Make a Plan
Plan what you need to accomplish in your day. Schedule your day in blocks of time. Estimate the amount of time you will need for each task. For example, if the first part of your day is returning calls and emails that you received since the last time you checked calls and emails, schedule a block of time to do it and stick to it. If you have a meeting scheduled with a client, decide how long you will conduct the meeting and have a plan for ending it.
Prioritize Your List
Look at your plan of action and decide which tasks you must accomplish during the day. Schedule those tasks first and the lesser priorities later in the day. Then, if you don’t happen to get to some of the lesser priorities — turning in an expense report early, jotting down ideas for an event you’re organizing - you won’t have to worry about missing an important deadline or upsetting your boss, a co-worker, or a client.
Give a Signal
Let your co-workers or employees know when you’re working on something, and you don’t want to be disturbed. Decide on a signal that you will use when anything, but an emergency needs to wait. The signal could be a closed door and a sign outside those states, “Do not disturb.” Or you could do something more subtle such as turn off the lights in your office and turn on a lamp while you work.
Replace Old Habits
The best way to break an old habit is to replace it with a new one. For example, if you have a habit of procrastinating, always schedule the tasks you don’t want to do for completion first thing in the morning. Or break up an undesirable task into small blocks of time over several days.
Use Time-management Tools
If you find yourself having trouble staying on a task, download a timer or use a time-management app. Set the timer for a specified amount of time that you want to work on a task. The timer serves as a visual reminder on your computer screen as it counts down and sounds an alarm when the time is up.
