Find More Balance By Tracking Your Activities

If you find yourself overwhelmed by your "to do" list, then it's time to decide what you really need to do and what you can release. For at least one week, keep a notebook with you at all times and record every activity from your day - both work and your personal activities. Your next task is to set aside some private time to sit down and go over your list. Start by crossing off completely unnecessary activities that don't enhance your life or career. Perhaps that extra twenty minutes you spend everyday traveling to the local coffee joint in the morning could be replaced with a coffeemaker at home that can be setup to brew automatically in the morning. Then add your favorite type of muffins to your grocery list. The next step is to identify what could be done by someone else. Errands, dry cleaning drop-off/pick-up, etc. should be delegated to a family member or you can hire someone locally to do this for you. Last, but certainly not least, go through the essential activities. Buy a planner for these tasks and schedule them into your day. Open your planner every morning and start at the top of the list… at work or at home… and keep going until you are done for the day. And remember—if you don’t get it all done, you probably put too much on that list. Besides, the only person who truly EVER had their work done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe. (For those of you who never read the book- just check it out!