12 Timely Tips to Keep Ahead:

1. 20 minutes of planning saves an hour in execution.
2. List everything you need to do today - in order of priority.
3. For each paper that crosses your desk: act on it, file, it or toss it.
4. Schedule time each day to read and respond to email.
5. For each email that arrives in your inbox act now (if it takes 2 minutes or less) or choices include to: delegate, defer for a later time, file for follow-up or delete.
6. Slice up big projects into"bite-size" pieces.
7. Plan your meeting agenda in advance, this cuts meeting time in half.
8. When leaving a message on voice mail, pronounce your phone number slowly, clearly and twice.
9. When you estimate time for a project, add approximately 1/3 to cover unforeseen challenges.
10. Schedule blocks of time for you to recharge and balance your day.
11. Schedule most important tasks for first thing in the day or at least in the morning when you are still unencumbered by the day and its events.
12. Delegate any task that doesn't absolutely require your *hands-on* expertise, after all how much is your time worth anyway?

"No time like the present." - Mrs. Manley

• parts of the above information are referenced from Day-Timer.