Nearly everyone has times of the day when they are most effective and times when they tend to drag. It's smart to schedule the most critical tasks for your most effective time of the day.

If a task doesn't really need to be done or on your list, then get rid of it altogether.

Eat that frog! Doing your toughest task first and preferably early in the day is the most efficient use of your time and keeps you motivated.

In the morning, decide what you want to accomplish that day. This can be even more effective when planned the night before. Once you have a sense of direction, you can spend all your time getting things done!

While you are working on a specific task or project turn off your phone and email. Also turn off any notifications on your computer that might distract you. Put a "Do Not Disturb" sign on your office door.

Do all of your emailing at one time. Make all of your phone calls at another time. Set a block of time to file or call people back. You'll waste less time by doing your work in this fashion.

Even if a task might take hours, starting will seem easier if you simply give yourself 25 minutes to get as much done as possible. A time limit seems to help many people concentrate and work better too.

Visit www.organizizingguru.com to learn more about using the Pomodoro Technique to get things done.

For example, you may say that you will not stop until you have filed a box full of papers. Or you could say I will not quit until I finish organizing this drawer in my room.

This principle states that 20% of the actions you could take will provide you with 80% of the benefits. So focus on the tasks that will accomplish the most. Unfortunately, these are often the tasks that are not enjoyable. You might be surprised how little you really have to do if you focus on the critical 20%.

Is there anyone else who can help you? The people around you are resources. When appropriate, use their time and talents wisely to get things done more quickly.

Having a specific endpoint will really help to focus your time and energy. If a task doesn't fill necessary, chances are that it won't get done.

It may sound silly, but this can really help. Try doing everything just a little bit faster. I like to listen to audio and video at a faster rate of speed. Try learning to speed read.