1. Write It Down
Do a brain dump and write everything down that’s on your mind. Writing reduces worry and organizes your thoughts.
2. Prioritize Or Die
You need to prioritize or you will have a clean garage but get fired from your job. Decide what is important and do that first. Otherwise you may never get to what really matters.
3. Make Things Automatic
Things that are habitual don’t tax your willpower. The more activities you make into habits, the less overwhelmed they will make you feel. Build routines and habits so that you’re not deciding, you’re just doing.
4. Work Like An Athlete
We were not designed to go 24/7. We were designed to sprint, rest, sprint — just like an athlete. You sleep in cycles and your mind naturally works in cycles. Alternate hard work with breaks to be at your best.
5. Switch To Single-Tasking
Forget multitasking. That’s what causes the feelings of burnout and it’s not effective. Discover what your peak hours are and protect them. Focus on the most important thing of the day. No interruptions, email, or phone calls.
6. Live In OHIO
Not the state. It’s an acronym: Only Handle It Once. That email you’ve opened sixty times today, unsure of what to do with it? Make a decision. Reply, trash it or set a time to properly deal with it. Revisiting unimportant things over and over is a huge time and energy thief.
7. Have Leisure Goals
Most of us think about “leisure” as doing nothing. But that’s a dangerous way to view it. Research shows we’re happier when we accomplish things (playing tennis with a friend vs. flipping TV channels.) Given our habits, we’re prone to start checking email and firing up the usual 17 things we multitask on – so set a goal for leisure. When you have a fun thing to accomplish, you can single-task on relaxing.
