From Kimberly L. Keith,
Your Guide to Parenting of K-6 Children.
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Stop! Do you feel out of control, with way too much to do and not enough time to get it all done? Use these tips to gain control of your time and regain a sense of well-being and accomplishment.

What are your priorities?

Time frustration often comes from spending too much time on unimportant activities, with a resulting sense that the important things in your life are being neglected. Only you can determine the goals and activities that are most important in your life. Take time to brainstorm and dream about the things you want. These are your priorities, and that's where you start to regain control over your time and your life.

Do It! Let's Get Off Our Buts: A guide to living your dreams Use this great online self-help book by Peter McWilliams

Practice Saying No

Saying "no" comes easier to some people. The problem is that we have to say "no" to some things that we really want to do. But, some of it's got to go. So, use your priorities and goals to balance the requests for your time and effort. If you can't be the Girl Scout Leader, maybe you can be the Cookie Mom, and still be involved in your daughter's favorite activity. Practice your assertiveness skills and say "no" to the commitments that don't match your priorities. You'll be surprised at how freeing that can be!

Assertiveness Training Psychological Self Help Online

Change the Rhythm of Your Days

Dr. David Sobel teaches that time pressures are best managed, not by strict scheduling, but by seeking balance and simplicity in our daily lives. In The Healthy Mind, Healthy Body Handbook, Sobel recommends that we learn to "live in the moment". If we are working, we should put our minds fully to the task before us. If we are resting, then we should clear our mind from thoughts of work, and instead focus on the pleasure of rest and recreation. Notice the rhythm of your days, when you are energetic and when you are low in energy. As best you can, plan your day around your own natural rhythms. Stop and rest your mind and body regularly, even when you think you can keep going.

Rx: Halting Time Pressure by Dr. David Sobel at HealthWorld Online

Plan and Take Action

Your priorities are set and you've pruned out all unnecessary activitiies. Now, you need two calendars and two notebooks to make your plan. Write your long-term goals and major "to dos" in a tiny notebook, then keep it close by to be reminded of your priorities. The first calendar should show all the months of the year in a glance, or be the checkbook-style you can keep in your purse or desk. Write all of your long-term commitments on this calendar, adding to it when you learn of a new "must do". School schedules, vacation days, project deadlines, due dates for large payments, volunteer and church commitments, birthdays - when you learn the date add it to your long-term calendar where it will be seen easily. The second calendar is the daily, weekly, or monthly calendar you normally use in your professional or personal life. Each month, transfer the events from your long-term calendar to this one. Use a larger spiral-bound notebook for your Daily To Do Lists. Take ten minutes at the end of each work day, or in the evening if you must, to write your To Do List for the next day. Writing it down is the best way to clear your mind for relaxation and time with your family.