Go go go go go go go go go go!
That's everything. Work. Life. Everything. Everything is always in the pace to get things done as quickly a possible and get to the next goal. Check it off the list. Be done with it.
Once you finish that, make sure to do this. Check off that and go there. Let me know as soon as you're done with all that.
A couple weeks ago, I started breaking all my tasks and to-dos into specifically scheduled times on my calendar. Just like you would do for a meeting. When a new to-do goes on my plate, I give it a quick note of how long it'll take to do and approximately when I want to have it done. It's then placed on my calendar at a time that avoids meeting overlaps, out-of-office commitments, and other work. It means that I always know what I should be doing and when. There's no looming feeling that I'm forgetting something or a sensation that there's still much more to do at the end of the day.
When you're in that go go go lifestyle, you don't give yourself time to stop and think. You don't have the freedom to come up with your best ideas. You skip out on thinking originally.
It's always the endless list of busy work that needs to be done. You may find yourself in so-called "Brainstorm Meetings," and those might be helpful, but you also can't schedule when you get a fantastic idea. You just do.
When I finish a task early that I had scheduled -- I don't immediately move onto the next thing. I know I can give myself the remaining allotted time to organize my thoughts, think about certain things, and review the day so far. I know I can take the time to do this because everything that is a priority is already scheduled. If the next task was super urgent that it would have been scheduled before the task I just finished. Don't use the "Due Dates" of items as your "Do Dates." Let it be the ceiling that you can't exceed, with flexibility in the middle with the planning help.
It's interesting what you find yourself working on when you can spare the extra 5 - 10 minutes per "block" each day. Maybe you can work on that project plan or catch up with a co-worker you may not have talked to for a while.
I used my extra time to write this!
(The app I'm using is SkedPal + Google Calendar, by the way!)