Eliminate All But the Absolute Essential Tasks : zen habits

You can't do it all. Only stick to those commitments in your life that really give you joy and value.

For the rest, you need to learn to say no, and value your time. 

Figure out the most important tasks that you’d like to accomplish over the week. Those are your Big Rocks. 

Put them in your schedule, first thing in the day, on different days of the upcoming week. Make those the most important tasks each day, and do them first.

Some tasks really pay off in the long term, and others just keep you busy and in the long run, don’t matter at all.

Focus on those big tasks, that will make a name for you, that will generate long-term income, that will give you lasting satisfaction and happiness. 

Write those down on another small list of small tasks, for later.

Set a time (30 minutes or so) to batch process these tasks sometime later in the day (perhaps 4 p.m.). Do your most important tasks first, and then do all the small tasks at the same time.