Time Management
| Category: Personal Development For Marketeers | Date: 2001-03-20 |
What is success?
"Live your life, don't spend it." - A. Lakein
"Know the true value of time- snatch, seize and enjoy every moment of it." - Lord Chesterfield (1694-1733)
GET MORE FROM LIFE EACH DAY
* Focus on one day at a time.
* Live the moment.
* Forget yesterday and look forward to tomorrow. If you are guilty about what happened yesterday, or are anxious about what might happen tomorrow, your energy will be dissipated.
* Plan your work, then work your plan.
* What good and bad habits have you developed? Reinforce the good daily patterns and break the bad.
* Be an "early bird".
Habits start as consciously made decisions, eg.. what time to get up. Once established, good habits become second nature.
Success is the result of habit. It depends not so much on doing the unusual, but on doing the commonplace unusually well.
DON'T PROCRASTINATE - DO IT NOW
Don't confuse being busy with working efficiently - activities can be tension-relieving, not goal achieving. By concentrating on fewer, priorities regularly on a fixed schedule, you can achieve a lot more in less time.
IS TIME THE PROBLEM OR ARE YOU?
Draw up a daily "to do" list. Rank priority tasks (the important few), as well as the trivial many. This allows you to focus on fewer things and achieve more. Sort into A, B & C's
A's are important and urgent. Must do today.
B's are important and not urgent. Want to do today.
C's are not important. Today, if possible or delegate.
Use this system to cover work, personal and family items. This allows you to strike a balance in your daily living. In addition, you can schedule the daily activities required to achieve your objectives. By giving high visibility to your major goal, you can keep your mental energies concentrated.
Remember the 20/80 principle: 20% of your key activities will give you 80% of your results or payoff and 80% of your work (or clients) will produce 20% of your profits.
Don't hog all the work. Delegate what you can as this encourages a sense of responsibility and a sense of teamwork in others. It frees up your time for more important activities. Handle each piece of paper only once. Rather than shuffling paper, make a decision to deal with it NOW (if important). destroy, or diarise for later action.
Use the concept of time blocks to do similar tasks at one time...rather than when they arise, otherwise trivia will swamp what is important.
Look at your body rhythms for which times suit you best. When do you work best (or when is your concentration at it's maximum)? Are you most alert in the morning, afternoon or evening? Plan your day by your energy cycle. You can schedule the most important or mentally demanding activities when you are at your peak. "Next time you say, "I'm wasting time" change that to say, "I'm wasting myself". Paul J. Meyer Success Motivation Institute
However, remember work is not everything, IT IS IMPORTANT TO TAKE TIME TO SMELL THE ROSES.
TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS:
1. LIST YOUR GOALS AND SET PRIORITIES:
* Life Goals
* Work Goals
* Identify Short Term A's.
2. MAKE A DAILY "TO DO" LIST
* Set A B C's
* Don't schedule every minute of the day.
3. Start with A's - NOT WITH C's
A's are 80% of everything. Make inroads into A's every chance you get. Use the 'Swiss Cheese' approach, ie. Identify small tasks that will poke a hole in a big one. Do these in your odd moments. Do anything that moves A along.
4. ASK YOURSELF: WHAT IS THE BEST USE OF MY TIME RIGHT NOW?
Why waste time on C's if you've an A to do? Fight habits and just filling in time.
5. HANDLE EACH PIECE OF PAPER ONLY ONCE
Have a C drawer
6. DO IT NOW!
Decide you can do it right away. Itemise (write it down) Categorise Prioritise Crystallise
END OF PART ONE
PART TWO: TIME MANAGEMENT
DECISION GUIDE
Ask yourself:
1. Does what I do add value?
2. What will happen if I don't do it?
3. Can I delegate it?
4. Can I spend less time on it?
TIME WASTERS
1. Telephone Interruptions
2. Drop-in Visitors
3. Meetings
4. Crisis Management
5. Lack of Objectives, Priorities a Daily plan
6. Cluttered Desk, Personal Disorganisation.
7. Ineffective Delegation
8. Attempting too Much at Once
9. Lack of Clear Communication
10. Inadequate, Inaccurate Delayed Information
11. Indecision and Procrastination
12. Confused Responsibility and Authority.
13. Inability to Say "No".
14. Leaving Tasks Unfinished
15. Lack of Self-Discipline
MORE COMMON TIME WASTERS (IN RANK)
1. Planning (lack of).
2. Priorities (lack of)
3. Telephone interruptions
4. Disorganisation/cluttered desk
5. Procrastination
6. Visitors
7. Lack of Self Discipline
8. Ineffective delegation
9. Attempting too much
10. Inability to say 'No'
The 80/20 Principle
20% of activity gives 80% of results and 80% of activity gives 20% of results (known as the Pareto Principle).
* Focus on the important few activities, not the trivial many.
* Don't procrastinate
* The key is self discipline.
* "First we make habits, then habits make us."
TIME TIPS FOR THE BUSY
Get the news only once a day - in only one form - read the paper or watch television or listen to the radio, but vary the form so you don't get the news through one bias. Don't worry about or spend time on things irrelevant to you, eg.. reading every bit of the newspaper.
Unless it is crucial for your business, the news is not only depressing (don't worry about it, unless you can do something about it), but it gives a distorted picture of life.
If you can't sleep, don't waste time lying in bed. Get up and do something.
Use an answer phone.
Walk out of a poor movie or show. You've already wasted the money - so don't waste the time as well.
Plan your leisure. Don't expect your free time to fall into place by itself. Plan your weekends as carefully as you plan your weeks...and it's OK to do nothing.
Don't read a book, just because it has been given to you- if it doesn't interest you, give it to someone who would be interested.
Stop going to social events you would rather avoid - life's too short. On the other hand, don't miss a social event you would enjoy just because you feel tired. If you enjoy something it revitalises you. But remember - there is usually work tomorrow!
"Never hurry - and don't worry - and don't forget to stop and smell the flowers." Walter Hagen American Golfer
"What I do with this day is important, because I have exchanged a day of my life for it." Take rest; a field that has rested gives a beautiful crop. - Ovid
I like the words of the Simon and Garfunkel song: "Slow down, don't you go so fast" from 'Feeling Groovy'. Not that I feel that way here in Sleepy Hollow in the beautiful country that is Godzone! So just take and plan your time carefully. Always remember, "Yesterday is a cancelled cheque, tomorrow is a promissory note, today is ready cash - use it."
WHEN YOU TAKE CONTROL OF TIME, YOU TAKE CONTROL OVER YOUR LIFE.
About the Author
C.Lock@xtra.co.nz
http://www.celebrityhowto.com/CLock.html
"Live your life, don't spend it." - A. Lakein
"Know the true value of time- snatch, seize and enjoy every moment of it." - Lord Chesterfield (1694-1733)
GET MORE FROM LIFE EACH DAY
* Focus on one day at a time.
* Live the moment.
* Forget yesterday and look forward to tomorrow. If you are guilty about what happened yesterday, or are anxious about what might happen tomorrow, your energy will be dissipated.
* Plan your work, then work your plan.
* What good and bad habits have you developed? Reinforce the good daily patterns and break the bad.
* Be an "early bird".
Habits start as consciously made decisions, eg.. what time to get up. Once established, good habits become second nature.
Success is the result of habit. It depends not so much on doing the unusual, but on doing the commonplace unusually well.
DON'T PROCRASTINATE - DO IT NOW
Don't confuse being busy with working efficiently - activities can be tension-relieving, not goal achieving. By concentrating on fewer, priorities regularly on a fixed schedule, you can achieve a lot more in less time.
IS TIME THE PROBLEM OR ARE YOU?
Draw up a daily "to do" list. Rank priority tasks (the important few), as well as the trivial many. This allows you to focus on fewer things and achieve more. Sort into A, B & C's
A's are important and urgent. Must do today.
B's are important and not urgent. Want to do today.
C's are not important. Today, if possible or delegate.
Use this system to cover work, personal and family items. This allows you to strike a balance in your daily living. In addition, you can schedule the daily activities required to achieve your objectives. By giving high visibility to your major goal, you can keep your mental energies concentrated.
Remember the 20/80 principle: 20% of your key activities will give you 80% of your results or payoff and 80% of your work (or clients) will produce 20% of your profits.
Don't hog all the work. Delegate what you can as this encourages a sense of responsibility and a sense of teamwork in others. It frees up your time for more important activities. Handle each piece of paper only once. Rather than shuffling paper, make a decision to deal with it NOW (if important). destroy, or diarise for later action.
Use the concept of time blocks to do similar tasks at one time...rather than when they arise, otherwise trivia will swamp what is important.
Look at your body rhythms for which times suit you best. When do you work best (or when is your concentration at it's maximum)? Are you most alert in the morning, afternoon or evening? Plan your day by your energy cycle. You can schedule the most important or mentally demanding activities when you are at your peak. "Next time you say, "I'm wasting time" change that to say, "I'm wasting myself". Paul J. Meyer Success Motivation Institute
However, remember work is not everything, IT IS IMPORTANT TO TAKE TIME TO SMELL THE ROSES.
TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS:
1. LIST YOUR GOALS AND SET PRIORITIES:
* Life Goals
* Work Goals
* Identify Short Term A's.
2. MAKE A DAILY "TO DO" LIST
* Set A B C's
* Don't schedule every minute of the day.
3. Start with A's - NOT WITH C's
A's are 80% of everything. Make inroads into A's every chance you get. Use the 'Swiss Cheese' approach, ie. Identify small tasks that will poke a hole in a big one. Do these in your odd moments. Do anything that moves A along.
4. ASK YOURSELF: WHAT IS THE BEST USE OF MY TIME RIGHT NOW?
Why waste time on C's if you've an A to do? Fight habits and just filling in time.
5. HANDLE EACH PIECE OF PAPER ONLY ONCE
Have a C drawer
6. DO IT NOW!
Decide you can do it right away. Itemise (write it down) Categorise Prioritise Crystallise
END OF PART ONE
PART TWO: TIME MANAGEMENT
DECISION GUIDE
Ask yourself:
1. Does what I do add value?
2. What will happen if I don't do it?
3. Can I delegate it?
4. Can I spend less time on it?
TIME WASTERS
1. Telephone Interruptions
2. Drop-in Visitors
3. Meetings
4. Crisis Management
5. Lack of Objectives, Priorities a Daily plan
6. Cluttered Desk, Personal Disorganisation.
7. Ineffective Delegation
8. Attempting too Much at Once
9. Lack of Clear Communication
10. Inadequate, Inaccurate Delayed Information
11. Indecision and Procrastination
12. Confused Responsibility and Authority.
13. Inability to Say "No".
14. Leaving Tasks Unfinished
15. Lack of Self-Discipline
MORE COMMON TIME WASTERS (IN RANK)
1. Planning (lack of).
2. Priorities (lack of)
3. Telephone interruptions
4. Disorganisation/cluttered desk
5. Procrastination
6. Visitors
7. Lack of Self Discipline
8. Ineffective delegation
9. Attempting too much
10. Inability to say 'No'
The 80/20 Principle
20% of activity gives 80% of results and 80% of activity gives 20% of results (known as the Pareto Principle).
* Focus on the important few activities, not the trivial many.
* Don't procrastinate
* The key is self discipline.
* "First we make habits, then habits make us."
TIME TIPS FOR THE BUSY
Get the news only once a day - in only one form - read the paper or watch television or listen to the radio, but vary the form so you don't get the news through one bias. Don't worry about or spend time on things irrelevant to you, eg.. reading every bit of the newspaper.
Unless it is crucial for your business, the news is not only depressing (don't worry about it, unless you can do something about it), but it gives a distorted picture of life.
If you can't sleep, don't waste time lying in bed. Get up and do something.
Use an answer phone.
Walk out of a poor movie or show. You've already wasted the money - so don't waste the time as well.
Plan your leisure. Don't expect your free time to fall into place by itself. Plan your weekends as carefully as you plan your weeks...and it's OK to do nothing.
Don't read a book, just because it has been given to you- if it doesn't interest you, give it to someone who would be interested.
Stop going to social events you would rather avoid - life's too short. On the other hand, don't miss a social event you would enjoy just because you feel tired. If you enjoy something it revitalises you. But remember - there is usually work tomorrow!
"Never hurry - and don't worry - and don't forget to stop and smell the flowers." Walter Hagen American Golfer
"What I do with this day is important, because I have exchanged a day of my life for it." Take rest; a field that has rested gives a beautiful crop. - Ovid
I like the words of the Simon and Garfunkel song: "Slow down, don't you go so fast" from 'Feeling Groovy'. Not that I feel that way here in Sleepy Hollow in the beautiful country that is Godzone! So just take and plan your time carefully. Always remember, "Yesterday is a cancelled cheque, tomorrow is a promissory note, today is ready cash - use it."
WHEN YOU TAKE CONTROL OF TIME, YOU TAKE CONTROL OVER YOUR LIFE.
About the Author
C.Lock@xtra.co.nz
http://www.celebrityhowto.com/CLock.html
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