What do you do if deadlines are looming and tasks are piling up in your small business?

For each task, establish clear deadlines to maintain momentum and ensure nothing falls through the cracks. Deadlines help create a sense of urgency and allow you to allocate your time more effectively.

Prioritize based on $ value to your business in short term and develop metrics to measure success. A goal without a plan is just a wish list,

When I faced with looming deadlines & a growing task list, I focus on the most critical tasks first, delegate responsibilities to my team to distribute the workload, & communicate with stakeholders to manage expectations and adjust timelines if necessary.

I look at it as 'rearranging' rather than prioritizing. Being swamped could mean staying an extra hour or two at your desk. It could mean picking up lunch after stopping at the bank to get more done during your lunch hour. It's often easier than you think to request rescheduling a meeting a day or two later. Some projects lead to more revenue sooner, or are worth more in the wallet, than others. Frankly, by the time you create your list or matrix, you probably could have rescheduled a couple of tasks.

Clearly define who is responsible for each task to avoid confusion and overlap. By assigning ownership, team members are more likely to take initiative and deliver quality work, knowing they are accountable for the outcome.

Delegating is a skill that one must learn and know exactly what qualities your colleagues have in order to take over the work load. Make sure the delegated one fully understands what's required from their roles. After that make sure that they understand you're confident they'll do the work easily.

It's all about taking control of your time management early on. Practices like allowing time specifically for administrative tasks, posting content, returning phone calls, responding to emails, and internal meetings make a huge difference. It's fine to allow an hour for ABC and two hours for XYZ during your day. But it's also good to allot 20 minutes to check the computers or pay the bills. Establish good time management habits and it won't seem overwhelming.

The best way to do this is to have a "Today" list which is separate from your "To Do" list. Suppose you have a project which requires 10 hours to complete next week. Plan on working on it for two hours a day all five days. By scheduling two hours for it "today" and completing them, you have plenty of time for your other tasks, and will feel good because you completed your most important one as scheduled.