Don't Waste Your Time - Use it Wisely
Do you waste time? Are you lazy and indolent or are you continuously on the go, using every minute to the maximum?
If you are in the first category, there are a lot of very obvious things you can do to improve, but in this article I want to concentrate on those of us who are already using our time constructively and examine how you can squeeze even more from your day.
You may think that your life is so full that this is impossible, but I recently ran an inventory of how I used my time and realised that there was still some room for improvement. Here's what I discovered.
Timespace #1 – For years I avoided doing any kind of exercise. It was pretty easy for me, I had been skinny all my life and even though I wasn't too fit, I was still the right weight. As I got older, though I realised that I had to take my body a bit more seriously.
Since then I have become a moderate, regular exerciser; I now go running for half an hour every second day and visit the gym three times a week. No problem there; I get satisfaction from using my time well and I appreciate the results.
However, I calculated that I am spending about five hours per week doing great things for my body, but nothing for my mind. So now when I'm pounding the streets or straining at the weights, I use the opportunity to listen to self development programs on my I-Pod, to concentrate on goal visualization, to practice affirmations or just focus on being grateful for all the good things in my life. And there's a bonus too; because the blood is racing through my veins, my brain is more alert and better prepared to learn and grow.
Timespace #2 – I drive a lot. My business requires a good deal of travel and most of it is done in the car. I used to listen to music on the radio or go into an almost trance-like ‘auto pilot' mode, usually to escape the tedium of long distance driving.
Now, though, I put a self development CD in the player, or a language course, or again, I use the time to practice visualizations and affirmations. The privacy of your little tin box allows you to shout, sing, laugh or mumble. Who cares? You are on your own. It's your space.
Timespace #3 – Finally, this one is not so much about finding extra time as making better use of the time I thought I was using wisely. My personal time audit showed me that I was wasting a whole hour, sometimes more, at the beginning of the day catching up on the overnight e-mail load and then planning what I was going to do for the rest of the day.
I prided myself on being an efficient time warrior, but I now realise, that I was missing one of the biggest mistakes of all.
So how did I fix that? Simple. I changed two things. Firstly, I now do my planning, the night before, by taking ten minutes, near to the end of the evening and writing down everything I want to achieve the next day. The bonus here is that overnight, my mind works on the issues even while I sleep, so by the time I get started next day, I am far better prepared.
Secondly, I leave my e-mail inbox until lunchtime. I spend the morning getting through the goals I assigned the night before and then just before I take a break for lunch, I race through my inbox. That way, I find I already feel good about what I've done so far in the day, my mind is much more focused and I don't get distracted.
So no matter how efficient you think you are, take a look again at your day and I'll bet you can find some extra layers of time, you never knew you had. Good hunting.
About The Author
Hi my name is Andrew Grant, I'd like to invite you to visit my website and subscribe to my newsletter for more information and inspiration on Goal Setting, Positive Thinking and Internet Marketing.
http://www.money-and-mind.com
Source: http://www.articlecity.com
It’s About Time
Ever find yourself wishing you had just a few more hours in the day to get it all done? Between work and family responsibilities alone, it can be challenging to juggle time for everything. Surely we were created for more than a life on a continuous treadmill where we never seem to catch up.
Futurists predicted that, in the 21st century, work would be done in virtual organizations and paperless offices. Some even said that the work week would drop to 35, or even 30 hours, and that too much leisure time could become a problem.
Has that been your experience? It's not what I see happening with the busy professionals I work with everyday. Over the past quarter-century, the number of hours spent working has continued to rise. The constant pressure to reduce costs and to do more with less often leaves employees in an unending cycle of overwork and overwhelm which ultimately leads to decreased productivity and efficiency in the organization. With the extra work and increased pace we strive to keep up with, we are quickly catapulted into a world of stress, exhaustion and even health problems if we don't make our self- care a top priority.
What is the solution? Time management can help. Or rather, more effective use of time can help. When you think about it, you don't really manage time, you manage yourself and how you choose to spend each 24 hour day you are given. By having tools and support available, you can better manage yourself and the choices you make.
Top 5 Tips for Managing Time
1. Stop using time as an excuse. We all have the same 24 hours in a day You choose how you use your 1,440 precious minutes each day. If someone - or something - else is determining how you use your minutes and hours, now may be an excellent time to look at changes you need to make.
2. Find out where you spend your time. It may sound odd to suggest taking time in an already busy schedule to assess how you are using time, but do know where you are spending your time? Try tracking your time for the next week and see just what you are doing with your 24 hours. This exercise will help you identify opportunities for changes to alleviate time pressures.
3. Simplify your life. Clear your schedule of time-consuming activities that are not essential. Over-volunteering, doing other people's work, relationships that are not working... these are a great place to start simplifying and reclaiming valuable time.
4. Be intentional about scheduling. If you want to accomplish a task, you must be intentional about scheduling it. For example, if you want to go to the gym to workout, you must put it on your calendar and plan for time to get there and back as well as for your workout. Insert it into your schedule, and then guard the time carefully to make sure nothing gets in the way of you getting it done.
5. Zap Time Wasters. Time wasted can never be regained. A few examples... browsing the Internet, email, chatting with co-workers, looking for things, and talking on the phone. Zap these time bandits by: scheduling a time to return phone calls and email, getting organized so that time is not wasted looking for tools and papers or using an Internet reminder service to keep track of important dates or events.
"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, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein." ~ H. Jackson Brown
By: Coach Pat Morgan
Source: http://www.articledashboard.com
Pat Morgan, MBA and Executive Coach, helps clients maximize their potential in today’s fast-paced environment. Her unique coaching programs inspire clients to achieve goals they may never have thought possible. Her focus draws from the inside out – helping clients become the best version of themselves they can be. Get your free copy of my special report, GET RESULTS NOW! when you subscribe to my newsletter, Smooth Sailing Success. Visit www.SmoothSailingSuccess.com
The Key to a Better Life
Time management is basically about being focused. The Pareto Principle also known as the '80:20 Rule' states that 80% of efforts that are not time managed or unfocused generates only 20% of the desired output. However, 80% of the desired output can be generated using only 20% of a well time managed effort. Although the ratio '80:20' is only arbitrary, it is used to put emphasis on how much is lost or how much can be gained with time management.
Some people view time management as a list of rules that involves scheduling of appointments, goal settings, thorough planning, creating things to do lists and prioritizing. These are the core basics of time management that should be understood to develop an efficient personal time management skill. These basic skills can be fine tuned further to include the finer points of each skill that can give you that extra reserve to make the results you desire.
But there is more skills involved in time management than the core basics. Skills such as decision making, inherent abilities such as emotional intelligence and critical thinking are also essential to your personal growth.
Personal time management involves everything you do. No matter how big and no matter how small, everything counts. Each new knowledge you acquire, each new advice you consider, each new skill you develop should be taken into consideration.
Having a balanced life-style should be the key result in having personal time management. This is the main aspect that many practitioners of personal time management fail to grasp.
Time management is about getting results, not about being busy.
The six areas that personal time management seeks to improve in anyone's life are physical, intellectual, social, career, emotional and spiritual.
The physical aspect involves having a healthy body, less stress and fatigue.
The intellectual aspect involves learning and other mental growth activities.
The social aspect involves developing personal or intimate relations and being an active contributor to society.
The career aspect involves school and work.
The emotional aspect involves appropriate feelings and desires and manifesting them.
The spiritual aspect involves a personal quest for meaning.
Thoroughly planning and having a set of things to do list for each of the key areas may not be very practical, but determining which area in your life is not being giving enough attention is part of time management. Each area creates the whole you, if you are ignoring one area then you are ignoring an important part of yourself.
Personal time management should not be so daunting a task. It is a very sensible and reasonable approach in solving problems big or small.
A great way of learning time management and improving your personal life is to follow several basic activities.
One of them is to review your goals whether it be immediate or long-term goals often.
A way to do this is to keep a list that is always accessible to you.
Always determine which task is necessary or not necessary in achieving your goals and which activities are helping you maintain a balanced life style.
Each and everyone of us has a peek time and a time when we slow down, these are our natural cycles. We should be able to tell when to do the difficult tasks when we are the sharpest.
Learning to say "No". You actually see this advice often. Heed it even if it involves saying the word to family or friends.
Pat yourself at the back or just reward yourself in any manner for an effective time management result.
Try and get the cooperation from people around you who are actually benefiting from your efforts of time management.
Don't procrastinate. Attend to necessary things immediately.
Have a positive attitude and set yourself up for success. But be realistic in your approach in achieving your goals.
Have a record or journal of all your activities. This will help you get things in their proper perspective.
These are the few steps you initially take in becoming a well rounded individual.
As the say personal time management is the art and science of building a better life.
From the moment you integrate into your life time management skills, you have opened several options that can provide a broad spectrum of solutions to your personal growth. It also creates more doors for opportunities to knock on.
Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com
About the Author:
UltraHitsBoom is a Small Business Opportunity that allows you to Make Money by creating and cultivating multiple, small, income streams.
Courtesy of:Free Articles
How To Have More Time... A Few Tips
To get a better grasp on your productivity and success both at work and at home it is essential to learn some time management techniques. Effective Time management will help you better prioritize your day, helping to focus on the things that need to be done and seeing where you are wasting the most time. Each of us starts our day with the same amount of time but what you do with that time and how much you accomplish with it depends solely on your and your choices. You do not have to have set times for every waking moment but there are things that you can do to instill time saving habits, which will greatly increase your productivity.
Perhaps one of the first things you will want to do is learn what some of the biggest time wasters are. Below is a sample of some things that may be draining your time.
• Surfing the internet can make the time fly and before you know an hour has passed and you have accomplished nothing.
• Telephone calls – especially personal calls during work hours
• E-mail- constantly checking your email during the day.
• Lack of planning for specific tasks
• Idle chat with friends or co-workers
• Clutter Workspace
• Poor tools and resources- trying to get things done with the wrong tools can waste hours of time every week
Most of the bad time management habits that we have picked up can be switched into good ones with a few simple steps.
• Limit your internet use when working or trying to accomplish tasks At home.
• Limit your personal telephone calls to set break times so they will not monopolize your day.
• Use your break times as well to do such tasks as checking your email
• Make a list of things that have to be done and give them each a time limit, then follow the list to better stay organized and on task.
• Let your friends and co-workers know that you are in the middle of doing something but you can get back with them when you’re on a break.
• Clean up your work space so everything has a place making it simpler to find things
• Make sure that you have the proper tools for the job at hand.
Managing your time should be easy once you get some good habits down and stick to them. You will find that by better managing your time, you will not only be more productive but you will have an overall enriched sense of well being.
By: Ben Franklin
Article Directory http://www.articledashboard.com
BenFranklin is a self-made entrepreneur & active investor. Download the Free Report, which is a recent interview with Bob Proctor (creator-“The Secret”) that reveals the missing ingredient to turbo-charge the Law of Attraction. Get it here for free @ www.studyofgettingprosperous.com/report
