It’s easy to get swallowed by your workload, but what you need to do is tame it. Well, as best you can. Here are some tips for winning the day.

1. Do the hard, ugly, non-sexy stuff first.

These tasks usually carry a mental weight that you want off your back. When things keep getting easier, your day builds momentum. When things get harder, your day hits a bump.

2. Just Say No.

You know what you can and can’t do. Don’t overcommit and turn into the evil, unfriendly overtasked you. Be honest with your manager. Your manager may not have a good enough vision into how much you’re doing. Don’t complain or be sarcastic, just be realistic and explain you won’t be able to take the extra task.

3. Don’t Skip Sleep.

The sandman will take his toll whether or not you’re sleeping 7-8 hours every day. You’ll burn out and be less valuable to everyone.

4. Concentrate on the Important Stuff.

It’s easy to forget to weigh the importance of your tasks when you’re in full-blown multi-task mode. Keep asking yourself is this what’s important now. If the answer is no, well you get it.

5. Exercise.

Keep charged without drinking awful-tasting “energy.” You’ll feel better.

6. Get Organized.

It’s no fun having to look for things. They take you out of your game and make you angry. Not a good way to start anything.

7. Reward Yourself.

Don’t keep plodding onto social media when you’re supposed to be working. Work then get a real reward, maybe a fancy coffee?

8. Get an Early Start.

You’ll feel like you’ve accomplished more and will have earned some slack-off time at 2 or 3 for leisurely chats with folks.

9. Don’t Let Details Derail You.

That doesn’t mean you sacrifice quality for speed. It just means keep in mind you need to finish and you can’t let a minor detail take away from the larger good.

10. Give Your Brain More Time.

When you start a project or a task, you get the ball rolling in your head. So even when you’re not actively working on the project, your brain is still processing through it and solving problems. So initiate things and scope your tasks early. Don’t think, well that’s gonna take a while, I’ll get to it later. Start it as soon as you can, and enjoy the amazing fruits of your subconscious mind.

And you should celebrate your achievements. You should even brag about yourself a little to others.

About NextGen

NextGen is the brainchild of longtime telecom professionals with nearly 50 years of experience and millions of dollars in Telecom Recruiting Services. We focus on establishing long term relationships with our clients and candidates so we can recruit the best and the brightest in the telecom industry. This ‘quality over quantity’ approach is at the heart of everything we do and has resulted in successful job placements at Fortune 1000 firms worldwide.