important tasks. But then what?

Think of the Consequences

Expecting that something will get done without putting effort into it can produce a sickening feeling. As you get closer to the expected deadline, you begin to feel pressure and anxiety. As these feelings build, your creative ability may be hampered. You are not as inclined to measure or weigh various ways to accomplish the goal but are mainly interested in getting it done.

For example: You’re assigned to give a presentation. The night before, you sit down to get a few words on paper. You have not spent enough time to research your subject, so you wing it. Perhaps with just a little more effort, you could have included experiences, supporting information, or charts to help your audience visualize the subject.

Another consequence that comes when we delay a project is the inability to relax when we have free time. That’s because we have a nagging feeling (or a nagging someone who reminds us) that we have left a project undone.

What Can I Do?

Make a list. Do this the night before. Put on paper the things you want to accomplish the next day. This way you won’t forget something, and you’ll see your progress as you check off the completed items. To the right of each item, write how long you estimate it will take to accomplish the assignment. If you are making a ‘To Do’ list for the day, use minutes. If you are making a project list, use hours. Make this list the night before. Take a few minutes to prepare your list for the next day. Keep a monthly calendar at hand. As you accept assignments and appointments, write them in.

When you review the jobs for the next day, prioritize the items from your calendar, placing A, B, C, and so on next to each item to be accomplished. Some people do better work in the morning, others in the afternoon or evening. Schedule your biggest projects for your prime time. Put less enjoyable jobs before the enjoyable ones.

Tell time. If you are always running late, literally running because you’re late, learn to tell time. That is, make an accurate assessment of how long you’ll need to do a task. Add a few extra minutes to the task for the “disaster” that may happen. Don’t forget to allow time between appointments. You need to add travel time. You can’t end a meeting at 10:00 a.m. and be at another one at 10:00 a.m. even if it is in the next room, let alone across town. Allow sufficient time between.

Delegate. We often try to do everything ourselves although we may not always need to. Another person may be able to drop off a package for us if we know he is going to the post office.

Slice it. Sometimes we don’t start a new project because of its size. Why not slice the large task into smaller ones? As we complete the smaller tasks, we’ll see our progress and be encouraged to complete the next phase.

Plan for interruptions. There are always interruptions in our workday—phone calls, visitors, problems, mail. We want to work effectively, which includes working with other people who also have deadlines. If we are concerned only with working efficiently, we’ll become upset when others get in the way of our activities. Therefore, plan for interruptions. Allow time daily for unplanned developments. When these arise, you can take care of them, knowing that you’ve allowed some time for them.

Reward. When you do your scheduling, you should plan for intense or concentrated performance for about 90 minutes. Don’t forget to schedule time for preparation of the job. After you’ve actually started the job and have been working for about an hour and a half, you may need to take a short break. If you work in an office, pause, stretch, and reflect. If you work outside, get some refreshment. Reward yourself for your work.—Ecclesiastes 3:13.

Just think, you’ve completed this article in about five minutes after you read the title. You may be on your way to recovery!