Are you busy or are you bored? Most would answer that they are busy. With all the so called "time saving" devices it seems like today many of us are busier than ever.

When you know you have something that needs to be done, but you don't do it, you still carry it around with you in your thoughts. However, if you plan when you are going to do it, and then follow the plan, your mind recognizes that. It really takes the pressure off.

Whatever system works for you is fine, but don't fall into the trap of procrastination. There is a difference between systematically organizing and doing your tasks, and, not doing something because you just don't want to deal with it.

Being busy often forces you to make a decision: what do I do right now and what do I do later? There are two schools of thought on this. One way works well for some while the other way works well for others.

So what are the two schools of thought? Some like the method of doing the simplest and easiest tasks first. People like this method because these tasks are not as time consuming and getting done several of these consecutively gives you a sense of success. When you get to the difficult tasks, you already have momentum built.

The other school of thought is just the opposite. Brian Tracy calls it, "Eating the frog first." The idea is to take care of the difficult, unappealing task first. In doing that, it will give you momentum to take on the other tasks at hand.

Which method should you use? Whatever works for you. I have used both.

There have been times when I took care of a number of small tasks first so that I could devote a large chunk of time to a bigger task without having to worry about those small tasks. And there have been plenty of times that I reluctantly "ate the frog" first. But I must admit, there have also been times when I procrastinated.

I have found that procrastination so many times seems to double the weight of what needs to be done. I think that may be because the brain does not know when or how we are going to accomplish it, and so it keeps coming up in our minds.

I'm sure that you have had days where something that you keep putting off keeps coming back to your mind. You think, "Oh, I have got to take care of this," or, "When am I going to stop putting that off and just do it?" Have you had thoughts like that?

A great way to start the day is with a list of what you are planning to accomplish for the day. Write it down. Have a plan.

And, if there is something that you know needs to be done, but you can't do it today, then start your list for tomorrow and write it down. You will be amazed at how much pressure this will take off of you.

All of us have plenty of things on our plate that we need to deal with every day. Why add more stress to your life by procrastinating? Instead of just trying to make it through another day, why not do something that will help you eliminate some of the stress in your life?

Getting your tasks organized and prioritized does not take very much time. But in the long run it will save you time because it will help you accomplish your tasks systematically and more efficiently. And, it will help to reduce the stress in your life.

So, when your plate is full, as it often is, either "eat the frog" first or tackle the simple tasks first. Just make sure that you don't add to your plate by procrastinating. Don't put off 'till tomorrow what you can do today.