I start to find things that I can get off my plate and once those things are identified, next is who can I delegate or give it them to; once those folks have been identified I pass whatever it is over to them. Most people feel that because something is on their plate it is their's to deal with, but that is not always the case. And even if it is, there is usually someone willing to help.
Lets say you are trying to sell your house, take care of your sick mother and finish school all the while working full time. What do you do?
Get a realtor, ask a friend or a family member to help with mom when you have class, cook meals on the weekend and freeze them for the week, do your homework early in the morning when there are less distractions and join an online study group, and finally explain to your boss the situation at hand and ask if the company might offer any benefits that could help you such as tuition reimbursement, flexible schedules, telecommuting, etc.
Lets say you are trying to bake cookies for your kid's class party tomorrow, your sister dropped off her kids, your best friend came over for a shoulder to cry on and your hubby is whining about being hungry. What do you do?
Tell you best friend that you would love to chat while you bake the cookies since you could really use a hand in the kitchen anyway. Call a babysitter and tell your sister she will be paying for it, and then send hubby for the takeout you just ordered over the phone. If anyome complains, remind them that these are the terms and they are not negotiable. your sister can keep her kids, your hubby can go to bed without dinner and your friend can find some other shoulder ... and heck, worst case scenario, the kid can go with store baked if it comes down to it - sometimes you have to be a hardass. :x