Before the ticking clock leaves you trailing behind at work, master these tricks that will help you defeat any time stealers. By Madhumita Gupta

Ever noticed how you manage to cross off almost everything on your huge task sheet the day you make a 'Things To Do' list first thing in the morning. But how, on mornings spent at the coffee machine, or chatting with a passing colleague instead of tapping at that keyboard to make the list, the day just zips past with no jobs done...

No, the answer to getting work done does not lie in making lists alone. Being productive is all about learning how to manage time effectively. Identify and perfect the three Ps - purpose, prioritisation and planning - and you will be ready to dodge notorious time stealers.

Go For Goals
In today's fluid corporate world, you need to set your goals daily. Once your goal is fixed, set yourself a deadline or a time frame within which to finish the task.

A word of advice though: Make your goals realistic. It can be very demoralising when you fail to achieve an unattainable or impractical goal. Take a reality check on your capacity and ability before fixing targets.

How They Do It
My kind of work is pre-decided and part of a team effort. Therefore, the temptation to take it easy always exists. But I've seen that this attitude can cause a lot of trouble when everyone slacks off, so I make it a point to complete all my goals within the target time. I usually set myself a deadline before I start a project and then move hell and earth to stick to it."
— Anjali Bharati, software professional