Here's how you can balance work-life and meet deadlines effectively.

1. Spend 80% of your time in 20% of the most important tasks. 2. Keep room for interruptions. 3. Forgive yourself for saying no. 4. Take regular breaks to check on your loved ones. 5. Keep 5% of your time aside to proof read and enhance the quality of your tasks.

This is a good question and not an easy one to answer honestly. Work-life balance and meeting deadlines and working from anywhere has really blurred the lines of the typical office 9 to 5. I have dedicated slots for specific work or tasks that need to be completed in that time, and then with fluid smaller or lesser important tasks (and life) around these...but with clear work and family deadlines firmly in place and always achieved.

In my experience, writing down all tasks and then taking the time to prioritize them from high priority to low helps with success on addressing all tasks and ensuring they are addressed. My calendars, Excel, Beamery and OneNote are always open and being updated to maintain on task. Blocking out an hour for "admin" time on my calendar for the same time every day, helps me create a time that helps me focus and complete tasks.

Imagine your to-do list as a bubbling pot of ingredients. Some things are like fiery jalapenos – gotta deal with them right away or they'll burn everything else! Others are more like simmering onions – important for flavor, but you can manage them later. The key is to grab a ladle (metaphor alert!) and sort them out. First, dump everything out – work projects, errands, that call you need to make to grandma. Everything on the table. Then, take a deep breath and categorize. Urgent and important jobs, like the jalapenos, go on top of the stove. Important but less fiery tasks simmer to the side. Delegate errands (maybe your sibling can handle picking up milk?) to free up space.

I believe that if you are dealing with a professional you must trust. If not you have to fire. Being said that, I believe that the best way (depend on typo of job) is to allow the person to work free with flex time and goal oriented. The important is to make the company get more profits.

Imagine yourself sprinting towards a finish line that keeps moving further away the faster you run. That's what unrealistic goals can feel like. But here's the trick: instead of that blurry, ever-receding finish line, set up stepping stones. Break that big dream into chunks you can conquer, like stepping stones across a rushing river. Each victory, no matter how small, is a splash of cool water on your face, reminding you you're making progress. And that feeling of accomplishment, whoosh, that's the motivation rocket fuel that keeps you leaping forward! Remember, it's not about one giant leap, it's about the journey, one satisfying splash at a time.

One thing I have found helpful is knowing my timeline, my personal/professional bandwidths, and asking questions are highly important with goal setting. Having this information helps me know how to break down goals and create a timeline that works for me and is still on the timeline for the company.

Understanding what works for you and creating rituals around your work schedule are crucial steps to managing your time. I had to try a few different techniques until I learned that consolidating my planning worked for me. I use my calendar for pretty much anything: tasks, events, notes, and reminders. To protect my time, I need rituals that turn my mind ON and OFF work, such as a cup of tea at the beginning of the day and cleaning my inbox before wrapping up (even if I need to snooze a couple of emails 😉). Try to find what works for you, and hold on to it!

My calendars are how I manage my time professionally and personally. I block out "admin" time at the beginning and end of my workday to ensure tasks and goals are being addressed and completed. Not only is this keeping me accountable, but my online calendar allows my team to see when I'm accessible to them!

Discuss potential adjustments early on rather than waiting until the last minute. Balancing work-life and meeting deadlines effectively hinges significantly on clear communication. When facing multiple tasks and deadlines, it's essential to communicate openly with both your colleagues and supervisors. Start by clearly outlining your workload and the deadlines associated with each task. This ensures that everyone involved understands your current priorities and can provide support or adjust expectations accordingly. Additionally, clear communication helps in setting realistic expectations about what can be achieved within a given timeframe.

Throughout my professional career, I have learned to give myself flexibility but grace. Curveballs are always thrown and since we cannot always be prepared for them, we can plan to reduce the stress and anxiety surrounding them. A majority of the time, these curveballs are completely out of our hands, and we need to be flexible enough to pivot with it by adapting and working through it to find the best possible outcome.

It took me many years to realize that self-care during working hours is just as important as self-care during our personal time. Ensuring you block time for your breaks and taking the time to at least walk away from the desk to clear your head makes a world of difference in performance. Most of the time, just taking a walk helps me see things in a different light allowing me to work successfully.

We spend our precious time of life especially when we are young and healthy restless working hard to spend and save for the future. We never know when is the last moment of our precious God's gifted life. I believe life is always more important than work in any circumstances or whatever situations.