You have good intentions to stay organized and on track in your work life. However, stuff happens—even with a well-scheduled to-do list. Here are strategies for not letting time get away from you.

Ask Yourself: Is That Working?

Your routines could be draining your time, and you may not even be aware. Are you sending weekly emails that get low open rates or manually updating a spreadsheet you don’t use? It may be time to review your activities to ditch the ones that aren’t moving you toward your business goals.

Stay Away From Rabbit Holes

Have you been trying to meet your prospecting goals but found yourself tempted to go on the internet or distracted by the chime of an incoming email? Keep interruptions at bay by enabling your computer’s or phone’s Do Not Disturb or Focus feature.

Give Yourself Permission To Say No

It’s nice to help others, but your generosity could interfere with your productivity. Establish boundaries and be realistic. Do you really have the time? Could you delegate it to someone else? Remind yourself not to take on more than you can handle.

Divide And Conquer

Large projects not only suck up a big chunk of your day but can also seem daunting—maybe even leading to procrastination. Try dividing the big project into little tasks. You’ll be surprised how quickly you can complete a project by tackling it in segments.

Don't Use Open-Ended Timelines

You have tasks on your list, but have you set hard end dates? Not establishing a deadline can make a project go on longer than needed. Set realistic time frames and commit to meeting them.