Use the four D's, and you will realize an immediate boost in your productivity.
Another simple way to improve your results is to "get real" with time. Most of us have more to do than is possible in our weekly ration of 168 hours. Why do some people get so much more done in that time than others? For one thing, they put important items on their calendar and then honor it. They don't just make appointments with others on their calendar, but with themselves, too. They make commitments to rehearse and prepare for meetings with clients or prospects. They schedule a block of time to make follow-up phone calls, an hour to call clients just to check in, or find time to go for a run or hit the gym. This means more than just having it in your head that you will do something at 11 o'clock. It's an actual appointment you make with yourself, at a specific time, for more important activities. Imagine how much more productive you would be if most of the jobs that make you money are on that calendar. It's much more powerful and effective than having a to-do list.
Putting such activities on your calendar accomplishes at least two important things. First, it gives you a time and priority consciousness. Given all the more important things you can do with your time other than shoot the breeze with a colleague, you wouldn't likely put that on your calendar. Instead, with your newfound consciousness, you will naturally gravitate away from things that waste time, because everything you need to do to achieve your goals is written down in your schedule. Secondly, putting things in your calendar reduces the feelings of being overwhelmed when you are not getting as much done as you want to.
You still won't get everything done, but when you cross your completed items off and reflect on your results from the day, you will feel good knowing that the most important things got done. If you feel stress for not getting enough done, that's largely the result of realizing that less important things got done at the expense of the more important ones.
The bottom line is that your time is something you have control over. At a time when there is so much turmoil and uncertainty in areas you can't control (the market, the economy and world events), it's comforting to know that your success is still in your hands because you can choose to fill your calendar with things that help you make real progress.
It's time to get back to work.