Dealing with the Present.

So maybe you're stressed about the current moment. Things aren't going smoothly, you're trying to piece everything together right but it's all a mess. What do you do?

Your brain says "jam the panic button, go into overdrive, start screaming". If you follow this impulse, you're not going to get more done. You're just going to make it harder to focus.

What you do instead is this...

Stop. Don't think.

Yes, for real. If you're feeling overwhelmed, if all you can think about is the stress, take a moment to just stop thinking. It can seem hard to do, if not impossible. It's like being told not to think of that one catchy song.

But you can do it. Distract yourself if you have to. Watch a Youtube video or play a mobile game for a few minutes. Put your focus on something mindless.

Think.

Okay. You can start to think about your day now. Consider everything you have to do today. Not what is due tomorrow, but today. Write those things down. Try to list them by order of what you think will be the most difficult.

Work on what needs to be done next.

Once you've prioritized, start working down the list. Don't worry about tomorrow or next week. Only worry about that when you've got everything you need done today. Once you get everything today done, move on to the next nearest deadline.

Take breaks periodically.

I know that this can sound insane when you're in the middle of working on a big project, but taking a periodic break can help you be more productive over the course of the day. You'll lose motivation if you feel you feel the work is endless. A short break will re-energize you and will help you focus on the task at hand. A great way of structuring these breaks is the Pomodoro technique. Basically, this technique has it where you will work non-stop for 25 minutes and then take a five minute break. After four rounds, you get to take a long, twenty-minute break. You can download apps that automatically have this structure arranged. I personally use the "Focus Keeper" app.