First thing in the morning, when we start our day, we have a mental list of tasks that we want to get done before the end of the day. We start with enthusiasm and the intention to "get everything done".

1. The Best Way to "Getting Everything Done"
First thing in the morning, when we start our day, we have a mental list of tasks that we want to get done
before the end of the day. We start with enthusiasm and the intention to "get everything done". We may
even write them down in the task-list - either on a piece of paper, in an organizer or in a software program.
But for most people, many of these tasks remain incomplete at the end of the day and are moved on to the
next day. Seldom ever will we have days where we can "get everything done".
So what is the problem here? The burden of incomplete tasks is enormous. We carry this guilt of not having
the discipline to complete what we plan for the day. As we can hardly ever complete all the items that are
on the task list, we often feel like we are on treadmill, running harder and harder - but getting nowhere.
Of course there are legitimate and valid reasons for not being able to complete all the tasks. Some of them
are -
 Constant interruptions
 Email overload
 Fire-fighting and emergencies
 Phone calls
 Visitors
 Meetings
 Lack of proper planning
 Lack of proper organization
These are all good reasons that prevent you from "getting everything done".
However we miss the obvious fact that is staring right at us! This flawed notion that some day we will have
more time and then we will be able to get everything done. This is simply a myth. We all need to face the
bitter truth that there will always be more things to do than we will ever have time to do them. We will
never be able to "get everything done" no matter how efficient we get. What we need to do is get more
effective. We need to focus on getting the right things done!
The Pareto Principle or 80-20 rule tells us that only 20% of our tasks produce 80% of the results. Though we
may not have time to fit 100% of our tasks in 24 hour days, we surely have enough time to fit 20% of the
tasks that matter - and get us 80% of the desired results. With unlimited tasks, projects, and choices of too
many good things that we can do, getting 80% results with only 20% efforts is a good compromise and a
wonderful way to live and work. You can get anything done - BUT you will never be able to "get everything
done". Changing your paradigm from "getting everything done" to getting only the most important things
done (and hence dropping all other 80% of the things that don't matter much) is the key to being productive
and able to live a balanced and stress free life.
Tushar Vakil is a coach, trainer, personal productivity and getting everything done expert at
outstandingproductivity.com.