It’s the end of the day and it feels like you got nothing done. Again!
What can you do to figure out where the time went? Or maybe … you accomplished more than you think [often the case, by the way!] and especially if you have multiple roles to play.
We all have these days once in awhile. If it’s more than occasional, take a look at these 5 ideas to get you started.
What DID I Accomplish Anyway?
1. Make a road map at the beginning of the day or ideally the night before [less emotion about the things to do]. 
Use paper or tech, but even with technology, print or write out your short list of today’s focus so it’s a visible reminder.
2. Use your road map to stay focused. Keep bringing yourself back to your top things to get done today.
3. If you get interrupted, if you interrupt yourself with distractions, or need to do something else for someone that’s an “emergency” to them, write these on your list. They are still things you accomplished. This is part of learning where the day went. See tip #4 and #5.
4. Midday and near end of day [If you work during the day, this can be at 3 or 4.]: Pause for a few minutes and slow down. Use audible reminders on your calendar or phone, if you find it difficult to stop [and don’t dismiss the reminder until you’ve actually stopped.] Check off what you got done, including the things you had added. See how much you DID get done! At midday, you have a chance to redirect yourself or recover from a bad morning. Ask yourself: are you working on what you need to?
5. Next: analysis time. What did you add to your original list? What made them land [deserve space!] on your list? Did they really need doing right then? If so, then you’ll begin to see that this is part of your world and you need to plan for things like this. If they didn’t really need doing that day, what were the reasons you couldn’t say “No?” Or how did these end up on your list? This helps you learn for tomorrow, a new day!
Two Bonus Tips
One way to break a project into smaller parts.
1. Break an item into smaller pieces. Maybe you’re truthfully not accomplishing something, so the test is: do your eyes glaze over when you look at something on your to do list? Work backwards and break it up into smaller parts. Make the task smaller and easier to get started. Block future times to work on this project as well.
2. Your standards: Is it possible they’re too high? Consider that your plate may actually have too much on it. Or that you spend more time (or over thinking time) than is necessary for that particular task. How could you solve these two issues?
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Sometimes it helps to keep a notepad nearby and jot down everything you do (and the time spent on each task, if you like). Often when we think we haven’t gotten anything done, we’ve actually gotten a lot of small things done that aren’t memorable but may be important (or not).
Nice idea – and easy enough to implement. Keeps it nearby and in sight at an office desk or a kitchen counter. I invariably find that when I ask a client to “brag a little,” it takes a few minutes to get hear about what they feel good about accomplishing. Sometimes, it’s enough to just be there for someone, too. (Like you were for me today in our emails!) Thanks.
This is a fabulous list, Sue! There are days when a lot is accomplished and other times that have less doing and more just being. Every type of day is part of the essential mix. While I prefer when each day has a shape, and feel like I’ve accomplished something, I also recognize that not every day can be the same volume of intensity. I need time to breathe, pause and NOT do also.
I love the idea to schedule time at the end of the day to review accomplishments. Even the smallest of tasks is getting something done! With this review, we know that we have been productive.
Great list, Sue….sometimes it is all about getting a different perspective….glass half full or glass half empty type of thing….the fact is that the day is filled with both those …..taking time to acknowledge it is important.
Very true, isn’t it … filled with both. An ebb and a flow, as a client will sometimes say. Learning to acknowledge, as well as expect the ebb and flow are two keys to making it work.
Thanks very much for adding your wisdom!