Balancing work commitments is a constant challenge and good planning is often the difference between the success and failure of a project. So how do you spot what needs to be done and implement an effective plan?

Prioritise. “You must be clear what your priorities are,” says Patrick Dunne, the director of 3i, a private equity group. “In addition to my day job I’m chairman of the charity Leap and on the board of the University of Warwick. To make that combination work I have to prioritise – for me it’s board meetings.” Andrew Summers, the chairman of Companies House, says: “It’s very easy to respond to those things that are most urgent. [But] you must prioritise what is important, rather than what is urgent.”

Control your own diary. When juggling tasks, self-management is critical. “Working for six or seven different organisations, I attend meetings all the time. Keeping my own diary allows me to retain control,” Summers says. “You need someone to run your diary, but you should never let someone else control your diary.”

Allow slack time. “Carve out time to think,” Dunne says. “Flights or train journeys are perfect.” Summers agrees. “If you’re continually on a day-to-day treadmill of pressure it’s important to take the chance to reflect.”

Impose deadlines. When planning projects that involve multiple diaries think about who must be involved and fix deadlines to bring everyone together at intermediate stages. Keep the pressure on with deadlines; those made public or based around an event are extremely useful.

Plan in advance. Have a schedule for the next six months but act on something as soon as it goes into the diary. “Speaking engagements are booked months in advance,” Dunne says. “But I usually do the preparatory work and write the speech as soon as I accept the booking. That way I have time to add other thoughts and refine it.” The other key ingredient? A BlackBerry. “It’s an incredible tool and the live calendar is excellent for planning.”

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