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.
no-contract cleaning service Mundelein ..In working with and coaching people across the country, one... Read More
Your time and energy are the two most precious gifts... Read More
Many of us spend long hours at our desk. To... Read More
"Work smarter, not harder" is a clich? that has darted... Read More
What are the most important things you should accomplish today?... Read More
Why waste your precious time working on tasks, which are... Read More
We don't realize many things we do until we draw... Read More
Everyday, in life, we are bombarded with 101 tasks that... Read More
Having a home based business can be overwhelming. When you... Read More
Time is money in your online business, just as in... Read More
PROCRASTINATION: You've known about it since high school or college,... Read More
Here's a smart system for doubling or tripling your daily... Read More
When is the best time to plan your day? Well,... Read More
Are you a worrier? Do you frequently spend time and... Read More
"You will never find time for anything. You must make... Read More
I would like to touch upon a subject that it... Read More
Does choosing which time we do an activity really make... Read More
I keep a fossil on my desk at all times.... Read More
Yesterday, I'd just gotten comfortable at my favorite table in... Read More
Any habit of mind or body that interferes with taking... Read More
Partnering with the University of Pennsylvania Law School and the... Read More
Work brings together people of different characters and behavior, and... Read More
Zak is my three-year old godson. He is the apple... Read More
Balancing a family's varying schedules can be near impossible. Soccer,... Read More
Hey - Did someone press the FFW button?Have you ever... Read More
maid service near Glenview ..Balancing a family's varying schedules can be near impossible. Soccer,... Read More
We all face decisions that involve doing things that affect... Read More
Despite the best of intentions, most of us don't use... Read More
Everyday life can present us with opportunities to make us... Read More
Your time and energy are the two most precious gifts... Read More
Why Read?It's been said that there are three kinds of... Read More
"How do you DO it?!" If I had a dime... Read More
A year and a half ago I was introduced to... Read More
The Internet is increasingly becoming a major time killer for... Read More
"There is never enough time, unless you're serving it." -Malcolm... Read More
Your productivity depends on good tools and effective environments, and... Read More
How do you know what's the best use of your... Read More
"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces up, snow... Read More
Our daily lives are inundated with a crammed to-do list.... Read More
At Home? Keep related items together, for example the coffee... Read More
Recently I've experienced a barrage of time wasters. Everything you... Read More
Many of us spend long hours at our desk. To... Read More
I'm sure we've all had the experience of having a... Read More
Does it seem like there is never enough time in... Read More
Work more efficiently and be more productive using these time-management... Read More
Years ago clients would tell me they could not identify... Read More
Let's say that you have a software project that's under... Read More
"Work smarter, not harder" is a clich? that has darted... Read More
Whenever I've worked on 'de-cluttering' my living or working space,... Read More
One of the tried and true organization and time-management tools... Read More
Time Management |