I have known people who seem to have many goals in life… study abroad, finish the masters and doctorate degrees, wrote a book, learn ballet, play the violin…

Having a dream is good for it is like a star that guides to where you wanted to be. But having too many goals makes our head cluttered and confused. As what Marilyn Ware said, “You can do anything but you can’t do everything. You cannot be everything to anyone at one time…You can’t be saturated with responsibility twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. You can’t do it all. It’s time to accept that. “

Life is not about doing everything that you like to do. It is about improving yourself and focusing on a goal that you can be of best help and a blessing to other people.

Let me share with you some tips on when you have too much to do and no time to do it form the book Hard Won Wisdom by Fawn Germer:

1. Prioritize and Organize. Have a “to do” list for every day, and try to get through it. Make tomorrow’s list at the end of your workday. Don’t over-schedule your life.
2. Focus. Know what your major goals are for the week and don’t get distracted.
3. Know when you are at your at your best. If you are most productive between 3 P.M. and 5 P.M., that’s when you should be doing the hardest work. Never fritter away your peak hours on phone calls or other distractions.
4. Clean up your mess. Clutter makes it harder to do your job.
5. Quit procrastinating. Just do the hard or unpleasant task you have to do first and don’t lose time worrying about them.
6. Set deadlines. Know how long each assignment should take, and try to complete it o schedule.
7. Don’t get stuck In the mud. If things aren’t clicking with what you are doing, either take a break or switch to another assignment and come back to it when your mind is refreshed.
8. Use your commute to your advantage. Do work or read when you are in a mass transit. If you are in a car, listen to tapes. Have work with you when you are waiting for meetings in other offices.
9. Schedule alone time. Clear your mind and focus on what you need to do and how you intend to do it. Or do nothing. Let your mind and body rest.
10. Have smart meetings. Have an agenda, and set it around before the meeting. If you have a choice, use it to decide which meetings you will attend, Handle what you can in e-mails and conference calls, but when you meet, don’t let things drag on so endlessly.
11.Delegate. Don’t be proud or stupid about doing what other people are able to do. You don’t have to do it all, you just have to see that it gets done right. That goes for career and housework.
12. Return phone calls during lunch. Leave a voice message, that way you spend one minute instead of ten connecting.
13. Know what counts. Few people will ever remember which meetings you missed, but your children and spouse will never forget.
14. Consider your timing. Maybe you should rather jump off the fast track while your children are young.