So many things to do, so little time...

Every now and again you get to a point where you feel a little, let’s say, over-committed. You have a million things to do and zero time to do it in. As a freelancer with a range of creative projects on the go at the same time, I have had to learn how to balance my life, this is especially important when you are juggling work, family commitments and sick kids.

These are my go-to tips for dealing with a crazy workload.

• Get a to-do-list

Put down exactly what needs to be done and when it needs to be done by. Write up a schedule and stick to it. That’s really the most important thing...

• Get some sleep

For most of my life, I have been the type to pull all-nighters, but lately I have come to realise I NEED MY SLEEP. I need to function the next day and get through a to-do-list the length of a politician’s food bill at a fancy restaurant. So I go to bed at a decent-ish hour – you know, before midnight.

• Cut out caffeine

No, not completely ... I’m not a monster. I’ve cut down because too much coffee makes me jittery. I still have caffeine, like this morning I put coffee beans in my chocolate milk. BUT in general, I don’t have cup after cup anymore. It’s a quick fix that could leave you jittery at the end of the day

• Embellish the to-do-list

What I mean is, when you make your to-do-list, add a few things which you have already finished. I know it seems crazy but it helps you feel like you’ve accomplished something. “Hey, I didn’t do nothing but check Instagram the whole day, I also had tea!” (hahaha).

But in all seriousness, if I start my day going through e-mails then do a to-do-list, I will write on there “check e-mails” and tick it off. Ahhhhh ... so satisfying.

• Take a break

This is especially important if you have a creative job (actually what do I know, I have only ever had “creative jobs”, so this might work if you do some heavy number crunching too). I can’t be creative under too much pressure, I’m not a circus monkey , so sometimes I need to step away, play with my son, take a bath, have coffee with a friend then get back to work…You can’t pour from an empty cup, guys.

• Set mini goals and reward yourself

I do this thing where I can only have that chai latte once I have e-mailed everyone on my list. If I’m working from home, (twice a week ) I can only watch that show if I have finished the allocated amount of articles. No craft shopping until I have finished something or other... and so on.

• Don’t be afraid to say no

This one is tough because if you freelance, saying no to work is saying no to money. BUT sometimes you need to put your sanity first.

Be realistic about what you can take on and either find out if the project can be rescheduled or pass it on to someone you trust (the good thing about this is that they are likely to pass something back to you when your plate is a little emptier than usual).

• Set bigGER goals

As I’m “adult-ing” (HARD!), I tend to work for the bills. Like that’s it – get money in, give money out. BUT that is hardly motivation enough. So I set goals like … Once this project of 12 articles is done, I will repaint the office, this event means I get a new bag, that project will give me a mani/pedi and so on.

This is what works for me, I am no expert, ask the rescue drops in my bag. BUT as someone who suffers from terrible anxiety, it really seems to be working...

What works for you? Please share...