Time management is key for any business professional. But in the world of government contracting, with all its processes and players, not managing your business goals and daily tasks at an optimal level could end up costing you current government contracts, damage your reputation as a company and prevent you from delivering your products and services.

Before logging on or getting sucked into e-mail or other activities, prioritize your tasks for the day on paper – preferably a notebook where you can keep all your priorities together. Then, list “must do,” “should do” and “do not need to do today” tasks in clear groups.

After you have written down your tasks, take the “must do” tasks and turn them into “do it now” tasks.

By taking care of core priorities right away, you reduce the risk of distractions that will take you off-target and away from your business goals.