Go to the Bottom of Things

We talk a lot about distractions such as email, phone calls, people interrupting you, having a cluttered workspace, etc. But, have you ever considered that having too many things to do can be a big distraction as well? If you are worried about all the things you have to do you may find it difficult to be focused, thorough and able to do individual tasks to the best of your ability.

Consider the words of Lord Chesterfield, "Whatever you do, do it to the purpose; do it thoroughly, not superficially. Go to the bottom of things. Any thing half done, or half known, is in my mind, neither done nor known at all. Nay, worse, for it often misleads."

If you find that you're doing things "superficially", consider these recommendations:

• Take the time each day to write down the things that you need to get done. Get them out of your head and down on paper
• From your list of things to do, determine what you have time to accomplish today. This is your list to focus on
• Now that you have a smaller list (hopefully it is smaller), slow down, focus and do it right the first time

There are so many great opportunities that you can and should fully engage in. Don't allow your sometime overwhelming list of things to do "mislead", distract or slow you down.