Posts Tagged ‘productivity’

3 Essential Time Management Tools

Thursday, March 29th, 2012

Time management can be easy or difficult to do.  One of the thins that makes our time easier to manage outside of managing our priorities is the use of time management tools.  Sometimes we get lost in certain tasks and don’t really realize how much time we are spending in the things that we do.  This article discusses some of the time management tools that can help us to reach our goals.

One thing that the New Year brings on is the desire to get organized, or reorganized, as the case may be. Managing your business depends a great deal on time management. If you are not managing your time efficiently you will tend to have lack of focus, scattered energy, projects never get completed, lack of follow-through, and not honoring commitments. Highly successful entrepreneurs have tools to organize their time, their activities, and their thoughts.

Here’s my short list of valuable tools to help you get organized and have more efficient time management.

1) Managing your appointments: TimeTrade.com & Google Calendar
The first thing you need to organize your time around is appointments. Before I started using TimeTrade, I was going back and forth with emails 3 to 6 times trying to find a time that worked for both parties. It was a colossal waste of time. For a mere $56 a year you can save an enormous amount of time and frustration and you will also get a handy reminder for all your appointments. It works in conjunction with several online calendars, including Google Calendar.

Google Calendar also gives you a reminder when an appointment is coming up. You can set how long before the appointment you want to be reminded and choose between email or a pop-up (which won’t go away until you click on it).

2) Managing your activities: PlannerPads.com
When I started my business, there weren’t any type of planners that suited me, so I made my own. It was organized via monthly, weekly, and daily. But I had to print a new one out every year and that got rather tedious. The closest planner I have found that is a viable substitute was Planner Pad. This planner is organized so you can sort your to do list by categories, plan out your activities for the week, and set your appointment dates—all in one view.

This is a great way to not only plan out your activities in a coherent manner, but also organize your thoughts, ideas, and reminders. It’s harder for things to slip through the cracks because you are planning more broadly and you can see the big picture at a glance.

3) Managing your business mindset: ESC 30-Day Plan
One of the best tools I discovered in my coach’s training and that I teach to my clients is called a 30-Day-Plan. The idea behind it is that you plan out what you need to accomplish in the next 30 days and then get clear on the energy around those activities necessary to complete the plan.

For example, you would set your 30-day goal such as…

  • How many clients would you need for one month?
  • How many products would you need to sell for one month?
  • How many sales conversations would you need to have?
  • How much networking would you need to do?

Once you are clear about these kinds of specifics, you chunk it down into weekly and daily actions. Then you take a look at your own energy around those goals and what else may get in the way of achieving them, including any beliefs you may have about not getting them. Clients find that planning out 30 days at a time is less overwhelming and an easy way to get more organized. And using the 30-Day-Plan’s inner and outer approach is a more efficient way of management.

These 3 tools will absolutely help you become more organized and will use your time more efficiently. Better time management and more organization equals more productivity. And, more productivity equals more profit.

Jeannette Koczela is a spiritual life business coach who helps Solopreneurs manage their business energy. If you would like to start the New Year with tools that can easily help you with better organization and time management, please contact her for a strategy session at http://empoweredspiritcoaching.com/strategy-session.html

Enhanced by Zemanta

Incoming time management related search terms:

Productivity And Time Management Can Increase Your Internet Marketing Bottom Line

Tuesday, March 27th, 2012

Time management for Internet businesses is very important because a business owner

Summary of productivity models (Saari 2006b)
Summary of productivity models (Saari 2006b) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

can get very overwhelmed with the tasks of managing their online presence.  It is necessary to stay focused on the activities that bring you money and outsource the rest.  This article is about some of the things that can cause you a reduction in your efficiency and productivity.

Is productivity something you give much thought to in your business? What about time management? These are two areas that can make or break your business, yet many new online entrepreneurs do not give them a thought until it’s too late and the business is struggling. You need to think about the activities and tasks that are necessary and relevant to moving your business forward, the amount of time you spend learning versus actually taking action, and the more long-range plans that can take your business to the next level as quickly as possible.

During my first year online I was not very productive. I wasted lots of time attempting to find the information I would need in order to build a business. Once I had isolated the specific activities I needed to engage in each day I became more productive than ever. Within a short period of time I became much faster at what I was doing and my skills also improved. I could accomplish more in a day than I used to do in a week or more. This led me to start sharing my techniques and strategies with others. Only engage in activities that will move your business forward and you will stay on track.

My first year was also consumed with learning new things. I felt like I was working eight to ten hours each day, but actually I was reading, listening to audios, and attending live teleseminars and webinars for most of that time. Once I cut that down to learning only two hours each day my productivity really increased dramatically. This business is like any other; once you have learned enough to be able to do it yourself you must jump in and start taking action.

My plans when I came online were to be able to replace my income from my previous offline jobs. I just didn’t give much thought to what would happen after that because I constantly worried about earning enough money to pay my bills each month. Once that became mush easier I was able to think ahead. I encourage you to do this from the very beginning so that you have more of a direction in your life and business. I now plan each quarter so that my business moves along at a steady clip.

You can see that productivity and time management are areas where you can improve if you just give this some thought and take action on a regular basis.

Remember that the reason to start an Internet business is to give you the time and money to live the life you choose. Download a free teleseminar on building your online business and a Special Report on 21 tips to make huge profits from a tiny list by visiting Build Your List to learn how to make huge profits with an online business through relationship marketing.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Incoming time management related search terms:

Your Time Management System – Make Sure It’s Working for Your Business

Friday, October 1st, 2010

It’s one thing to study up on time management and another to finally get around to implementing a good time management system.  It is another yet to be sure that the system you have spent time implementing is something that is worth while and is actually saving you time and making you more efficient….  So how do you know if your time management system is working?  Well this post will discuss that more in detail.


Here are some videos on time management systems:

By Referral Only Time Management Systems Generates Success

www.byreferralonly.com Training for lenders. Juanita shares her “Time Management” strategy at the By Referral Only Main Event and now has time to implement strategies and has time for her granddaughter.


Time Management and Systems for Realtors and Lenders with By Referral Only

www.byreferralonly.com Real estate training for Realtors. Joe Stumpf’s By Referral Only Time Management Systems helped organize Frank’s business and life. Learn how YOU can be getting bankable results just like this.


SAQ #1: Is it my time management system, or theirs?

Itook a moment out of my vacation to put together 10 FAQ’s and 10 SAQ’s (Should Ask Questions) on time management. This is the most recent thinking designed for anyone who is ever interested in upgrading their time management systems. See mytimedesig…


SAQ #2: What is a time management system?

Itook a moment out of my vacation to put together 10 FAQ’s and 10 SAQ’s (Should Ask Questions) on time management. This is the most recent thinking designed for anyone who is ever interested in upgrading their time management systems. See mytimedesig…


Here is an article on time management systems:

“Time management is intended to save time, not waste time.”

Is your time management system failing?

Does it seem to take more effort than it is worth?

Does it regularly breakdown?

If your system is failing, then it’s time to re-evaluate.

First we need to assess why it’s not working:

Is your time management system is too complex? – This is actually the most common problem that causes systems to fail. Is it cumbersome or time-consuming? Do you use multiple tools or require a plan just to plan? If it takes more time to organize than it does to do the work then it is too complex.

Is it redundant? – Do you have multiple lists? Do you use more than one calendar? Are you duplicating work? Use one central planning tool, list and calendar.

Is it portable? – Where do you keep your time management system? Can you take it with you and have access to it at all times? You need to be able to capture ideas and retrieve information in real-time or your system fails.

Does it match your personality or work patterns? – If you are tech savvy, then en electronic organizing system is most efficient. If you are more comfortable with traditional pen and paper then carry your notebook and don’t force yourself to struggle with a PDA. The best time management system is the one that works for you!

Tips to keep in mind:

  • The simpler the better – Choose the simplest, most direct method to get the job done.
  • Keep it centralized – Whatever your system, keep it in one place.
  • Make it accessible – Make sure that you can get to your information and capture thoughts and tasks easily in real-time.
  • Choose your tools carefully – Select the tools that accomplish what you need without additional bells and whistles that will distract you.
  • You are the most important consideration – Your system must suit you, your personality, your work style and your way of thinking or processing information.

An effective time management system should save you time and effort. It should help you make the most efficient use of your time. It should not be a struggle to use. It should feel comfortable. Maybe not initially, but after using it for a bit, if it’s still uncomfortable – re-assess, tweak it or ditch it and start over.

Royale Scuderi is a personal productivity expert and author. She blogs about productivity tips, tools and strategies at http://www.personalproductivity101.com. Her mission is to Help you to work smarter and live better! You too can have business success and life satisfaction through increased efficiency, organization, motivation and awareness.

Visit http://www.personalproductivity101.com to sign up to receive free productivity tips via email.
Copyright © 2010 Royale Scuderi All Rights Reserved

Here are some more blog posts about time management systems:

The Top Four Reasons Most Time Management Systems Fail to Improve

Th? Top Four Reasons M??t Time Management Systems Fail t? Improve Productivity. I really h?t? t? b? th? author ?f a negative type article, b?t ?ft?r having read numerous books ?n th? subject ?n? reviewed lots ?f programs, …

Publish Date: 10/01/2010



Time Management Strategy in Personal Growth Plan: Time Management

Time Management Systems, Tools, Programs, Skills – Time Utilization. Sep 20, 2009 Jerry Lopper. Time Management Strategy – Satendra Mhatr. For personal growth, learn to overcome common time utilization problems and learn effective time …

Publish Date: 09/20/2009



5 Reasons Most Time Management Systems Fail (and How You Can Move

Time management systems often focus on scheduling and organizing tasks into charts, folders and lists. But you take control over time when you ask, “Why is this item on my To Do List?” and, “Do I really need to do this?” …

Publish Date: 09/05/2010



Personalized Time Management Systems For Daily Achievement

Want to find out more about the value of business coaching? Visit our site business coach site. Let us know what you think. Personalized Time Management Systems For Daily Achievement is a post from: homebusinessatwork.com.

Publish Date: 08/26/2010

Incoming time management related search terms:

Task Management Skills Tip – Check Your Floor!

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

Task management and time management are for the most part 2 sides of the same coin.  If you have your tasks managed properly, you have more time on your hands.  You will actually be able to be more efficient with your time when you have your tasks prioritized and managed.  There is a growing trend towards this type of tiem management and this article is no different.  Read on for more on growing your task management skills.


Picture your house as it is today. Like most homes, it has walls, doors, windows, a roof, a few floors and ceilings, and hopefully a good foundation.

I always tell people that being organized is the foundation for being more productive. I believe it’s true because without being able to trust your systems like you trust your home’s foundation, your productivity will crumble.
Your foundation, or trusted systems, would include one place to find all your contacts, one calendar, an organized file system for reference files, an organized file system for electronic files, etc. There would be no clutter and you would know where to find things when you need them. You would be on solid ground and not a shaky foundation.
But what about your to do list or task list? Should that be a trusted system? You bet.

So what part of the house is your Task list?

I would say it’s the floor.

The floor in your home helps you get from here to there with ease… from room to room. You can navigate your house with a solid floor like you can navigate your work day with a good solid task list.

What if your floor wasn’t solid though? What if it had holes in it? Big, dangerous ones? It would be hard to get from the kitchen to the living room if you had to step around big holes.

Today, if you went from room to room, you wouldn’t have to look down to see where you were going. You would just walk. If your floor had holes, you would HAVE to look where you were so you could see the holes and avoid them. Your progress is much slower since you have to navigate around the holes.

An incomplete task list is like a floor with lots of holes. If your tasks are on pads of paper and post-it notes… plus some on the computer, some in e-mail and some in your head… plus you use the papers and files around you as reminders of what to do each day, then you’re walking a floor with lots of holes.

You HAVE to keep looking around your desk or your office to see what you want to do next. You’re checking the pads of paper… you’re checking what’s on your desk… you’re looking at the post-it notes that adorn your computer monitor… these are holes! Your task list isn’t complete and it’s not a trusted system. It doesn’t hold everything that you need to do, including the target dates for taking action.

Don’t let this happen to you! I want you to be able to get from here to there, from day to day, without having to look down or anywhere else but ONE Task list. Repair your floor…. Get your Task list together so that it includes everything you need to do, have to do, want to do and dream of doing all in ONE place.

Leslie Shreve is a Productivity expert and CEO of Focus Consulting, LLC, a consulting and training firm specializing in individual productivity and information organization. To learn more about Leslie or sign up for her ezine Get in Focus, visit http://www.productiveday.com.

Copyright 2009, Focus Consulting, LLC. All rights reserved.


More on Task Management

The Practice of Time Management Gets You and Your Business to the Top!

An important step in time management will be Goal Setting. Time Managers are goal driven. They set goals and focus on reaching those goals by planning meticulously each task in a way to optimize time and performance. …

Publish Date: 05/08/2010

Incoming time management related search terms:

Time Management Activity – Improving Your Employees Productivity

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

Improving the productivity of your employees isn’t always an easy thing to do if you don’t have the right tools or system.  One way to do this is to incorporate time management activities into their daily routine.  These activities can be monitored to see how much they are adding to the productivity of the employee or not.  In the following article, the author shares 2 time management activities that can be used with employees.  Read on for more.


One of the best ways to teach your office staff on how function their job properly and balance many quantities of work is using a time management activity. It can also bring the team together such as planning a group activity that will raise the team’s morale.

The reason is twofold, with one part of the activity will serve to teach your workers good tips for managing their work while the other part will tell people on how to work together while getting their work done. This activity can be just about anything that your employees need in order to learn to help each other as a team and learn to use their time more effectively.

Some offices report giving short projects that require planning, timing and intricate work patterns. Groups of employees are given such short projects to complete in a short amount of time. Therefore, time management skills has to come into play as the team must estimate time requirements, divide responsibilities, establish priorities and manage deadlines.

There is an activity that always works

Another tip for your staff is to plan a difficult assignment and rewards them with a prize or some time off from work. The assignment can not be something that can be done within a restricted timeframe – the objective is to help your staff establish their time management techniques through this activity over a period of several days. Allow your employees to establish deadlines and priorities themselves, and teach them only when they really needed it.

This is to be sure that your workers create items in their offices lives that will aid them in their time management skills that will change over time. Give them small jobs to do along with their work projects that will assist them in combining time management tricks and time management activities both in their office and in their daily lives. An employee that uses good time management ideas at home also uses it in the office, too.

There are several tips that you can use. One of the effective ways to find tips for an activity is to look on websites relating to time management or check out a book from your local library. Managing your time is critical and having workers that recognize the importance of time is vital to the success of your business. Another idea for such an activity is to source out short work-related projects that are non-critical but important and allow your team to learn through them.

Enhancing your business productivity is simply very easy in using various time management activity.

Eddy K Elgin is the webmaster of the Quick Guide To Time Management Secrets. Drop by at Simple Ways To Improve Your Employees Productivity for more details.


More on Time Management Activity

Moving Content from Your Power Living Life List into Your Activity

Your Time Management Activity Funnel works very closely with your Life List. In a sentence, your Activity Funnel, AF starts the sorting process, this is where you start to sort out what is in your Life List, this is where you start to …

Publish Date: 04/06/2010

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Incoming time management related search terms:

Time Management Techniques in Business – Efficiency Tools

Friday, March 26th, 2010

This article discusses good techniques to use in your business to manage your time.  Time is the one thing that you can’t make more of…. kind of like land.  So it is all about taking what you do have and becoming much more efficient with it.  It is really about being honest with where you spend your time as well.  24 hours is a lot to be able to get things done.  If we are focused on our goals, then the rest naturally falls into place.  In any case, the same works for business as well.  The time management techniques in business are also really about being efficient with your time.  What is your time worth?  Anything that you do that doesn’t make at least what you can earn, should be farmed out.  In any case, read on for more about this topic.


Why is Time Management Important? Why should we recognize that time is a gift? Because the most major difference between the prosperous and the poor is the valuing of time. When driving through a ghetto one might see healthy men and women sitting outside on the steps simply talking for hours. There would be garbage strewn about and disorder would be rampant. They’ve chosen to invest their time talking while the prosperous are hard at work.

A major difference exists between the poor, the pauper and the prosperous. That difference is the management of time. You must be persuaded concerning the value of time if you intend on changing your financial worth. 24 hours each day are given to the poor. And 24 hours each day are given to the rich. Both are given the same gift from God…24 hours a day. Each and every person has received the same amount of time. The outcome relies on how you choose to invest your time.

Here is your time management lesson plan:

  • You will find that anything significant in your life will require the investment of time.
  • It’s possible to increase the mistakes in your life when hurrying too much.
  • Investing time in preparation will abundantly multiple your reward.
  • Every time you make an appointment with someone your attitude toward time is revealed. Not only does precision communicate your respect for time but punctuality extends the message that time matters to you.
  • It is your responsibility to train those around you to respect your time. You do so by respecting their own time as well.
  • It will always require the investment of time to execute a successful negotiation. Those who overcome the temptation to hurry…always control the transaction.

Now let’s go over a few time management techniques in business.

  1. It is of the utmost importance to keep a list of your goals in front of you at all time. What you see will determine what you pursue.
  2. It is important to establish a time limit for each appointment or goal. Instead of saying “I will see you around 2:00?, set the appointment for 2:00 – 2:20. Precision electrifies any environment.
  3. Be in constant forward motion toward your next appointment or goal.
  4. Be sure to mark those who consistently disrespect your time. When someone does not respect your time they will not respect your wisdom either.

Why is time management important?…When you recognize that time truly is a gift you will learn to manage it wisely. Your productivity will multiple, your financial worth will increase and every moment of your relationships will be more valuable.

For more free techniques in business visit www.MlmDownlineSecrets.com

What is Time Management? Discover our innovative Time Management Techniques and how to get more done in less time while increasing your business profits.


More on Time Management Techniques in Business articles:

Time Management for Small Business Owners | Blair Stover

It’s no secret that time and money are important in business. Ironically, many small business owners do notat know how to spend their time wisely. This results.

Publish Date: 03/26/2010 10:54

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Incoming time management related search terms:

How to Save 2 Hours Every Day using Pareto’s 80-20 Law

Thursday, September 27th, 2007

This is an interesting aspect to time management and how to implement it into your life, and not just in business. The important key here that I feel was missed out on is that in order to implement it, you really have to be aware of where your time is being spent, and how effective is each task you perform.

Vilfredo Pareto worked as an economist in 19th Century
Italy. We can still use his theories in today’s 21st
Century Internet economy !

His 80-20 law applies to many things, including Time
Management. For example, his law says that 20% of your
customers provide 80% of your revenue. It says 20% of your
time spent on a project gets it 80% towards completion.
80%
of people working in the computer business only do about
20% of the work, and the other 80% is done by the 20% star
workers !

So how does this law apply to time management ? How can
you use it to save 2 hours every day ?

Think about any jobs you must do. Think about any projects
you’re working on or about to start. We all want to do the
best possible job. But how about this ? How would you
like to get three jobs done in the same time as one ? How
would you like to finish one job a lot quicker, and spend
the extra time with friends or family ?

Pareto’s law can help you do exactly that !

First of all look at the ‘big picture’ of your project.
What are you trying to achieve and why ? What main
benefits do you want ? Make a simple schedule of work.
Get started and work as quickly as possible. It could be a
report on a new market. It could be a new product
specification. Maybe you’ve got to write a simple piece of
software ?

When you’ve done all you can, stop and take a look. It’s
good isn’t it ? Now leave it there. Yes, I said leave it
there. You’ve achieved about 80% of your target. Yet
you’ve only spent about 20% of the time you’d eventually
give to that piece of work ! What would you normally do ?
More research. Try to add in more bits. Endlessly fine-
tune it. Perhaps you’d start again because you decide it’s
no good ?

Leave it at 80% and start with something else productive.
Follow the same procedure with the next task, and then the
next task.

If you use Pareto’s law your productivity will go through
the roof ! Your results will amaze your colleagues … and
yourself ! Suddenly people will start saying, “How does he
get so much done ? How does she work so efficiently ? I
don’t understand how he’s getting these great results, when
I saw him in the park playing with his children
yesterday!”

Pareto’s law works. Start using it today, and see your
productivity soar !

===========================================================

Do you want to join the world’s most successful people ?
They’re ALL Time Management Experts. Learn classic secrets
of Time Management with our mini-series of tips. Click
==> http://www.secretsoftimemanagement.com/parart or email
==> mailto:timetips@digilectual.com?subject=subscribe

** Attention eZine editors / Site owners **
Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your
ezine or on your site so long as you leave all links in
place, do not modify the content and include our resource
box as listed above.

If you need additional articles, check out our article
archive for fresh, new content you can use on your website
or in your eZine – FREE ! At the site, you can also
register to be notified whenever a new article is added.

http://www.secretsoftimemanagement.com/articles.aspx

If you do use the material please send us a note so we can
take a look.. mailto:marketing@digilectual.com

Neil Stelling is Marketing Manager of DigiLectual Inc. He has an MBA and B.Sc computing qualifications

[tags]pareto law, productivity, time management[/tags]

Incoming time management related search terms: