When you’ve got a lot to juggle, you need a battle plan. Here’s what to do:

1. Write a List
   It’s impossible to focus when you’re constantly thinking “I mustn’t forget to send that email” or “I need to call John.” Write down everything that needs to get done today. Your list doesn’t have to be complex, and you don’t need to worry about sorting it at this stage.
   
   Some people like to keep their work and personal lists separate; it’s up to you how you do that. If something’s on your mind, though, make sure you record it somewhere — even little things like “buy milk on the way home” can drag down your mental energy.


2. Decide on Priorities
   Once you’ve got your list, it’s time to figure out what order to tackle your tasks in for today. First, look for anything that can be delegated or postponed: pare your list down as much as possible.
   
   Next, work out what you want to do first. It’s up to you how you prioritize; normally, it makes sense to tackle the more important and urgent tasks first, but you may prefer to go for a few quick wins in the first half-hour of the day to build up a sense of momentum.
   
   Put some sort of mark against your first, second, and third tasks. (I use one, two and three asterisks; you might prefer numbers, or colors.) That way, you can relax and get on with your tasks in order, knowing that you’re dealing with things efficiently, and that you’ll be able to get all the important stuff done.


3. Resist the Urge to Multi-Task
   However tempting it is to have your emails open in one window while you reply to Tweets in another and edit that document in a third … don’t. You can’t focus on several things all at the same time, and you’ll end up making silly mistakes or forgetting to finish part of a task.
   
   Tackle things one by one. That might mean:
   
   • Setting a timer while you work on the report for 30 minutes
   • Dealing with your emails as a batch, perhaps every few hours, not as they come in
   • Closing social media programs until your lunch break (if they’re part of your work, treat them like your emails)
   Any time you find yourself trying to tackle several things at once, stop. Remind yourself that you’ll work more effectively when you complete task A before moving onto task B.


4. Work Steadily, Take Breaks
   None of us can focus for hours at a time — but when we’re busy, we often try to. This just leads to slowed progress, mistakes, and procrastination. (You know the kind of thing; you tell yourself you’ll just check Facebook quickly while waiting for a file to download, then you end up clicking on links, leaving comments, sending happy birthday messages…)
   
   To stop yourself procrastinating, plan for regular breaks. Work for, say, 45 minutes on your report, then take a 5 or 10 minute break to stretch your legs and grab a glass of water. When you know you’ve got a break coming up, it’s a lot easier to stay focused.
   
   Hopefully, your too-busy-to-think days don’t come up too often. If you seem to be in a constant pattern of rushing around, juggling more tasks than you can manage, then look for ways to make changes. That might mean learning some better time management skills, or talking to your manager about your workload.

If you’ve got a great tip for staying focused when life is hectic, share it with us in the comments below.

After dozens of triathlons and a half ironman, here are 7 things I wish I knew about triathlon when I started:

• You Don't Need A Wetsuit For Your First Race
  You don't need a wetsuit for your first race. Not only is it an expensive piece of equipment that can take a while to get use to swimming in, a lot of times they're not even allowed! If the water temperature is above 84 degrees Fahrenheit you won't be allowed to wear the wetsuit and compete for awards. If you don't have a wetsuit, don't worry that much about it - lots of people race without one. Once you run one or two races and have them under your belt, you can look at renting or even buying a wetsuit - but it's not a "must-have" for your first race.


• When You're In The Water Just Relax
  Everyone is always nervous about the swim. When you’re in the water, waiting for the race gun to go off, it can be really, really tempting to get pumped up, overstressed spend all your energy thinking about the race. The swim is consistently the most feared leg for new triathletes without a swim background.
  
  It's okay. Relax. Stay loose and don’t go too hard right out of the gate. If you have a lot of people around you kicking and splashing, breathe and go at your own pace - one that's quick, but (more importantly) sustainable. It's way too common for people to freeze up and panic during the swim. If you ever feel rushed, panicked or tired, simply stop, tread water, hold on to a buoy or a boat if you have to and take deep breaths until you calm down.


• Keep Your Nutrition Simple
  Nutrition for triathlon can get really complicated, really fast - if you let it. However, it doesn’t have to be that difficult. Simply eating well will cut out half the complexity of a nutrition regimen. Eliminating processed foods and choosing to eat real food and choosing water instead of sodas, and alcohol will help get your body get used to digesting real nutrients and utilizing your energy resources efficiently. It sounds really simple and it is. In fact, if you do this, you don’t have to worry about carbo-loading or any other nutrition hacks for your first sprint distance triathlon.


• Follow A Training Program
  A triathlon training program is immensely helpful to helping you get started doing your first race. Besides actually getting you physically ready for a race, a training program lays out a road map to show you where to start your training and how to finish based on your training level. It’s much easier to focus on a 30 minute workout you have to do today than it is to think about the triathlon you have to run in just 90 days. Not only does a training plan make things less intimidating but it also guides you from your current fitness level across the fitness line.


• Practice Brick Workouts
  If you’ve practiced swim, bike and run workouts and think that’s all there is to a triathlon, you’d be wrong. You’ll want to practice brick workouts before your first race.
  
  Brick workouts are when you practice two disciplines back to back. The most common brick is the bike and the run. you’ll do your bike workout and then get off, change shoes if you need to, and do your run
  
  The first time you’ll do this, your legs will feel like lead. That’s why they’re called brick workouts. After practicing this a couple times through, your legs will start to get the hang of it and your mind will get used to the fact that the first quarter or half mile of running is just going to be tough.


• Your Bike Doesn't Matter Until It Matters
  You really don't need a nice bike to get started racing. Too many new triathletes go out and buy a $5,000 bike, do one race with it and then let it collect dust in the garage. You can get a bike for $150 off Craigslist or borrow one to get started. It really doesn't matter what type of bike you start out, with one exception. Don't use a mountain bike. You might not realize it now, but a mountain bike is significantly slower and harder to pedal than a road bike. The frame of the bike is less comfortable for long distances, the overall bike is much heavier and the wheel is much smaller and wider, which means you go less distance every time you pedal and each of those pedal strokes harder. If you're like me, you might not full grasp the difference of this until you race your first triathlon on a mountain bike. Never again. Beg, borrow or steal a road bike if you can.


• Start Now
  Triathlon season is coming up. You’ll see the bulk of triathlons happening from May to late September. If you can exercise for just 15 minutes right now, you can train to do a triathlon in about 3 months. If you start now, you’ll be ready for early summer races and (if you enjoy your first triathlon), you’ll have a couple of months to do your second as well.

The absolute hardest part of doing a triathlon is the act of deciding that you're going to do it. Make that decision and everything else is just the legwork to make it happen.

On the fence, why not sign up for a triathlon today and run your first triathlon in 3 months.

Of course, none of us are perfect. I know I’ve had times when I had to reluctantly back out of a commitment, and I expect you have too. Stuff comes up. Problems happen. But you want to do everything you can to be a man or woman of your word.

Here’s how:

• Don’t Over-Commit
  The easiest way to avoid flaking out on commitments is to make sure you don’t take on too much in the first place.
  This means learning to say “no” – not just to other people, but also to yourself. Opportunities will come your way constantly, and you need to be choosy about which ones you latch onto. Think of these opportunities as items on a restaurant menu: sure, you might be keen on half a dozen of the entrees, but that doesn’t mean you’d order them all at once.


• Don’t Back Out at the Last Minute
  If you do end up over-committing, and you think you won’t be able to stick to what you’ve agreed to, then let people know as far in advance as possible.
  Let’s say you’ve said you’ll help your friend John to move his stuff to a new apartment one Saturday … and you’ve also agreed to take on overtime that week to help out in the office. You might realize that you’re going to be exhausted by Saturday, and that the last thing you’ll want to do is to help John.
  
  Don’t put off a decision until Saturday morning, then cry off. Instead, let John know in advance. You might want to change your commitment (“I can help in the afternoon, but not in the morning”) rather than backing out completely.


• Don’t Be Disorganized
  Sometimes, people have great intentions, but live in such a state of confusion and disorganization that there’s no hope of them ever following through.
  Mistakes do happen – but it’s hugely embarrassing to forget completely about a commitment that you’ve made, only to get a phone call asking if your colleagues (or fellow volunteers) should continue waiting for you before they start the meeting.
  
  Make sure your diary or calendar system is easy and intuitive for you to use, and that it flags up reminders at appropriate points. When you make new commitments, ensure you record them somewhere: don’t rely on your memory alone.


• Don’t Be Late
  It might seem like a small thing, but being punctual shows your respect for other people’s time.
  If you constantly seem to be running late, then look at what’s going wrong. Are you over-optimistic about travel times, only to get stuck in traffic? Are you prone to getting wrapped up in your work, to the point where you always leave late? Are you simply so busy that it seems impossible to keep on top of everything? Do other meetings always overrun, with a knock-on effect?
  
  When possible, arrive early for meetings, appointments, and similar. Take a book with you, so you’ve got something to read if you have to wait around. If you find that meetings keep overrunning, then build in extra buffer time between one meeting and the next.

Like I said before, none of us are perfect – we’ve all over-committed at times, or just plain forgotten to do something that we’d agreed to. And sometimes emergencies crop up. But if you make a sincere, consistent effort to do what you’ve said you’ll do, you’ll find that you’re seen as someone reliable and trustworthy – the sort of person who bosses love to promote and who clients love to work with.

If you’ve got any tips to share on this, just leave a comment below.

14 Action Inducing Lessons

• Less Talk, More Action
  
  

  “Well done is better than well said.”

  
  Talk is cheap. Talking about a project won't get it completed. We all know people who constantly talk about the things they are going to do but rarely ever take that first step. Eventually people begin to question their credibility. Taking action and seeing the task through to completion is the only way to get the job done.
  


• Don’t Procrastinate
  
  

  “Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today.”

  
  This is probably one of the first quotes I remember hearing as a teenager. With an impressive list of achievements to his credit, Benjamin Franklin was not a man hung up on procrastination. He was a man with clear measurable goals who worked hard to turn his vision into reality. What are you putting off till tomorrow that could make a difference in your life today?


• Be Prepared
  
  

  “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”

  
  You need a plan to accomplish your goals. Charging in without giving any thought to the end result and how to achieve it, is a sure way to fall flat on your face. Think like a boy scout. Have a realistic plan of attack and a systematic approach for getting where you need to be.


• Don’t Fight Change
  
  

  “When you're finished changing, you're finished.”

  
  Whilst many of us don’t like change, others thrive on it. Either way change is inevitable. The stronger we fight against it, the more time and energy it consumes. Give up the fight. Focus on proactively making positive changes, instead of having change merely thrust upon you. Wherever possible, try to view change as a positive instead of a negative.


• Get Moving
  
  

  “All mankind is divided into three classes: those that are immovable, those that are movable, and those that move.”

  
  There’s a reason we use the expression, movers and shakers. Movers are the ones who take action, the people who get things done, while the immovable are sitting around scratching their heads wondering how others could possibly be so successful. Which group do you want to belong to?


• Avoid Busywork
  
  

  “Never confuse motion with action.”

  
  We are always running around doing things. We rush from one meeting or event to the next, sometimes without achieving a great deal. At the end of the day, how much of our busywork are we proud of? How much of that running around improves anyone’s life (including ours) for the better? Make your motion mean something.


• Give Yourself Permission to Make Mistakes
  
  

  “Do not fear mistakes. You will know failure. Continue to reach out.”

  
  If we fear making mistakes, we become scared to try new things. Fear leaves us nestled in our comfort zone. Staying in your comfort zone rarely leads to greatness. Taking risks and giving yourself permission to make mistakes, will ultimately lead you to whatever your version of success may be.


• Act Quickly on Opportunities
  
  

  “To succeed, jump as quickly at opportunities as you do at conclusions.”

  
  Opportunities are everywhere. The trick is being quick enough and smart enough to seize them when they arise. Instead of jumping to the conclusion that something won’t work or can’t be done, allow yourself the freedom to ask what if?


• Continue to Grow
  
  

  “Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.”

  
  We all have vices of some description. The key is to keep them under control or preferably eradicate them entirely. Be kind to those around you, whether they are neighbors, family, co-workers or friends. Never accept that you have finished growing as a person.


• Keep Going
  
  

  “Diligence is the mother of good luck.”

  
  Have you ever looked at a successful entrepreneur or business person and thought how lucky they are? Most of the time, luck has nothing to do with it. Hard work and sacrifice on the other hand have everything to do with it. Successful people deal with failure. They tackle their demons head on. They pick themselves up and keep going.


• Know Yourself
  
  

  “There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one's self.”

  
  Understanding ourselves is not easy. Sometimes we just don’t want to see ourselves for who we really are. It’s much easier to hold onto a romanticized version of ourselves or to simply view ourselves through other people’s eyes. Start by being brutally honest with yourself. Follow through with understanding, compassion and acceptance.


• Don’t Self-Sabotage
  
  

  “Who had deceived thee so often as thyself?”

  
  We spend so much time worrying about other people hurting us, yet fail to comprehend the damage we inflict on ourselves. If you are using negative self-talk, lying to yourself or indulging in addictive behavior you are self-sabotaging. Life can dish up enough challenges without us adding to the mix. Be kind to yourself. Treat yourself like you would a best friend.


• Don’t Give Up
  
  

  “Energy and persistence conquer all things.”

  
  Achieving our goals can be downright exhausting. There will be days when you want to give up. There will be times when your energy levels flatline and you wonder why you bother getting out of bed. Yet you push forward, day after day because you believe in yourself and you have the determination and strength to back up that belief.


• Wise Up
  
  

  “Life's tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late.”

  
  Benjamin was definitely onto something with this one. Who hasn’t had the thought - I wish I could know then, what I know now? Unfortunately there is no time machine; there is no going back. The key is to wise up as early as you can to start forging a life of purpose, achievement and happiness.

You might experience some of this:

• With your expectations of being able to make changes big and small for the rest of your life dashed, the level of dopamine in your brain will drop sharply. Dive-bombing dopamine hurts like hell (even matching sensations of physical pain) and can lead you into a downward spiral that's tough to climb out of.
  


• Your brain will scramble for a solution to what's happened, trying to help you find a way through by matching the circumstances it finds itself in with something it's already learned. It'll come up with ideas both sane and crazy, but as you have no frame of reference it feels hard to know what the "right" thing to do might be.
  


• The new territory you're in gives you ample room for second-guessing yourself. Do you make a change right now, today? Do you fix yourself up financially or fix up your health? Do you store up your change for a rainy day, or do you use it to help someone you love today? Your brain will be keen for you not to screw up, and for every idea or course of action you come up with it can find any number of counter arguments. Pretty soon you're in analysis paralysis.
  


• Where you are is just about as risky and as dangerous as it gets; make a wrong decision and the rest of your life will be irrevocably screwed. Your Amygdala - one of the oldest parts of your brain that gives you strong emotional signals to go towards (that tasty berry on that bush) or away from something (that snarling sabre-toothed tiger) - will be screaming at you to run for cover.
  


• With nobody else in the world affected by this just-one-change-left event it's hard to see how others can help you; they're simply not in the same situation as you and can't possibly understand. The levels of oxytocin in your brain - the neurotransmitter that makes you feel connected to others - drops, making you feel isolated and alone. This can also drop your levels of dopamine further and give you a really strong "run away and hide under the sheets" response.
  


• With all the scrambling and changes in your brain chemistry, energy will be diverted away from the bit of your brain that helps you think clearly and deliberately. Without power to your pre-frontal cortex you won't be able to reason or think clearly, so you're largely at the mercy of the rest of your brain.
  

Holy mother of a nutcracker. Sounds like a nightmare doesn’t it?
Having a single decision left to make would be nightmarish indeed, but those same reactions in your brain (and a whole heap more) can happen with any choice you make, or even with every choice.

But here's the good news.

You don't have just one more change left. You don't have one more decision to make about your life or your place in the world. You have countless. You can make a decision at any time, and those decisions can be big or small, silly or serious. They can be imbued with what you really value in life; they can honor what's most important to you and they can bring alive what truly matters.

It doesn't matter whether a decision goes your way or amounts to a hill o' beans. You get to make a new choice. Making a decision is the hill o' beans. You have an extraordinary power at your disposal that you wield every single day of your life. The power to make a decision.

Are you embracing it or resisting it? Are you wielding that power with graceful intention or letting your brain call all the shots on your behalf?