Many of the clients I work with in success coaching can relate to the following example.
If you have ever been to the circus, you have probably seen the side show in which a clown or juggler puts a plate on a stick and spins it. Then he puts another plate on a stick and spins that one, and another, and another, etc. A neat trick, but then he has to constantly run around to keep all the plates spinning.
Now there's a metaphor for modern life if I've ever heard one.
In order to talk in a useful way about time management, we need to call it what it really is, which is life management. Each of us is given twenty four hours each day in which to manage our lives. That's why I call my time/life management seminars "24 and No More."
In order to manage your time and therefore your life, well, a very important distinction needs to be made. Do you organize your life around work or do you organize your work around your life? A key distinction to be made is that if you are part of a family, your most important job is not at work, it's at home.
Having said all that, let's put some hands and feet onto this idea of time/life management, and provide you with some solutions you can take home.
Get organized. That's step one. So much time is spent and wasted looking for something or doing something over and over again, when a little organization can allow you to organize once and be done with it.
If you are at all like me and don't come by organization naturally, either hire or borrow someone who has the gift of organization. Or you could get lucky like me and marry someone with this gift.
Create systems. Creating systems for doing things is a great time saver. In fact, an acronym for system is:
Saves
You
Some
Time
Energy and
Money.
Prioritized To Do Lists. Remember, a to do list is a tool that you use to work for you, not you for it. A prioritized to do list is divided into three categories, A tasks, B tasks, and C tasks. A tasks are things that must be done today, B tasks are things you would like to get done today, and C tasks are things you can get done with any extra time. If you have items left over at the end of the day, simply put them behind you for the day and move them on to the next day's list.
"But what if all my tasks are A tasks?" That's a question I often hear. Here's a two part answer to the question. Part one is to go back through the list and ask this question, "What will happen if I don't get this task done today?" If you can live with the answer, it may not be an A task. Part two is, if all your tasks are really A tasks, then the key is to.......
Delegate. That's a fancy way of saying ask for help. It's amazing to me how willing most people are to help. Just about every time I've gotten over my pride and asked for help with something, I've been pleasantly surprised by the outcome.
Block Scheduling. For those of us who have multiple projects and multiple daily demands, block scheduling can be a real life saver. Block scheduling simply means to set aside blocks of time on a daily, weekly, monthly basis in order to do certain tasks. Barring a true emergency, nothing is to interfere with the task scheduled for this time.
There are at least three clear benefits to block scheduling:
a time is set aside to accomplish key tasks
lower anxiety knowing there is time set aside
you get more done.
Visit secretsofgreatrelationships.com for tips and tools for creating and growing a great relationship. You can also subscribe to our f*r*e*e 10 day e-program on how to enrich your relationship today, from relationship coach and expert Jeff Herring.
tidy up service Glenview ..You can use the Power of 90 Seconds to transform... Read More
"TIME CANNOT BE 'MANAGED.' THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF TIME MANAGEMENT... Read More
Show me, O Lord, my life's end and the number... Read More
Vilfredo Pareto's Principle, or The "Pareto Principle," is more commonly... Read More
* spreading yourself too thinTaking on too many things at... Read More
If you have spent any time at all working at... Read More
Why Read?It's been said that there are three kinds of... Read More
Time is inelastic. Despite what some of us persist in... Read More
There are two types of time killers in everyone's life.... Read More
Sounds too good to be true?It really isn't!In fact, studies... Read More
Q. I have several projects going at once -- but... Read More
If you can regularly ask yourself "Am I regularly and... Read More
Many organisations view time management training as something they'll spend... Read More
Almost everyone in business knows the balancing act between the... Read More
Would you describe yourself as extremely busy? Do you often... Read More
When do you want to make time for a networking... Read More
Years ago clients would tell me they could not identify... Read More
"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces up, snow... Read More
Do you manage your time or does your time manage... Read More
Get a grip. Is it possible to manage time? Can... Read More
Whether you're a new business owner or if you have... Read More
The concept of Mercury Retrograde is very well known even... Read More
Are you obsessed with getting everything just right? Do you... Read More
As a business owner, wouldn't it be great if you... Read More
When trying to achieve a quality education, everybody knows that... Read More
maid service near Winnetka ..As a home-based, self-employed woman, mundane tasks can be as... Read More
Does it seem like there is never enough time in... Read More
Your productivity depends on good tools and effective environments, and... Read More
My job in Chicago began with three months of probation.I... Read More
You can use the Power of 90 Seconds to transform... Read More
Everyday life can present us with opportunities to make us... Read More
Where does your time go? We all know we are... Read More
Nowhere is the line drawn more clearly between 'Industrial brains'... Read More
I give presentations on organizational skill building as it relates... Read More
Most of us know how to manage our time. It... Read More
One of the most challenging situations people face when planning... Read More
There is no such thing as time management. You cannot... Read More
This may not sound like a big deal. But it's... Read More
Whenever you have projects that can't be done in one... Read More
Today, it is hard to open an e-mail newsletter, a... Read More
One of the tried and true organization and time-management tools... Read More
41 practical and quick ways to get on top of... Read More
Let's say that you have a software project that's under... Read More
As mothers we play so many different roles and most... Read More
"You will never find time for anything. You must make... Read More
A common remedy for improving your time management is to... Read More
If you can motivate yourself at will to get any... Read More
Let's look at your time management skills. Most of us... Read More
How much time do you spend on Mastering Your Time?... Read More
Whatever providence has in store for us tomorrow is not... Read More
Time Management |