Have you ever been too overwhelmed with so many things that you no longer prioritise what is important? When the urgent keeps taking over the important, soon you are just catching up instead of doing and choosing what is important.

I have, many times in my life, fallen into this trap. Maybe it is part of who I am. I am easily excited by so many things. I am passionate about so many different projects and events. I tend to say “yes” immediately to things. The good thing is, I am learning and I am getting better – slowly – with managing my time and priorities. But better is not good enough.

I aim to be able to say this with confidence in the future:

“If it is important, I will make it a priority.” It’s great that I want to do so many things, but sometimes rather than multitasking it is better to focus on what is important. It’s great that I want to help and volunteer for so many different things, but sometimes it is probably a good idea to sit down and readjust my commitment – and stick with that.

I want to make it easier for me and for everyone else who might sometimes struggle from over-commitment or managing your time and priorities. And I don’t want to make promises that I will break, so it’s always good to start with baby steps…

So here are my three life hack tips for better time management and setting of priorities:

Thou shalt always give realistic deadlines.

Most people want things done right away. Of course, so would I! But that is one of the reasons why we tend to overload ourselves with unnecessary urgency.

Even before you said “yes” to something, it is always a good idea to ask: “When do you need this by?” This gives you ample time to prioritise what needs to be done and what can wait. Once you’ve asked this question, you will sort of know if you can actually commit to the project/task.

Thou shalt not say “yes” straight away.

These days, we are asked to think on our feet and to keep moving along. Because of that, we tend to just say “yes” at most things without looking into our diary or balancing the various tasks that we need to prioritise.

It is okay to say “no” sometimes. But more importantly, it is also okay to delay our “yes”. This is a simple solution to make sure that we don’t over-commit to things that we can’t. When someone asks for help, just say: “Okay can I give you an answer in a few days time?”

Thou shalt finish what you started.

Did you know that I stopped halfway writing this blog post because I was distracted? Distraction is probably one of the biggest enemies of productivity. That’s why we need to manage our time well and know what is most important.

If we have said yes to a project and have set ample time to complete it, then let’s make sure we can finish it! :)

Do you have any other tips and hacks to manage our time and priorities better? Do share.