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Winning the Time Management Game – Distinguishing Between Projects and Chores

Published August 2nd, 2010 in Time Management. 0 Comments

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Time management is realy another name for task management.  The better you can play the game of task management, the better you can win at getting your time back.  There are many strategies and tactics that a person, business owner, student or employee can use to get the most effectiveness out of their time.  When it all comes down to it, it’s about having a clear plan and the focus to implement that plan.  When that happens, all of the other distractions that suck up your time fall by the wayside.

Each and every day, all of us continually search for the extra edge to win the time management game.

One of the most overlooked areas in implementing a time management system is the importance of differentiating between “chores” and “projects”. In the end, our time management strategies should be centered upon the completion of projects.

However, more often than not, we end up repeatedly doing the same chores in an effort to feel more productive.

Chores Versus Projects

If you are concerned with the importance effective use of your time, you must learn to differentiate between chores and projects.

A chore, as I define the term, is an item that, while needing to be done, does not accomplish a long term goal. A chore is akin to a ritual that must be completed week to week. A, chore, if left undone, can be delayed until another day. Mowing the yard, washing clothes, and buying groceries are all examples of chores.

Projects are items that usually involve multiple steps and take longer to complete than chores. Projects usually need to be completed once and provide a significant long term advantage when completed. Usually completion of one step is necessary before we can move to the next step. Painting the house, remodeling the kitchen or renovating a rental property are all examples of projects.

Completing Chores Is Not The Key To Long Term Success

We all want to feel productive.

With respect to widely managing our time, many times we sacrifice the long term satisfaction of completing a project for the short term gain of doing a chore.

However, when we understand the importance of managing our time over the long term, we realize that we really are not accomplishing anything at all. Over the course of a month, we will have exactly the same number of items to complete. Grass grows, clothes get dirty and food is eaten.

These tasks must be repeated each week.

While it is very satisfying to get things done, unless it makes a real long term improvement to our life, it does us no good.

Completing Projects Is The Key To Winning The Time Management Game

Unlike performing a chore, when you complete a project you must complete each step once and your efforts are rewarded continuously over a long period of time. When you remodel the kitchen, you do it once and enjoy the benefits and convenience of a modern kitchen everyday thereafter for a long period of time.

The problem with completing a project is that it usually cannot be done quickly and involves multiple steps. The emotional payoff is delayed until all of the steps are completed. Many people are unable to implement a time management strategy that spans multiple weeks or even multiple days.

Their time management system focuses on what needs to be done today. As a result, they never get around to permanently accomplishing the longer term projects.

A Time Management Strategy For Completing Projects

In the end, it is easy to develop a time management strategy to win the time management game. Simply break projects down into smaller steps. Each step can then be completed in a short period of time and over a period of days or weeks.

If you need to remodel the house, the project can be broken down into several component parts. Each of these parts can be performed (usually once) over a period of time.

We get the daily or weekly emotional payoff of completing a goal along while reaping the long term, permanent, benefits of completing an important project.

Think Long Term To Win The Time Management Game

The key to developing a winning time management strategy is to implement a time management system that emphasizes the long term completion of important projects over the short term emotional payoff of busy work.

By breaking important projects down into smaller steps, you can reap the short term emotional payoff of getting things done along with the long term benefits associated with completion of an important project.

Douglas Manning writes articles to teach people to win the time management game. Get more time management training at SuccessHound.com


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5 Easy Time Management “Hacks” | Steve Scott Site

“Lack of time” is usually a good way to let yourself procrastinate. Here are a few easy ways that you can add a bit more time to your day. Think of these tips as time management hacks: … The amount of time people waste playing video games amazes me. Some of my friends literally stay up all night long playing games on their Xbox. Supposedly some of the games for younger kids are educational, but there’s really no point to most other games, especially if they’re keeping …

Publish Date: 07/27/2010


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What Executive Time Management Seminars Offer but Can They Change Your Life

Published July 15th, 2010 in Task Management. 0 Comments

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Time management seminars are usually available to different sections of the population and workforce.  For instance, there are time management seminars for nurses, students and even executives.  Each of these teach time management philosophies based upon the students in the class.  This article focuses on Time management seminars for executives and how they an maneuver through the whole field of time management.  Read on for more.

Executive time management is one of the most crucial parts of leadership training programs in all companies. People who fail to see that Time is money needs to learn a little more about how managing their time well could make their lives a whole lot better.

Acquiring the skill in handling time can actually transform your life, not only at work but also outside of it. This is why when given the chance, you must grab the opportunity of attending seminars like this.

Time management seminars are often conducted by experts for executives and other corporate audience who wish to master the skill. If you can’t seem to find one in your area or your company is not offering one anytime soon, you can even log onto the internet and find websites where you can attend some webinars. These are virtual seminars on time management which you can access online either for free or for a fee.

Basically, executive time management seminars offer the following:

• Evaluation of how you spend your time – The first thing that these seminars would do is to help you analyze how you spend your time. What are its positive and negative aspects? In these seminars, you will get to realize whether you are trying to do too little in too much time or vice versa.

• Retrospection – Yes, during these seminars, you would also be given the chance to reflect on your life and its important elements. Your job, your family, your plans, hobbies, and the likes. Through the training, you will get a clearer perspective of what you truly want in life and where you are heading at the moment.

• Setting your priorities – Once you get to see things more clearly, the seminars will also help you prioritize your everyday tasks as well as your long-term goals. You will be asked to make a list of your priorities and rank them according to their level of importance. Would you really want to remain glued to the tube three hours every night? Or would you rather revise your sleep habits and start getting up a little earlier in the morning to get more things done?

• Positive goal setting-Time management seminars for executives and other members of the corporate world will also help you define both your short and long-term goals and motivate you to move towards them. You will be taught to start with the smaller goals, providing you with easy guidelines that can be easily followed. These seminars will introduce different ways on how you can handle your everyday routines in a productive manner. The concept they introduce is not only theoretical but is very applicable in real life too. If you start practicing them even after the seminar, you will notice that it can actually become your way of living.

These are just some of the important elements that executive time management seminars can offer you. Learning about them can surely make a huge difference in the way you live-both in the corporate world and outside of it.

By simply clicking on the link below, I will give you my best reports totally for free on effective time management tips and secrets.

http://TimeManagementTutor.com


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Time Management Seminar. Greater Southern Dutchess Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Council Presents – Time Management Seminar. How many of you ever felt busy but not productive? How many of you feel that the demands on your time …

Publish Date: 02/22/2010


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Planning Your Free Time Management Tools

Published July 8th, 2010 in Time Management Tools. 0 Comments

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There are a lot of time management tools that can be used to really make someone more efficient with their time.  Some of these tools are free and some of them are paid, or cost money.  This article discusses some of the free time management tools that are out there and how to set them up to be effective for you.  Read on for more as you hear about Google calendar, Joe’s Goal Tracker and more.

You’re about to learn to take control of your time and really get things done. Some people would fuss around things undone because they don’t have enough time to do so. But, do they really have not enough time? Or they just don’t know how to utilize their own schedule. This is where time management butt in in order to get things done by making most out of your time.

Time management is the issue here. It is the art of planning, organizing, prioritizing, and controlling one’s time for the purpose of utilizing more effective work and productivity. Time management is not just for any particular person or for any particular position. Time management is crucial for everyone- for students, professionals and non-professionals, and for homemakers.

The very key to a successful time management is planning. You must have the commitment to change, as well as, the commitment to take that into action. Figure out exactly what you are doing, what needs to be done, and what should not be done in an orderly manner.

Before anything else, time management involves setting your goals and implement those goals into organized actions. You have to concentrate on the results rather than the feeling of being busy. Condition yourself and your environment.

As a rule of thumb, to effectively utilize what you are planning to do you should take note that your outcomes are far greater than your causes. This applies on the 80:20 Principle. the 20 percent input would result into a 4-folded output!

Just be creative in finding and introducing different ways to do things. Find efforts, to see and assess what activities are most important, which activities are urgent,and which are not. One of the best example is managing emails and phone calls. Instead of letting them manage you, check at planned times and avoid continuous notifications.

Manage your environment as a whole. Especially that there are new systems, tools and technology available for a much more convenient way to generate efficiency and effective management of your time.

There are lots of free time management tools in the Internet available to help you with your time effectively. The simplest method is the To Do Lists. Be it on a computer-based, online or not, or paper-based system, writing all the things you need to do in a daily basis and then prioritizing them, will make you much better organized and reliable.

Google has also their own calendar offered for free. It is generally a free-time management web application that can synchronize with your mobile devices and integrate with other Google services. One feature is the SMS updating that allows users to create and check new information via SMS.

Google calendar is one time management tool that Google has stored for everyone for free! Events are stored online where you can keep track anywhere you go. An offline access feature lets you view a read-only version of your calendar so that you will know where and what to do even when you don’t have an Internet access.

Another helpful web application is Joe’s Goal Tracker. It is a simple, sleek way to trace your progress on achieving positive targets, while avoiding negative ones, online. It is much like a web-based version of a personal guideline. With Joe’s Goals you get a point for every goal you achieve and lose a point for each bad habit.

Joe’s Goal Tracker is one tool that tracks your activities by adding daily notes explaining your experiences. It is use to record your thoughts, track your spending, watch your health, and track your dreams and inspirations. Kind of an online reminder and diary in one!

Remember the yellow stick-on notes in computers, desks, and boards? There is a computer-based stick-on notes called Stickies that does more likely with the Post-it notes sticking in your screens. It is your computer-base to-do-list with alarms that reminds you of the things you opt to do.

If you are the visual-type of person that works well with Post-it reminders, then Stickies is for you. It sticks on your PC which allows you to be constantly reminded of your daily tasks.

Actually, there are lots of free online time management tools available. Opting for a manual tool is up to the you whichever is convenient. It is important to find a system that is base on your liking toward a more effective use of your time.

With options available for free time management tools online, you just got to do the basics- plan, organize, prioritize, implement, and self-discipline. With just this simple routine, no paper- or software-based tool can top it all. Because it is all up to you!

Manage your life with FREE Time Management Tools and learn more on the secrets of time management.

More on Free Time Management Tools:

Top 10 Free Time Management Tools for Freelancers | Ajeva

Is it about managing yourself or your time? Whichever it is, we give you the top 10 time management tools for freelancers. The best thing is that they’re all free!

Publish Date: 06/08/2010 8:00

http://blog.ajeva.com/2010/06/top-10-free-time-management-tools-for-freelancers/



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Tracking Your Time – How to Do It

Published July 4th, 2010 in Time Management Tools. 0 Comments

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One of the things about time management is knowing where you spend your time.  When you know where you spend your time, you can track your time much more effectively.  There are many tools available to allow you to track your time effectively.  You should pick one that works best within your style because if you have to change a lot to use it, chances are, it won’t be permanent because you will stop using it.  So be thoughtful in picking your time tracking system.  In this article, it gives one way that you can track your time.

Time tracking is a big problem for many of the people especially for those who are in the profession of freelancing or content writers. It is important to keep a record with time to fulfill the needs of your clients. Freelancing is coming up with a great urge in these days. The demand for them is increasing day by day. A good freelancer is always that who know how to keep track with his/her time. It is not an easy task to cope with. It needs some solid effort before you can able to keep a track with your time.

Freelancing becomes more difficult when you are a mobile freelancer. Mobile freelancer means that you have to work on more than on computers or multiple computers and you can be work from anywhere, you need not to stick to one place to do your work. In that case time tracking become even more difficult. But there is no need to worry; there are many web based time trackers available on internet. But always go for simple, easy to use and rather cheap time trackers.

Hereunder are given some of the best time tracker tools, but remember they are not free and best things are often never free.

Toggl (www.toggle.com)

It has a nice and simple interface and most importantly it is free. It is an efficient time management tool. It has both a web and a downloadable for version for windows user only. It is a helpful tool for freelancers that keep the exact track of your time.

It is very simple and slick interface. It is easy and fast to use. It is a web-based interface and can be used on nay browser or operating system.

It is a professional package. Harvest is web application so can be used from anywhere. It works well for teams, it contains project estimates and also some reports. It is also a paid application and you have to become the membership of harvest first. It has package plan from free to premium.

Cashboard is not as simple as the above three applications. A bit complex but comprehensive application. It has a perfect time tracking system, and also it includes; producing and tracking invoices, keeping track of accounts and clients, producing estimates, and much more.

It is quite an old interface as compared to above interfaces. But it is capable of doing its job well. It can be more useful if it is used with invoicing software. It is also a web based application.

Ya Timer (www.nbdtech.com)

Ya timer is a downloadable desktop application which is not available on web. It is the simplest of all and has a very simple interface with lot of options. It is best for basic needs. it has a interface with zoom option to help the users.

There are many Time trackers available over Internet but you should be very careful choosing the right Time Tracker that fulfills your needs.

More on How to Track Your Time:

Top Time Tracking Tools and Tips | Office Technology | OfficeArrow

When managing employees, it’s often helpful to have time tracking tools at your disposal. On a day-to-day level, it allows you to see who is being productive and who isn’t, and makes employees feel more accountable regarding their …

Publish Date: 04/22/2010




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Nursing Time and Task Management – How to Increase Nursing Productivity in 3 Easy Steps

Published June 25th, 2010 in Time Management. 0 Comments

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Nursing task management can truly create a lot of time in a nursing students schedule.  There are a few strategies that nursing students and nurses can use to make their day more productive.  The nursing profession is very busy, and the more productive a nurse can be, the more effective they are in their job.  In this article, the author talks about how nursing students can increase their productivity easily.

One of the things that new nurses struggle with is managing their time and becoming highly productive.

Nursing is a demanding career and requires you to practice a lot of patience as well as learn and apply a highly effective time management system to truly stay on top of the game.

Here are three easy steps you can follow to increase productivity and manage your time better starting today.

1. Write everything down.

In a highly demanding career like nursing, things moves so fast that it is almost impossible to try to do keep in your head still remember anything.

You need to realize that your head is the worst place to put valuable information.

It is very good at doing calculations and making decisions but it is not a very effective tool to memorize things especially when things are changing so fast.

It takes far less effort to write these things down instead of trying to store everything in your head.

2. Learn to Prioritize.

If there is any profession where you have to learn to prioritize effectively and quickly – it’s probably nursing.

As a nurse you need to learn to prioritize your most important activities on the fly. The easiest ways to do this is to practice.

Don’t expect yourself to go on the floor and be able to prioritize in an instant.

This takes a lot of practice and the easiest way to start is when you are not on the floor. Get started with every day activities and prioritize them.

This will give you a lot of practice as well as confidence to prioritize when you’re in a stressful environment.

3. Learn to be an Effective Time manager

Among all the productivity tips and tools that you can use, the one thing that will boost your productivity more than anything else is understanding the core principles of nursing time management.

Learn how the 80/20 rule works in your profession. Understand how you can use Parkinson’s law to increase productivity and save time everyday.

Applying time management tips for nurses will increase your productivity and reduce nursing stress dramatically. That’s a promise!

Not sure where to learn these time management strategies? Get a complete and highly effective time management system that will bring you results in less than a week by visiting http://www.managemytimenow.com/timeisnow.php Or, you can get started with a free time management course at http://www.managemytimenow.com

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You are here: Home » Hospital Staffing » Nursing Staff Management » 11 websites to help you keep your nurses from burning out … About the Author. My name is Jeff Long. I’m the Marketing Manager at Medical Solutions. I have been in the healthcare staffing industry for four years. My goal is to educate you on the travel nursing and travel allied health industries from the agency side and learn from you at the same time. …

Publish Date: 06/25/2010



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Time Management Tips For Busy Professionals

Published June 14th, 2010 in Time Management Tips. 0 Comments

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Time management for professionals is extremely important, so any system that they can easily implement is especially prized amongst this group.  There are many systems available that cover anything from time management to task management.  The busy professional will have to decide which system they should take based on their own personality and style.  This article gives some tips for these busy professionals that should help them with their time management.  Read on for more.

There is no easy route in perfecting time management. Although the idea of managing time may sound easy, many people are still finding it difficult to follow.

If you are one of those people who find it hard to follow time management, then here are some tips that you can follow.

1. See the BIGGER Picture

Time is a constant and abundant resource that people can’t purchase or sell. It is a resource that can be shared with or can be shared from someone else.

And one effective way of managing it is by visualizing a bigger and clearer picture of your goal. Prioritize more the activities that would put you closer to your objective, and prioritize less those that won’t. Carefully assess the tasks that need prioritization in order to accomplish activities that are closely related to your goal.

Many successful people today practice different time management forms and techniques, but if there’s one thing these business minded people share in common. It’s the vision of how they want to spend their business time.

2. AUDITING Time Management (For Professionals)

Ideally speaking, everything that a person should list and follow should be actively valuable towards their desired goal.

To make your auditing faster, the following are sub-breakdowns that many professionals spend their time on. Personal goals may differ, but the general idea of breaking goals down remains the same.

• People and Managing. Managing people can be sub-categorized in to three different areas namely;

1. Managing time across
2. Managing time up
3. Managing time down

If you’re currently working as a leader or as a manager in a company, understand that the best way to spend most of your time is by directly supervising your team or co-workers below you.

This is also an effective strategy of teaching your employees while working your personal professional goal at the same time. Cultivating time-leverage upward not only benefits the team and the company, but it can also benefit you by moving closer to your goal.

3. CHARTS for Time Management

Presently, there are lots of these tips that are scattered all over the internet. The approach may vary sometimes, but believe that the basic idea is still there.

One common tip most time management tips share is in building a chart. Building charts are effective in reminding important plans ahead. Creating charts are also helpful in simplifying time management audits, as well as in pitching the whole picture of your goal.

Building a Chart:

a. Start building your chart by writing down the days and weeks in a month. Across its columns on top, write down your major tasks and goals that needs prioritization.

b. After you complete this activity, record the amount of time you spent under each category. This way you can easily monitor your progress and accomplishments in one day.

c. Try to stick to the plan as much as possible.

d. Avoid over doing it by stuffing to much work in one day.

By simply clicking on the link below, I will give you my best reports totally for free on effective time management tips and secrets.

http://TimeManagementTutor.com

Ashton Dixon

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After signing-up and loging-in, cashboard will take you to you dashboard and provide some tips on “ How To Get Started” and provides links to do the primary tasks like add clients and employees, configure the projects, task the time which can be done by dashboard widgets or iPhone clients etc. You will see many tabs and …. Nice time management tools! You might find these freelance design contracts and templates posted at Sessions College for Professional Design useful: …

Publish Date: 06/11/2010

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Time Management Tools For Getting A Handle On The Laundry

Published June 2nd, 2010 in Time Management Tools. 0 Comments

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Well this is an interesting take on time management.  I guess you can find someplace to save time in just about any situation!  In this article, the author talks about how to save time doing the laundry.  Of course using all of the tips requires having a specific type of lifestyle, unless you can find some spare preschoolers around.  Anyway, read on for more on how to save time ding the laundry, as well as why it is important to not skip this aspect of your life in terms of saving time. Read on for more.


Summer is quickly approaching. Who wants to spend so much time dealing with the laundry that accumulates from all those summer activities your family will be participating in? Whether the kids go to camp or hang out with family and friends, there is lots of extra laundry. Bathing suits, towels, shirts with ice cream spilled on them, grass stains – you get the idea. Who has the time?

There are ways that you can deal with all that laundry and still have time to enjoy the summer but you need to carve out some time to do it.

First, instead of doing all the laundry over the weekend, break it down into small tasks that can be undertaken throughout the week. You can create a schedule to divide up different types of loads on certain days. For example, darks on Mondays, whites on Wednesdays, towels on Thursdays, sheets on Fridays. This way, you are doing just one load a day.

You can sort the clothes in the morning, put a load in the washer in the morning before you leave for work. When you get home from work, put that load into the dryer before dinner. After dinner, fold the load and put it away. Begin the same process the next day.

Ask your children to help you out. You’re thinking, yeah right! Well, it’s possible. Just make sure the task is age appropriate.

Preschoolers can help you sort by color and gather items off the floor. Once they enter grade school, they can take on more responsibility. Consider listing a some laundry reminders above their hamper. For example, “Turn Your clothes right-side out before throwing them in here”; “Check your pockets”. When the kids are older, you can give them a pre-treatment product like Stain Stick to keep near their hamper and ask them to treat both sides of the stained garment right away. This will save you a step when you are doing the wash, and the sooner the better when it comes to getting those stains out.

You can save time when running the washer and dryer. Try using the shorter cycle on your washer. The light setting is best when clothes are lighter in fabric and not “heavily soiled”. This cycle runs for only 6 to 8 minutes. If doing more than one load at a time, keep the dryer running from one load to another. Because the dryer is already heated up, subsequent loads will dry faster. Start with the lighter weight clothes and end with heavier items like jeans. Also, don’t overload or under load the dryer. Filling it half way is optimal for maximum efficiency.

In order to cut down on the amount of time you need to spend ironing, be sure to untangle the clothes before throwing them in the dryer. Then, remove your clothes promptly from the dryer. If they have been laying in the dryer for a while, turn the dryer onto a low setting, adding a damp cloth, just to get the wrinkles out.

In order to avoid creating large piles of clean clothes, divide them up so each member of the household has their own basket. Then, fold them, hang them and put them away, right away! If you hate folding, and you have sufficient room, hang up most of your clothes. Have empty hangers available in the front of your closet to save time.

Using these tips will help you save lots of time when dealing with your laundry. So, get out there and enjoy your Summer!

Audrey Cupo is a full time professional organizer and the owner of “A Better Space” based in Bucks County, PA. Aside from writing articles, several blogs, and a monthly newsletter, Audrey provides in-home organizing services and has a full line of “U Can Do It”products as based upon the strageties she has used for herself for over 25 years as well as her years of experience setting up personalized organizing systems for her clients. Visit her website at http://www.4abetterspace.com to learn more.


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Publish Date: 06/01/2010



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Important Time Management Skills For Nursing Assistants

Published May 25th, 2010 in Time Management. 1 Comment

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Nursing is one busy profession that requires a lot of time management skills to be able to keep up with all of the tasks that are involved with a typical Nursing assistant job.  For those nursing assistants that come in with no time management skills, it can be a hard road.  Read on for more about time management and nursing assistants.


Do your CNAs know what their time at work is worth? Here’s an example: Mary makes $12.00 an hour as a nursing assistant. She works eight hours every day. So what is Mary’s time at work worth? Every day is worth 96 dollars. Every hour is worth 12 dollars. Every minute is worth 20 cents. When you do the math for your CNAs, how much money do you think is wasted at your workplace? Here is some information about time management that you can share with your nursing assistants.

What’s Your Time Worth?

Studies have shown that the average American actually works only 6 hours of each 8 hour day. The rest of the time is wasted! Why? Those same studies say that people waste time because:

  • They are too tired to get through their work.
  • They get involved with personal matters at work.
  • They aren’t organized.
  • Or, they spend too much time socializing.

Mary makes $12.00 an hour as a CNA. If Mary actually worked only 6 out of 8 hours every day, that would mean that in a year, she would waste $6,240.00. Let’s say that Mary has 25 coworkers who also make $12.00/hour. If those coworkers also waste two hours every day, Mary’s workplace will lose nearly $156,000.00 every year in wasted time!

Some people might say, “So what? My workplace makes lots of money. They won’t miss $156,000.” But that would be wrong. The more money a workplace loses, the less it has for employee raises or for improving working conditions! So, people who waste time at work are hurting themselves in the long run.

Time: Spend It Wisely

Have you ever heard the expression, “You have to spend money to make money”? Well, the same is true with time. You have to spend time to make time. In other words, if you spend a little bit of time every day to get yourself organized by making a “to-do” list with priorities and goals, you will actually save yourself time throughout the day. And, if you spend time focusing on each task as you do it, you will avoid mistakes… and the time it takes to fix those mistakes! By planning ahead, you give yourself the BIG PICTURE of what your day looks like. You can make decisions about what actually needs to get done and what can wait.

We live such complicated, hectic lives. Our “to-do” lists seem to get longer every day. And, with all these commitments and obligations comes an increased level of STRESS! Understanding the principles of time management will help you simplify your busy life. You can get a handle on all the tasks you want to do and all the tasks you have to do throughout the day. You’ll be left feeling calmer and less stressed at the end of the day! By planning a bit, eliminating time wasters, and giving your full attention to the task at hand, you with find more time in your day to do the things that are important to you!

The Problem with Procrastination

Procrastination is when people put things off-especially things they don’t like to do. Many people procrastinate until the very last minute and then end up with a huge job on their hands. For example, have you ever put off doing required paperwork and ended up having a huge pile to finish? Or, have you ever waited to wash dishes until there were no more clean dishes at all? There is a saying: Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today. This is good advice, since procrastination is a real time waster-and a bad habit. Here are some ways that people procrastinate:

1. Too Much Planning, Not Enough Action!

Example: Susan spends so much time cutting out recipes and planning what she wants to cook that she never has time to cook. She ends up going out to eat instead-even though she can’t really afford it.

Solution: Susan could set a time limit for her menu planning. She could schedule an hour every weekend to look through recipes and plan meals for the week. Then, she should buy the ingredients so that she has no excuse not to cook.

2. Avoiding Boring Tasks.

Example: Tom finds it really boring to fold his client’s laundry. He tends to put off the job, leaving the laundry in a heap until it gets wrinkled. Family members have started to complain, so now his supervisor is unhappy with him-all because of some laundry!

Solution: Tom could alternate boring tasks with ones that are more interesting. The interesting tasks can be like a “reward” for completing the boring ones.

3. Putting Off the Unpleasant.

Example: Lydia finds it hard to get along with one of her clients, an elderly woman named Mrs. Jones. She puts off taking care of Mrs. Jones until late in the day. But by then, both Lydia and her client are tired. This means that it takes longer than it should to finish Mrs. Jones’ personal care and the client is even grumpier than usual.

Solution: Lydia could ask Mrs. Jones what time of day she would like her personal care-and then do it at that time. This might make Mrs. Jones easier to get along with. Or, Lydia can plan to do Mrs. Jones’ care first thing in the morning. This way, Lydia’s least favorite task is finished early and she doesn’t have to worry about it all day.

4. Unrealistic Deadlines.

Example: Bill tends to work slowly every morning, taking several breaks and taking time out to talk to coworkers. After lunch, when Bill feels that time is running out, he speeds up, rushing through his work to get it all done by the end of the day.

Solution: Bill can set up “mini” deadlines for himself. He can divide his work into fourths and tell himself that he needs to finish one fourth by 10:00, another fourth by 12:00 and so on. Until this new way of working becomes a habit, Bill could ask his supervisor or a coworker to check if he’s meeting his mini deadlines.

Linda H. Leekley BS, RN
President, In the Know, Inc.
http://www.knowingmore.com

Do you struggle to provide your nursing assistants with high quality continuing education? With more than 120 inservice topics (including complete modules on Time Management Skills, Providing Cost-Efficient Care and Working with a Team), In the Know has the solution to nearly any problem facing your nurse aides. Using our inservices ensures that your CNAs will learn more-and achieve more. As a result, their client care will improve dramatically! And, we stand by the superior quality of our teaching materials with a 60-day money back guarantee.

Please visit my website at http://www.knowingmore.com to download a FREE Inservice Topic.


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Publish Date: 05/25/2010

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Little Known Time Management Tools and Tricks which Drown Out Distractions

Published May 23rd, 2010 in Time Management Tools. 0 Comments

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Sometimes the best tools are the ones that arent heard about when it comes to time management.  Read on for more.


Distractions make your workday much longer than necessary as they disrupt your thought process and flow of energy. Studies have found that people who get distracted take about 10-20 times the length of time of the disruption to recover their earlier level of concentration.

There are lots of time management mistakes that home-based business owners make that cost them hours of work time — procrastination, not concentrating, breaking the schedule, etc. Let’s narrow down the list and pinpoint the one thing that majority of work-from-home business owners really struggle with–unscheduled interruptions. Research confirms that people waste an average of more than two hours everyday on avoidable interruptions.

Try these tools and tips for drowning out distractions and keep the energy and thought process flowing. They may seem petty but every little bit can help increase productivity.

  1. Block off or reroute digital signals. Yep, the digital devices are the number one distractions. Turn off your mobile phone, IM settings, Twitterrific, the automatic pop-up function in your email, or just forward calls to your voice mail. Get all similar tasks done all at once then move on to the next set. So, make major phone calls all at one time, check emails at set hours, and allot a fixed time to chat with people you really need to settle concerns with or update communications in all your social media business accounts.
  2. Regulating email and SMS. You don’t really need to reply to all your emails or text messages. Skip those that just need a “thank you” or “okay” or “see you.” If you need to reply to an email or text message at length, call instead. This saves time and your thoughts are spoken straight out from the moment you think them.
  3. Go “Invisible” on IM, Facebook, Google chat so everyone thinks you’re, offline but you can still contact the people you need. The “Busy” mode does not usually work as some inconsiderate people still choose to interrupt you.
  4. Work some place else. That’s the flexibility of a work-from-home business. You can take work anywhere other than your home office. For some people this works. The change in setting stimulates creativity, recharging your thought process and energy level up to 50% helping you concentrate on work more. Try the coffee shop, the mall or in your parked car while waiting for your kid to end school. Also, the change in your routine can help sidetrack some people for awhile, giving you a bit more uninterrupted time to get some work done.
  5. Drown out background noise like the sounds of the TV or radio by wearing earplugs, play instrumental music or use ChatterBlocker.com, a free download that plays out natural sounds to mask distracting noises.
  6. Firefox LeechBlock is a free downloadable application that aids you in self-control. You can set it to block specified sites like Facebook or YouTube that can really eat up your time during periods you’re tempted to wander off from work.
  7. Make a habit to jot down random thoughts. It avoids mind clutter and regulates your brain to focus on one idea at a time so you don’t get worked up on starting at every new idea every time they pop up in your head.
  8. The Mac Isolator or Windows DropCloth are free downloads that help in visual distractions. You can blur out or completely hide from view all the other desktop and icons and focus on just the application you’re working on at present.
  9. Avoid worry. Worry is an irritant. It increases stress levels and interferes with your normal line of thinking. It makes you more prone to sporadic work habits like indecisiveness, changeableness, unreliability. A daily To-Do list will help you center attention at the present time, the here and now. Finish the to-do list at the end of the workday so that it’s one task that will no longer distract you when you start work in the morning.

Distractions will always be present. But, there are few issues in business that are a matter of life or death, so it’s really okay if you’re not able to attend to all the concerns right away. Understand that if you let them, distractions can really take a substantial amount out of your working hours. Figure out what your distractions are and get to work managing them without delay.

There is much to learn about me and my website. When I’m not enjoying my life as a father, husband or son, I am a member of the fraternity known as “Major League Baseball” (MLB). Over the years I’ve been viewed around the circuit as an intelligent and committed businessman. So I often pride myself for being the multi-dimensional athlete that I am. Extremely grateful for the gift that God has given me, yet being keenly aware that I will not pitch forever. I choose to use my platform as a professional athlete to foster my growth, as well as the growth of others in the world of business. Jasongrilli.com serves as the connection of my business to yours.

Jason Grilli
Perfect Pitch Marketing Group
http://JasonGrilli.com
http://wildpitchmarketing.com

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Time Management Tools to Organize Work Tasks and Appointments

Discovering unique new time management tools can be a great motivator to get better organized and take task and appointment management to a new level.

Publish Date: 04/25/2010

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Time and Task Management – Solving Workplace Challenges For People With ADHD

Published May 14th, 2010 in Task Management. 0 Comments

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Time and task management, especially for those with ADD can be a challenge.  You always have to  get past the “Oh look, bright shiny objects” condition and soon enough, you are down a completely different path than you originally intended.  I find that using lists help keep focus.  You may tend to go down non-intended paths, but you are able to pull yourself back before it has been too long or too far.  At any rate, read what this article says about task management for those with ADD or ADHD.


TIME/TASK MANAGEMENT

Time and task management, as we all know, is something we learn to do in school and is necessary to succeed in most areas of our life. However, when you have ADHD, you do not possess the brain function ability that your class mates or coworkers do. What may be elementary to them can be extremely challenging for you. What they may pick up naturally as a way to stay on track with their tasks and projects, you won’t have access to. This does not mean you are any less intelligent. In fact you are just the opposite! But it does mean that you think and work differently and because of that, you will not always be able to meet the expectations of the organizations and people around you. You will need to develop other ways to perform successfully. In this article we are going to talk about some solutions to time and task management that will help you do that. These strategies and practices have been used with hundreds and thousands people successfully. Hopefully, one or two of them will work for you.

Typically, workers with ADHD have trouble beginning and completing projects and tasks on time. But first let’s remember that today time/task management is not just an ADHD issue. Because life in the 21st century is increasing frenetic and overly committed, many of us run into difficulty beginning and completing tasks on time. Of course, this makes it twice as hard for people with ADHD to address their challenges than it did in the past. But the challenges of time and task management will always be greater for people with ADHD due to the role of executive functions in the brain where the ability to manage time and tasks is severely compromised. Remember that the executive functions of the brain are where ADHD challenges reside and basically are the ability to decide, recall, memorize, understand and inhibit.

So what are people with ADHD to do due to address the lack of executive function ability in the time and task management arena? How can they share their above average ability to perform, create and solve problems – but do it in a task and time managed way? Luckily there is help through understanding.

Time/Task Management issues arise from:

  • Procrastinating and delaying getting started
  • Needing the adrenaline rush of a looming deadline to get creative
  • Getting distracted by/taking action on things around us of lesser importance
  • Failing to plan ahead for how we will manage tasks effectively
  • Hyper-focusing on an activity for long periods and losing track of time
  • Forgetting the unexpected will happen and plan for it
  • Not getting help when we need it or not knowing we need help
  • Attempting to keep our brain activated by constantly seeking stimulation

So what do we learn from these issues? We learn that any solution that will hold weight for us will need to include structuring the environment around us, planning ahead for our day and week, understanding, accepting and managing our behavior, and finding fun and rewards in what we are doing.

Here is what I’ve learned from my clients about what really resolves Time/Task Management issues in the workplace:

  1. Learn to prioritize your values, tasks and projects. And, most importantly, once identified, stick with these priorities for 5 weeks, no matter what. By then, prioritizing will be a habit and you’ll be keeping your most important commitments. How would that transform your life?
  2. Break the tendency to hyper-focus during work. What structure do you need to put in place to alert you to the time? Things like a co-worker reminder, setting an alarm on your computer or watch, having your schedule book open right next to your computer, a sticky reminder on your monitor?
  3. When a project is assigned, or instructions are given, immediately record the due date and time on your calendar. Then work backwards, day by day and week by week, until you have captured, in writing, all the steps and resources necessary to get the project completed on time.
  4. When you need to be somewhere at a specific time, plan ahead. Start getting ready 30 minutes before you have to walk out the door and allow an extra 15 minutes for traffic congestion. Yes – that’s 45 minutes added to your usual timeframe. But this tactic could very well transform your life. And if you’re early, enjoy a cup of coffee, mediate for a few minutes and reconnect with the person you used to be before you started ignoring yourself. Or simply arrive early, showing that you care and are prepared for the day ahead.
  5. Keep in mind that change takes time. You will make mistakes. The key is that you learn from them and move ahead. Remember: “You cannot fail; you can only learn and grow.”
  6. Partner with an ADHD Coach to learn a task management system that puts you in control. Finding the best system for you may take some trial and error, so be patient and keep experimenting until you get it right. Be sure and write on a calendar or planner – no palm pilots or blackberries while you’re learning your new task/life management system. Remember: “If it isn’t written, it isn’t real”.

Talk to people with ADHD who have engaged a coach. You will find that those who enlist the support of a coach are happier and able to implement change faster and with longer lasting results.

As the founder and CEO of ADD Insights, LLC, Carol’s passion is to provide services that transform the lives of people with ADHD.

Carol Gignoux is well established as an expert within the ADHD coaching, consulting and training profession with over 35 years experience working with ADHD and over 16 years as a professional coach. Carol specializes in working with both teens and adults, with or without an ADHD diagnosis, who want to see better results in their academic, professional and personal life. In addition to being owner and CEO of ADD Insights, LLC, she has been with the Hallowell Center for over 9 years.

Carol is a Licensed Certified Financial Coach and is trained as an Executive Coach. She has worked with executives and managers to create high functioning, successful businesses locally as well as nationwide. She is a founding board member of the Institute for the Advancement of ADHD Coaching that is the responsible certifying body for ADHD Coaches worldwide.

In addition, Carol is qualified as a Senior Certified ADHD Coach: SCAC. She is a member of T. Harv Eker’s Private Circle Club, and has completed many of his training programs on marketing, coaching, business building, and personal transformation. She is a master at leading instructional classes on: meditation, knowing your financial blueprint, and finding peace and security in uncertain times.

Carol has spoken locally and nationally on ADHD topics, and is a motivational speaker on living powerfully and honestly. She trains and supervises new ADHD coaches, and produces tele-classes and seminars on a variety of important and relevant topics to those with ADHD.

You can reach Carol at Carol@addinsights.com or visit her website http://www.addinsights.com.


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Each was diagnosed with ADD or ADHD as a child, has adult ADHD, or exhibits many adult ADHD traits. Their brains work differently than most people. But, as soon as they turn on to my counter-intuitive time management techniques they experience a … Use the map of your energy fluctuations to match tasks from your To Do list with a time when you typically have the ideal energy level for that task. Almost effortlessly, you’ll give your productivity a huge shot in the arm . …

Publish Date: 05/13/2010

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