Time for another thing that works. I’ve written about my amazing ability to juggle things, and how I can mostly manage it. And whenever pressure rises, and tasks are in abundance, I begin thinking about stuff.

What else do I have to do? What am I missing? What do I need to do first when I get into the office? How do I make sure that once I do X I should follow Y with Z? What if I run out of letters?

If you (or I) are really stressed, it starts to impact your life. In my case it usually happens during the weekends, or early mornings. I start thinking about what I have to remember when I get into the office. What to prepare for whom, and how to manage that time. I fall into this trap all too often.

And all this thinking does wonders to my confidence. The more thinking I do, the less I’m sure about completing so many things. And then I follow my own advice: write everything down.

When I write what I have to do, things become clearer.The immediate benefit is to see the whole picture, and take decisions based on what’s in front of me. But the amazing thing is what happens mentally. I feel relieved of the mental overload.

I’m not sure how to convey this feeling in writing, but it is an actual relief. Once the tasks are on paper, real or virtual,  I don’t think about stuff as I follow my task list, I can focus on my current task, rather then do the mental juggling I usually do.

And having focus, I’m getting productive. And I get the satisfaction I’m working on the right thing, because I’ve put a wee bit of thought about what I need to do first.

The secret of my success. Mostly. One of them. When it works.

What’s yours?