In today’s society, many of us are struggling with the lack of time in our personal and professional lives. Technology has made it possible to be connected 24/7, but it has also increased our workload and expectations. Many people have to juggle work, family, household chores, social commitments, and personal time. It can be overwhelming and stressful, leaving us feeling exhausted and burnt out. However, the problem is not the amount of work we have to do but how we manage it. Here are eight common mistakes that you might be making that are making you more stressed than you should be.

1. You multi-task without prioritizing

Multi-tasking is often seen as a positive attribute, but research shows that it’s not as efficient as we think. When we focus on too many things at once, we become mediocre at them all. Successful people know how to prioritize their tasks and their time. They invest all their energy, attention, and allotted time frame to one thing, resulting in better quality work. For example, when you come back from work, set a timer for 30 minutes, and help your son with his math homework, uninterrupted. When the timer goes off, the homework is most likely complete or close. Then you can move on to the next task.

2. You make “to do” lists

To-do lists are a great way to help us remember things, but we often over-schedule our day with a level of granularity that makes it impossible to be successful. Instead of planning out every moment of the day in graphic detail, write down the top three things you would like to accomplish in broad terms. Your chances of success with fewer and more broadly defined goals are much higher. And success leads to more success.

3. You rely on your brain to remember things.

Relying on your memory to recall important information is a recipe for disaster. Your brain is very complex and overburdened with information. WRITE IT DOWN! If there is something you need to recall, write it down. The physical act of writing it down will aid you in remembering it.

4. You instantly respond to electronic messages.

We have been conditioned to respond immediately to electronic messages, but it’s not necessary. Most successful business professionals have a prescribed time, once or twice each day, where they stop what they are doing, answer emails, and respond to messages (they don’t multi-task). They also set a time limit. Anything that does not get answered during their ‘mail’ time has to wait until the next time their calendar alerts them that it is time to check the mail.

5. You neglect the 80/20 rule.

The 80/20 rule (aka the Pareto Principle) predicts that 80 percent of the team’s points would be scored by one player. The lesson here is, be careful on how you spend your time and energy. Learning to choose which activities will produce the greatest success and be the most productive is the key.

6. You procrastinate.

Simply put, if you touch something, deal with it right then and there. If you open a letter and know that no matter the contents, you are not ready to take action, leave the letter, unopened in a designated spot to deal with it at a time you are ready to take action.

7. You don’t say ‘No’ and you don’t ask for help.

Successful people value their time and energy over other people’s feelings. They have no problem saying no to things that do not make maximum use of their energy. Also, they have no problem asking for help from someone who may be more suited to the task than they are.

8. You hyper-focus and over-fixate on tasks.

Learn to take a break and work on something else less difficult. Sitting there for hours trying to make yourself do it is actually less productive than taking a break and coming back to it later.

In conclusion, successful time management is not just about to-do lists and multitasking. It’s about prioritizing, focusing, and knowing when to take a break. We can’t do everything, so we need to learn to choose what’s essential and delegate the rest. By avoiding common mistakes and implementing better time management strategies, we can increase our productivity, decrease stress and have more time for the things that matter most.