We receive more information on our cell phones in a week than previous generations did in their lifetime. What do we do with all that information from the Internet, meetings, social media, email? It feeds chaos and creates overwhelm.

What can you do to take back control of your day? Implementing just one of the following ten tips can help you change an unproductive day into a productive one.

Ten Tips to Tame Unruly Chaos

1. Understand the distinction between being efficient and being effective. Efficient means completing many tasks mostly right (multi-tasking can cause more rework than you might think.  A blog for another day.) Effective requires doing the right things right. What are the right tasks to accomplish your objectives?
2. List everything on your plate, personal and work-related. Ask yourself, “what evidence do I have that this task is necessary?” Not everything is essential or necessary. Eliminate the busywork.
3. Take control of your calendar. Over-booking doesn’t serve anyone. Schedule time for planned work activities, allowing time for unexpected tasks or activities.
4. List three things you want to accomplish today and schedule time to complete them.
5. Honor the appointments you schedule with yourself as you honor meetings with others.
6. Turn off any technology that distracts you from completing work requiring your full attention. Protect this critical “think” time.
7. Over-committing can lead to mediocre results. Your value is determined by how well you achieve your commitments, not by how many things you say yes to.
8. Look at how you do your work. What isn’t working for you? Determine what routines need to change to become more effective in completing your right tasks. Small changes can lead to significant results.
9. Always document agreed-upon actions whether in a group meeting, one on one via telephone, or face to face. It is natural for people to forget or reinterpret agreements if they are not written down.
10. Under-promise and over-deliver. If you meet your commitments, you are successful. If you produce faster than expected, you are a hero!

Take charge of your success. The more tips you utilize, the more control you will have.

Good luck with taming the Chaos Beast!

Please follow and like us: