Avoid Pileup

Life gets busier all the time. As errands, tasks and projects get crossed off the list, new ones appear. We must accept that weather in life or at work as we strive to become better the to do list does not end. This is ok provided that we are able to handle what comes onto our plates. One of the biggest tips in tackling tasks is to take care of it right away. Avoid the pileup. The more we pileup our to do items the busier, more cluttered and more stressed life becomes.

Take home for example. You arrive home to check your mail on Monday night. You have bills and personal letters to deal with. You throw it onto the counter and grab a drink from the fridge. You set your empty can on the counter and start cooking. You then accidently spill a bit of your drink on the counter while cutting veggies. No problem you think.. Will get to it later. Times passes, you have a great meal and put the dishes in the sink and start to clean as your phone rings. It's Betty and she is inviting you to watch a movie. You say sure and think, i'll do the dishes when I get home. As you can see, everything is starting to pile up. With this approach, by weeks end you will have a whole Saturday or Sunday taking care of your pileup.

At work can be another example. You are training, someone wants a water bottle. You are so busy you think, I will write the drink on the tab later. An hour passes and you still havnt written the tab down. You start to write your log for the session (which could have been done during the hour) when you decide to check your email quickly. You open up an important email that needs responding to. No worries, you think.. I will get to it tonight. When you get home you then check your mail again.

As you can see, these are the simplest of examples but when we approach it with the 'get to it later' attitude it only will pile up and create more work later. Take the time to slice and dice each task as it happens. Finish one thing before you start another.