I have been a fairly good student throughout my life, and have offered decent and helpful study tips to my teens throughout theirs! So maybe that qualifies me to share my tips on studying, as I planned to make this post about sharing expert advice. But I decided to save that for a future post, which will give me time to contemplate – am I an expert or is it the Dunning-Kruger effect? But there was something else I realized by looking back at my blog (and maybe life too); I am certainly an expert at playing catch-up!! For example, I should have posted this specific article almost a week ago.

This image below is me playing catch up (Note that these are only those posts that contained the words catch up in the title; there were more where I talk about catching up in the post itself!)

5 Tips from an Expert at Playing Catch-Up

Keep Calm

Don’t get flustered and don’t worry! It is not the end of the world; and if it is (the end of the world, I mean), then there is nothing to worry about in the first place, is there? But seriously, you CAN catch up. I know it by experience. I have done it many a time. You just need to keep at it!

Like I said in an earlier post : Playing catch up seems to be all I do when I sign up for daily blogging challenges, but I also realize that – when you keep at it, you will eventually catch up  So here I am, almost at the finish line and almost caught up.

That Old Favorite: The Checklist

Make a list, prioritize it, update it regularly, and most importantly, keep it handy and visible. Regarding the updates, if you need to add a task, don’t rely on your memory (unless you really do have one of those elephantine, photographic memories that never forgets). I have been overly confident of that memory of mine, and it has failed me a couple of times. So now, I add it to my calendar on my phone immediately.

Distract Yourself (Don’t, I Mean!)

I am an expert at this — the distracting myself bit — as well! Though I am constantly telling my kiddos to stop distracting themselves while doing their homework!(So practice what I preach is not so true here!)

But to catch up, you — well, I — need to work on the art of “undistraction” (just made up this word)! I know the general ways to do it, but…

Expect the Unexpected

This is life, after all. So there will always be the Unexpected. But ensure and double check your priorities before jumping on to those things that cropped up out of nowhere. Remember urgent doesn’t always mean important. Then again, if you do need to shift paths and go finish that Unexpected thing, remember, this is life, after all! It is OK.

Ask for Help

In the end, if it comes down to it, ask for help. Better yet, don’t wait till the end. Ensure others around you already know what needs to be done so things go smoothly all around. I know I cannot focus on writing a post when I have loads of laundry piled up or stacked dishes (woe is me!)

Delegate those tasks that others can do with minimum hand-holding or instruction so you can focus on your priorities. But don’t forget to remember or ask them about theirs as well (priorities, that is). After all, they might be playing catch-up too!

Note, in the case of my blog, I have asked my kids to guestpost; it helps me play catch-up during those daily blogging challenges!!

And Bonus Tips Below

To rub salt to my own wounds here — of being an expert at playing catch-up — I have written posts to be productive and similar earlier on my blog. I list (some of?) them below:

• 9 Tips On Productivity Or How I Plan to Get More Done
• 13 Things that Come to Mind at Milestones…
• A Blog Schedule? How It Helped, Helps, Will Help…. (As for this one, I need to work on a new/updated schedule)

Book Recommendations

Of course, I need to include a few books that will help me (and you) catch up. I need to admit that I have read at least one already; just need to learn to stick to the principles learned. I am getting better (I promise, I hope…. I think…..?)

• The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande
• Deep Work by Cal Newport
• The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
• Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy
• Do the Work by Steven Pressfield
• The One Thing by Gary Keller
• Ready for Anything : 52 Productivity Principles for Getting Things Done by David Allen

Pin Me

And Now, the End of This Post

While playing catch-up can be kind of exhausting, I have tried my best to not let it be so. It helps to know I can do it; it helps to know I can ask for help; and leaves me with the feeling that there is more to achieve and strive for! These things together give me that energy I need to keep going and eventually catching-up!!

Dear reader, are you like me? Playing catch-up every so often? I think maybe not!:) Or are you always ready and organized? Either way, what are your tips to catch-up or stay organized?