10 simple ways of feeling like you’re on top of things (or even a little ahead)

Last week I wrote a post suggesting that you schedule a catch-up week, or even a catch-up month, in which you take a break from your usual day-today work and use your available energy to create a bank of completed work that you can use in low-energy times (or just when you want to take a break from work to enjoy yourself).

The rewards of having such a bank of work to call on are immense, not least of which is the feeling of calm one gets from being just a little on top of things.

A catch-up week isn’t possible for everyone

Now I understand that taking a month (or even just a week) off from one’s normal work, to catch-up and get ahead isn’t possible for everyone. But I think the rewards of feeling like you’re on top of things are so beneficial that it’s worth making use of any tips and tricks you can to help engender the sense of calm that comes from not constantly feeling behind.

10 simple things you can try to feel just a little on top of things

So, if you’re not in a position to schedule a catch-up week try one or two of these ideas:

1. Schedule in advance as much as you can (blog posts and Twitter updates for example). For me, seeing just one or two blog posts schedules ahead of time make me feel so much calmer.

2. Be working on your next book, work of art, etc. Wherever possible it is so good to be working on your next project, rather than trying to finish a current one for a tight deadline. Consider delaying launching a project, or or putting a piece of work up for sale until you’re underway with your next project.

3. Prepare in advance for your next day. This doesn’t need to take much time. At the end of the day spend a few minutes jotting down a few notes about what you’d like to get done the next day.

4. Clear your virtual desktop and close down any open programs at the end of your work day. This makes starting work tomorrow far easier because you’ll less likely to be distracted when you restart your machine. I can’t count the times I’ve lifted my laptop lid to be greeted by my open email, or my twitter feed and been lost in dealing with stuff for hours when my intention had been to get straight down to writing! An alternative could be to leave open just the program you know you want to be working on when you start work again.

5. Similarly, clear your physical desk at the end of the day. If you use a physical desk, coming to a clear one in the morning (perhaps just with your notes about what you’ve like to get done today on it) definitely helps start the day calmly.

6. If you have a physical inbox, keep it empty as much as possible.

7. Arrive early for appointments (and avoid making appointments as much as possible!)

8. Don’t overbook or over stretch yourself (just because you can do something it doesn’t mean you should!)

9. ALWAYS over estimate how long you think it will take you to do something. I often find it takes me four (!) times longer to do something than I imagine it will.

10. Similarly, always under promise (both yourself and others). If you hope to write four blog posts in a week, why not promise yourself you’ll write one instead? If you’re working for someone else promise to get something finished by a week on Friday instead of tomorrow. If you finish “early” or get more done, you’ll feel great!