Writing time seems hard to come by lately. Combine the extra time at work, traveling to speaking engagements and busy schedule at home and there is barely time for eating and sleeping. Do you ever have times like this? Well, when I do, my mind begins racing to think about changes I can make to bring it all back into a reasonable pace. I’m not alone. 
When I think about what contributes to the feeling of being overwhelmed, it is definitely the volume of work that comes through email. As recently as fifteen to twenty years ago, a majority of work was coming through personal phone calls or actual conversations in person. It has been over recent years that email requests add to the workload of knowledge workers. That, combined with the other methods of requests, make cramming more responses into each day.
The solution goes back to setting time management goals for yourself. I found a great tool to help me, and you, get to the analysis of what causes the most time management issues. It also provides resources to help get you on track dealing with those problem areas.
Mind Tools- Time Management Quiz
I’ve also thought about what the work pace would look like if I only responded to email requests by making a return phone call. That would certainly slow down the pace and give a more personal response. Only problem with that is that there would be hundreds of email left unanswered for days. Not a good solution. I’ve also thought about limiting my schedule to no more than 3 meetings each day so that there remains time to actually work on projects. I am still considering how realistic that would be.
So, what do you do?
What techniques do you use when your schedule is out of control? Be sure to share in the comments.
