PLAN AND ORGANIZE. Take time off to think and plan. It is time well spent. Write out a to-do list. Some people make a daily list. They make a list of things to be done either the last thing the previous day or first thing, the next day. Others prefer a list, which is continuously updated. Even a combination of the two, serves well. Thus you would have devised a system that works better than the present one.

SET GOALS. Goals give your life direction. Make a decision first. What do you want from life? Where do you want to go? Set realistic goals. Such goals can give creative people a much-needed sense of direction.

PRIORITIZE. Identify what is most important to you on that list. Once identified, allot time to concentrate on those items with the greatest reward. Scheduling items with a deadline is another way of sticking to your priorities.

FLEXIBLE. Allow time for interruptions and distractions. Don't plan continuous work for the entire sixty minutes in the hour. Plan to work for forty-five minutes. That allows fifteen minutes for interruptions. You will have the flexibility to handle interruptions and the unplanned emergencies. Don't schedule important tasks for the time slot you expect to be interrupted.

WHEN IS YOUR PRIME TIME? When are you at your best? Are you an early bird or a night owl? Does your adrenaline pump at midday? Schedule important tasks during your prime time.

DO THE RIGHT THINGS RIGHT. Doing the right thing and doing it effectively is important. Focus on the right thing to do and then do it as well as you can. Don't compromise on the quality of your work. Give it all that you've got.

ELIMINATE THE URGENT. Are you fire fighting too often? Constantly handling predicaments, which need to be resolved immediately? When, then, will you have time to do what is important to you? A little forethought and anticipation can save you a lot of tension. Work towards reducing the urgent things you must do, so you'll have time for things important to you!

THE ART OF NEGLECT. Eliminate trivial tasks or those tasks, which do not have long-term consequences for you. Can you eliminate any item from your to-do list? Or get some one else to do it? Concentrate on those tasks which are absolutely necessary and those that you alone can do.

STOP BEING A PERFECTIONIST. It is an imperfect world we live in. Look around and you'll find nothing that is perfect. Stop expecting perfection, even from yourself. We're not talking about doing a slip-shod job. But paying unnecessary attention to every detail is a form of procrastination.

DON'T POSTPONE. When you are evading something, break it into smaller tasks. Do just one of the smaller tasks at a time. By doing a little at a time, you'll make enough progress and slowly complete the task, instead of postponing it permanently.

SAY NO. Are you flooded with tasks that aren't really important to you? Keep your priorities in mind. Then just learn to say 'no!' to the unimportant things. It might be a bit awkward at first, but you'll get the knack of it pretty soon. Making time for family and friends cannot be considered unimportant, although they have nothing to do with your career.

REWARD YOURSELF. Celebrate completion of goals, even the small ones. Promise yourself a reward for completing each task, or finishing the total job. Then keep your promise to yourself and indulge in your reward. Doing so will help you maintain the necessary balance in life between work and play. If you learn to balance work with play and relaxation, you will have a sense of achievement, you will feel happier and healthier.