6 phrases to help you when you're not on schedule

It's impossible to be as productive as possible every day and hour. One day you will definitely hit your schedule. Maybe due to the fact that you woke up late, you were often distracted, there was an unexpected urgent task, or there was simply no motivation.

In any case, when time passes and things don't move, you will become stressed and unable to concentrate. In such a situation, you need not to scold yourself, but to help yourself get back on track. One or more simple phrases are useful for this.

1. It's time to prioritize tasks

If you are off schedule, you have less time for important tasks. Choose one or two of the most important ones that have deadline. Put others aside for now and focus entirely on the priorities for the rest of the time. This way you will move forward and not aggravate the situation by disrupting the deadlines for the most important things.

Try to see the advantages in your position. At the very least, the tight timeline helped you prioritize your work. But next time, try not to fill the day so tightly.

2. Looks like I have no motivation

You may be behind schedule because procrastinated, just not to be engaged in any particular case. Determine what the case is and why it is causing you this reaction.

Think about what you can do to make it easier to work on the task. For example, start preparing at the end of the previous day, or break it down into smaller, more comfortable pieces. Take up this task when you have the most energy and promise yourself a small reward for completing it.

3. What should I focus on in the next 10-20 minutes?

Do not waste time worrying and wondering where to start in order to do everything. Take the first task on the list and tell yourself that you will work on it for 10 or 20 minutes. Most likely, you will get involved and see it through to the end. Then proceed to the next step, and gradually task list will shrink.

4. How can I rearrange today?

Maybe in the morning you planned to work hard, but you were invited to a meeting, but it dragged on for two hours and then you had to deal with the tasks that arose at it. And there it was already in time for dinner. In the end, your entire carefully planned day went down the drain.

In such a situation, it is important to rebuild as soon as possible and not try to do everything that you wanted initially. See if you can reschedule your afternoon appointment, speed up a task, or shorten your time call colleagues. And when you plan the next day, immediately note which things can wait and which ones need to be done, no matter what.

5. How can I plan tomorrow to make it better?

Sometimes things just don't go according to plan and the productive work you dreamed of doesn't work out. Maybe you weren't able to answer all the letters in the mail, you didn't have enough time to meet with someone, or you weren't doing enough on a project. Don't berate yourself for obstacles and distractions, especially those that aren't within your control. If you've focused on one or two priority tasks, you have already had a successful day.

Consider this day's experience when planning the next. Group similar things together to deal with them all at once, think about priorities, and leave some free time blocks to dedicate to unexpected tasks if needed.

6. Can anyone help me with some of the work?

Sometimes without help you can't do it, so don't take it all on yourself. Ask your colleagues if they can help you with a couple of tasks. Perhaps a few people will do it a little bit and the problem will be quickly resolved. If your coworkers are busy too, consider hiring a contractor. This will free up time for the most important things.