We all have times when we have too much work on our plates and not enough time to get it done. Around the end of the semester or exam time though, the plate seems to grow much larger, and the time – just the opposite.

In the past few weeks leading up to Spring Break, I have noticed a tremendous increase in the amount of work and obligations I have had.  This is to be expected though, with Professors trying to squeeze in a little more work before grades are due, and personal obligations that need to be set in order before heading off to the beach.

With so many things to do, and time running short, I had to do a little “task-prioritization”.  Here are some tips that helped me get everything knocked out.

Make a To-Do List

This could possibly be the most important part to prioritizing all of your task. Start by writing down everything that you need to get done in the coming week (or day, or month).  Having a list written down will save you from having to memorize all of your “to-do’s”, and possibly forgetting a few.

Credit: °Florian

Number Each Task

After creating a nice long list of tasks to complete, it is now a good idea to number these tasks. To do this, I usually put a rating system into effect. Assign each task a numbers from 1 through 4.  Mark the most important tasks with a “1″  and the least important with a “4″.

Knock Out the 1′s First

Assigning each task a number will layout the most important tasks you have to do, and allow you to put most of your focus into the tasks that you have labeled with a “1″ or a “2″, while spending less time on the “3′s” and “4′s”.  Along with focusing more on your most significant tasks, it is important to get them out of the way first. The most urgent tasks are usually labeled with a “1″ anyway, so it only makes since to knock them out first, and then start working your way down the list until you get  to the “4′s”.

Credit: Kevin Lawver

Cut the Bullsh*t

No one likes a long to-do list, so as you come to the end of your list, you’ll probably start to notice some tasks that won’t cost you much if you cut them from the list.  These are usually things like homework assignments that take a long time, but yield little reward in return. Tasks like these can be cut from the list completely, as long as they won’t have much of a negative impact.

Get Started

No matter how much you prioritize your tasks, or organize your to-do lists, nothing is going to get accomplished until you put it into action. So stop procrastinating, follow these tips, and get to work.

What About You?

What do you do when you have a heavy workload and it seems impossible to finish everything?