Archive for December, 2008

Time Poverty

Saturday, December 27th, 2008

This article discusses the mindset of time and what we do to fill our time. How many people do you know that never seem to have time, and they also don’t seem to be making progress either? Well these people are filling their time with activities that don’t take us to our goals or add quality to our lives. They have a ‘time poverty’ mindset. read on for more insight on how this mindset affects the quality of our lives.

There is a misguided thought that being busy is the same as making progress. With shorter deadlines, competing priorities, interruptions and even higher quality expectations, it brings today’s time challenges to another level. Yet the number of hours in the day has not changed.

A common mistake that most people make is not allowing for a balanced life-style. Remember, one’s overall health and wellness require attention to six important life areas:

Physical (exercise, nutrition, sleep)
Intellectual (cultural, aesthetic)
Social (intimate and social relationships)
Emotional (expression of feelings, desires)
Spiritual (quest for meaning)
Career (career goal directed work)

Naturally you don’t need a required amount of activities in each of these areas, but if you neglect one entirely, you may be ignoring an important part of yourself. For example, if you set aside time for exercise you will improve your overall functioning and better manage your stress. If you take time for your intellectual growth, you will gain new perspectives on life, experience different pleasures, and be better able to focus on your goals.

Consider your biological prime time – the time of day when you are at your best. Are you a morning person, a night owl, or a late afternoon whiz? Knowing when your best time is and planning to use that portion of the day for your priorities is effective time management.

You can conquer procrastination using Alan Lakein’s method of “Swiss Cheese”. When avoiding something because you dread the task, break it into smaller bits and do just one of those smaller tasks. If this is not possible, set a timer and work on that biggie for just 15 minutes. By doing a little at a time (I hate filing), eventually you will reach a point where you’ll want to finish it once and for all.

For myself, learning to say “no” was next to impossible. Such a small word, but I wanted to please no matter the cost to me. But focusing on your goals may help. You must be convinced that you and your priorities are more important – that seems to be the hardest part in learning to say “no”. But it does get easier when you simply can’t find the time and refuse to be derailed for that hour or that day.

In the Malaysian culture, only the gods are considered capable of producing anything perfect. Whenever something is finished, a flaw is left on purpose so the gods will not be offended. Of course some things need to be closer to perfect than others but perfectionism can be a form of procrastination. Shed the stress of always being perfect.

Gaining control over your business (and personal) life, means gaining control over your calendar. Eliminate the trivial tasks or those that do not lead to your long-term goals. Focus your efforts where they count. Managing your time requires an understanding of where your time is going, outlining your priorities, and defining a time budget and plan, even if it means changing some behavior and monitoring the results.

© 2004 Esther Smith

Esther Smith publishes a weekly Newsletter, Partners-For-Profit. Her websites: http://thepermanentventure.com and http://moreonlinecash.com offers proven resources for all home businesses. She also does freelancing: writing, editing and/or proofreading. mailto:editor@thepermanentventure.com

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Time Managment Training – A Necessary Investment or A Waste of Money

Friday, December 26th, 2008

This article gives an interesting perspective on time management training and some of the numbers involved with such type of training. It comes down to the how much is an hour of time worth for each employee and how much time they will save through the training. I think that if you have better systems in place, a lot of that time management will take care of itself, because it will eliminate redundant tasks and having to do things over again and idle time because people are waiting on things

Many organizations view time management training as something they’ll spend their money on, only if they have to. Usually when pruning the company or department budget, training is often the first area that gets the chop. And yet can you really afford not to?

Here’s what Dr. Donald Wetmore a Time Management Specialist from the U.S. recently said in the on-line e-zine Activepro…

Training is not a cost it’s an investment
‘It really doesn’t matter what we pay for an investment. What’s relevant is what we get in return. One of the best ways to jeopardize an organization’s future in today’s world and increase the probability of troubled times it to look at training as a cost and pay the price of not training or provide substandard training that operates only as a bandaid for the training requirements.

A person being paid $50,000 per year who is wasting just one hour per day is costing the organization $6,250 per year. If through one of our Time Management Seminars that person can learn how to recapture just one hour per day, that translates into a payback to the organization of $6,250 per year!

If there is a group of 25 people, the return to the organization is $156,250 per year! That doesn’t even include other benefits like profitability, reduced turnover, improved morale, enhanced teamwork, greater creativity etc.)
Over 5 years, the payback is $781,250. What would your organization invest to achieve that return and payback?

Not so many years ago, training was an option for most organisations. Today it is no longer an option. If any of us continue to do what we do the same way, within five years most of us will become obsolete. Why? Because our competitors are helping their people to become more effective through training.
If we look closely at companies who are doing well in the long run, they almost always have a well thought out training program in place
They realize the price for not training is the real expense of training’.

The most important training or knowledge enhancement you can offer to your employees is in the personal development area. Effective time management is a life skill which affects us all. Depending on how skillful we are at managing our time it can have a major impact on the whole of our life. Our skill levels in this area can greatly benefit us or cause us to be constantly stressed out.

Training is a life long endeavor. It has to be ongoing. Life changes constantly and so do our needs and those of our people, the no. 1 asset in every business. Time Management training is crucial for it’s when we learn to use our time effectively that we get so much more done in our lives.

Lorraine Pirihi is Australia’s Personal Productivity Specialist and Leading Life Coach. Her business The Office Organiser specializes in showing small business owners and managers, how to get organized at work so they can have a life! Lorraine is also a dynamic speaker and has produced many products including “How to Survive and Thrive at Work!”

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Time Managements

Wednesday, December 24th, 2008

This article approaches time management in a the way of ‘how do you see time’? If you can get a strong enough analogy to time and what it means in your life, then you can manage it just like you would manage your finances, valuables, or your lifestyle. It’s about looking at time as a building bloc and then designing your life by using that building block in your foundation. Read on for more powerful stuff!

There are the golden rules that apply to time. If followed, your life will be successful. If you ignore these, however, you will always be scratching to catch up. Do not be one of the people you always here say “I don’t know where the time went, it just flew by!”

1) Time is fleeting. Think about it…the moment you started reading this is gone, never to be regained. It seems we get so caught up in petty circumstances that we forget what we set out to do, and before you know it, the day is gone

2) Time is valuable. You always have time to make money; but you can never have enough money to make time

3) Time is unforgiving. The amazing thing about your time; even through no fault of your own, even “wasted” time will never stand still.

4) Time is money. You must be constantly asking yourself,”Am I doing the most productive thing I can be doing right now?”. Watch out for those “wasted” moments we were talking about earlier.

5) Time is changing. We all must constantly renew our minds, and let the past be just that…the past! It can’t help you now, aside from the learning experience, don’t dwell on it.

6) Time is the ultimate judge. We have all heard “time will tell!”. Well, there is some truth to that, as the future has a way of finding any flaw in the plan. Pre-planning will save massive amounts of your precious commodity called time.

7) Time is in your control. We can all be more in control of our day and how we spend it. Today should have been planned out yesterday, and tomorrow should be thought about today.

You can design your future, much like an architect designs a building. Start small, and work your way to the big things. Prioritize events and meetings in advance and stick to it. Things will always come up, so be vigilant, you will catch yourself doing un-productive things. The more you are “tuned in” to these events , the more you can do about it!

Michael Niles is a Seattle based trainer and speaker. For more info call 206-229-3119 or www.focussalestraining.com.
michael6941@hotmail.com

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TIME MANAGEMENT – NO!

Saturday, December 20th, 2008

I like this approach to time management because it subtly puts the focus on managing your life from an empowered place as opposed to a disempowered place. It comes from realizing what is truly important to you and focusing your time on that. We don’t realize how much time we waste on things that do not support us in our goals.
Read on for more insights to this different approach to time management.

Many people want to be coached to manage their time better. I say NO! to that. You cannot manage time anyway; it just keeps ticking away no matter what you do.

What you can do is manage yourself based on the two concepts I keep mentioning: self-knowledge and self-acceptance. Following are four principles to maximize the time that you have. They take time to incorporate into your life at the habit level. Don’t give up. Keep practicing.

1) GOOD ENOUGH

Accept that no human being is meant to do everything. We all have our uniqueness; things we do better than others and vice versa. Perfection is not a human condition. Cut yourself some slack and adopt the concept of “good enough”. You can rework your resume 50 times. Is it really so much better than a much earlier draft? You can shop for the perfect dress endlessly? Wasn’t the first one you tried and liked as good as the 15th? How much time did you spend past “good enough”? Demand higher standards of excellence where it really counts.

2) SPECIALNESS

Concentrate on excelling in what you do well, what you would enjoy doing better, and new areas you would like to learn. Delegate, hire, share, partner with people who complement you or can fill the needs you have in areas you don’t enjoy or do not know that well. Don’t ever berate yourself for not being able to do it all. Appreciate your talents and excellence and flaunt them. They are you, yours and very special. Let others have their specialness too. The results will not only save time but enrich and free you.

3) ENERGY AND TIME

Know and honor your energy levels. Are you a morning person, do you have an afternoon slump? Your time will be best used if you pace the tasks you have to do based on this knowledge. Do the most challenging at your peak energy time. Build in your Joy Breaks (see last month’s newsletter) both as rewards for finishing a formidable task and to refresh yourself at low energy periods.

4) FOCUS IN THE MOMENT

Develop habits that help you focus on what you are doing in the moment. Do not allow yourself to think of what you have to do next while you are doing what you are doing. Put a “do not disturb” sign on your door and do not take phone calls. By putting everything else out of your mind while focusing on the task at hand, you will be using your time efficiently. If you get stuck on something, take a break. Move to something else, get the information you need to continue, change scenery, stretch, whatever it takes, but don’t sit there stuck.

Note: The suggestions I make are not one dimensional or simple. The questions I suggest you ask yourself have multiple answers and may be different on different days. I suggest you keep them all in a file or notebook and refer back to them regularly. You will gain a lot if you do.

Dorene Lehavi, Ph.D. is principal of Next Level Business and Professional Coaching. She coaches Professionals and Business Partners and teaches teleclasses on techniques to break through barriers to the next level. Dr. Lehavi offers a complimentary coaching session so you can experience how coaching can work for you. Visit http://www.CoachingforYourNextLevel.com

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Taking Time Out For Your Business

Sunday, December 7th, 2008

This article discusses the benefit of taking time out from the day to day tasks to actually work on your business. That metaphor of sharpening the saw, so you can be more efficient and effective at what you do. It is also important to take personal time so you can keep allow your imagination and creativity give you solutions that will

As a business owner, wouldn’t it be great if you could take time off whenever you needed to? Unfortunately, most small business owners worry that the business will fall apart if they’re not there to mind the store. Too often, they simply lack the appropriate resources for their business to keep going in their absence.

“Taking time off is as important as food,” says Charles Tuttle, leader of a group of entrepreneurs in North Carolina. Don’t worry if this statement raises a red flag for you. Although taking time off can be especially challenging and downright impossible sometimes, it’s important to know that you can do something to make it happen. It takes deliberate work on your part and here are a few simple ideas to get you started.

Find a way to make work fun. If your work is stressful, build in laughter to ease the stress and tension. Take frequent breaks to stretch or breathe if you’re sitting all day. Fun makes the passing of the day more enjoyable. Try it and watch your fabulous day unfold!

Take leisure time in smaller chunks. Look at opportunities to journal, meditate or read between appointments and activities. It may seem pointless but it goes a long way in developing your time management skills while caring for your need to unplug. Tap into a little bit of spare time in your productivity process. It’s a great way to balance the scales in your favor!

Plan personal time on your calendar. Your calendar reflects your commitment to priorities or what’s important in your life. Typically, if you set aside the time on your calendar, you will observe it. Plan, then act to ensure you’re creating plenty of break time and doing something important in your life. You’ll have a greater sense of integrity and accomplishment at the same time.

Consider taking time off on a weekday. Who said you can only have fun on the weekends? Take time off in the middle of the week or even at the beginning! You’ll be surprised at how imaginative you’ll become while creating your fun time.

Identify unconventional ways to take time off. Time off may mean snuggling on the couch in your favorite bathrobe. It may also mean turning the ringer on the phone off, turning the TV and radio off or going to a park to feed the ducks. Your assignment (should you choose to accept it) is to get away from your business – whatever that means for you. Most entrepreneurs are in business because it offers freedom and flexibility so learn to capitalize on it!

Acknowledge yourself weekly for your accomplishments. What you do is hard work so pat yourself on the back for it! Select rewards that nurture and care for you like a facial, manicure, massage or other spa treatment. Treat yourself to a movie or read a good book. The more you acknowledge your progress, the more you’ll enjoy the journey!

Reward yourself for completed projects. You deserve a reward for completing the big projects in your business. Accordingly, let the reward match the milestone you reach when you complete a project. Plan a day trip, weekend getaway, or seven-day cruise. Whatever you enjoy, these are moments to treasure. Establish your reward at the beginning of the project so you’ll have an incentive to motivate to move you forward.

These are a few simple ideas to help you practice taking time off from your business. Remember, whether you’re just starting, squeezing a few moments out here and there or in full throttle, taking time off is good not only for you. It’s great for your business, too!

Wendy Y. Bailey is a Personal and Business Coach with Brilliance In Action, a professional coaching business that helps women entrepreneurs, business owners and business professionals blend their personal and business lives successfully.

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Schedule Time for Interruptions

Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008

I like this article because it brings in the reality of our day. At least from the point of view of being unconscious… What do I mean by that? Well if we believe the reality of our day will be full of interruptions, then that is exactly what our day will be like. For me, I don’t like interruptions and don’t see them as being a part of my day, so I don’t have them. Any call that comes to me is for something that will help my business, help make my life easier (calls from non profits who want my old stuff, see, now I don’t have to go out and arrange for it!), or bring more abundance into my life. Those aren’t interruptions to me. Getting back to the scope of this article, if you are on a schedule and you get a call that puts you off of your schedule, you need to schedule more synchronization into your thoughts so instead of calls taking you out of your schedule, they make it easier to get done what you need to get done for the day!

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One of the most challenging situations people face when planning their day is how to stick to their schedule when they are constantly being interrupted. Just when your activities are organized, someone else’s emergency seems to get in the way. A client has a crisis, co-workers are in a jam, your boss is breathing down your neck, a friend calls, or any of the dozens of other interruptions you face on any given day.

The training tip for the month of March is extremely simple and equally powerful ~ Schedule Time for Interruption. That’s right, just as you would schedule a meeting with a customer or event with your boss, scheduling a specific time in your day for interruptions is a technique that our students nation wide continually tell us is one of the most powerful time management tips they have ever used.

How does this work? There are two components. First, as you are planning your day or week, allot a certain amount of time for the sole purpose of dealing with ‘other people’s emergencies.’ What normally happens when someone calls or comes running into your office with something that they need your immediate help with? You drop whatever you are in the middle of and rush to their attention. Not only is their issue something that may not be of any importance to you, but I recently heard that it takes most people around 20 minutes to return to the level of focus they had before being interrupted. Wonder where those ‘lost hours’ go each day? Rebounding from all your interruptions!

But we do not want to tell our clients, managers, and co-workers that we aren’t there for them… So now you can have the best of both. You have a specific time predetermined in your day that you are available for ‘scheduled interruptions.’ Instead to denying the requests of others, you can simply plan a time that you will be able to help them.

The second component is to stick to your schedule and communicate to others when you are available for them and when you are not. If this seems unrealistic or impractical, that is because you have never tried it! In the long run, your boss with be impressed that you are getting more done, you will have more quality time to prevent most of your clients’ crises, and your coworkers will learn that you are not at their beck and call.

A frequent question people ask is, “how much interruption time do I need to schedule and when should I schedule it?” That, of course, is going to vary from person to person, but as a general rule, I say as much as you need and when it is convenient for you. If you are the manager of a large group of people, you are going to have more people knocking on your door for help with their challenges than if you are just getting started with a company. Try out the amount you think will be adequate and you will quickly realize if it’s the right amount for your needs. Most people find that right before or after lunch makes sense, as that is an easy breaking time in the middle of the day.

Be Free!

Eric is president of Freedom Speakers & Trainers, www.deliverfreedom.com & an instructor & personal coach on memory, goals, attitude, time management & communication. He is a national know memory trainer that has worked with thousands of companies to enhance their memory. He is co-author of Winning The Name Game, an at home study course that teaches individuals how to remember the names of everyone they meet. www.winningthenamegame.com

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Organizing Your Day

Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008

This article gives some very good tips on how being organized is actually a time management skill and how your organization style can either save or cost you time. Time management is actually a lifestyle and we all really do what is most important to us in the moment or we wouldn’t be doing it. The question is… is it supporting you reaching your goals or not?

One of the hardest things for most individuals working from home is to stay focused. One of the best ways to stay focused is organization. In addition, being organized will help your time management skills. The two are very much intertwined.

Planning out your day is very important. What you will do in the morning, afternoon/and or evening, depending on what hours you work is paramount.

Have a trigger that starts your day. For example, my trigger is I finish my morning walk. Once this is done, I make a cup of Java and to the office I go.

Once in the office, the computer goes on, along with the auxiliary equipment. I check my tickle file, my calendar for the day, and pull my To-Do file.

While I am looking at these items my mail program is working to check e-mail. I delete the junk and deal with the additional mail by answering it, or placing it in a folder to deal with later.

At this point depending on your business you should start dealing with the items in your tickle file and To Do List.

For those of you just starting to run a lease purchase business you should be doing the following:

Check your goals Check your calendar and tickler file Check your e-mail and answer If you need to, go through your newspapers and your other lists for sellers to call. Otherwise, do your call backs and set up appointments if appropriate Start calling – 1/2 hour from each list Send out follow-up information Enter calls in database Read in your area, both on and off line Visit on-line groups that relate to business Check e-mail and respond Do your To Do list for next day Add appointments to calendar

For those of you in the lease purchase business be sure to check your Step By Step the First Month in your manual. Remember it outlines what you need to do the first month. The above list will vary for you, if you need to drive neighborhoods, meet with sellers and/or tenant buyers, put up flyers, or speak at meetings.

For those of you running a business other than lease purchasing you can do many of the same things as those running a lease purchase business. The basics are still the same, it is just you are working them in another area. If you would like learn how to set up and operate a successful home based business, check out our Complete Home Based Business Manual.

So, be sure you have a To Do List, a tickler file and a calendar. Have a trigger that starts your day. Put all you do on your calendar, and add in time for mishaps. If they don’t occur, you’ll have extra time. Split up your day to do your calling, letter writing, follow-up e-mails, mailings, meetings, and any additional things that occur for your particular business. Having a plan when to do what, and scheduling things when you feel more comfortable dealing with them, in effect, the best time for you to do them, will go a long way in making for a smoother work day.

And remember to utilize that wasted time. For instance, while mail is coming down or you are printing something take care of something else. For example if you are printing a large document, or e-mailing a long document, get your filing done, read a short article, put dates on your calendar. Make a quick phone call, check supplies, you get the idea. By managing your time better it will allow you to get it all done.

Have you ever wondered how some people work two jobs, do volunteer work, and take care of their home and children? I do, they know how to manage their time.

Copyright DeFiore Enterprises 2001

Interested in having your own successful, home based creative real estate investing business? Chuck and Sue have been helping folks start successful home based businesses for over 19 years, and we can help you too! To see how, visit http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com for the latest FREE tips and tricks, educational products and coaching in creative real estate investing and home based businesses. No time to visit the site? Subscribe to our “how to” Home Business Solutions Digest, it’s like having your own personal coach: mailto:subscribeHBS@homebusinesssolutions.com

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