Sometimes, life simply gets overwhelming… especially for us working moms. I mean, we develop a good rhythm of going to work, coming home and taking care of our families. But then WHAM!! Something happens that creates a storm of events that has us pulling our hair out!

This has been my 2017 so far. Every year on the first Friday in February, my company holds a corporate annual meeting. It’s no surprise to us every year. But the planning always comes down to the wire, despite my well-laid out plans. Designing the overall theme, creating invitations and other paraphernalia that complement the theme, coordinating speakers and their respective presentations (sometimes, creating the presentations for them!), producing our annual video, arranging professional portrait sessions for new employees, ensuring adequate audio/visual technology… just to name a few. And all that is on top of my day job! There are so many moving pieces and parts, many of which are in the hands of my coworkers, so I can’t always control the timing. *sigh*

But like many people, when I get too overwhelmed, I become UNproductive… Almost like I’m paralyzed because I don’t know what to do next. So how in the world do I manage to meet my deadlines without going too crazy (and better yet, without sacrificing quality of work)?

1. Create Lists (and Prioritize)

It almost seems too simple. But creating a list of everything that needs accomplished helps set the stage to prioritizing what’s most important. We all have tasks that flat-out have to be completed. Toss in there items that other people think we should complete and our list becomes a hodgepodge of seemingly impossible feats. So that means we need to start prioritizing. Deciding how to prioritize your to-do items is a fine balance of knowing when something needs completed, how long it will take to complete said item… and sometimes even, is this item really crucial?

Heck, I even have a list of everything on my to-do list, along with a separate list of what needs to be completed today. This helps me mentally set aside those tasks that can wait until another day, thus releasing some mental stress and allowing me to focus better on the task at hand.

2. Take it One Task at a Time

After you have your list prioritized, then it’s time to focus on one single task at a time. Forget this multi-tasking crap. That just will keep your mind bouncing around too much, thus decreasing your quality of work.

Clear off your desk of unnecessary clutter. Then set aside the time needed to truly focus on the task at hand. Not only will you complete it in record time, but also the outcome will be far better. That sounds like a win-win to me!!

Once you complete that first task (or if you’ve set aside so much time to dedicate to that task and said time is up), simply move on to the next. This approach keeps you focused and helps you stay more productive. You’ll be amazed at how much you can get done in a single day with this approach.

3. Tackle the “Easy” Tasks

Sometimes, you just need a win. There absolutely is nothing wrong with taking some time to pound out the easy tasks that wont take much time. It’s an amazing feeling to cross things off your list quickly and early! Plus, it’ll help relieve a little stress and it serves as extra motivation to get moving on the more time-consuming tasks

4. Learn to Say No

This one is hard. Especially for us people pleasers. But honestly, it’s one of the BEST lessons I’ve learned over the years. Sure, there are requests that will come in that simply need to be taken care of, no matter what. But there are others that would be nice but aren’t necessary. Learn to recognize those and then learn to say no (or at least offer an alternative completion date that isn’t so near-term).

This approach also goes hand-in-hand managing expectations. You’re only one person and can only do so much. Don’t let others set unrealistic expectations on you, only to set you up for failure.

To Wrap Up

I know there are a million tips and tricks out there of how to tackle an ever-growing to-do list. But I’ve learned that mastering these few basic tips, I can set myself up to conquer the world (or at least my own little office).