so much work, so little time

Your phone's ringing. Messages are piling up in your inbox. Someone has just dropped off an armload of documents that need your signoff, and your instant message screen is insistently pinging. Things don't look good for that report you had hoped to finish by tomorrow or the multistage RFID feasibility study due next month.

You can't stretch a day to more than 24 hours or a week beyond seven days. But you may be able to make better use of the time you do have. Here are some tricks I've learned over the years:

• Eliminate interruptions. It's almost impossible to concentrate on a task when the phone's ringing, e-mail messages are pouring in and visitors keep dropping by. Eliminate the distractions. Close your door and explain to co-workers that with the exception of a real emergency, you're not to be disturbed. Sign off from your instant messaging service, shut down your e-mail and turn off your cell phone. The world won't end. Few people expect an instant response to an e-mail message. Cell phone companies include voice- mail features for a reason—use them!
• Never handle paper more than once. Once you've opened an envelope and read the contents (whether it's in paper or electronic form), act on it. File it, throw it away, answer it, forward it or print it out. But don't leave it in your inbox (electronic or otherwise) and tell yourself you'll deal with it later. Postponing your decision will cost you time. Reading a message and acting on it instantly takes less time than opening the message, reading it, deciding to deal with it later, placing it somewhere, opening it later, reading it again, and dealing with it. It also eliminates the possibility that you'll forget all about it. True, you'll have to train yourself to make it a habit. But once you get into this routine, you'll be amazed by how much time you save.
• One brick at a time. Feeling overwhelmed by a large project? It will seem less intimidating if you break it down into small, medium-sized and large tasks and compile a list of all of the elements. Once you've broken down the tasks, you'll find that you can make better use of blocks of time that were previously wasted. Let's say you've just stumbled out of a lengthy strategy session and have no mental energy left. Instead of staring at the walls or leaving early, use this time to get some of the mindless tasks out of the way. Look up the phone numbers of the people you'll need to contact. Don't place the calls; just collect the numbers. Or pull the statistics and research reports you're going to need. Don't read them; just pull them together. The next morning, when you come in refreshed and ready, you'll have the information you need at hand and can jump right in.
• Write it down right away. As anyone who has tried to recapture a thought knows, ideas can be maddeningly elusive. When a thought strikes you, write it down immediately. Keep a pad of paper and pen by your bed so that when you awaken at 2: 00 a.m. with a brainstorm, you can write it down. Keep another pad and pen in your car or in your pocket. If there's no paper handy, use your cell phone to call yourself and leave a voice-mail message.

Your time is too precious to waste. Once it's gone, you can't get it back. Use it wisely.