To manage all that there is to do, in addition to discarding, the second “D” to choose from is “Delegate”. Remember that this applies to the items on your to-do list, snail mail, email and phone calls.
Delegate It-If you don’t have to be the one to do it, give it to someone else. You might think that in the time it takes for you to explain something to someone you could do the task yourself. The truth of the matter is that if you take the time to set that foundation, you really do save yourself time in the long run. If there are things that can be delegated, determine who the right person is; give them clear instruction on what needs to be done and a due date for what you’ve assigned. Make sure the instruction and due date are clear. If what you’re handing over is crucial or might take a longer period of time to complete, set dates for status updates so that you know where things stand on a regular basis.