Prioritization
As entrepreneurs, business owners, managers, humans in general, we have a tendency to become overwhelmed in our day to day lives. Ask anyone how they're doing Monday through Friday and their answer is usually "BUSY". It's all due to the fast paced nature in which we live and the onslaught of inbound information from multiple sources (social media, email, phone, text, etc).
Busy is good as long as it's productive. What you want to avoid is being aimlessly busy. This is where you're involved in multiple tasks but not making a real dent in any.
The key is daily list building and prioritization. Sounds simple, basic and obvious right? That's because it is. If you're a list master, then good for you, keep going. For the rest of us here's a simple recipe for an effective day:
Don't start the day without making a list of literally the things you need to accomplish for the day.
Prioritize this list from least to most important (highlight, asterisks, numbering - your call).
Build you daily schedule around your priorities. For example, you may need to turn your phone off for an hour while you work on that ever so important report.
Make is your goal for the day to check off as many items as humanly possible (while doing your best work of course).
Check your list at the end of the day. Roll over items that you may not have been able to complete to the list for tomorrow (while you're at it, get a jump start on the list for tomorrow).
Pat yourself on the back and get a good night's rest...