How to be more Efficient

                          

        Ever had so much to do, you had no idea where to begin?  Maybe you found that you had an upcoming test, a long overdue dinner date, chores and a seemingly endless list of other IMPORTANT things to do. It could be overwhelming right? I know. I've been there. Thee have been occasions when I had so much to do, I just wanted to bury myself in a hole, and shut everything out.
      But let's be real, you can't do that. If you did, who would take your calculus test for you? Who would have the time to go visit your sick mum and pay attention to her as you would. Okay, you get the picture. With the plethora of things and situations around us vying for our attention, it's only fitting that we devise some strategy to help us bring some order to our sometimes chaotic lives.
 So where to begin.

HIGHLIGHT YOUR TASKS
I consistently find that when I write down all the things I want to do, It unclutters my mind, and frees up some space so I can think clearly. Voila! The problem is half solved. You've somehow stripped the formerly daunting tasks to their barest elements. And now, they don't look so tough.
You could start off by writing them all out in a list. Don't worry about the length of the list. Write on friend! Write on! Remember that the aim is to maximize your time and effort so you can be more  efficient and effective 

PRIORITIZE, PRIORITIZE, PRIORITIZE.
The next step would then be to prioritize your tasks. Priorities are different for everyone. For some people going clubbing is more important than reading, and for some others, the opposite holds true for them. So prioritize, as only you know what is important to you.
On the list you've made, next to the individual items, you could put the letters a,b and c indicating the importance of each task. A being the most important, b being less important and c the least important.
The 'a,b, and c' system worked for me. This system might not resonate with you so you could try other systems. What could work for you could be to use a system of numbers. Or alternatively, you could also try using a  color scheme. If you are a visual like me(or not), you might find that you enjoy the color scheme a lot better, as it gives you a bird's eye view of all the things you have to do.
Whatever floats your boat........Heck, you could even come up with your own systems.
It is not important that you cross out all items as done, what counts is that you're able to achieve all of the most important things. This helps you to be more effective, as you spend your time and efforts on only the most productive endeavors.

ALLOCATE TIME SLOTS
You would do well to allocate time slots to the items on your list, so you know what time of the day you're doing what. This is important, so you don't get 'lost'. As much as you want to allocate time slots to your tasks, also note of the fact that sometimes, things might not work out exactly as you planned. You might get unexpectedly delayed in traffic, it might rain. Or the universe might throw you something you never expected. All in all just remember that the purpose of time slots is to give you a timeframe from which you can work, plan all your work from.

IF YOU'RE LIKE ME......
And you easily get discouraged, just remember that you're on the right path and if you stick to it, you might that find it is not always easy, but it will get better, and better, and BETTER! With some time of course.

YOU WILL...
Literally, begin to see your life transform. You will experience a certain freedom and a sense of achievement as you begin to cross objects off your list one by one. Trust me the feeling of achievement is intoxicating, and you'll wish you had taken control of your life earlier. It's all good though. Better late than never.