I once read this somewhere:
“Good timing is simply doing something often enough to be in the right place at the right time”
Consistency wins.
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Saturday, November 26, 2011
The Advantages of Time Management
Would you like to agree that there are benefits you can enjoy from knowing how to manage time? Me, I want to, because I found a great article about that here.
Knowing the advantages of time management is one thing, but experiencing the benefits they bring is something else altogether.
We all feel it sometimes -- that sense of satisfaction you get from knowing you’ve done what matters. You’re sitting down at the end of the day with a tangible sense of calm and control, maybe even excitement, about the important things in your life.
But before we launch into the advantages of time management, it’s a good idea to have a decent definition of time management. Once that’s cleared up, let’s focus on its effects on how we feel about how we function...
Clarity of purpose
I used to sit down at my desk in the mornings and react to whatever shouted the loudest for my attention at that moment. Often it was the latest crisis to deal with. At other times, it was something completely irrelevant to anything I should have been doing.
But that was part of the problem -- most of the problem, in fact. I didn’t really know what to do, because thinking was too tough and planning was too boring. It took me years to figure out that both were, and are, central to my satisfaction about how to spend my time.
Knowing what matters to you, and being able to express it, is one of the key benefits of time management. This is often in the form of goals, either in your head, or that you’ve put on paper (of all the tips on setting goals, this one’s a ‘must do’).
Whether it’s a simple task, a major project, or even a lifetime ambition, clarity about what you’re doing makes decision making so much easier. You know what you want to do and why you want to do it.
This is why planning is so important. Any time spent thinking about what to do is an investment that will pay you back many times over, in both the short and longer term. Planning creates clarity.
Doing things right.
Clarity about what to do matters, but so does your ability to actually do it. Even when you know what you want to do, there are countless time traps to negotiate in order for you to do it..
Procrastinating, perfectionism, interruptions, most meetings, disorganization, distractions... these are just a few of the common major time wasters that we all have to deal with, usually on a daily basis.
The advantages of time management skills here? You have the know-how and confidence to deal with them all. There are some really effective time management activities to try that will help you handle pretty much every difficulty you could face in this respect.
Doing things right means you cut to the chase with a lot less fluff and nonsense to slow you down. One of the best ways to do this is to experiment with some time management systems. Whichever one you prefer, you’ll have a framework with which to process whatever you decide to do, smoothly and efficiently.
Peace of mind
You can’t put a price on this. It’s the foundation of everything you create. Being able to manage time effectively doesn’t necessarily bring peace of mind itself, but it certainly creates the conditions for you to do so.
Having said that, it does affect how you feel about what you’ve done. When you know your time has been well spent, it brings a deep and lasting sense of satisfaction that is sweet to savour and hard to beat.
Peace of mind and stress levels are both closely linked to your ability to manage time effectively. Being able to do more of what matters before it turns into a crisis has a major impact on your physical and mental well-being.
* * *
It’s impossible to quantify the importance of time management, but it’s certainly possible to feel the benefits of it. Whether we’re at home, at work, studying or relaxing, we all like to know what we want, do what we want, and feel good for doing it.
These are the real advantages of time management.
Knowing the advantages of time management is one thing, but experiencing the benefits they bring is something else altogether.
We all feel it sometimes -- that sense of satisfaction you get from knowing you’ve done what matters. You’re sitting down at the end of the day with a tangible sense of calm and control, maybe even excitement, about the important things in your life.
But before we launch into the advantages of time management, it’s a good idea to have a decent definition of time management. Once that’s cleared up, let’s focus on its effects on how we feel about how we function...
Clarity of purpose
I used to sit down at my desk in the mornings and react to whatever shouted the loudest for my attention at that moment. Often it was the latest crisis to deal with. At other times, it was something completely irrelevant to anything I should have been doing.
But that was part of the problem -- most of the problem, in fact. I didn’t really know what to do, because thinking was too tough and planning was too boring. It took me years to figure out that both were, and are, central to my satisfaction about how to spend my time.
Knowing what matters to you, and being able to express it, is one of the key benefits of time management. This is often in the form of goals, either in your head, or that you’ve put on paper (of all the tips on setting goals, this one’s a ‘must do’).
Whether it’s a simple task, a major project, or even a lifetime ambition, clarity about what you’re doing makes decision making so much easier. You know what you want to do and why you want to do it.
This is why planning is so important. Any time spent thinking about what to do is an investment that will pay you back many times over, in both the short and longer term. Planning creates clarity.
Doing things right.
Clarity about what to do matters, but so does your ability to actually do it. Even when you know what you want to do, there are countless time traps to negotiate in order for you to do it..
Procrastinating, perfectionism, interruptions, most meetings, disorganization, distractions... these are just a few of the common major time wasters that we all have to deal with, usually on a daily basis.
The advantages of time management skills here? You have the know-how and confidence to deal with them all. There are some really effective time management activities to try that will help you handle pretty much every difficulty you could face in this respect.
Doing things right means you cut to the chase with a lot less fluff and nonsense to slow you down. One of the best ways to do this is to experiment with some time management systems. Whichever one you prefer, you’ll have a framework with which to process whatever you decide to do, smoothly and efficiently.
Peace of mind
You can’t put a price on this. It’s the foundation of everything you create. Being able to manage time effectively doesn’t necessarily bring peace of mind itself, but it certainly creates the conditions for you to do so.
Having said that, it does affect how you feel about what you’ve done. When you know your time has been well spent, it brings a deep and lasting sense of satisfaction that is sweet to savour and hard to beat.
Peace of mind and stress levels are both closely linked to your ability to manage time effectively. Being able to do more of what matters before it turns into a crisis has a major impact on your physical and mental well-being.
* * *
It’s impossible to quantify the importance of time management, but it’s certainly possible to feel the benefits of it. Whether we’re at home, at work, studying or relaxing, we all like to know what we want, do what we want, and feel good for doing it.
These are the real advantages of time management.
Friday, November 25, 2011
How you spend your time with loved ones
No matter how busy we are, at the end of the end, we must ensure we were able to spend ample time with our loved ones. Let us not take forgranted someone close to us. It is important that we spend quality time with each and everyone even the smallest way we can.
Picture above was last Sunday, my son Gab and my Uncle Molly plays some game on the tablet together. The one below was after we let Gab play his favorite slot machine game at the mall. Spending quality time with loved ones does not mean speding to much financially. What is important is everyone enjoy each quality time.
Tips you can consider to value time
1. Get the most out of your day.
Every now and then ask yourself: Am I making the best use of my time? If not, stop what you are doing and begin working on a project that will allow you better use of your time.
2. Work with goals in mind.
It's amazing how differently you work when you have goals to work towards. Use them as a road map! Examples may be project deadlines, sales quotas, a career advancement, etc.
3. Handle every piece of paper or email only once.
With paper use the "3 D" rule of Do it, Dump it or Delegate it. Never handle a piece of paper twice. Don't even think of placing it in your "to get to" pile -- handle it NOW! As for emails, the same rule can apply so you either action it, delete it or forward it to someone else. If you print a copy, then use the "3 D" rule.
4. Ask someone who is efficient what their secret is.
Ask the most efficient person you know what their secret is and how they developed those habits. Then see if it will work for you.
5. Don't allow anyone to take your time from you.
Set up boundaries around your time. If you are stopped in the hall for a conversation, ask for this person to arrange a meeting with you (if appropriate); don't allow co-workers to infringe on your home time. It is up to you as to how you allow other people to use your time!
6. Build family and personal time into your day.
We all need to have the support of our family or friends --so make sure you build them into your daily habits. You don't want to finish your career and realize that you missed out on the closeness and development of your family.
7. Your health is important -- isn't it!
Maintain your health and fitness because this is what will help you through in the long run. So take extra care of this -- go for a walk, have a massage, spend time with your family, stop and smell the roses or book your yearly medical check-up.
Source
Every now and then ask yourself: Am I making the best use of my time? If not, stop what you are doing and begin working on a project that will allow you better use of your time.
2. Work with goals in mind.
It's amazing how differently you work when you have goals to work towards. Use them as a road map! Examples may be project deadlines, sales quotas, a career advancement, etc.
3. Handle every piece of paper or email only once.
With paper use the "3 D" rule of Do it, Dump it or Delegate it. Never handle a piece of paper twice. Don't even think of placing it in your "to get to" pile -- handle it NOW! As for emails, the same rule can apply so you either action it, delete it or forward it to someone else. If you print a copy, then use the "3 D" rule.
4. Ask someone who is efficient what their secret is.
Ask the most efficient person you know what their secret is and how they developed those habits. Then see if it will work for you.
5. Don't allow anyone to take your time from you.
Set up boundaries around your time. If you are stopped in the hall for a conversation, ask for this person to arrange a meeting with you (if appropriate); don't allow co-workers to infringe on your home time. It is up to you as to how you allow other people to use your time!
6. Build family and personal time into your day.
We all need to have the support of our family or friends --so make sure you build them into your daily habits. You don't want to finish your career and realize that you missed out on the closeness and development of your family.
7. Your health is important -- isn't it!
Maintain your health and fitness because this is what will help you through in the long run. So take extra care of this -- go for a walk, have a massage, spend time with your family, stop and smell the roses or book your yearly medical check-up.
Source
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Importance of Time Management
Why so much fuss these days on the importance of time management?Everybody’s talking about smart time management principles, all sorts of time management activities, time management and stress, revolutionary time management ideas, and on, and on.Are you:
missing deadlines
keep being late for appointments
often delay replying to important emails
constantly overwhelmed and
stressed out......
in spite of using all kinds of online scheduling tools and electronic gadgets as reminders?
Then, the importance of time management will surely make sense to you too.
You don’t have to live like this for the rest of your life! You can improve this predicament radically with useful time management strategies, and practical time management tools.
Sadly, today most people lead a rushed and increasingly hectic life: multiple deadlines, a variety of interests and a multitude of roles; this is not likely to change any time soon, on the contrary! So how do you find enough time in the day to accomplish everything you need to do and live a meaningful life?
Well, you make the best of your time by setting priorities. That’s easier said than done, because everything is a top priority, right? But personal time management is all about self-management: being honest with yourself to clarify what matters most to you, and then set and achieve goal aligned with your own personal values.
Here’s where the importance of time management comes in.
You may have heard that time management is a system of skills, tools and practical techniques that anyone can use to get done as much as possible in the shortest amount of time. Learning time management skills is not part of most schools curricula, so don’t feel bad! You only have to implement some practical tips on time management, and use good time management advice on how to make the most out of your time.
If you are like everyone else, you want more time but you have all there is! You continually get sidetracked, interrupted and delayed, although you want things done in less time with less effort and stress to have more quality time for yourself.
It is distressing to admit how chaotic our lives have become; we have even coined the phrase "quality time" to label time well-spent. Believe it or not, time is a precious commodity that we simply can’t clone or multiply. Every resource can be replenished; but once spent, time is gone!
Now that you’ve recognized the importance of time management, let’s look at the benefits of it. You will be able to:
Eliminate procrastination
Have greater productivity
Spend more time with loved ones
Afford more time for a hobby or a sport
Experience less stress and improved health
Weed out time wasters and feel in control over your life
Do the important things first, rather than always deal with the "urgent" ones
And these are only a few of the advantages of time management!
While you may acknowledge the importance of time management, implementing it may seem like a lot of work, right? But it appears this way only when you have poor habits; moreover, bad time management habits and stress go hand in hand. But as you already know, changing bad habits is not an impossible task.
Unfortunately, Whether you realize it or not, managing your time wisely is essential to your quality of life, personal and professional success; it is vital to your health and one of the keys to happiness!
So, ask yourself: how much do you value your time? Is it something you want to fritter away in meaningless activities, or would you like to invest it in finding your purpose, making a difference, creating abundance and prosperity for you and your loved ones?Don’t underestimate the importance of time management; as you’ve already seen, the benefits are far too valuable to ignore! Yes, you can stop overwhelm and start taking charge of your life with practical time management tools.
Here is my source.
missing deadlines
keep being late for appointments
often delay replying to important emails
constantly overwhelmed and
stressed out......
in spite of using all kinds of online scheduling tools and electronic gadgets as reminders?
Then, the importance of time management will surely make sense to you too.
You don’t have to live like this for the rest of your life! You can improve this predicament radically with useful time management strategies, and practical time management tools.
Sadly, today most people lead a rushed and increasingly hectic life: multiple deadlines, a variety of interests and a multitude of roles; this is not likely to change any time soon, on the contrary! So how do you find enough time in the day to accomplish everything you need to do and live a meaningful life?
Well, you make the best of your time by setting priorities. That’s easier said than done, because everything is a top priority, right? But personal time management is all about self-management: being honest with yourself to clarify what matters most to you, and then set and achieve goal aligned with your own personal values.
Here’s where the importance of time management comes in.
You may have heard that time management is a system of skills, tools and practical techniques that anyone can use to get done as much as possible in the shortest amount of time. Learning time management skills is not part of most schools curricula, so don’t feel bad! You only have to implement some practical tips on time management, and use good time management advice on how to make the most out of your time.
If you are like everyone else, you want more time but you have all there is! You continually get sidetracked, interrupted and delayed, although you want things done in less time with less effort and stress to have more quality time for yourself.
It is distressing to admit how chaotic our lives have become; we have even coined the phrase "quality time" to label time well-spent. Believe it or not, time is a precious commodity that we simply can’t clone or multiply. Every resource can be replenished; but once spent, time is gone!
Now that you’ve recognized the importance of time management, let’s look at the benefits of it. You will be able to:
Eliminate procrastination
Have greater productivity
Spend more time with loved ones
Afford more time for a hobby or a sport
Experience less stress and improved health
Weed out time wasters and feel in control over your life
Do the important things first, rather than always deal with the "urgent" ones
And these are only a few of the advantages of time management!
While you may acknowledge the importance of time management, implementing it may seem like a lot of work, right? But it appears this way only when you have poor habits; moreover, bad time management habits and stress go hand in hand. But as you already know, changing bad habits is not an impossible task.
Unfortunately, Whether you realize it or not, managing your time wisely is essential to your quality of life, personal and professional success; it is vital to your health and one of the keys to happiness!
So, ask yourself: how much do you value your time? Is it something you want to fritter away in meaningless activities, or would you like to invest it in finding your purpose, making a difference, creating abundance and prosperity for you and your loved ones?Don’t underestimate the importance of time management; as you’ve already seen, the benefits are far too valuable to ignore! Yes, you can stop overwhelm and start taking charge of your life with practical time management tools.
Here is my source.
Ineffectively Scheduling Tasks
10 of 10 Common Mistakes in Time Management
Are you a morning person? Or do you find your energy picking up once the sun begins to set in the evening?
All of us have different rhythms, that is, different times of day when we feel most productive and energetic.
You can make best use of your time by scheduling high-value work during your peak time, and low-energy work (like returning phone calls and checking email), during your "down" time.
Are you a morning person? Or do you find your energy picking up once the sun begins to set in the evening?
All of us have different rhythms, that is, different times of day when we feel most productive and energetic.
You can make best use of your time by scheduling high-value work during your peak time, and low-energy work (like returning phone calls and checking email), during your "down" time.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Not Taking Breaks
9 of 10 Common Mistakes in Time Management
It's nice to think that you can work for 8-10 hours straight, especially when you're working to a deadline. But it's impossible for anyone to focus and produce really high-quality work without giving their brains some time to rest and recharge.
So, don't dismiss breaks as "wasting time." They provide valuable down-time, which will enable you to think creatively and work effectively.If it's hard for you to stop working, then schedule breaks for yourself, or set an alarm as a reminder. Go for a quick walk, grab a cup of coffee, or just sit and meditate at your desk.
Try to take a five minute break every hour or two. And make sure that you give yourself ample time for lunch - you won't produce top quality work if you're hungry!
It's nice to think that you can work for 8-10 hours straight, especially when you're working to a deadline. But it's impossible for anyone to focus and produce really high-quality work without giving their brains some time to rest and recharge.
So, don't dismiss breaks as "wasting time." They provide valuable down-time, which will enable you to think creatively and work effectively.If it's hard for you to stop working, then schedule breaks for yourself, or set an alarm as a reminder. Go for a quick walk, grab a cup of coffee, or just sit and meditate at your desk.
Try to take a five minute break every hour or two. And make sure that you give yourself ample time for lunch - you won't produce top quality work if you're hungry!
Multitasking
8 of 10 Common Mistakes in Time Management
To get on top of her workload, Linda regularly writes emails while she chats on the phone to her clients. However, while Linda thinks that this is a good use of her time, the truth is that it can take 20-40 percent more time to finish a list of jobs when you multitask, compared with completing the same list of tasks in sequence.
The result is also that she does both tasks poorly - her emails are full of errors, and her clients are frustrated by her lack of concentration.So, the best thing is to forget about multitasking, and, instead, focus on one task at a time.
That way, you'll produce higher quality work.Our Expert Interview with Dave Crenshaw, looking at The Myth of Multitasking, will give you an enlightening look at multitasking, and will help you explore how you can manage simultaneous projects more effectively.
To get on top of her workload, Linda regularly writes emails while she chats on the phone to her clients. However, while Linda thinks that this is a good use of her time, the truth is that it can take 20-40 percent more time to finish a list of jobs when you multitask, compared with completing the same list of tasks in sequence.
The result is also that she does both tasks poorly - her emails are full of errors, and her clients are frustrated by her lack of concentration.So, the best thing is to forget about multitasking, and, instead, focus on one task at a time.
That way, you'll produce higher quality work.Our Expert Interview with Dave Crenshaw, looking at The Myth of Multitasking, will give you an enlightening look at multitasking, and will help you explore how you can manage simultaneous projects more effectively.
Thriving on "Busy"
7 of 10 Common Mistakes in Time Management
Some people get a rush from being busy. The narrowly-met deadlines, the endless emails, the piles of files needing attention on the desk, the frantic race to the meeting...
What an adrenaline buzz!The problem is that an "addiction to busyness" rarely means that you're effective, and it can lead to stress. Instead, try to slow down, and learn to manage your time better.
Tip: "Do More Great Work", by Michael Bungay Stanier, is full of ideas and tips to reduce the "busywork" that you're doing, so that you're more excited and engaged in the work that matters.
Some people get a rush from being busy. The narrowly-met deadlines, the endless emails, the piles of files needing attention on the desk, the frantic race to the meeting...
What an adrenaline buzz!The problem is that an "addiction to busyness" rarely means that you're effective, and it can lead to stress. Instead, try to slow down, and learn to manage your time better.
Tip: "Do More Great Work", by Michael Bungay Stanier, is full of ideas and tips to reduce the "busywork" that you're doing, so that you're more excited and engaged in the work that matters.
Taking on too Much
6 of 10 Common Mistakes in Time Management
Are you a person who has a hard time saying "no" to people? If so, you probably have far too many projects and commitments on your plate. This can lead to poor performance, stress, and low morale.
Or, you might be a micromanager: someone who insists on controlling or doing all of the work themselves, because they can't trust anyone else to do it correctly. (This can be a problem for everyone - not just managers!)
Either way, taking on too much is a poor use of your time, and it can get you a reputation for producing rushed, sloppy work.
Are you a person who has a hard time saying "no" to people? If so, you probably have far too many projects and commitments on your plate. This can lead to poor performance, stress, and low morale.
Or, you might be a micromanager: someone who insists on controlling or doing all of the work themselves, because they can't trust anyone else to do it correctly. (This can be a problem for everyone - not just managers!)
Either way, taking on too much is a poor use of your time, and it can get you a reputation for producing rushed, sloppy work.
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