Time Management Tips

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Time management gurus taught people methods and techniques to maximize their personal productivity. Today, much of what they taught us is outdated. In our highly competitive and

downsized business world, much more is expected of you. Whatever job position you hold, you are probably working well over 110% capacity, feeling the pressure to perform.

To survive in today's fast-paced world, you need to accept the fact that you have too much to do and too little You'd

probably like to take life a little easier and work at a slower pace. You'd like to have a little more time to do the things you

enjoy. The reality is that right now all your available time is already taken up with business and personal

responsibilities—customer meetings, employee issues, appointments, kids' schedules, and more. You don't seem to have a minute to spare.

How do you "steal" back a little time for yourself? You have to get organized. Your alternative is to agonize over the fact

that there's never enough time in a day to do all you want to do. Highly productive and successful people are well-

organized, handle details without letting anything slip through the cracks. If you want to improve your personal

productivity you need to take control of three areas: your mind, your work, and your life. Below are a few simple tips that

might make a difference for you.

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Guest

Posted on 27 March 2010

Take Control of Your Mind

Right now, make it a personal commitment to yourself that you will be disciplined to do the right things that will

help improve your personal productivity. Develop good habits and rituals that will help you manage your time and

reduce stress.

Always take time for quiet contemplation, and creative thinking. It's necessary for self-renewal and it's critical to

your personal and professional success.

Write things down or enter information in your Palm Pilot or computer the moment the thought interrupts your

mind, or you become aware of a "to-do." This will help you to reduce "mind traffic." All the "I gotta do this, I

gotta do that, gotta call him, I gotta call her" will interrupt your thoughts and clutter your mind. This must be a habit.

Master the art of staying focused. When working on projects/tasks that require concentration, block out other

thoughts. Some people have this ability naturally; but some have to work at it.

Avoid unnecessary worry and fretting over all you have to do. If you feel overwhelmed, remember that there is a

"rhythm" to productivity. The way for the rhythm to begin is to roll up your sleeves, and get started.

Develop "emotional toughness." Successful people think in black and white, and don't allow their emotions to

come into play when living and working in today's tough business world.

Make those tough decisions on your own time. Many executives say they make their best decisions when they're

on the golf course. Why? Their mind is relaxed, but their subconscious mind is working on the problem. Often

the best decisions are made by taking a long walk, a bike ride, anything that will help put the problem aside to let your subconscious mind work on it. When you least expect it, the solution will come to you. OR, put the problem aside and tell yourself you will make the decision on a certain day. You'll be surprised how the answer or solution will come to you. Of course there are times you must think on your feet, when you do, make the best decision, and don't look backwards.

Guest

Posted on 27 March 2010

Take control of Your Work

Love what you do. If you don't have a position or a job that you love, LEARN to love it. It may not be easy, but if

you can learn to love what you do, you will be more creative, more productive and make things better for everyone

around you.

Return or make urgent calls in the morning, and those that are less important in the afternoon or at the end of the

day.

Skim your E-mail in the morning and respond only to critical communication. Delete as you read it. Check it only

three times a day. Resist the temptation to keep checking it every ten minutes.

Prioritize. For most busy professionals, this is a no-brainer, but it's tough to do. Just ask yourself this question.

"What's the most critical task or highest value activity, I need to tackle right now?" Your answer will be your

guide. And, needless to say, as your day goes on, your priorities will shift, and you will have to take care of

urgent customer needs, or a fire you have to put out immediately. Prioritize your daily activities by doing the most

important things first, but learn to distinguish between low-payoff activities and high- payoff activities. This is especially true if you are in sales. Low pay-offs involve any time spent doing things that will not result in sales.

If you get side tracked with interruptions from phone calls, as we all do, again, regain your focus. Develop the

habit of asking yourself this question, "What's the most important thing I need to do and what can I accomplish in the block of time I have?" Then readjust and take control. Do strive to control interruptions as much as you can. That's what "gatekeepers," voice mail, Caller-ID and E-mail are for.

Don't procrastinate. Big projects and large tasks can overwhelm you. Envision a project/task done before you start.

Break big tasks into small tasks, and do them in increments. If you think you work best under pressure, and need

to have "adrenalin rush" to motivate you, set an earlier deadline and discipline yourself to meet it. Write the

deadline on your calendar so it's looking at you. Reward yourself when you complete a task that is difficult or that you don't like doing.

Maximize your peak productivity time. Work late if that's your best time. Go to bed early and get up early to

accomplish tasks more efficiently.

Practice effective listening and communication skills. Misunderstandings can waste a lot of time. Make sure

people have facts, details, and clear information. Learn to deal with difficult "people" asap. Problems that are not

handled rarely go away. They fester.

Record all activities, follow-ups, errands, or projects on a daily to-do list. Keep the calendar and your to-do list in

the same binder—better yet a Palm Pilot or electronic organizer. Bring it with you everywhere. Review your

schedule and list whenever you have the time. At the end of each day, make a new list for the next day's goals - rolling over whatever you didn't accomplish on the previous day.

Record time-management tips in your computer in a "Productivity" document and keep it in your computer.. Also

record new things as you discover they work for you. Review it Look at it often to make sure you're on track.

Delegate effectively. Make sure the person has a clear picture of the purpose of any delegated work, when you

need it, and what results you expect. Ask them if they are clear and if they'll need any help. Set a realistic

deadline that's agreeable and workable for both of you. If it's a big project, check frequently on the status.

Remember, if you're in a leadership position, it's up to you to sustain the motivation. Only when the person proves

he/she can deliver, and deliver on time, can you relax. If you feel the job is being done poorly or incorrectly, ask

how you can help and give the person a second chance. When the project has been completed, give praise and credit for a job well done.

Guest

Posted on 27 March 2010

Take control Of Your Life

Establish priorities. What is really important to you in life? For people who want to live their lives to their fullest

potential, their priorities are health, family, relationships, fun, financial stability, spirituality, continuous education,

personal growth, and professional success. If you don't have all of these in balance, your life will not be in balance.

Avoid procrastinating in your personal life. What is it that you want to do, learn, go, start, or finish that will bring

you a sense of happiness and accomplishment in your personal life? Leroy Brownlow states, "Procrastination is

the art of putting off what you should get done. Today is the golden opportunity, tomorrow the silvery chance, and the next day the brazen improbability, and the day beyond that the iron impossibility. All such put-off days quickly

turn into yesterdays, while immobile people stand on feet of clay that soon turn to dust."

Plan leisure time in advance to avoid job-burnout. Plan time to take care of your physical well-being—exercise,

walk, go to the health club. Develop rituals in these areas as well. Studies have proven that people who are

physically active are more productive on the job. I know an executive of a Fortune 50 company who often has

people meet him at the health club in the early morning hours to discuss business issues while he's on the

treadmill. In my book, "Wake Up and Smell the Competition" I write of busy business professional who takes his

kids on the golf course, let's them drive the cart, and talks to them about their week. Remember, for every problem, there's a solution. Find yours.

Weed your garden. Eliminate spending time with people who do not add real value to your life. Sometimes we

spend our valuable time and energy with people whose interests have grown apart from ours. Spend time with

people who give you energy, ideas and reaffirm your efforts. Eliminate relationships with negative people - they are toxic to you. Seek to develop and build relationships with positive people who reinforce you.

Accept the things you can't change. Learn to deal with the difficult people in your personal life who drain your

energy. If you can't change the person, change yourself. Learn to deal with difficult situations. If you can't

change them, change your approach to them.

"Just say no" to volunteer activities or social functions if you already have too much on your plate. Do not let

others manipulate you through flattery, guilt, or obligation. Learn to say no to activities that steal your energy, but

do not help your business or family life.

Give yourself permission to be a couch potato when you need to recharge your batteries. Rent movies and "veg!"

You'll be twice as productive the next day. Another way to recharge your batteries is when you have a day off,

get out and go somewhere or do something you've never done before. Go hiking, visit an auction, or rollerblade!

Empower yourself with education. Make time to read. Clip articles, and save them to read later. Use your car as a

learning vehicle. Listen to educational or motivational tapes while you drive.

Plan family time. Set up an "End Time" for social functions before you get together with friends or family.

Be clear about what you need from your family. Delegate and reward good behavior from your children.

Be organized in your personal life. Keep dry cleaning and things to be repaired in your car. Keep personal

files well organized. Keep your pantry well stocked. Shop at non-peak hours. Shop doubles, if you can afford to

do so, to prevent running out of important food items. Be proactive by taking good care of your car and appliances so that they don't break down - same with you! Throw or give away things you don't need. Clean out those closets and drawers too! Do one a day. You'll feel great when you do.

Take the time to think about what's really important to you: Then, live your life to it's fullest potential.

TAKE TIME TO DREAM, TO RELAX, TO LIVE ONE - DAY - AT - A - TIME. And remember, balancing

business life and personal life can be a tightrope act. Don't assume that you can achieve perfect balance in

everything. With a healthy attitude, you can become more well rounded and find greater fulfillment in everything

you do. Make a commitment to yourself to develop good habits that will help you manage your time more effectively so you can find more balance in your life.

Guest

Posted on 27 March 2010

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