Updated December 30, 2014.

The entrepreneur Marie Forleo is "part business strategist, part marketing maven and part spiritual ass-kicker with a side of hip-hop swagger," who hosts her own weekly TV show, "Marie TV." In one episode on how to stay focused, Marie interviews Dr. Edward "Ned" Hallowell, psychiatrist, ADHD expert, and New York Times best-selling author. Dr. Hallowell shares five simple tips to implement in order to get things done.

1. Define clear and specific goals

Hallowell says that the great thing about modern life is that "you can do so much," but the problem is that "you can do so much." We are all swamped with demands and technology and sometimes it can feel impossible to even know where to start. He notes that in order to get anything done, it is especially important to define exactly what it is that you want to get done. He suggests setting three short-term goals a day, three medium-term goals every week or two, three long-term goals every six-months to a year, and three lifetime goals. This system "forces you to prioritize." It's also important to know how to set goals so that you can achieve them.

2. Avoid screen sucking

"Screen sucking" is a term that Dr. Hallowell coined referring to the tendency to peek at the computer and check one's email. He discusses the "hypnotic power" that email can have over people, triggering the same dopaminergic systems in our brains that are implicated with addictions. He discusses how easy it is to get sucked into the screen and lose all kinds of time.

Instead, Hallowell suggests that people limit themselves to only checking email a certain number of times a day, and then shutting it down. 

3. Set your default response from "yes" to "let me get back to you"

Hallowell discusses how so many of us want to please others and be generous, but in doing so, we easily set ourselves up for over commitment and overwhelm. By saying "let me get back to you," you give yourself a chance to think about whether you really have the time to take on something else, and if not, you can let the person know. Alternatively, Marie's advice is to just be freer about flat out saying no and honoring yourself and your time more than so many people do.

4. Never worry alone

This is really important advice. Hallowell notes that as we have become so technologically connected, we have really gotten out of touch interpersonally. The importance of social connection is so key to mental health, and Hallowell notes how this sense of affiliation is fading. He says, "have in your brain's Rolodex the people you can worry with." He also emphasizes the importance of getting the facts right, since so much about worry can be rooted in misinformation. Lastly, he says to make a plan to address what you are worried about. You might also want to check out the ancient practice of mindfulness meditation to help cope with anxiety.

5. Cultivate lilies and get rid of leeches

In other words, do what's worth it. He states that lilies are the people and projects that are most important, regardless of how difficult they are or how much effort they consume. For example, Hallowell notes that his three children are his lilies. In order to cultivate the lilies, we need to get rid of the leeches, which are the people and projects that not worth our time or effort. For many people, however, there are too many projects and people that are worth it, and as a result, they get in each other's way and "crowd out each other's growth." To deal with this, Hallowell encourages people to prune and prioritize, with a "get to that later" group for those second tier projects.

In his interview with Marie Forleo, Edward Hallowell states that too many people do not recognize their own power or exert their control, and as a result, they don't perform well and fail to get things done. Don't be one of those people, take his advice, and get stuff done! 

See Marie's interview with Ned Hallowell right here on Marie TV.