Tips On Time Management

What is a Time Abundance Mindset?

2008-09-24T08:30:00.000-07:00

Do you want help with time management? David did. He admitted it, but he could never make the time to do anything about it.

I see it regularly, yet I am still amazed by it. I see people who are involved in many, many different roles and they always seem to have time for each of these roles. They have time with their family and friends, and themselves.

I also see the opposite. People who are involved in far less, yet are always really busy and struggle to find balance in their lives.

The small percentage of people who have more time have a natural sense of time abundance. That is, they know they can create the time to do what they want. And these people get help with time management.

What mindset do you think most people have?

You guessed it. A sense that there is never enough time and you don't know how to get everything done. You feel overwhelmed and at times out of control.

David is a case in point. He was referred to us so we could help him with creating some balance in his life. He has been missing his KPI targets at work. His health is poor. When we spoke to David he was interested - but, guess what?

He wanted help with time management. He wanted the outcomes we spoke about, but did not have time to see me. He was too busy. A month later. Still too busy. Another month, still too busy. Maybe next month might free up a bit he said. David has been living this life for over 5 years!

What do you think he will say next month?

It is much easy for us to look at this situation from a different perspective and see nothing will change for David until he does something differently.

What about you? Are you a "busy person" or an "I'll make the time" person?

A "busy person" has a sense of time scarcity, through which they see everything. It doesn't have to be that way. It is actually a defense mechanism - a way to try to protect yourself from disappointment and stress.

But this scarcity mentality usually does exactly the opposite. It creates more stress and disappointment, by focusing on what you can't get done or what you still have to do.

When you see life through a time abundance mindset you know you can find the time to do what is really important.

Where do you stand on the time, scarcity vs abundance continuum?

Michael Erwin is a Time Creation Expert and Time Coach. He offers Free time management resources.

You can find more time management articles and time management tips at http://www.time-management-central.net

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Time Management Tips - Avoiding Overwhelm

2008-08-31T06:22:00.000-07:00

By Sharon Teitelbaum
I left a meeting with one of my mentors recently with a page of fabulous next steps for my coaching, workshop, and book business. There were probably 10 actionable items noted on the page, each one of which was the tip of a project iceberg. I left the meeting in full overwhelm. It's not as if I'm underutilized these days!

I took the page back to my office and put it on my desk where I could see it while I did other work. Now and then I would look over at the page and feel awful. Before the afternoon was out I realized a few things about me and that page.

First, I realized that I wished I was "the kind of person who" could knock off some of those items in no time flat. Someone who could devote a couple of hours one evening and crank out high level results for, say, half of the items on the list. And then do the other half the next morning. But I am not that person, and I felt diminished by my less than favorable comparison.

Then I realized that:

I had completely imagined this brilliantly efficient person who could work oh-so-much-faster and better than I can.
As soon as I had invented her, I went into a compare-and-despair routine, which did not support me to take any action.
Since I had invented this character who was a better me than I was, I could also make her disappear. So I made her disappear.

At that point, my resistance fell away, and I could finally take on the list for what it simply WAS: some potential projects for 2006. I stopped being overwhelmed.

Now I could actually do something useful. My first order of business was to identify which projects I wanted to take on, period. And then to prioritize: which tip of which iceberg would be first in line. And my second order of business was to schedule some project time into my calendar for Iceberg #1. At this point I became energized.

Very often, what's at the heart of feeling overwhelmed is resisting your limits. A panicked lawyer client with pneumonia, sick children, and a huge trial coming up expected herself to pull all-nighters as she had when she was in college. Once she accepted that she was no longer as "invincible" as she had been in her younger, simpler circumstances, she was able to get over her panic, plan how to use her limited resources strategically, and get going.

What personal or structural limitation are you resisting? If you can accept the real limits of your circumstances, chances are good you can move beyond feeling overwhelmed and get back to work, which is where the breakthroughs happen.

A steady diet of feeling overwhelmed is not good for you.

Copyright 2006 Sharon Teitelbaum. All rights reserved.

Master Certified Coach Sharon Teitelbaum is an authority on work life balance and an expert life coach to busy professionals, high achievers, people at midlife, and working parents. Her book, Getting Unstuck Without Coming Unglued: Restoring Work-Life Balance, is a strategic, tactical guide for maintaining a sane and balanced life, distilled from her experience coaching hundreds of people. A sought-after keynote speaker and workshop leader, Sharon has addressed such diverse audiences as Harvard Medical School Faculty, financial advisors at Merrill Lynch, and Mothers' of Twins Clubs. She has been featured in national publications including The New York Times, Working Mother Magazine, and Forbes.com. Sharon works with individual coaching clients throughout the US and internationally by phone, or in person in the Boston area, and always offers an initial consultation at no charge. Married for thirty-plus years, she is the mother of two fabulous grown-up daughters.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Productivity Tips - Managing Your Inner Procrastinator

2008-08-30T01:09:00.000-07:00

By Sharon Teitelbaum
Most people consider their procrastination habit a sure sign of imperfection, proof of their innate degeneracy. But a more generous interpretation of procrastination can yield better results.

Consider, if you will, the possibility that you procrastinate for a good reason. If you can identify that reason and work with it, then your need to procrastinate will dissolve and you can just go forward and do the thing you have been avoiding.

Some people procrastinate doing boring things. What a smart move! Who wants to spend time doing boring things? If you can allow yourself to notice that you are procrastinating a boring job, then you have the option of finding a way to delegate the boring job to someone else who may be delighted to have the job because they will get paid, they will learn something new or a whole host of other possibilities.

If you are procrastinating because you are intimidated by the task, or don't have a clue how to even begin it, then what's really needed is some help. Stop asking yourself to get going with a job you don't know how to do. Go out and find someone who can help you.

Or perhaps you are procrastinating because the task is likely to be unpleasant or difficult in some way, perhaps just because it's out of your comfort zone. You need to let a client know that you'll have to charge extra for the changes he's requesting. You need to tell one of your direct reports that she can't have the vacation dates she's requested. You're going to tell you mother that you're not going THERE for Thanksgiving this year. You get the idea. One of the best ways to support yourself in this kind of situation is to plan the conversation so it takes place between two "bookends" of support. In other words, line up a close friend or colleague to be available for you to talk to before and after the difficult conversation. That way, you have some support going into it, and you also have a safe person to debrief with after the difficult conversation.

Try this approach the next time you find yourself procrastinating. See what's behind it, and find a way to address that.

Copyright 2006 Sharon Teitelbaum. All rights reserved.

A sought-after keynote speaker and workshop leader, Sharon has addressed such diverse audiences as Harvard Medical School Faculty, financial advisors at Merrill Lynch, and Mothers' of Twins Clubs. She has been featured in national publications including The New York Times, Working Mother Magazine, and Forbes.com. Sharon works with individual coaching clients throughout the US and internationally by phone, or in person in the Boston area, and always offers an initial consultation at no charge. Married for thirty-plus years, she is the mother of two fabulous grown-up daughters.

Taking Time Out

2008-08-28T23:19:00.000-07:00

By Sharon Teitelbaum

"Moving on in a career can be about being in over your head, taking on more than you can do, and trying to please everybody. I achieved what I had set out to do, and that's where I started to lose track. With the energy that you have in your twenties, you're just fearless. At some point, some things start to slip away." These are the words of Mary Lou Quinlan, quoted in a recent issue of Fast Company, whose career-moved from being the CEO of an advertising firm to starting her own firm.

She explains that the pivotal action that allowed her to make this decision was that she took some serious time off from her job: she devised a 5-week leave of absence. "It was the greatest thing I've ever done in my life." At the end of the 5 weeks, she made a list of all the things she loved to do and was good at. And she made a second list of all the things she hated doing that she was not good at. The latter list looked a lot like her job. The former list became the vision for her business. Her advice: "Ask yourself: Am I happy? You have the right to ask that question - and then do something about it." I completely agree.

For many people, TAKING TIME OUT is the only way to get perspective on how they're navigating their life and what course corrections are called for. For some, the time-out needs to be a 5-week leave. For others it can be a weekend disconnected from email and cell phone. And for others it can be a weekly coaching conversation, were the relationship facilitates enough "altitude" from daily concerns to allow for some strategic decisions to be made and implemented.

If you need time off the treadmill but can't seem to take it, figure out what kind of support you need, and get it for yourself. It's that important.

Copyright 2003, Sharon Teitelbaum. All rights reserved.

10 Ways to Really Make the Best Use of the Time You Have.

2008-08-27T22:15:00.000-07:00

By Tony Brooks

The article looks at 10 key ways to make the best use of our most valuable asset - Time! It starts with the following questions to stimulate some thought and then puts forward 10 ideas to try. How often do you say you don't have enough time either in your personal life, career or in business? How are you using your time now and how will you use it in the future? How often do you take time to breathe in life and take in what is actually happening here and now? How often do you look to make changes in the way you are doing things? How well do you manage the key things that need to be done to make best use of the time you have? Here are 10 ways to make a real difference in how you spend your time. Try them out, try other things, but most importantly, think about how you are spending your most prized resource and make some changes!!!

- How often do you say you don't have enough time either in your personal life, career or in business?
- How are you using your time now and how will you use it in the future?
- How often do you take time to breathe in life and take in what is actually happening here and now?
- How often do you look to make changes in the way you are doing things?
- How well do you manage the key things that need to be done to make best use of the time you have?
Here are 10 ways to make a real difference in how you spend your time. Try them out, try other things, but most importantly, think about how you are spending your most prized resource and make some changes!!!

1. Drop things! Log how you spend your time closely for a few days. See how you are using it and wasting it. Think about what you are getting back from the activities you are doing and which activities could possibly give you so much more!!

2. Organise. Do you plan and estimate the time it will take for tasks you have to do? Look at your ideal day, week, month and year and see how you are matching up against this ideal. Keep to allotted times for tasks and don't go over. If it is a task you don't enjoy, do it in short bursts and try and build this. Remember to plan in rest or play time. As you move forwards, review the estimates you have made and improve your planning in the future! Most importantly, don't react to things on the spur of the moment. Think about a new requirement that has hit you and decide what to do about it. If you need to change you plans, then change them!!

3. Goals. Stand back and look at the goals you really want to achieve in life for yourself and others. Are you living life in line with these goals and your grander purpose in life? It is vital to have goals in key areas of your life and to move towards them. A life or business coach can really help with this. We all need dreams, but we also need to have some organisation and structure to achieve them and we need to ACT!

4. Be realistic. When you are planning the use of your time, ensure you don't overload. There is something to be said for parallel tasking, but is a split in focus really going to give you the results you want? It is fine to have background tasks going while you have one main task to focus on, but don't split your time, focus and quality over two or more foreground tasks. This is where quality goes and stress comes in.

5. Delegate. Wherever you can and wherever it is fair delegate things out to others. They may not do things 100% how you would wish, but you can help that along. The alternative is for you to do things in a way that is nothing like 100% how you would wish and that is more stressful1!

6. Focus on important stuff. This is very often not always what seems to be the most urgent. Plan in time to sit back and reflect on what you are doing. What changes could you make that would really help you ongoing and in the future? Time spent in this area can add great benefit and make your use of time much more productive. A small amount of time in creating a new system or approach can save lots of time elsewhere! Always look for things that will make an impact!!

7. Enjoy the moment! Don't be thinking of the next task you have lined up or what you should have done differently. Your planning time is when you look back at things and plan forwards (oh and by the way you should totally enjoy your planning time too!!). Give each moment the fullest attention you can.

8. Use tools and training. Lists and diaries (especially some of the more sophisticated ones) are great tools for you to prioritise and organise your time. You can also use spreadsheets and project planning software, but start simple and if it works for you, then fine. Try not to have long term lists though, with tasks that stay on forever. Use daily lists that are realistic. One good way to control your use of time is to use a timer or stopwatch. Make sure you are keeping to allotted times. Set and beat targets for regular tasks.

9. Chill Out, Rest and Play. How much sleep do you really need? Don't kid yourself you can make do with 4 or 5 hours. Sleep is a vital use of time. Make sure you have time to wind down at night and get a good 7+ hours sleep as frequently as possible. It will catch up with you otherwise! Always make sure you have some rest and play time too and do something for somebody else regularly. It is very good for the soul!

10. Health and Fitness. Set aside time to exercise, eat properly, sleep and holiday. And switch off from all the other things and really enjoy this time. You deserve it!

After you have tracked how you are using your time at the moment, think about the 3 most important things you should be doing, either in your work or personal life (or both). Ditch 3 things that are not the best use of your time and try and delegate 3 other things out. Then plan to use the time you have gained to focus on those important areas!
How much time has this saved you for more important areas?
Where would you be now if you had not wasted time in the past?
Use the time you have to make a real impact on your Life, Career and Business!

Hi, my name is Tony Brooks.
After over 20 years in IT, Project Management, Business Management, People Development and Academic Psychology, I establised a Personal and Business Coaching Company 12 months ago in the UK - Building Bridges Life Coaching Services Ltd.

I have a real fascination in relation to what really makes people tick and I love to help people to make much better use of the time they have in their Personal life, Careers and Businesses.

I offer a FREE NO OBLIGATION Coaching session, through my company, as an introduction to the Coaching Services I provide. I would love to hear from anyone who wants to take their Life, Career or Businesses to a higher level with much greater success.

Best Wishes
Tony Brooks

07912143040

info@buildingbridgeslcs.co.uk

http://www.buildingbridgeslcs.co.uk

Time Management - Tim Ferriss and the Four Hour Work Week

2008-08-26T13:02:00.000-07:00

By Luke Blaise

If you have not read the book, the 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris, you must. It is great for anyone looking to improve their time management skills. Although you will not likely use most of what is in the book, just putting in place one or two principles he discusses can dramatically improve your time management skills.

The main subject of this book is lifestyle design. Tim talks about not living a deferred lifestyle, one in which you put your dreams on hold until retirement, but one where you live a life with everyday you are working toward or enjoying one of your goals.

Another main subject of this book, one for it is most popular, is outsourcing your life. He talks about using assistants, and cheap virtual assistants to help allow yourself to focus your big tasks, and have the assistants deal with the routine stuff.

Also in the book, Tim Ferriss talks heavily about the Pareto Principle. This principle states that 20% of what you do is responsible for 80% of our results. Tim tells us to use this principle for everything, both our work and personal life. He urges us to cut out the 80% of what we do that only account for 20% of our results, and only focus on the main tasks that get results.

FREE Time Management book

Visit http://1timemanagement.com to get your free book that includes time logs and forms.

Strategies For Work-Life Harmony

2008-08-25T09:38:00.000-07:00

By Debra Harkins

It's no secret that things move a lot faster than they used to-including us. Within minutes of a world event, a billion people know about it! News moves faster and faster, and so does business. Our busy, stressful lives can have a negative impact on our work and our lives. The good news is that we can develop behaviors that help to bring work and life into harmony, where we have a healthy home life and a productive professional life as well. Below are practical, down-to-earth strategies that can inform and invigorate our work and home lives.

Know Thy Time---time is limited and is totally irreplaceable! One cannot rent, hire, or buy time. You cannot get back yesterday. And, everything you do requires time. Do you know what you are doing with your time? Are YOU doing what you want to do with your time? How can you make the most effective, useful and harmonious use of your time? As you will see many of the strategies below have to do with time. But, to know HOW to use your time first requires you to know what YOU WANT. What are your desires, ambitions, and passions? Are you doing what you love? Are you leading the life you want? Are you leading a meaningful life? We start with visioning--determining what your heart wants you to do and harmony will flow from there. You will be empowered because your actions and your decisions about YOUR time will follow the path of your heart--your dreams, wishes and desires.

Seven ways to create harmony

Visioning Integrating Recharging Planning Organizing Saving Asking

Visioning--Create a list of your top 10 goals that you would like to accomplish in the next 12 months for work. From that top 10 list, choose the top five that you would like to accomplish in the next six months. From your top five goals, choose the top three goals you want to achieve in the next three months and then prioritize these three items. Do the same for your home/ personal life. By creating these lists you are helping your brain prepare itself to make it happen. Remember your goals are your heart speaking, figuring out HOW you will do it is what your brain does well and that can even happen while sleeping. So tell your brain the goal (passion) of the heart and the brain will get to work on figuring out how to accomplish it. See Take time for your life by Cheryl Richardson for more on visioning.

Integrating--Integrate work and home whenever possible. When you keep them separate you end up trying to balance even more tasks. Think about what values you are expressing through your work and home life. Women who describe themselves as INTEGRATING their roles are generally more satisfied with their lives and feel that their roles fit together than women who describe themselves as balancing their roles. Which of your goals can be achieved at home and work? Consider focusing on goals and actions that benefit you both at work and home.

Recharging yourself--Take care of yourself by doing something that recharges your batteries (i.e., running, walking, reading, meditating, whatever). Make a list of your favorite things to do and make a plan to do one a week. Remember the airline advice about safety masks--in the event of an emergency put your safety mask on first then help others. You cannot take care of others if you are not taking care of you.

Planning family time in advance--If you have children, schedule a special time with each child once a week--something your child enjoys (e.g., favorite restaurant). Spend special time with your partner without the children--choose a special event--date night.

Organizing your time--Decide ahead of time (day before) what you will do (create to do list) and stick to it. Capture your thoughts in a small notebook (PDA or blackberry) that you can carry with you and write down ideas, things to do or notes. Ideas vanish quickly when we are doing a lot. Set up tickler systems (reminders--15 minutes, 30 minutes ahead, a day, or month, whatever works for you). Finish tasks started. Setting up a good filing system will save time and stress. Do your hard jobs first.

Saving time --Use PDA, cell phones and blackberries when waiting for the train, bus, or plane. Get rid of a phone tag by asking your caller to leave a detailed message on your voice mail so you can be prepared with an answer when you call back. Use email for short messages only. If you are writing more than 2 paragraphs picking up the phone or going down the hall will be understood much faster and clearer and shows that you care. Try to consolidate activities whenever possible. For example, ask friends or family to join you in some of your hobbies or tasks (i.e., take a computer program class together).

Asking your current or potential employer about job flexibility opportunities (like telecommuting or working fewer hours) will help. Women tend not to ask for things--like raises, promotions, flex-time, helping with chores. Many women assume that others should notice their hard work and reward it without having to be told. Men do ask, request and/or demand more money, a raise, flex-time, etc. Ask and you might be surprised. See Women don't ask: Negotiation and the gender divide by L Babcock and S. Laschever.

Debra Harkins, PhD is an executive coach and consultant specializing in executive and women leadership. She can be reached at debra@leadingchangecoaching.com or 617-895-6948.

Remember to Remind Me to Remember

2008-08-24T07:50:00.000-07:00

By Catherine Harvey

Life is undeniably chaotic. It doesn't seem to matter how many gadgets we get, what new devices there are on the market to save time, we are always short of the stuff. Time and tide certainly wait for no man and the more we have, the more we try to cram in. Scientists are constantly working to find the elixir of life so that me can continue on this mortal coil even longer, cramming our lives with more and more.

There's nothing we cannot do now apart from stop and enjoy time. It has got to a point where people even pre-arrange their holidays in order to cram in as much as possible, filling their days with activities in order to feel like they have had their monies worth and done as much as possible.

All these new inventions that we get to make our time more 'our own' just don't seem to help. We have machines to cook, clean clothes, dry clothes, wash dishes in fact, pretty much everything yet there is still not enough hours in a day. On top of this, we are trying to do so much that we constantly need to buy gadgets that serve as reminder services to tell us of other things we have to cram in.

Reminder services come in the shape of notes and alarms on mobile phones, again with emails - they come with their own calendar that will alert you and provide a reminder service so that you don't forget important dates. People are carrying more and more gadgets such as electronic diaries to provide a tailored reminder service for that all important meeting, that all important date or simply reminding us where we live!

Are we any better off for all this gadgetry? Well, in one sense we are but we need to keep it in perspective. It's great to have a washing machine, I mean, can you imagine trying to fit in carting your load down to the nearest river and scrubbing it clean amid your busy schedule? Working mothers would be non-existent!

Computers and mobile phones have been an absolute god send when it comes to instant communication. The exchange of information that used to take weeks now takes minutes, even if it's coming from the other side of the world.

However, when we are needing electronic reminder services to tell us of events going on in our children's worlds that we promised to attend then something is seriously wrong. If we need a reminder service to tell us we actually have children, then we need to re-evaluate our lives, and quickly!

It's not just us either. Living life in the fast lane has become such an everyday occurrence that our children also need these reminders. They have their own gadgets to remind them of school commitments, after school activities, dates with friends and all sorts of deadlines that they are already expected to commit to at even a young age. This is the way of the world these days but is it right?

What happened to good old fashioned pen and paper, notes stuck to the fridge as reminders or one paper calendar on the wall? Our lives have become that complicated that we will be needing reminders to breathe next. It would seem we are all trying too hard to do too much in too short a space of time and it all comes at the expense of the things that really matter.

Social expert Catherine Harvey looks at the way even children need reminder services in order to keep up with everyday commitments.

If You Run Out of Day Before You Run Out of Activities

2008-08-23T13:11:00.000-07:00

By Stephan Stavrakis

This happens to so many, with what seems like so little time in a day and with so many task to complete.

There would have to be 2 major reasons why you are running out of day before you are running out of activities and things to do.

1. I would hope not but you might just be over committing yourself to take on too much work, or perhaps be in too many places at once. This would be a problem and I will briefly outline in this article what you can do for this situation.

2. You do not have a daily hourly tracker. If you wake up in the mourning head on down to the office or workplace and dive right into your daily to do's with out a proper schedule or hourly progress chart system that is controlling your hours and time that is passing by can lead to a 8-10 hour day rushing by in what seems like minutes and leaving you feeling stressed and feeling like you ended up with more work then you started with.

So now that we have addressed the two most major causes of running out of day with activities that still need to be finished we can now look further on what you can do to help.

Step one- SLOW DOWN! Most times people get overwhelmed with work or task they have to do and literally get stuck, frozen. It has happened to me before in my early days I once sat at my desk for 5 hours fumbled around, stressed out, found other things to do that were not of importance. So, slow down write out your daily task and measure them down into hourly projects. Once you do this you will see a moderate change in the way time is passing by, but even more then the time you will see that instead of 5 hours passing by with nothing 5 hours will pass by with a heap of work that is out of the way that never would have been started let alone finished.

Step two- one thing you can also do is take up a relaxation breathing remedy. This can prove to release stress and free your inner mind of all worries. Take 5 minutes away from your work sit back in your chair and practice a deep breathing session. Inhale till you feel your lungs fill and release slowly do this for a period of 5-10 minutes and notice the difference in feeling. Make sure you take this into account and log in how log into your daily agenda you worked on your breathing exercises. This will help in measuring your hourly progress and not letting the day slip away

Step three- stay focused, its hard if you run or operate your own business to stay focus however, with the use of a daily hourly planner to track and update your hourly progress and taking your time to slow down and actually place your mind to your task and practice a deep breathing session can all prove to be the world of help to slow down your day and be more efficient.

By placing these specific strategies into your schedule you can help to slow down your day and work to be more successful at finishing activities.

Stephan Stavrakis the owner of "3D Thinking & Training Ltd"., has built a 6-figure coaching/training business from scratch with no credibility and no list and he states that success started happening when he made a decision to actually charge what he is truly worth. He says that 95% of trainers/coaches old and new are charging way below than the value they give.

Focusing on Your Time and Collapse It!

2008-08-22T23:01:00.000-07:00

By Ste Andrade

The Key to a improved, great, enjoyable life

Manage your time. Time is useful also too crucial to waste. We can see the use of our time suchlike to a guide of rules, plays that involves listing, scheduling, setting and obtain goals, scheming, direct a list of things to do. The capability to manage your experience is the capability to control your life, not step by step, although in a creative manner: you develop you're active direction in your life also then you can do all you want and you'll have all the ways to live your life. These basic skills can be fine tuned further to contain the finer points of each expertise that can give you that additional reserve to make the results you wish.

Basically every business you'll perform will be focused and harmonious inclusive of your identity, principles, acknowledgments; Skills such as decision making, inherent skills such as emotional intelligence and vital thinking are besides indispensable to your private development. The Pareto Principle besides identified as the '80:20 rule' states that 80% of efforts that are not time managed otherwise unfocused generates barely 20% of the desired output. However if you realize a 20% focused time effort you can realize more, also more fast your 20% of results.

Your Wake up Radar. Collapse your experience of life Negative substance how big besides negative matter how small, everything counts. Every fresh information you acquire, each fresh advice you consider each fresh competence you develop ought to be taken in account.

You must focalize your goals also arise active in the morning inclusive of this in mind. Every action you'll do convert a part of your practice also life. It's the mind itself that the acquisition of a more productivity of the things bears that we Have to do for leaving more time to the things that we want to do. And totally the difficulties you have to come will be easy to win, naturally in this state of mind. Acquire habits, if they are great into forced ways is mistaken, if the mind itself finds the things into which you/he/she has naturally ardent and predisposed he/she succeeds in making to become her behavior in very efficient way. The correct private time management will involve everything you perform.

Having a balanced existence-style should be the key effect into having personal time management. This is the foremost facet that several practitioners of personal management fail to grasp.

'Manage time' is about getting results, not concerning, regarding being busy. If you do thus you'll be able to exist your life improved and with you, your family, your group of employment..:-)

For more resources about improve your health and life http://www.shl2000.com

Time Management in Your Home Based Business - The Key

2008-08-21T13:38:00.000-07:00

By Tim McKee

When I worked with someone to assess their strengths in and for starting a home based business, one of the immediate skills that I like to work on is time management. There are plenty of books and systems out there about how to manage your time... a whole billion-dollar industry in fact!

The trouble is - frankly - that you can be caught up in the management of some of the systems rather then the actual management of your time.

As with everything else through PBA, we like to turn the expected upside down, shake it, and see what falls out. Time management is a teachable, learned skill. It is 'not rocket science' for anyone already in or considering going into a home based business opportunity. It is a strategy - one of the primary skill keys that everyone must learn.

When I talk about time management, the phrase I use is 'Your Daily Mode of Operation' or 'Your DMO'. Time management is something that MUST become an integral part of your nature; it is not only how you conduct your day, but also how you maximize the best of yourself to achieve your full potential every day.

Most of us, without realizing it, waste a significant part of the day. The first step in any successful time management plan is to record over a two week period, not only what you do, but also when you do things during the day. Take a simple daily planner calendar and write down everything such as:

7:00 - 9:00: got up, walked the dog, morning clean up, breakfast w/family, to work.

9:00 - 12:00: Coffee (talked with Ted about the Red Sox - 20 min.), cleared desk, read e-mail (20 min.), 10:30 meeting with Ted re. Client.

12:00 - 1:00 pm - Lunch

etc. etc., etc.

You will quickly get a handle on where your day goes, and begin to see where time is being wasted. Are you walking the dog when it's your children's responsibility...or is it really your exercise? If it is - then keep it as a must do. If it's not, then put the job in the hands of the person (big or little) who should be doing it...or at least, share the job with them! Look again and you'll see if the twenty minutes with Ted followed by and hour and a half meeting with him about a client was necessary? Just how prepared were you for that meeting?

If you do this for only two weeks, I can guarantee you, you will notice time waster's (3 hours of TV a night), a meeting that is overlong, and even time wasted in unnecessary activities (e-mail is a BIG time waster today).

More then that, you will begin to discern patterns in your behavior; do you always watch Monday night football even if you don't care about the teams who are playing? Are you wasting time cleaning up a desk in the morning instead of organizing your desk and your entire office once and for all and taking ten minutes instead of twenty to prepare for the next day prior to leaving work?

The question that this simple exercise will help you discern is - are you being active OR are you being productive!

Once you have actually identified where you are wasting time, it becomes IMMEDIATELY EASIER to make a Daily TO DO List. My To Do List is compromised of 3 to 4 things I must accomplish that particular day to move my enterprise forward. Three to four things, not even a half a dozen, just three or four. As long as I do these things, my reward is a good night's sleep and a renewed sense of energy! I even find myself having more productive sleep; my dreaming has become more goal directed and my unconscious works on finding solutions for me that appear as answers during my real 'down' time!

Many of us use a lot of undirected, non-focused activity as an excuse for not grabbing a home based business opportunity, internet business, or franchise opportunity. We lock ourselves in our 'busy-ness' without realizing that it is avoidance technique that masks the fears we may have about changing course and direction of our lives and our relationships. There are no 'get rich quick' businesses that we can devote merely an hour or two of our time; those are schemes, not viable small business opportunities. If we are choosing to start to work at home, we must realize the "Power of the Hour"; every minute of every hour has the potential to bring us a return on our investment in it.

Moreover, the difference between grabbing the reins and managing your time instead of wasting it, is part of the reality of how, when, and if we can build a successful home business, not only from our hearts, but also from the heart of our home.

Tim Mckee is a Senior Partner at Pathways Business Associates and has worked with companies like Prosper Learning. PBA's mission is to develop leaders, coaches and entrepreneurs through the shared values of passion, courage, service and home based business success. Tim also helps families keep their home finances in check by using a home budget software.

Great Ways to Stop the Thieves of Time

2008-08-20T23:07:00.000-07:00

By Hyacinth Fraser

1. Make telephone calls within an allotted time frame.

2. Create daily time schedules.

3. Undertake an inventory of the things you believe steal your time.

4. Identify those areas that are important to you in your life and that will lead toward you achieving your overall objectives.

5. Set priorities.

6. View time as money, don't waste it. If time were money in the bank, you would want to account for every second.

7. Remember time cannot be bought back.

8. Assess your own habits. To what extent do you allow others to waste your time?

9. Ask yourself whether you actually need to attend that meeting.

10. Do things right first time.

11. Stop being reactive and start being proactive.

12. Adopt a mindset that says 'I am in control', 'I can make changes and decisions that impact my life positively'.

13. Create a vision of yourself that puts you at the centre of managing those time thieves.

14. Surround yourself with people who are of like mind, in relation to the value of your time.

15. Undertake tasks in a timely fashion, remember, procrastination is a thief of time.

16. Hold meetings in other people's offices, this way you can more easily leave when you need to.

17. Stand up during meetings.

18. Prepare in advance for meetings, this will enable them to be more efficient.

19. Have a clear, time scheduled agenda for meetings.

20. Delegate as appropriate. If you are not the person that needs to do it, then don't do it.

21. Say no, as appropriate.

22. Say yes, as appropriate.

23. Become fanatical about organising your time efficiently.

24. Plan tomorrow's agenda today.

25. Start with the end in mind, have a clear focus about exactly what it is you want to achieve.

26. Keep idle conversations to a minimum.

27. Set specific time aside for friends and family.

28. Write things down, rather than attempting to remember them.

29. Set timeframes around particular tasks and activities.

30. Be clear about why a particular action needs to take place, if it doesn't need to happen, then don't do it.

31. In order to manage frustration levels, build in 'buffer' time around those unscheduled activities.

32. Keep unscheduled activities to a minimum.

33. Stay focused on the activity in hand, you are more likely to complete it more efficiently and effectively.

34. Adopt a positive mental attitude. It may well be you have lots to do - the way you carry out the task will enable it to seem less painful and more joyous.

35. Create a mantra for yourself which you say everyday about how you use your time wisely.

36. Find out what really busy people do to manage their time efficiently and copy them.

37. Ask yourself, what are the consequences if I don't stop the time thieves?

38. Develop a strategy for eliminating stress in your life; stress can lead to procrastination and therefore a waste of time.

39. Perhaps use travelling time to do some essential reading.

40. At work keep specific times for an 'open door' policy, otherwise, keep it closed.

41. Manage telephone calls by letting your answer phone work for you.

42. There are times when getting 'away from it all' is the best way to focus and manage your time efficiently.

43. How much time have you spent looking around for something - a place for everything and everything in its place saves an awful lot of time.

44. Coach people to help them use your time more wisely.

45. Don't take on other people's problems, they may become dependent on you and leave you with 'their' problem to resolve.

46. Support people to ask the right questions to enable them to focus on their problems to reach a resolution.

47. Become creative, intuitive and innovative about time management. Create a fall-back position and think win-win.

48. Continuously review how time efficient you are.

49. Stop, go for a walk, be in nature, clear your head and reevaluate.

50. Please add your own ideas about how you might stop the time thieves.

To download your free 200 page Licence to Live Self Development e-book – which is Jam packed with development tools and techniques, quotes, thought provoking ideas. And most of all it challenges you to lead your best life - please go to http://www.answerlife.co.uk/productsnew.html

Hyacinth is a Master Practitioner of NLP and a Master Hypnotherapist. She is a Coach, Consultant and Trainer. Highly regarded and ensures that her solutions are informative, exciting and presented in such a way to ensure all learning styles are catered for. She works with personnel at the highest levels in the private, public and voluntary sectors, up to and including members of the board.

Time Management - Is Time Really Wasted?

2008-08-19T12:32:00.000-07:00

By Louise Manning

The UK Learning and Skills Council had surveyed 1600 adults and over half identified that they were wasting two to three hours a day on certain activities including "waiting for children, partners or colleagues, queuing, gossiping, being stuck in traffic jams, or shopping".

My first question would be whether many of these activities are actually "wasting" time. Creating communities are all about supporting others. If a community or family is going to work then someone has to be the one who listens when people are in need, supporting those who maybe don't see the impact of their actions until afterwards and who ensures that the fridge and food cupboard are full of food, laundry is done etc etc. The problem is that the people interviewed did not see the "value" of those activities rather they deemed them wasting time. Rodin said that "Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely".

I too get stuck in traffic jams spend time waiting for children to finish their sporting activities, get stuck driving from one place to another but these are some of the things that I do to make effective use of time:

1) Identify the top 20 things I need to do today and put all the others on a back-burner - priorities may change during the day but I don't allow others to set my priorities for me.

2) Answer emails in my own time - don't make emails decide the day for me. I always try to recognise if someone has tried to off-load one of their responsibilities by pressing the send button.

3)Identify the work that I can take with me (lessons learned from doing a PhD - I always had an academic paper with me - work that I had to edit and did five minutes here and five minutes there. The paper got rather moth-eaten by the end of the week, but page by page I got through the work I had to do).

4) If you are in a traffic jam - get off the road - get a coffee and do some work that you have brought with you or have an hour for yourself . When you get back on the road the traffic is better and you may still get home at the same time.

5) Put some podcasts on a CD and keep it in the car; or an audio book. If you get stuck in traffic then pop in the CD - you will learn something and not feel that the time has been completely lost.

6) Don't feel you have failed if you haven't completed all your tasks in one day ... for most tasks it doesn't really matter. You will know the ones where it does.

Is spending time in the car talking to your children about their day really a waste of time?

Is sourcing nutritious food for your children really a waste of time?

Is sharing a problem with a colleague or partner so that they can solve it - really a waste of time?

Time is about perspective after all H. Jackson Brown said "Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein".

http://thehumanimprint.typepad.com/the_human_imprint/2008/08/time-management.html

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Usain Bolt - The Man With Plenty Of Time

2008-08-18T08:40:00.000-07:00

When it comes to time management, so many people run around in a hectic rush all day long, yet they still don't have enough time to do everything they need to do.

We think it's partly a case of adopting a mindset. Become a person who always has enough time, and you will have enough time, more than you need.

Look at Usain Bolt, the winner in astonishing style in world record time of the 100 meters in the Olympics in Beijing. He had so much time at his disposal to win the race, he could even afford to slow down before the finish of what most people would regard as a pretty hectic sort of event.

He looked like he was in a different TIME FRAME to anyone else. He had enough time while the others were desperately chasing the clock. Did you notice how relaxed and laid-back he looked?

You might argue that Usain Bolt won that race not because of time management but because he was a top-class athlete. But the other competitors were top-class athletes too. What set Bolt apart from the others was his attitude to time and success. He adopted the mindset of a man who has enough time. He did not have any self-limiting thoughts.

You can do that too.

Time Management - Learning From Your Day

2008-08-18T01:09:00.000-07:00

One of the easiest ways to improve your time management skills, or anything, is to review what you have done everyday. By doing this one simple act you can greatly improve your life and give yourself more time.

At the end of everyday you should review how you spent your time, and what you spent your time on. Make a note of any tasks that took longer than normal or were there any additional tasks that were given to you that you did not expect?

Was there a person that was slowing you down? Did you surf the internet too much when you should have been working? This is one of the biggest time wasters there is.

Meetings are one of the biggest time wasters there is. Are there meetings you could avoid, or get out of? Could you cancel meetings?

By doing this review daily you can begin to see patterns in your days. Are some projects taking longer than you have scheduled each day? Does there always seem to be one person who seems to monopolize your time and slow you down?

This is a simple but very powerful exercise that usually doesn't take more than 5 to 10 minutes to do but could easily save you over an hour a day.

Start doing this exercise at the end of your workday today, or tonight. This simple exercise will do more to improve your life than all the electronic organizers in the world. Focus on gradual continuous improvement in your life.

FREE Time Management book

Visit http://1timemanagement.com to get your free book that includes time logs and forms.

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Effective Time Management Strategies

2008-08-17T03:39:00.000-07:00

Effective time management is what will help ones online business and bank account grow rapidly.

Many individuals that start their own online business fail and lack success rather quickly due to not spending their time doing effective tasks that help their business growth and productivity. They fail because they have many distractions around them making it harder to succeed with their online business.

Examples include checking your e-mail every few minutes, chatting to your friends online, browsing the internet. These are all bad habits that will slow your business growth and also have an effect on your bank account.

Below I have listed some strategies that you can implement that will help you use the time you have more wisely to implement the effective tasks that need to be completed in order for your online business and bank account to grow.

1. Work in 2 - 4 hour block periods or the time frame where you can concentrate at full force before you begin to tire and slack off. Many people may be able to sit in front of a computer for 10 - 13 hours but they will get nothing done. If you can really focus for 2 - 4 hours you will get more things done.

2. Take a break every so often. Let your mind reset and relax for a bit then you can continue to work afterwards. Working your mind for extended periods of time can slow down your brain and your thoughts thus making it harder for you to accomplish your tasks.

3. Before you begin work every day, eating a healthy meal or breakfast in general is what really boosts your productivity throughout the day.

These are just a few of the many effective time management strategies that I implement with my daily routine to give me the drive that I need to succeed with my online business in this industry.

Learn how to establish and market a successful online business with Chris's FREE 7 Day Little Guy Network Marketing Boot Camp.

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Time Management - Are You a Time Fritterer?

2008-08-16T08:07:00.000-07:00

Do you manage your time or waste it little by little?

Most of us have very little concept of just how much time we fritter away. For instance, take a quick survey of how much time during the average week that you watch TV, surf the Internet, or any other time-consuming activity that may not directly contribute toward accomplishing your most desired goals.

If you find yourself thinking you don't have enough time to finish what must be done, much less time to productively contribute to the goals you want to accomplish, you may be overdue for a realistic time evaluation.

And now you're thinking, "Take time to do a time evaluation?" I know, if you don't have enough time now, you certainly don't have time to do an evaluation of your time. It's ironic, but that is precisely when you need to take stock of your time management. Consider it an investment to gain better use of your time and to accelerate the achievement of your important goals.

Let's look at an example of a typical time consuming indulgence. How often do you watch your favorite television shows or DVDs. Say you watch 3 one-hour shows each evening Monday through Friday, and over the weekend you view 3 to 6 hours of sports, a DVD, or some other entertaining show. If that's the case, you have consumed 18 to 21 hours each week. That is a significant amount of time out of anyones week. Of course, there will also be other activities that don't directly contribute to successfully achieving the things you really would like to accomplish.

If you are really serious about evaluating your time to see where it all goes, consider the following exercise. Track your time each day for a week in 30 or 60 minute increments. To do this right, you will have to commit to accurately documenting your activities.

Be honest as you note where your time is spent. This can be tricky, as you will certainly surprise yourself along the way. You may find it hard to admit just how much time is clearly nonproductive. It is just human nature to bounce from one activity to another without a lot of forethought.

Of course, we all have unexpected, but important things come up that require attention. Mark those down as necessary tasks.

If you adhere to this time evaluation exercise for at least one typical week, you will then learn how you are realistically spending your waking hours. You will soon develop a new perspective about your time priorities.

You may find that you actually like the way you are utilizing some of your time. But, what about the time that you discovered as being frittered away? The approach to making changes in your time planning can run from making a simple priority list each day to implementing a time management software program. Only you can decide which action will work best for you.

However, beginning with a simple approach is the best place to start. Figure out what your goals are, decide what must be done to accomplish those goals, and then breakdown the steps required to achieve the results you want. You may find that there are 3 to 4 specific tasks that must be done within a certain time frame if you are going to be successful. Those tasks become your priorities and the other daily duties simply follow behind.

The trick is to learn how to discipline yourself to adhere to the priorities you have set, and not be led astray at every turn. For someone who has difficulty managing time this will take practice. But, if you truly make a commitment to accomplishing your goals and set a time frame in which that must be completed, you will be on the right track.

With this knowledge in hand, you can now plan how you want to more productively use your future time. That is, how you will best use your time for greater efficiency, more successful results of your goals, and even how you want to respond to unexpected events or tasks.

David Schaefer is a success coach and writes on the topic of personal and career development. He offers an outstanding FREE AUDIO CD about Breakthrough Success at http://DiscoverMillionDollarDesire.com - also visit http://DiscoverMillionDollarDesire.com/blog

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Quick Secret on How to Save Time - Now!

2008-08-15T13:35:00.000-07:00

By Ken Okel

I've learned that little tasks often take up a lot of time, especially when they are allowed to pile up. And in some cases, thinking about doing the project, like paying bills, takes about as much time as it does to do the work. And if you repeatedly put off the task, then you spend a lot of time thinking about something you need to do. As a professional speaker, I need to maximize my time as much as possible and not have to pay catch up with all those little things I need to do.

Now I've adopted a "think it, do it" strategy. If I think that I should fold some shirts, I do it immediately rather than waiting until later. The same can apply for things like answering email, paying bills, and unloading the dishwasher. This way, the project gets done and I don't have to worry about when I'll get around to it. So in a way, the immediate execution saves me time by taking it off my plate. It's a lot easier to tackle a small task quickly than let a bunch of big ones become major time losses.

Of course, these low priority items should not interfere with scheduled events or used as a way to avoid starting blue chip projects. But if you're sometimes overwhelmed by a variety of small tasks, you may want to try this method. My goal is to spend a little time worrying or stressed out about the little stuff.

Ken Okel is a communications expert who helps people and organizations move from survival to success. For his free newsletter and special report, 7 Communication Mistakes that are Costing You Money, go to his website at http://www.kenokel.com

You'll also be able to see a video of Ken's famous police dog attack story.

See Ken's tips invade YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/user/KenOkel

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Some Time-Saving Solutions For You

2008-08-14T10:45:00.000-07:00

If you want to find some organizing tips, or some hints on effective time management and on saving time, you've come to the right place!

Take some time to read our featured article today in which Paul Heingarten offers useful information to help you make the most of your time.

Everyday Time-Saving Solutions

2008-08-13T20:36:00.000-07:00

By Paul Heingarten

Life in the world just seems to go faster and faster each day, doesn't it? Each technological advance and every personal change you make in getting married, divorced, raising kids, etc just seems to add fuel to the fire and increase the pace at which you live. One thing is certain - you have a limited amount of time and it is up to you to make the most of it. Fortunately, you can take steps to make life run smoother.

Organizing your kitchen is a great way to help make life easier. After all, think of the time you spend in the kitchen each week cooking meals and feeding yourself and your family. A spice rack is a good place to start in collecting your spices and storing them in one location. A cylinder shaped container (think of a large 32 ounce cup made of ceramic, wood, or metal) for storing your commonly used spatulas, whisks, etc near the stove will help keep them within reach for when you're slaving over that hot stove.

When you're going to follow a recipe, try pouring out the individual ingredients into bowls prior to starting. Ramekins work well for this, but any bowl will do. Simply measure the 3/4 tablespoon of this, 1 teaspoon of that and put them in one or more bowls. Once you start cooking you will see how nicer it is to simply grab the bowls of ingredients to mix them in instead of trying to measure ingredients while the meat, etc is starting to burn on the stove.

Another tip in the kitchen is to cook larger quantities of any meal you prepare. The amount of time you spend cooking a meal for 4 and a meal for 8 is almost the same. Why not get the benefit of leftovers for your efforts? This translates to less time spent cooking and more time for other things.

Laundry can be simplified in three words: Cold Water Detergent. Several major brands offer this type of detergent now. In addition to cutting down on your utilities, this allows you to combine clothes a little more liberally. Combining clothes into larger loads means potentially less loads and less time spent waiting for them to finish.

Keeping track of your daily schedule without some kind of written reminder is foolish. Unless you're one of the rare few with photographic memories, purchase a simple wall calendar or daily planner and record important dates and times on it. Then, you will have a reference point to refer to whenever you are asked if you have time available on a certain day for an activity.

The above are just a few suggestions on how you can get a handle on some of life's regular chores and make things run a little smoother for yourself. Give them a try if you haven't already - you'll be glad you did.

Find the self help ebooks you need at http://www.theebookstar.com/index.php?cPath=25_32

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Time Management For Work From Home Executives

2008-08-12T13:29:00.000-07:00

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jan_Verhoeff]Jan Verhoeff

Last week I got hit face on with a family crisis that took me away from my work time, disabled part of my prep time, and my writing hours took a major shift, however... I still managed to get the important stuff done. I realized from my notes, that my process of getting it all done, was probably different than 'the norm' and I probably should share the process with other home executives who need to 'get it all done' amid the daily crisis that take over our lives.

Time management is a primary need on a daily basis, and when life takes over, how we manage our time often determines the end result of any financial plan that we have set in motion. While finances may not be a prime concern at all times, for most of us, it's enough of a concern that we must keep that ball in the air. Knowing how to manage your time so that financial constraints and work gets done is a definite plus.

Follow these steps and your important work will get done, and you'll be able to manage the rest.

1. Know your priorities.

When you know what you really must do to keep your business moving forward, you've got a head start on an emergency. You can often delegate those duties to others, or even hire out responsibilities that you can't keep up with yourself. If you must do them yourself, knowing what actually has to be done, helps you get it done in a timely manner.

2. Stay ahead of the game.

Staying a week or more ahead of your deadlines, helps you to manage when a crisis appears on the horizon. Those heart ripping deadlines that keep you bouncing between them, often take more out of you than you realize, particularly when the deadline looms and a crisis strikes. Keep your work done ahead, don't over schedule your time, and schedule delivery at least a week after you plan to complete a job.

3. Have a Crisis Plan.

Knowing one or more people you can count on in a crisis to step up and take over for you if necessary is a requirement for any executive, but even more so if you own your own business. The point here, you have to be able to trust those you consider your competition. You may have to lean on them to help you in a crisis.

4. Maintain Value Balance.

Always give more than you get, so that when you need something in return, your customers don't feel like you're taking them to the cleaners. If you consistently give more your customers will have an edge and know they can count on you in return. They will go the extra mile, be understanding, and consider your needs when you have a crisis.

5. Never Procrastinate.

If you make a point of getting the work done, when it comes in, even if you have some time before your deadline is due, you can stay ahead of schedule enough to give yourself room for a crisis. When you put it off until the next day, your business suffers.

Notify your customers immediately if you have a crisis and let them know you're having a problem, so they can make room for delays.

Do you need more help with time management and keeping up with your business?

Stay in the game with 2 FREE Articles Templates that will speed up your article marketing strategies from http://advertizeyourbusiness.com (free ezine included).

© 2007 - Jan Verhoeff All rights reserved.

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Time Management Work - Do the Roadblock Assessment Now

2008-08-11T21:27:00.000-07:00

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Saif_Chy]Saif Chy

You may be a CEO, a techie, a programmer, or a sales manager; you need to do a periodical check on your progress on your chosen path. You have to find out if you are on track or is the compass showing a different direction. To succeed you have to make course corrections on the go.

Work in the corporate world is time guzzling. No matter how much time you give it, it's always asking for more, like Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist. You are in a time crunch day after day and there is that slight numbing pressure on the back of mind to climb up the ladder. But being experienced or through someone's good advice you decide to take your career into your own hands and to position your career in the best level. As time passes and you look around, you find yourself where you are. You are dumbstruck. You are wondering how did this happen to me? Yes, you can hit a career roadblock if you have not spent some time evaluating your plans and goals. What happens in the corporate set up is that you go through the grind to meet your targets and deadlines, to stay ahead in the race. The toxic truth is- you struggle to achieve your ambitions through hard work leaves you on the wrong track if you are not tracking your path to progress. But the matter of fact is not to become lazy or slack on the job. What then should be your line of action? Most of people have imagination and set achievable goals but never seem to recollect them. Make sure this time around you write your career goals-not on a piece of paper but in a diary or journal (not the online ones where you have to login with a password!) hardbound ones which you keep on your desk or beside.

Look them up at least once in a fortnight to check if you are nearing your goals. Check if your moves and methods are gaining traction. Its simple, do a feedback on yourself. How am I progressing? Maybe you switched to another project thinking there are better chances for a promotion just when you were gaining recognition in the current project. Was promotion on your agenda or was it the learning opportunity present project provided, when you took it on? Many executives lose sight of their objectives for short term benefits such as a 10-day foreign stint or switching departments that provide slightly better perks. When either of this happens you don't know what the company or boss wants you to do next. You may be asked to take that foreign account for which you are not prepared. You may lose valuable time learning basics on that. Perks in the new department might look juicy but presenting weekly reports might actually swallow your every weekend from January to March. So you will remember somebody said there is no free lunch!

Do a feedback about yourself, straighten your sight and get going to get to the top.

To get powerful and effective tips on workplace related problems visit http://workexpert.co.cc/ a website full of tips and advices from expert workplace managers, where you can learn about [http://workexpert.co.cc/increasing-productivity-gain-teams-trust-by-actions/]Time Management Work

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Balanced Life - Only Do What You Have To

2008-08-11T01:39:00.000-07:00

When Henry Ward Beecher was asked how it was that he could accomplish so much more than other men, he replied: "I don't do more, but less, than other people. They do all their work three times over: once in anticipation, once in actuality, once in rumination. I do mine in actuality alone, doing it once instead of three times."

Did you read that statement? How many times have you created a list; or just did not put something on a list; or maybe sat outside a customers office because you were playing out in your mind what would happen when you did the thing your knew you were supposed to do? Chances are you have procrastinated before. Nike gave us the phrase, "Just Do It." I think they took Mr. Beecher's sentiment and condensed it. If you want a balanced life you must stop projecting your thoughts on something before it happens and quit worrying about what you should have done after it is passed.

Three good ways to break this cycle are:

1. Change your thoughts. I know this sounds over simplified but it is true. The best way to change your life is to change your mind. Think about people in your life that affirm you. Think about what made you happy when you were a kid. Think about what makes you happy now; wife, husband, family, art, music, football, whatever.

2. Change your heart. What you let into your heart is what stays in your life. If you are constantly playing out what the next business deal is or where the next sell is coming from or how the bills are going to get paid stop because these things are going to become habits then you may get stuck in a rut you will need more than coaching to get out of. I'm not saying don't plan and set goals. I am saying quit playing in your mind and just do it.

3. Change your future. Find someone to come along side you as a coach or mentor that can help you set goals and keep you accountable to those goals.

Plan daily what you are going to do and do your most important things. Do not spend time wrestling with the; "should I do this or the", "I wish I had done that." Make quick but solid decisions and trust your gut. Always focus on the task at hand.

Steve Crenshaw is a Christian teacher, speaker, and author who is helping individual believers "Deepen their Walk" with Christ. Steve Blogs at [http://www.stephencrenshaw.com]Stephen Crenshaw.com and [http://www.spiritualteamwork.wordpress.com]Spiritual Teamwork

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Crenshaw http://EzineArticles.com/?Balanced-Life---Only-Do-What-You-Have-To&id=515499

Latest Articles - Time Management

2008-08-10T03:25:00.000-07:00

Top 10 Time Management Tips - Keeping Your Children and Business Happy

2008-02-26T12:13:00.000-08:00

By Ann Rusnak

Top 10 Time Management Tips: Keeping Your Children and Business Happy

You decided to join the thousands of women who have started their own business. You'll find out that operating a successful home business with your kids can be like running around in circles.

You can become frustrated and stressed when caring for your children begins to seep into your business time. Traditional time management books miss this point completely.

These 10 tips can help your find a compromise between your children and your business needs and let you keep your sanity.

1. Reality Check

There is a difference with spending all day with your kids and only spending it with them in the evenings and weekends.

Before you started your home business, somebody else took care of your children during the day. The truth is you trade your job for another full time job, staying at home with your kids with the added bonus of running a business.

2. Organize Your Business Hours

Set your business hours to accommodate your children's needs. Keep in mind that the younger the child, the more time they require.You don't need to set your business hours around the usual 9-5. You are the boss; you can set your own hours. You might only be able to work on your business two to three hours a day, but at the end of the week, those hours really add up.

3. Ask the Spouse for Help

Ask your spouse to spend some time with the kids during the evening. This is a great opportunity for him to spend some quality time with them.

Use this time to work on business activates. Once the he is done, stop and spend the rest of the evening with him.

4. Baby sitting Swap

Get into contact with other women business owners and start a kid swap. One day a week, agree to watch each others children. You can devote time to your business without interruptions.

5. Hire a Babysitter

Hire a teenager to look after your children a couple hours in the afternoon. This time can be used for marketing or returning calls.

6. Children Transportation Services

Look for some type of children transportation services in your area. These services provide care transportation that fit your child's schedule. You can use them to pick up your child to and from school and to extracurricular activities.

7. Establish Clock Boundaries

Be sure to set boundaries for your family and personal time. Set hours to spend time with your family and don't let your business slip into those hours.

Children enjoy routine and will honor your business boundaries if they know you'll play with them after hours.

8. Involve Your Children

Give your children small jobs to do in your business. It makes them feel very important and teaches them responsibility. You might even be able to deduce their salary on your taxes.

9. Children Live in the House Too

Even children can do household chores too. They can straighten out their room or put away the dishes. This is another way to teach your children about responsibility.

10. Prepare for the Unexpected

What happens when your child becomes sick and you have a client meeting?

Put together a contact sheet in case of emergencies. Ask friends, family, or neighbors if they can watch your children on short notice.

Ann Rusnak, "The Time Diva", authored Flip Your Time, a simple step-by-step system where busy solo business owner gain control over their life and experience the luxury of time. Sign up for her FREE Results Coaching Package and Discover 3 Time Management Myths that Can Cripple and Even Destroy Your Business... How to Stop Using Them.

http://www.Just15Minutes.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ann_Rusnak
http://EzineArticles.com/?Top-10-Time-Management-Tips---Keeping-Your-Children-and-Business-Happy&id=1002174

It's About Time! Beyond Time Management

2008-02-10T03:48:00.001-08:00

Author: Lori Darley

“I just don’t have enough time!” It’s the number one complaint I get from clients. Almost without exception, people use time as their number one excuse for not having the life they want and see themselves as victims of their reality of “not enough time.” Their availability to spend time with family, to work out, or take a seminar seems nearly impossible in the shadow of sixty-hour workweeks and the demands of the job outside the home. Heaven forbid we should take on a hobby!

Volumes of books have been written on time management and chances are, somewhere along the way of your personal growth and development, you learned a couple of methods to combat the demands of your hectic schedule. Tips on how to manage your time are everywhere to be found, but are those tips really providing you with the answers you need to find the joy you so want in your life?

There is one indisputable truth about time. It’s a fixed commodity and one cannot “make more time.” It’s impossible. There are only 24 hours in a day. Non-negotiable. Sorry, we can’t change that. However, one can shift one’s experience of time. And while this may seem a rather esoteric response to a very practical issue, there are some very practical “how-to’s” that can be explored around this idea.

First, let us examine some of our very basic beliefs about time. Are you one that that believes “time is money?” Do you live by the adage, “there’s no time like the present?” Do you resist the “ravages of time?” Or “is time on your side?” What does “in a timely manner” mean to you? These phrases represent just a few commonly-held notions around the concept of time. Your first step in creating freedom in this “time domain” is to take a look at what cultural and societal beliefs you’ve either consciously or unconsciously accepted about time. Do you share your company’s beliefs about time? Are you always “a day late and a dollar short?” Are your deadlines impossible to meet? Over the next couple of weeks, notice how you experience time and observe what you say about time. This also means noticing the time you have, and the time you don’t have. The time others “make” that you waste with busywork, or the time you block and protect, in order to do something you really love doing.

Once we start telling the truth about how we really spend our time, rearranging our choices around time becomes easier. Every person has a particular style in life and set of strategies that allow or detract from his or her success. The way time is spent is a reflection of these strategies. Are some of your strategies working against you?

Every day, in a million ways, we are offered choices as to how we will spend our time. Every time you say yes to one thing, you’re also saying no to something else. In invite you to look closely at the choices you make today, and at what you are saying yes and no to, by the way you spend your time today.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/time-management-articles/its-about-time-beyond-time-management-326669.html

About the Author:

Lori Darley is a Certified Somatic Coach and Associate for the Strozzi Institute. Lori founded The Transitions Coach in 1998 and has coached organizations and individuals, supporting her clients in reaching peak performance through dynamic communication, conflict resolution and leadership skills. Visit The Transitions Coach website at http://www.thetransitionscoach.com.

A Better Life - What Is The Key?

2008-02-02T22:35:00.000-08:00

Author: Kevin Sinclair

Being able to manage your time successfully is really all about being focussed. The Pareto Principle known also as the '80:20 Rule' states that 80% of your efforts which are unfocussed or not time managed will only generate 20% of the wanted output. On the other hand, 80% of the desired output can be produced by using only 20% of an effort which is time managed well. While the ratio '80:20' is only random, it is used to put weight on how much is lost or how much can be achieved with good time management skills.

Time management is viewed by many as the rules to be used when scheduling appointments, planning and creating things, preparing lists in order of priority, setting goals and so on. These are the fundamentals which need to be in order to build up and finely tune your time management skills. You can then progress and develop your abilities further, eventually achieving the results you desire.

There are, however, more skills involved in time management than just the basics. Decision making, critical thinking and emotional intelligence are also vital for your development and individual expansion.

Personal time management absorbs all that you do. Whether big or small absolutely everything counts, down to each piece of new knowledge you glean to any amount of advice you may consider.

Good personal time management and conducting a balanced life-style go hand in hand and many experts of personal time management are not able to grasp this fact. It's about getting results, not about being busy all of the time.

Emotional, spiritual, intellectual, physical, social and career aspects of your life are the main areas which can be improved by proper use of time management.

Appropriate feelings and desires and the manifestation of them come under the emotional side of things.

The spiritual facet involves an individually special pursuit for significance.

The intellectual side entails the level of knowledge and other mind augmentation activities.

Having a healthy physique, will lead to lower stress levels and feeling less tired.

The social aspect involves building up personal and intimate relationships and becoming an on the go provider to the community.

The career side incorporates both your life at school and in the workplace.

Preparing a list of tasks to carry out on every one of the above will not be at all practical. It is more important to take time to work out which area of your life is not receiving enough attention. All of these pieces make up the whole you, so by closing your eyes to one part you are in fact, ignoring an important part of yourself.

Managing your personal time is a very level-headed and rational approach to solving problems, however big or small and a super way to enhance your personal life, without having to face such a daunting task is to try these basic actions.

Always keep a list of your long and short term goals to hand and review them as you need to. Establish which task you consider being essential or even unnecessary to achieve your goals and which of the activities you carry out are providing you with a balanced lifestyle.

Make sure you perform your more difficult tasks when you are at a peak in your individual cycle. We all have spells when we slow down a little so difficult tasks should be avoided at this time.

You often hear of see advice about learning how to say "No". Take heed of this advice even if it means you have to say no to family and friends from time to time.

Don't forget to reward yourself with a bit of praise or a treat of some other kind, if you have effectively managed your time and achieved good results.

Your good management of time will be of benefit to those around you so try to get their co-operation as much as you can.

Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Make sure you attend to things as soon as possible.

Set yourself up to succeed, have a positive attitude but remember to make your goals achievable.

Keep some sort of record or diary of all the activities in which you partake. This will assist you to make sure things are in perspective.

The above mentioned steps are the basis of you becoming an all round well balanced individual using personal time management as the art and science of making a better life for yourself. From the first moment you start to practice time management and build your skills up you will see how it broadens the horizons, and provides you with a great deal of help with your personal growth. The opportunities will be there for the taking!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/time-management-articles/a-better-life-what-is-the-key-315271.html

About the Author:

Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of Be Successful News, a site that provides information and articles on how to succeed in your own home or small business.

Seven Steps for Saving Time (by Organizing Your Life)

2008-01-28T04:06:00.000-08:00

Author: Jamie Jefferson

We all wish we had more time to do the things we enjoy. But the list of things to do seems to never end. Here are seven simple organizing techniques that can save you a few minutes every single day or week, and that's time you can spend doing absolutely anything you like.

1. Get a portable file box (which you can generally purchase for $10 or so) as well as a box of letter size hanging file folders. Create a separate file for monthly bills, bank statements, medical bills, a "To Do" file, and so on. Then hang these files in your file box so you can move your "file cabinet" to the area where you pay your bills. This type of box is easily stowed out of the way when you are not using it, too.

2. Stand in front of the shredder, recycling box, and file box when you go through the day's mail. Make a point to touch each item only once. Each piece of mail gets recycled, shredded, or filed in the "To Do" file of your file box. (You can save yourself even more time by reducing the amount of junk mail you receive. Simply send your full name and address, along with a $1 check or money order, payable to DMA to: Mail Preference Service, P.O. Box 282, Carmel, NY 10512). You will also want to place in the "To Do" file any documents that need your attention in the short term, such as rebate offers and newsletters from the church or children's school.

3. Designate a particular day each week to handle the items in your "To Do" file. Pay the bills, catch up on your filing, and write down deadlines in your calendar for bills you aren't going to pay right away. For credit card bills, for example, I write down the payment deadline, and I also make a notation in my calendar ten days before the deadline (to make sure that I send it off in plenty of time for it to arrive by the deadline.) Store everything you need for paying bills in a separate file of your file box so you don't waste any time looking for the essentials: stamps, address labels, envelopes, calculator, and pen.

4. Organize items that you will need to reference occasionally, such as warranties and instruction manuals, in a three ring binder with clear plastic covers (which will let you slide papers inside). This will allow you to easily flip through the binder to find the one you need.

5. Set up a Chore Chart to help your kids learn the value of being organized. Assign each child's chores on an age appropriate level. You may even want to ask your kids how they would like to divvy up the chores. (Kids love to give their input.) Make a table in your word processing program for each child, so they can put a checkmark when they have completed each task on each day. We have our chore chart posted on the refrigerator, and I'm always amazed by how excited the kids get to check off their chores (even though they are earning nothing but a checkmark).

6. Keep a grocery list and a pen on the fridge. Don't use a dry erase board for grocery lists because you want to be able to rip off the list and take it to the store.

7. Make sure you have a good appointment book and write all of your commitments and deadlines on one calendar: work engagements, important things to do with the kids, carpool schedules, birthdays, due dates for bills and library books, etc. Schedule your daily workout, too.

Now take a break and enjoy the extra time you have saved by being organized.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/time-management-articles/seven-steps-for-saving-time-by-organizing-your-life-307905.html

About the Author:

Jamie Jefferson writes for Susies-Coupons.com where you can save on office supplies with the latest Office Depot Coupons and Quill Coupons.

How to Super Charge your Productivity

2008-01-12T10:34:00.000-08:00

Author: Stephen Martile

The biggest barrier to productivity is not a lack of time like most think. When you dig deep down to the core of the problem, a lack of productivity comes from a lack of integrity. Most people will say one thing and then do another. When you’re not integral to your word you create more work for yourself and that leads to a lack of productivity.

Here’s one way to look at it. Let’s say I ask you out for dinner. I phone up and say, “hey, would you be interested in going out to dinner with me this Friday?” and you say, “Sure, I’ll meet at 7:00 pm.” At this point I’ve committed my time to go to dinner with you. I’ve declared an action. Friday comes along and it’s getting close to 7:00 pm, no Steve. Now it’s past 7:00pm! Still no Steve. It’s 8:00 pm and you get a phone call from me. “Hey, I wanted to let you know I won’t be able to make it tonight. I hope you understand. Do you want to reschedule for next Friday?” You give it some thought and then accept.

The following Friday comes along and I miss dinner again! This time you’re really pissed and I call you to reschedule for a third time. ”Hey, sorry bout that. Do you want to meet next Friday?”

Big Question: Do you want to meet with me?

I’m going to guess that chances are pretty slim. You’ve had enough at this point. You don’t believe that I’m going to show up next time because you don’t believe what I say. The reason you don’t believe what I say is because you don’t trust me. Most people would cut me some slack for missing dinner the first time, but after that they’re probably thinking I’m full of it. You really can’t take me for my word.

Not a big deal right? WRONG. It is a big deal. If you don’t trust me, then who else doesn’t trust me? ME. That’s right. If you don’t trust me then I don’t trust ME either. It works both ways. This is a problem.

A lack of trust leads to low self confidence. Your view of yourself diminishes greatly when you can’t trust yourself. If you have a low opinion of your self, how effective do you think you’ll be?

What Not To Do

This is a big one. Never commit to do something that you know you won’t do. Stop yourself from committing to things that you aren’t going to do. If someone asks you to do something and you don’t want to, tell them that. Save yourself the trouble and only commit to actions that will move you forward and inspire you to become the bigger you.

This has been a real problem for me in the past. I used to over commit myself so that I could look good and impress others. The biggest mistake I made was trying to impress. The reason I was trying to impress is so I could feed my ego and boost my low self confidence. This doesn’t really work. It’s like covering up a piece of crap by putting ice cream on it. That fact still remains that crap is sitting under the ice cream. You can’t get rid of crap by putting ice cream over it. You get rid of the crap by taking inspired actions and committing to the actions that are important to the REAL you.

Deliberate Creation

So let’s look at this from the other side of the coin. Let’s say you’re ready to move to the next step and take some inspired actions.

You may start by telling someone you’re going to go to the gym this week three times. The week goes by and you manage to hit the gym three times. You said you would go to the gym three times and you did. You start to feel good about yourself and build your confidence. You start thinking about committing to something bigger, something a little more risky.

This time you commit to earning $500 by the end of the month with your online business. The month goes by and you are $500 richer. You say to yourself, “Wow, this is really working. I said something and it happened.” This elevates your confidence even more. You begin to build trust in yourself. You declare a commitment and it happens. It became a reality for you. You declare a result and you got it. This process reinforces your power as a deliberate creator. You SAY it and therefore it IS. Every time you say something and it comes true, you reinforce yourself as a deliberate creator. How many of you would be interested in that?

If you’re going to be productive then you will need to trust yourself. You do this by being your word. Not only does this mean following through on what you declare to others, it also means following through on what you declare to yourself.

Productivity Test

If there is no integrity then you’re wasting your efforts. It takes a whole lot more energy and action to get results when you’re out of integrity. Save yourself time and energy by completing the things you SAID you would do - to others and to yourself. One way to gauge your integrity is with this productivity test.

The test is simple:

1) Write out your commitments for the day.

2) At the end of the day, check your list of commitments and see how many you’ve completed.

Most people will never completely follow through on all of their daily commitments whether they’re written or verbal. Some people will get distracted and loose interest in what’s most important to them. This behaviour is the quickest way to increase your workload.

On the other hand, you may be one of the very few who complete all their daily commitments. This is a sign that you’re leading a life of deliberate creation. You may want to look at bigger commitments that will take you out of your comfort zone and get you where you want to be.

Get Back Into Integrity

The best way that I know to get back into integrity is to follow through with your completions. Start small and build. Start by choosing small commitments that you know you can complete and do them. Each day begin to increase the size and number of your commitments. As you start to complete the items on your list you’ll notice increased self confidence. Increased self confidence will help you to re-establish trust with yourself. Once you trust yourself, you’ll be able to get more done and that will lead to increased productivity.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/time-management-articles/how-to-super-charge-your-productivity-298412.html

About the Author:

Stephen Martile

Want to learn more? Check out my personal development blog at www.stephenmartile.com

5 Steps to a Balanced Monday Morning

2008-01-12T10:31:00.000-08:00

Author: Laura

It’s Monday morning (again). You glance at the kitchen clock and gulp down a cup of coffee while attempting to put on your clothes at the same time and realize that you only have 5 minutes to get your 5 year old dressed and ready for school, not to mention you still need to pack her lunch. Not soon enough do you remember that you were warned the previous Thursday by your easy-going boss (not!) for being late the third day in a row.

Sound all-too familiar? Hey, no one said being a working mom would be easy, but here are 5 steps to help you achieve that delicate Monday morning balance:

- - First and foremost, be prepared. If need be, pack your child’s lunch the night before. Give your child a bath the night before as well. Do your washing and ironing on the weekend so that all clothes are hung and ready to go prepare at least 5 outfits for each member of the family over the weekend and have your husband and children assist you in the process.

- - Set your alarm clock 10-15 minutes earlier to allow yourself more time in the morning. If need be, go to bed 10-15 minutes earlier to make up for the time difference. Wake up before your kids to shower and dress.

-- Keep breakfast simple and healthy. If you feel that you just don’t have the time for breakfast, try keeping bananas (and other easy to eat fruit) and vitamin fortified cereal bars handy and ready to grab and go.

- - Set a routine for you and your family and stick with it. Our bodies crave routine and that’s a fact. Go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning. Sticking with a schedule will make it easier to effectively manage that Monday morning balancing act.

- - Divide your morning into phases. For example, phase 1: Eat Breakfast, phase 2: Get Dressed, etc. Set the phases in 15-30 minute time increments (phasing increments can vary, depending on the overall time you give yourself). Attempting to accomplish everything at once will only lead to chaos and confusion. Help your family stay within the proper phase and ask them to also pitch in and help. Encourage your family to stick to the morning phases to keep things running smoothly.

The key to achieving any balance, especially that Monday morning balance, is being prepared. Try a more organized approach to your Monday mornings and you will find that they turn out to be a lot smoother and less stressful for everyone.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/time-management-articles/5-steps-to-a-balanced-monday-morning-294987.html

About the Author:

Article courtesy of Sweet Daisy Cards.

Achieving Goals Through Effective Time Management

2008-01-12T10:28:00.000-08:00

Author: Kevin Sinclair

Many of us struggle with the concept of time management. This is especially true when we have a set list of defined goals that we want to achieve. It is important to understand that when we set goals, the first main part to achieving those goals is to determine what it is that we wish to accomplish. The next main part is to implement simple time management techniques in order to ensure that we can achieve those goals with little distraction. Here, you will be introduced on how you can achieve goals through effective time management.

In order to achieve the goals that we have in life, it is imperative that we have essential skills in time management techniques. Individuals who are able to appropriately manage their time have been reported as being the most effective group of people both personally and professionally. These people are able to achieve any type of goals that they set for themselves. Many who are well-skilled in time management techniques understand that achieving goals and managing time is not about simply staying busy, it is about delivering results that are appropriate to the goals.

If you wish to set goals for yourself, you should know and understand exactly what goal setting involves. Goals are nothing more than simply creating a vision that you find appealing for your future. This is the easy part. Complications arise when it comes to finding the motivation within yourself to do something about this vision. It requires you to find a reason to turn your vision into your reality. Many individuals get stuck on this component of goal setting. The most common reason why is because of procrastination.

Many individuals give many reasons as to why they are procrastinating. However, procrastination boils down to two fears. One of the fear of success and the other is the fear of failure. Simply put, procrastination is an assembled group of excuses that an individual uses to rationalize initialization in the goal-setting process. It is important to understand that there is absolutely nothing standing in the way of your accomplishing your goals, except for you.

One of the first steps in planning out your goals is to create a day that you want to start on the road to success. You should take the time to outline the necessary steps that will be required in order to achieve the goals that you have set. This may include any type of work that is involved, resources that will be needed, as well as the time that is required for achieving that in which you want to accomplish in your life. Once you have established your goal-setting plans, you are ready to move on to the next step.

The next step involves using a system to effectively plan your time. Many may elect to implement the use of a personal planner, while others may want to use a computer software program to manage their time. Daily activities and goals should be listed in your planning system. Many individuals prefer to start their day with the more complicated tasks that they must achieve while others may choose to start their day with the smaller tasks. It is important to develop a system that is appropriate to you.

Achieving goals through effective time management can prove to be extremely complicated if you experience a lot of distractions. In order to maximize your time, it is absolutely essential to ensure that you limit the amount of time that you spend delving into distractions, and increase the amount of time in which you are focused on the goals at hand. By doing so, you are placing your concentration into more focused venues. Many individuals simply do not understand the vast amount of distractions that can occur on a daily basis. However, the following list will describe some of the things that steal our time from us:

- Interruptions from telephone calls can take up a lot of time. If you are working on a project in order to achieve your goals, you should consider allowing the answering machine or your voice mail service to take calls. Many individuals designate a specific time of day in which they focus on returning calls.

- Ineffective planning can also have a great impact on our achieving the goals that we desire.

- The inability to say "no" to others can prove to be quite a burden on your time. Learning to let people know your schedule and the appropriate times that they can request you is an important element in being able to save time and focus on your goals.

If you wish to achieve your goals through effective time management, it is important to ensure that you learn to take charge of your time first. Once this is done, you will find that accomplishing your goals in life is an easy process.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/time-management-articles/achieving-goals-through-effective-time-management-289517.html

About the Author:

Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of Be Successful News, a site that provides information and articles on how to succeed in your own home or small business.

Time Management - 4 Powerful Benefits Of Effective Time Management!

2008-01-12T10:27:00.000-08:00

Author: Abhishek Agarwal

For any project that we undertake in life, be it a long term or short term, personal or professional venture, setting an outline to achieve our goals is a great idea. Time management makes it that much simpler to work towards your goals. When you have a plan outline, it also saves you when things go wrong. For example, if you are unable to work one or two days due to issues beyond your control, you time management plan can quickly tell you where you need to put in and how much time you need to put in, to make up for the loss. So it keeps a clear idea in the head of how you are right on track and right in control.

A proper time management plan should contain a break up for your goal achievement over time segments. This ensures that you complete your projects within the time frame you designated for your self.

Here is how time management plans can really help you:

A. It increases the production level. Be it a company or an individual, when you work with the right kind of project management plan, you will find that you suddenly have so much extra time on your hands to work on other issues of production and work accomplishment. This would no doubt increase your efficiency levels to a standard they had never reached before.

B. Time management helps eliminate time wastage. When you do not work within an allotted time frame, you could well tend to take it easy at times. When this happens, you are suddenly faced with the realization that your dead line is near and you have a lot to accomplish yet. This would no doubt affect the quality of the work that you will churn out. When you do work within a plan of time frames for every segment of work, you will see consistency in work quality and minimum wastage of time.

C. Performance levels increase with time management plans. We all have felt the tiresome feelings when we see a mountain of work in front of us. However, when you break down the mountain into little segments to climb every day, you are that much more motivated to accomplish your goals. So do take the help of a good time management plan to help you get your work down efficiently and in an orderly fashion.

D. You have feelings of accomplishment and a sense of a balanced life when you work with a time management plan. Especially where long term goals are concerned, a little work done in a day to reach your goals gives you a feeling of contentment at the end of the day. It tells you that your life is right on track and gives you the assurance that you will reach your goals if you stick to this plan.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/time-management-articles/time-management--4-powerful-benefits-of-effective-time-management-288952.html

About the Author:

Abhishek is a self-proclaimed Personality Development Guru and has written several books on this topic! Visit his website www.Positive-You.com and Download his FREE Personality Development Report and discover some amazing self-improvement tips for FREE. Become the best you can become and reclaim your life! But hurry, only limited Free copies available! www.Positive-You.com

What Happened To The Lazy Days Of Summer?

2008-01-12T10:24:00.000-08:00

Author: Knight Pierce Hirst

Because we live in a time of stressed-out multi-tasking, I think everyone deserves a little time to be lazy. Unfortunately, my conscience is hyperactive and won't listen to me. I have to schedule time not to do anything so I don't feel guilty about not doing anything productive.

Nevertheless, there's a fine line between being lazy and being practical. My clothes are black - black prints, black stripes and basic black. When I shop for clothes, I don't look at anything unless it's black. This saves time. Not having to coordinate outfits saves time because everything matches.

My mother "saved time" by not making a trip upstairs every time something needed to go there. Instead, she left things on the stairs. The unwritten rule was that whoever went upstairs next was meant to take the accumulated items and put them away. My unwritten rule was that the rule didn't apply if I could climb over whatever had accumulated on the first, second and sometimes third steps.

If possible most people avoid climbing steps if they can take an elevator or an escalator. Not exercising contributes to more than sixty-six percent of Americans being overweight. It's not just the going-to-the-gym-type exercise we're missing. We're missing the exercise our ancestors had because they didn't have electricity, cars and telephones. Because of the intercom system on my telephone, I don't have to leave my desk to ask my husband a question. Because of the intercom, I'm not even exercising my vocal chords by yelling questions.

For those people who "don't make an effort" to exercise, there are diet programs and surgical procedures. For those of us who "don't make an effort" to cook, there's take-out; but I don't think take-out is lazy unless I have it delivered.

On vacations I'm so busy trying to fit in as much as possible, John suggested we take a stay-home, do-nothing vacation. I tried, but my conscience refused. The only way to stop my conscience from telling me about the things I should do was to do them.

However, I haven't looked for my needlepoint basket so maybe I am lazy. I want to stitch my new motto on a pillow for the couch. "Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today - unless you can think of a good excuse". I wonder if I can find a pillow for the couch that looks like a potato.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/time-management-articles/what-happened-to-the-lazy-days-of-summer-283493.html

About the Author:

KNIGHT PIERCE HIRST takes humorous looks at life.
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10 Deadly Sins of Time Management... and How to Avoid Them (part 1)

2008-01-12T10:22:00.000-08:00

Author: Rodger Constandse

This 2-part article reveals ten massive time management mistakes that could steal up to two hours of productive time from you each day.

By correcting even a few of these mistakes, you could easily increase your productivity and work more effectively.

You'll learn more about each mistake, the main reason why it's a problem, and some simple steps you can take to correct it.

** Mistake # 1 - Keeping Too Many Things in Your Head **

A common time management mistake is trying to use your memory to keep track of all the things you need to do and places you need to be.

The fact is that you simply cannot rely on your memory alone to keep track of all these details without getting overloaded.

The best way to stop using your memory to keep track of things is to write them down!

Most people discover that they can handle a lot of information and details without getting overloaded, and they can work productively on a large number of projects and tasks, but only if they use a well-designed productivity system to help them conquer the chaos.

** Mistake # 2 - Doing Whatever Grabs Your Attention Next **

When you are done with your current task, how do you choose what to do next?

Many people don't stop long enough to even think about it, they just jump right in and do whatever grabs their attention next.

Things that grab your attention tend to be urgent and they often don't represent the best way to spend your time.

Urgent things are not always important, and important things are not always urgent. When you focus only on the urgent things each day, you won't leave enough time to deal with the things that are really important but not very urgent. This is what experts call the "tyranny of the urgent."

Another reason why this is a problem is that, in general, it is much more effective to work on related tasks for a block of time than to continuously jump from one unrelated task to another.

The solution is to make a plan and then work your plan. Instead of doing whatever grabs your attention next, use your plan to figure out the best way to use your time based on your top priorities for the week.

**Mistake # 3 - Doing Very Efficiently That Which Need Not Be Done At All**

According to management consultant Ben Tregoe, this is one of the worst ways you can waste your time, particularly when you don't even realize you are doing it.

It should be obvious why spending your time doing unnecessary work is not a good time management practice, since you could be spending all that time doing other more important things.

Having a prioritized to-do list and a weekly plan really helps because you automatically assign more time to important things and less time to trivial ones.

** Mistake # 4 - Not Spending Enough Time on Your Top Priorities **

If you find you are busy most of the day, but don't accomplish the things that really matter to you, you may be spending too much time on low priority items.

Effective time managers quickly realize that they simply cannot do everything that is available to them. They have to be selective with their limited amount of time and consciously choose to spend it on what is most important.

Prioritizing means taking conscious control of your choices and deciding to spend more time on the projects and tasks that are important and valuable, and less time on the ones that are not as important or valuable.

This may sound obvious, but the fact is that the vast majority of people don't put much thought on how they spend their time. They just flow through life doing whatever grabs their attention next, or repeating the same things day after day out of habit and routine.

You'll find that you can make time for your truly important tasks, but only if you give them top priority in your schedule, and consciously choose them over the less important "filler" work.

** Mistake # 5 - Poor Planning **

You've probably heard the saying "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail."

Poor planning is one of the main reasons projects fail, fall behind schedule or miss their deadlines. It is also a contributing factor in many of the time management mistakes described here.

Without adequate planning, it is difficult to understand what it will take to complete a project successfully. Lack of planning leads to inadequate preparation, unexpected problems, and poor execution.

Planning is one of the most important activities in time management -- it has been estimated that every minute spent planning can save three in execution -- and yet it is one of the least practiced.

The main reasons people fail to plan is that they don't understand the value of planning or they don't know how to plan effectively.

The best way to escape the practice of poor planning is to learn how to plan effectively, and to do it consistently.

While these mistakes may seem overwhelming at first, you can make tremendous progress by tackling them one at a time. You don't need to make a complete overhaul of everything that you are doing.

The process of developing your personal productivity system will naturally eliminate many of these mistakes by replacing them with powerful habits and practices for consistently getting things done.

You can get part 2 of this article by subscribing to our newsletter and getting your free productivity start-up kit.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/time-management-articles/10-deadly-sins-of-time-management-and-how-to-avoid-them-part-1-282048.html

About the Author:

Rodger Constandse helps people reach their full potential and connect their daily actions to their mission, vision, and goals. Effective time management helps you take control of your time. Get your free Productivity Start-Up Kit today and discover how to get the most from each day! www.goalstoaction.com/FreeProductivityKit/

How to Schedule Your Success

2008-01-12T09:42:00.000-08:00

Author: Kevin Sinclair

Many people would love to own their own home-based business. They want to work their own hours and choose whom they work with at what times. The reality is that not many of these people take the time to make sure they have the right tools to set up a successful home-based business. They aren't sure exactly what to do or how to plan their time accordingly. They think it will be far easier than it will be and don't think about the groundwork.

The first problem facing most new home-based business entrepreneurs is a lack of discipline when it comes to scheduling. They don't plan out their work days properly and can end up either under-working or overworking.

Under-working is easy to do. You might intend to add to your new website or put auction listings on ebay but you think you'll have a browse first or send some emails. Something else might catch your attention online and you'll have a look at that too. Before you know it, you've spend the whole day wasting your time on the internet and you have not done any work. This is not good news for your business or your bank account and it is easy to do because you don't have a supervisor standing over you or anyone to tell you to do your job.

Overworking is the opposite end of this problem but just as bad for business. People working a 9 to 5 job tend to begin and 9AM and leave at 5PM, more or less. A lot of people working from home think they should work until they drop and have no concept of planning their time properly. If you spend all your time working, it is easy to become exhausted and then you start to make mistakes because of tiredness and resent your business.

The solution is to plan your day. Be disciplined when doing this. You should write down what you have to accomplish every day and how long you will work on each task. Include downtime in this list - time for your family, exercise, relaxation and anything else you want to fit into the day. You are building a home-based business to improve your lifestyle, not become the richest person in the cemetery!

You must be specific when making your daily plans and goals. Don't just put "work on project x" - what does that mean? How do you "work on" something? You need to be more definite, such as "write an article on desk lamps for project x", then you know exactly what you have to do. You can "work on project x" for years and feel like you will never finish. You can write the article and then it's done. You can tick that item off your list and feel good that you have accomplished something.

If you are working in marketing, try to farm out as much as the non-marketing work as you can afford to. If you are selling products or services, you might want to hire someone to build and maintain your website. You can also outsource mailing, bookkeeping and more. The money you spend should free up a lot of your time.

Try to be realistic when planning your day. If you are still working your day job, you should schedule that from the time you wake up in the morning until the time you get home. Include commute time. Plan your evening too. Don't schedule a four hour task in one hour. It won't work and will just leave you feeling frustrated. If you have large tasks, break them up into smaller ones and schedule your time accurately. This will make you feel you have accomplished more in the long run and encourage you to keep going.

Multi-tasking might be the latest buzzword but it can kill productivity. Aim to do one thing at once. You can work on more than one thing in the day but try to just work on one project at once. It can be very difficult if you work on more than one task. You can't divide your attention equally between everything. When you have completed one task, move on to the next.

You need to be a bit flexible when scheduling. There are going to be interruptions, more so at home. You might be engrossed in working on a new project when the phone rings or the baby starts to cry. Make allowances for this. There will be things you can't plan for.

It is a good idea to plan how long you think a task will take and then add on about 10% to give you an extra time cushion. Then if you have time left at the end of the day, you can do some work on tomorrow's tasks. If not, it doesn't matter. It is a kind of bonus.

Sometimes you won't finish your schedule, no matter how well you plan it. This happens to everybody and what you do then is just revise the following day's schedule to include anything you missed today. Don't worry about things not getting done. Just keep moving forward. If you keep missing deadlines, you will need to look at your scheduling because you are probably not being realistic about what you can do in a certain amount of time.

With some planning and effort, it will be easy to balance your new business with your home life and schedule your way to success. It might take a little practice in the beginning but will become second nature very soon.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/time-management-articles/how-to-schedule-your-success-276817.html

About the Author:

Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of Be Successful News, a site that provides information and articles on how to succeed in your own home or small business.

Kicking your Family & Friends Out During your Home Business Office Hours!

2008-01-12T09:39:00.000-08:00

Author: Sadie T O'Neal

There are many ways that you can work with your home business, and one of the most important things that you have to think about is how you are going to have enough space to have your home business. This is one of the biggest problems that many people have because no matter how much they want to work on their home business, they have to deal with the fact that they simply don't have enough room to have a separate office or room for their home business.

If this is an issue that you are dealing with, you have to first remember that you are going to be focusing first on what kind of space you need. If you are simply working online, and you don't any thing other than your computer, it is easy for you to have a corner of your home that you can dedicate to your business. This is something that you want to think about, because it is very easy to have your computer in the corner of a bedroom, living room or even the kitchen ,and to make that space some how separate from the rest of your home.

If you need a bigger space, one that you can use for merchandise, for doing certain things, or for working on other things that relate back to your home business, you are going to have to find another space for your home business. One of the things that you should remember is that if you can create a space somewhere in your home, this is going to work well for you. You don't need to have a room that is only for your home business if you can remember to keep them separated.

Keeping your home and your business separate is very important because you simply have to be able to have a space for your business. This is vital in making sure that your business runs well. You have to be sure that as you go to work, you are actually moving into an area that is separate from your home. This is something that many people don't do, and it blurs the lines between their business and their home life. This can be very dangerous. So, in order to make sure that you are giving yourself the right kind of lifestyle, you have to be sure that you have a separate area for your home business, one that you can know is different from your home. Remember, keeping them separate is something that is very important, and it is something that you can do very easily as well. You have to be sure that you keep your business and your home separate, even if they both are in the same building.

Also friends and neighbors dropping by to chat. You must be firm on this issue so they will respect your time and space, during business hours. Remember this is work not play and a kindly reminder doesn't hurt. Distraction can cost you money that you will have work double time to make up.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/time-management-articles/kicking-your-family-friends-out-during-your-home-business-office-hours-276017.html

About the Author:

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