Battling the Catch-Up Game

There are countless times in a single week that we have all thought to ourselves, 'Wow. I just can't keep up. Work keeps on piling on!'

We're all busy. We're all a little stressed. We all feel like we have about 5,000 things to do, but, really, about half of them should have been done last month.

• If we're at home, we're thinking about the office.
• If we're in the office, we're thinking about home.
• If we're in the car, we're thinking about that jerk who keeps cutting us off and home and the office.

Feeling a little anxious just reading that? We wouldn't blame you. But that's the reality of it all.

While there's no cure-all for what ails us, the decision to be more proactive and LESS reactive can change things around.

Here are a few pointers of how to start that:

Plan Ahead, Plan Ahead, Plan Ahead

Of course you can't anticipate every little thing you might come across, but by planning the big things ahead of time, you can avoid some headaches in the future. When it comes to your marketing, put a plan in place ahead of time. Whether you're planning by quarter or even annually, guess what? You don't have to worry about what type of promotions you're running next month!

Switch It Up

In your day-to-day activities, it's easy to get stuck in a rut. You might think that you've got a process down, a regular schedule that works best for you. Is that absolutely true? Ask yourself these questions:

• Am I consistently producing work I'm proud of?
• Have I finished what I planned to do on a regular basis?
• Do my sales reflect how 'busy' I was throughout the day?

If you've answered 'no' to any of these questions, your schedule may need a change. Whether it's focusing on the big tasks and then the details or starting your day a little earlier or later, a few tweaks here and there can do a world of difference.

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff'All the Time

There's a time and place to start getting worried about every minute detail. Set the main things in place and then focus on the nitty gritty. Every day, we're going to face a long list of 'to do's.' With the convenience, or sometimes inconvenience, of smartphones, we're expected to address questions, issues problems at a moment's notice. Sometimes it's ok to focus on what's before you instead of immediately reacting to the hundreds of emails that flood our inboxes; don't beat yourself up when you make it a priority to do so.

These are only a few ways to change things up. You have the ability to change your way of thinking, your daily workload and how you approach things. This is the chance to put an end to the endless game of catch-up!