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Where Does the Time Go

Published January 13th, 2009 in Time Management Tips. 0 Comments

Time management info

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. Most of us are not quite there yet, are we? Actually, over the past quarter-century, the time Americans spend at work has continued to rise. Our world seems to be speeding ahead faster than our comfort level and creating effects like stress, exhaustion and other health problems, to name a few. In business, 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 affects the productivity and efficiency of the organization.

What is the solution? Time management can help. Or rather, more effective use of time can help. When you think about it, we don’t really manage time, but rather manage ourselves and how we choose to spend each 24 hour day we are given. By having tools and support available, we can better manage ourselves and the choices we make.
Tips for Managing Use of Time…

1. TAKE A LOOK AT WHERE YOU SPENDING YOUR TIME. It may sound odd to suggest taking time in an already busy schedule to assess how you are using time. Try tracking your time for the next week and see just how you spend it. Becoming more aware of how you use time can help you identify opportunities for changes that may alleviate time pressures. Ask yourself: Is there a change I can make to spend time more wisely?

2. DISTINGUISH BETWEEN IMPORTANT AND URGENT. If you have 25 tasks for a given day, how many of them do you truly need to accomplish? An excellent tool for helping prioritize activities is Covey’s Time Management Matrix (Stephen R. Covey in his book “First Things First”). It is a simple and straightforward approach to determining importance vs. urgency when planning your activities. Most of the time, focusing on things that are important, rather than urgent, results in greater effectiveness. Ask yourself: Do I prioritize effectively?

3. PLAN YOUR WORK; WORK YOUR PLAN. There is a cost in time and energy associated with working in a reactionary mode without a plan. While there will always be a need for flexibility, having a plan will help you maintain focus and measure progress. It can also support you in handling interruptions that may take you off task. Ask yourself: Do I have a clear plan? Am I working my plan?

4. 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. Some ideas for zapping these time bandits are: schedule a time to return phone calls and email, get organized so that time is not wasted looking for tools and papers, use an Internet reminder service to keep track of important dates or events. Ask yourself: What will I do to eliminate time wasters?
“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” ~ Michael Althsuler

Coach Morgan is a Business & Personal Coach. She helps business leaders and their teams become more productive and profitable while maintaining focus and balance. She has led work groups in the United Kingdom and Australia. Coach Morgan is an adjunct professor at the University of Miami and a graduate of CoachU. She is the author of “A Year of Smooth Sailing – 12 Strategies for Charting Your Course to a Great Life” and “Smooth Sailing Success.”

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How To Reorganize Your Time To Accommodate A Home-Based Business

Published September 25th, 2007 in Business Time Management. 0 Comments

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This time management article is similar to the previous article because it talks about planning as the main ingredient to time management. Focus on those tasks that are most important to you during the day, and leave the ones that don’t take you to your goals for the day. Again, the next good article would be a follow up with long term planning as a long term time management strategy and lifestyle.

Almost everyone needs or wants more money coming in, and with this desire most would like to start some sort of extra income-producing project. The trouble is, not many of these people seem able to fit “a second job” into their time schedules.

It’s true that most people are busy, but extra time for some sort of home-based extra income-producing project can almost always be found. It may mean giving up or changing a few of your favorite pastimes – such as having a couple of beers with the guys or watching TV – but if you score big with your extra income project, you will have all the time you want for doing whatever you want to do.

The first thing to do is to sit down with pencil and paper and list your daily schedule. What time do you wake up? Then step-by-step, list everything you do each day. Most people will find that they have about three hours each day that can be utilized in a more constructive or efficient manner. As we’ve noted above, you may have to give up the time you waste in your local pub or a few television programs you watch, but it will be worth it in the long run.

Efficient time management boils down to planning what you’re going to do, and then doing it without backtracking. Start by making a list of the things you want to do tomorrow, each evening before you go to bed. Schedule your trips to the store or wherever to coincide with the other things you have to do, and with your trips to or from work. Organize your trips to take care of as many things as possible while you’re out of the house. Take stock of the time you spend standing around shooting the breeze – especially the time you spend on the telephone – and eliminate all that isn’t necessary.

Whatever chores you have to do at home, set aside a specific time to do them, and a specific amount of time to devote to them. For instance, just one hour a day devoted to yard work would probably make your property the envy of all your neighbors. Don’t try to do a week’s work in one big flurry. Whether it’s painting your house, fixing leaky faucets, or mowing your lawn and trimming your shrubs, do a part of it, or one particular job each day, and you’ll be amazed at your progress.

Take care of all your mail the day you receive it. Don’t let those bills and letters pile up on you. If you’re unable to pay a bill immediately, file it in a special place that’s visible, and note on the envelope the date you intend to pay it. Answer your letters the same day you get them.

The important thing is to think of time as your most valuable asset, because it is. So organize! Decide what you have to do, and what you want to do. From there, it’s just a matter of arranging priorities.

Once you start listing and planning what you want to do, and then carry out your plans, you’ll find plenty of “extra time” for handling virtually any kind of home-based income-producing project. People in general may not like routines or schedules, but without some sort of plan as to what is supposed to be done, the world would be mired in mass confusion.

Laws, ordinances and regulations are for the purpose of guiding people. We live according to an accepted plan or way of life, and the better we can organize ourselves, the more productive and happy we become.

The secret of all financially successful people is simply that they are organized and do not waste time. Think about it. Review your own activities, and then see if you can’t find a couple of extra hours in each day for more constructive accomplishments.

When you begin planning, and then when you really become involved in an extra in come-producing endeavor, you should work it exactly as you have organized your regular day-to-day activities – on a time-efficient basis. Do what has to be done immediately. Don’t try to get done in an hour something that’s realistically going to take a week. Plan out on paper what you have to do – what you want to do – and when you are going to do it. Then get right on each project without procrastination.

Finally, and above all else, when you’re organizing your time and your business, be sure to set aside some time for relaxation. Be sure to schedule time when you and your spouse can be together. You must not involve yourself in anything to an extent that you exclude other people – particularly your loved ones – from your life.

Taking stock of the time you waste each day, and from there, reorganizing your activities is what it’s all about. It’s a matter of becoming more efficient in the use of your time. It’s really easy to do, and you will not only accomplish a lot more, you will also find greater fulfillment in your life.

Copyright © Kevin Purfield

Kevin Purfield owns the Wealth System Online Resource Directory where you can find everything you need to start,run and grow a home based internet business at: http://www.wealthsystemonline.com/pluginprofits.htm

kpurfield@wealthsystemonline.com


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How To Make Time For Your Home Business

Published September 25th, 2007 in Business Time Management. 0 Comments

Time management info

This time management article comes from the place of using your time more efficiently by planning out your day first. It gives some very straight forward ideas and a good followup article to this one would be to mention tools and strategies that would help with the planning of the day. And to also go into the benefits of planning out the week and the month.
Almost everyone needs or wants more money coming in, and with this desire most would like to start some sort of extra income-producing project. The trouble is, not many of these people seem able to fit “a second job” into their time schedules.

It’s true that most people are busy, but extra time for some sort of home-based extra income-producing project can almost always be found. It may mean giving up or changing a few of your favorite pastimes – such as having a couple of beers with the guys or watching TV – but if you score big with your extra income project, you will have all the time you want for doing whatever you want to do.

The first thing to do is to sit down with pencil and paper and list your daily schedule. What time do you wake up? Then step-by-step, list everything you do each day. Most people will find that they have about three hours each day that can be utilized in a more constructive or efficient manner. As we’ve noted above, you may have to give up the time you waste in your local pub or a few television programs you watch, but it will be worth it in the long run.

Efficient time management boils down to planning what you’re going to do, and then doing it without backtracking. Start by making a list of the things you want to do tomorrow, each evening before you go to bed. Schedule your trips to the store or wherever to coincide with the other things you have to do, and with your trips to or from work. Organize your trips to take care of as many things as possible while you’re out of the house. Take stock of the time you spend standing around shooting the breeze – especially the time you spend on the telephone – and eliminate all that isn’t necessary.

Whatever chores you have to do at home, set aside a specific time to do them, and a specific amount of time to devote to them. For instance, just one hour a day devoted to yard work would probably make your property the envy of all your neighbors. Don’t try to do a week’s work in one big flurry. Whether it’s painting your house, fixing leaky faucets, or mowing your lawn and trimming your shrubs, do a part of it, or one particular job each day, and you’ll be amazed at your progress.

Take care of all your mail the day you receive it. Don’t let those bills and letters pile up on you. If you’re unable to pay a bill immediately, file it in a special place that’s visible, and note on the envelope the date you intend to pay it. Answer your letters the same day you get them.

The important thing is to think of time as your most valuable asset, because it is. So organize! Decide what you have to do, and what you want to do. From there, it’s just a matter of arranging priorities.

Once you start listing and planning what you want to do, and then carry out your plans, you’ll find plenty of “extra time” for handling virtually any kind of home-based income-producing project. People in general may not like routines or schedules, but without some sort of plan as to what is supposed to be done, the world would be mired in mass confusion

Laws, ordinances and regulations are for the purpose of guiding people. We live according to an accepted plan or way of life, and the better we can organize ourselves, the more productive and happy we become.

The secret of all financially successful people is simply that they are organized and do not waste time. Think about it. Review your own activities, and then see if you can’t find a couple of extra hours in each day for more constructive accomplishments.

When you begin planning, and then when you really become involved in an extra in come-producing endeavor, you should work it exactly as you have organized your regular day-to-day activities – on a time-efficient basis. Do what has to be done immediately. Don’t try to get done in an hour something that’s realistically going to take a week. Plan out on paper what you have to do – what you want to do – and when you are going to do it. Then get right on each project without procrastination.

Finally, and above all else, when you’re organizing your time and your business, be sure to set aside some time for relaxation. Be sure to schedule time when you and your spouse can be together. You must not involve yourself in anything to an extent that you exclude other people – particularly your loved ones – from your life.

Taking stock of the time you waste each day, and from there, reorganizing your activities is what it’s all about. It’s a matter of becoming more efficient in the use of your time. It’s really easy to do, and you will not only accomplish a lot more, you will also find greater fulfillment in your life.

__________________________________________________________

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[tags]home business, time management, planning[/tags]


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