Get a life!

• Snip 30 minutes off your workday –  It is a fact. Cutting your workday short by  30 minutes will help you get MORE done than if you do the usual 9-10 hours. Why? Simply because if you make up your mind to leave earlier, you have a deadline – and you are forced to get rid of the time-thieves like useless interruptions, delays, perfectionisms, etc that make dents in your day. 
• Say no to multitasking –  I wrote a post about taking time to smell the flowers some time back. Recent studies prove that our brains take twice as long to process each thing it’s working on when switching back and forth between activities. One has to focus on one thing at a time. This helps create that extra hour or two. But then – we’ve also got to watch that we don’t waste it on mundane tasks. 
• Don’t do everything yourself because you don’t have to. When you insist on doing everything yourself, you only add to your burden. Worse still, you keep others from feeling wanted or needed.  So – practice delegation – both at home, as well as at work. Free up your time. Do things you love to do.
• Confine yourself to only ONE to-do list: If you tend to note down all your to-dos, that’s great. But make sure you put it all in one list, rather than jot down stuff in various places. If you do that – you’ll only worry that you’ve forgotten something. No more post-its, stickies or scraps of paper. Stick to one tool that you find convenient and make your list. Prioritize. Begin your day with the most important thing. Fit in easy stuff every now and then. The big stuff makes you feel more satisfied.  
• Make sure you schedule one activity you love – Once a week (or twice, if you can) include an activity you really enjoy, that you usually don’t get time to do. One of those instant joy things. Schedule it as a MUST-DO – Make it an appointment with yourself. See how it transforms your life.  

Try it. it works.