Use a tried-and-true strategy to get back in charge of your workday.

Nowadays, people's schedules are jam-packed. The increased length of our to-do lists has forced us to work longer hours. But we're under more pressure than ever before, and we appear to be falling further and further behind. Every moment of our supposed downtime is marred by interruptions that force us to return to our jobs. Everyone keeps telling us that setting priorities will get us out of this jam, but that strategy is flawed.

Expert on productivity Ann Gomez offers a new way to tackle the problems with today's time, such as having too many priorities, too many distractions, and too much complexity, in her book Workday Warrior. We can get along quite fine without additional time, self-control, or resolve. A more direct strategy is required if we are to recover our time and improve our work habits. In order to maximise our output, we need narrow our focus, avoid distractions, and streamline our processes.