Summarize:

Not everything you work on has the same payoff for finishing it or consequences for not finishing it. As you work on projects and constantly add more to your list, use some kind of system to remind yourself what is the most important and what you can put off for long amounts of time.  One way to prioritize is to take note of when things are due and make sure you mostly work on the things that are due the soonest. You will still need to work on longer term projects over time, rather than waiting until the deadline is upon you. You can also prioritize based on the size of the project, or the difficulty of getting it done. It can be helpful to set a higher priority on difficult projects so you avoid putting them off and hurrying them at the last minute. Develop a color coding system that gives you an at-a-glance visual of relative priority levels. For example, however you decide to assign priorities, make red the highest, purple the middle, and blue the level you can hold off on. Every project will entail multiple phases, steps, or aspects. Make a habit of breaking projects down into specific chunks of work. Write these out and make a plan for how you will work through each step of the process. Assign a time limit for each task and stick to that, but overestimate how long it will take so you have some cushion.  This is the kind of habit that may seem like it is just using extra time, but if you have a detailed guide to what needs to be done before you start, it helps guard against forgetting something along the way. Don’t be afraid to go overboard on the details because the more you expand things out, the clearer it will be what you need to get done. Plus you will feel like you are accomplishing more as you work through each small part of the project. Storing vital information on your various projects in one location helps ensure you never lose track of it. This could mean one notebook or spreadsheet, or one specific folder for all project documents. This single place could have sections for basic info on all the projects and specific info on each individual project.  If it doesn’t make sense to store information from separate projects in a central place, at least be sure to store all of the information for each single project in one place. When you are working with a team who all need access to the set of documents, make sure they have any passwords necessary or copies of any physical documents. Once a project is finished, consider trashing its documents (if it makes sense to do so) or relocating all of the project’s information. Maybe you would never throw away or delete work you’ve done, but you can at least store it in a separate place designated specifically for finished items.
Prioritize your projects to keep things in perspective. Write out a detailed process for each project. Keep important information in a single, designated place.