid taking on too much?

“Either you run the day or the day runs you”, says Jim Rohn. We are constantly bombarded by low value tasks such as emails, telephone and social media notifications. Therefore, prioritizing is a crucial skill in 21st century. Start by setting goals Sit down with your manager, business partners or clients to align on priorities Start the day by writing down high value tasks. Label them A1, A2, A3, etc. Focus single-mindedly on A1. Do not work on A2 before A1 is finished Delegate all activities with low output Spend break time with top performers Celebrate small wins, learn from setbacks

A lesson I learned in the US Air Force is that when we prioritize everything, everything becomes routine. Our schedules are busier than ever before, yet a calm review of our calendar during a moment of quiet can help us separate the truly important from the rest. This is the first step towards removing the noise and focusing on what really matters. We may need to work with our leadership or peers to gain alignment on our findings, but the work to prioritize and focus starts with us.

Choose to start by identifying what's urgent and important, this might mean saying no to requests that don't align with your top priorities. Simply remember, not everything that demands your attention is deserving of it!

What helped me personally as a solopreneur was identifying these things: 1. What part of the day I'm most productive (when do you typically get into flow state?) for me it was the morning until mid-morning. 2. Take an honest account of what you can complete in a day. (I've found that I can really only accomplish 2 big things each day, so I prioritize what those 2 things are.) 3. Go with your flow. When you start to lose steam, plan small tasks like catching up with emails, planning the next day, for the times where you can feel your productivity start to dwindle. Main point: don't resist your work rhythms. Flow with them.

I've used two strategies to manage my time, especially when I have many tasks to complete and deadlines to hit. 1) I "time chunk" my daily schedule by listing out the tasks I need to complete and the chunks of time I think I need to commit to each one. 2) I recently started to use the Eisenhower Matrix of the Urgent/Important quadrants. This has helped me identity what tasks are most urgent and important-- those are my priority. I spend time looking at my list of tasks and then I assign them a quadrant. Also, it's important to be mindful of the time you have to complete different tasks each day. Move through the quadrants as you complete them.

Boundaries are so important, not only with how long you spend on your tasks, but the time you dedicate to the different platforms you use, communicating with colleagues/family throughout the work day, and an awareness of the time you have to dedicate to your responsibilities. Early in my career as a high school teacher, I found that one "quick" meeting with a colleague took up my entire planning period or lunch. Later, when I was in higher education, a "quick" stop in a colleague's office took up time that I otherwise planned to spend grading, answering emails, and planning for class. Be aware of time, potential barriers, and also distractions. This will help with setting appropriate boundaries no matter the professional role you are in.

Some people create boundaries and compartmentalise the areas of their life where others learn to integrate and create flow in life, work and other. Boundaries may be applied in order to make more effective and relevant decisions and can help protect your time and energy however, allow different aspects of life to overlap can create more peace and ease, as counter-intuitive as it sounds.

Saying No can actually create more opportunities than saying Yes, and more of the "right" opportunities. Knowing what to say No to requires awareness and clarity of purpose and vision. It requires tact and should be used with caution as to not to isolate oneself.

Effective delegation can create more free time, empower yourself and others and ensure that you avoid overwhelm. To delegate correctly: - Ensure the tasks has clear instructions and progress metrics. - Invite people to apply rather than force responsibility onto them - Set up a trial period and provide support until they can be autonomous.

Regular reflection can help check where your time is being spent and where you can be more efficient. By slowing down, one can clearly assess where time and energy could be better invested in relation to goals and vision.