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For many of us, it is a daily struggle to get things done because of a lack of organizational skills, or constantly shifting tasks or workloads.

There is hope.

Struggling to be organized, and to set and manage priorities, also affects people with good organizational skills at times.

There are a lot of people struggling with unemployment or have too much spare time, and no idea of where to start and how to get organized. This can help these people to get organized as well.

The ability to plan and prioritize things changes everything. I write down what I need to do, and when it needs to get done. I determine the things that are most important things to be done, and what can be done at other times.

Can priorities change? Yes.

In previous articles, we talked about a ceiling, or the maximum amount that one person can do. It can be different for each person depending on motivation, skill, determination, physical ability, resources and systems. How much can one person do in a day?

Systems refer to routines that people follow to be more effective (or predictable) in how they are doing things. It has a lot to do with time management, and being aware of how tasks are accomplished. It's very much about replicating success.

Struggling to become more efficient can, at times, lead to taking on too much work. This can lead to burnout, due to taking on too much work and having a breakdown. Everybody has a breaking point. We want to avoid going there.

So, how can we avoid burning out? This is accomplished by setting priorities: what needs to be done, and when. We create a list of what are the most important things in a list, while being aware that priorities can change. We need to be aware of the steps that may make up each task, and to keep track of what has been done.

Start with a shorter list and add priorities. Remember that successful priority lists will stretch over several days and weeks. That way it doesn't get thrown out at the end of the day or forgotten if you don't accomplish everything on it. I do mine on the computer and on my smartphone so that I can easily modify it.

We need to take into account if two priorities be worked on at the same time effectively.

Setting priorities has to be realistic in regards to how many things that can be done in one day or a week or a month.

Abilities fluctuate, but it's a long distance race, not a short sprint.

Please frequently go back and check your list? It's important to be aware of the things that are motivating you to do things. Priorities may have changed or may no longer be important.

It's important to honestly ask ourselves whether goals are being achieved. It's important to not be distracted or to be taken off course.

It's important to determine if help is required, and who these resources might be: friends, co-workers, fellow students, teachers, mentors, fellow businesses, people from our communities. It's important to learn to ask for help, and to determine what the costs are and what risks that might be involved with doing so.

At end of each achievement or priority, it's important to check if the priorities were met and if goals were met. Could things have been done better, and what could that look like?

It's important to learn from our successes and failures. It helps to document, create templates for the future, and to determine if there is a better way to do things.

Important questions:

- What was the effect on myself and the people around me?
- Can I allow my self to make mistakes and learn from them for the future?
- What things can I do differently next time?
- What can I do to make myself more effective or productive the next time?
- What really needs to get done today?

Be well.

I hope that this article has helped you. Feel free to share this with friends and in groups. I am not a medical professional. All information is provided on an "As is" basis.