Sometimes life can be hectic. And not just life around you. I mean your life: your occupation, the people you help, work for or look after, the places you need to be etc. When everything around you is moving fast and all the things you have to juggle are getting you into a spin but you have deadlines to fulfil ... just stop. Take a deep breath.
Now this might seem a bit counterintuitive. How do you achieve anything if you do nothing? Surely you'll never keep up or catch up. But there's nothing worse than chasing your own tail, it gets you nowhere.
Stop. Take a look at the big picture.
Prioritise. What is the most important thing you need to get done on a particular day? (Don't choose more than 3 because anything extra you get done is a bonus, or, conversely, anything more might not get done as well.
List. Write a To Do List of those things in priority order.
Do. Dedicate a certain amount of time to each and stick as closely as possible to the limit you set yourself. Be realistic. As you accomplish each task, tick them off the list.
Don't beat yourself up if you don't reach the end of the list. There is always tomorrow and at least you got the most important thing done.
Congratulate yourself for what you did achieve.
Remember tomorrow is another day.
Bonus Feature
Because I am really into meditation, I meditate before I do any of the above. I practice meditation everyday, either a guided meditation or as part of my Qi Gong practice. When I have important deadlines - and believe me, writing a 4 book series means deadlines are now my life - this is the guided meditation that I use to get me ready for the task ahead.
Try it! I hope it helps you.
Comment below to let me know how you achieve your deadlines.