In case you are wondering where I have been...
Long story short...my dad requires care at home because he is paralyzed. My mom is normally doing what she can to take care of him, but had a gallbladder removed so she was unable to care for him. As a result, I was at home caring for my dad and that alone was a full time job and left me occupied to the extent that I wasn't able to focus on much else.
Thankfully, mom is OK and is recovering and is able to return to most of what she was doing before, therefore, so am I.
I want to visit a productivity method known as time boxing. This can also be referred as time blocking. Essentially, the entire goal here is to ensure that you have time blocked out for activities that need to be done. This can be done by placing the most important activities on a calendar. This method is especially effective in the case that you are not already scheduling every activity that you need to do. Here are a few ways you can benefit from time boxing.
You get a clear picture of what you need to do. When you have the most significant things on your calendar, you have a strong understanding of when you are most busy and what you have to do.
This will prevent double booking. Just because you may not have to work or have an appointment at the time, doesn't mean you are free. Having the largest projects and tasks scheduled will help prevent you from over-scheduling yourself.
It is easier to let others know that you busy. You can schedule tasks out ahead of time further. If you are using Google calendar or another shared calendar, then those shared with you will see when you are busy and have a lot to do.
I have taken a different direction regarding scheduling myself. For the longest time, I was scheduling every single activity that I was doing. However, I have dialed back a bit with some of that and now only schedule the most significant things. So far, I have found this to be more effective and less cumbersome. I will update periodically on how well this works out.
Also, be on the lookout for future exciting things. I am finishing up my book so look for details to come soon.