How many of us had experienced a sense of helplessness when we reach the office because there were simply too many things to tackle at the same time? Yes, it’s possible to be overwhelmed once in a while. However, if you find yourselves in such a state all the time, something is not quite right.

Jeffrey D. Smith in his book, Focus on Your Dream share about investing your time for maximum goal achievement and let me list down a few of his tips that might help us to be wiser with our time.

1.Do the important, not the ‘urgent” things first – schedule your most important goal-achievement daily activities the night before. This gives you “a track to run on”, reducing the temptation to procrastinate. Don’t let “urgent” things keep you from doing the important things.

2.Block periods of the day for a specific priority – and allow some time for rejuvenation. Use it to renew energy – quiet time to think, review your goals and do some planning, or read something that you enjoy.

3.Decide on your highest priorities and have the courage to say no to everything that doesn’t support them – if something comes up that doesn’t support your highest values, or doesn’t contribute directly to your Dream Goal, don’t do it. Many of us complain that there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done that we need to do. The truth is, we all have all the time there is, and we all choose how to spend or invest it. Make wise time and energy investments, and make each day count.

4.Delegate, delegate, delegate – Before doing something ask yourself, “Is doing this the best use of my time?” Say you’ve got some things that must be done. But you know it wouldn’t be the wisest choice for you to spend your valuable time doing them. As long as someone else can do them – delegate them.

5.To do more, believe more in your potential– As you do those that you are good at, you can accomplish more in less time. And the bonus is, the more you do, the more you grow and become.

6.Don’t start your day until you have it “finished” – if you start your day not knowing exactly what you plan to accomplish, you probably won’t get much of anything done. “Don’t start your day until you have it finished” means, plan tomorrow’s work today. Invest five or ten minutes at the end of each day outlining and prioritizing, preferably in your day planner, what you plan to accomplish the next day. By doing so, you’ll save time by immediately going to work on the most important tasks, first thing in the morning. Second, by planning tomorrow today, you’re placing the thoughts of what you want to accomplish into your subconscious.