Time Management Articles

If you are the kind of person who is never late, you are probably aware of how much other people are late, and it is likely that is bothers you. However, chances are you are that person who is always late, especially if you have kids. So, if you have ever struggled with being on time, read on, the following is a great way to be on time for everything:

1. Decide now to be on time. You hate when you are the host of something and all of your guests are late, so think about that and decide now to not be that person. Do not go late to meeting, church, work, or even the casual family party.
2. Set your clocks ahead. A great way to remind yourself of the time is to have your clock set 10 minutes fast. This will help you to recognize that it is time to go. If you need to be somewhere by 5 and it takes 10 minutes to get there, if your clock reports after 5 you know you will be late. So, get ahead of the game with your clocks.

"How to be on time for everything" »

Posted by DF at 07:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Most of us are able to do much more with our days if we get to bed early and are able to wake up early. Those who go to bed at a reasonable hour do not have as difficult of a time waking up in the morning. This means that early risers are more likely to be able to exercise in the morning, eat a good breakfast and get to work on time. Additionally not having to rush to get ready in the morning reduces stress. Stress can lead to all kinds of potentially serious medical conditions. Getting up a little earlier can give us time to do the things in a day that we just wouldn't have time to do otherwise. Our bodies need sleep in order to be healthy so if you want to make more of your day by getting up earlier, you will also have to make the sacrifice of going to bed earlier. Professionals recommend 7-9 hours a sleep a night depending on age, health, etc. Too many of us want to have it all. We want to sleep in, stay-up late, get to work on time and have time to exercise. The truth is that you will have to sacrifice a little in order to gain something.

"Early to bed, early to rise, how to get motivated to do this" »

Posted by DF at 07:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Almost everyone in business knows the balancing act between the weekly work schedule and business development time is almost as challenging as walking on a tight rope. I suggest breaking your work week into focus days to work in your business and buffer days to work on your business. For many people, there is a strong desire to skip preparation and just tackle everything on the to "do list" at once. As an alternative to this method, I told the following story at the workshop to create a model for scheduling your time to be more productive in your workweek.

This past summer, the city in which I work started a major reconstruction project on Main Street where my office is located. The project called for new lighting, the addition of traffic islands with green space, new pavement and attractive new sidewalks.

I watched the sidewalk construction crew as I traveled to and from my office. Like many crews, I saw three workers hard at work, two workers leaning on shovels and a supervisor who spent a good part of the day on a cell phone. That picture is familiar to all of us.

Old sidewalks were marked for demolition and ripped from their resting places in precision attacks by a tracked excavator and tossed into a waiting ten-wheeler for transport to the landfill. Physical labor at removing the sidewalks was kept minimal while the machines did the work with little effort.

"Scheduling Productive Days - Don't Interrupt, I'm Pouring Concrete" »

Posted by Angie at 08:54 AM | Permalink

"Can you find four extra hours in your day?" a voice came over the speaker on my office phone, first telemarketer call of the day. I chuckled and answered, "Not this week."

"But Mom, you aren't VERY busy." My daughter adlibs as I turn back to the project at hand. A business plan due the next day, and I'm just at that moment formating the design and working on the font choices for the final print out. I click on the last button and look at the final layout, her comment is favorable, and I accept the selections. "I'm making dinner." She turns away from the computer and walks to the kitchen, pulling pasta and sauce from the shelf, and chicken planks from the fridge. The salad I made earlier will serve well as a vegetable, and desert is the yogurt pops we bought at the grocery. Life is working well, for the moment. I finish up my project, and go help finish dinner.

"Mom, what would you do with four extra hours a day?" She asks as we sit down to dinner.

"I think I'd spend some of it just sitting on the porch with you and the boys. It would be a nice change to just sit and watch the world go by." I answered considering the options. "What would you do with four extra hours in your day?" I asked her, as she sprinkled cheese on the pasta.

"New Adventures - in Four Hours a Day" »

Posted by Angie at 11:19 PM | Permalink

Work more efficiently and be more productive using these time-management tips:

Use a timer.
Pick one item on your to-do list, set your timer for 15 minutes and get to work. Don't worry about finishing, just get started. It's easy to feel overwhelmed and get nothing done at all. Tackling tasks in small chunks helps you stay focused.
Delegate.
Don't be afraid to enlist the help of others to complete projects that are time consuming or monotonous. Whether you have to hire a professional or your 10-year old son, do it.
Set goals.
It's much easier to get something done if you know exactly what it is you're working toward. Set long-term goals first and then determine the short-term goals that will serve as stepping stones toward the larger goal.
Sort mail immediately.

"Time Management: 11 Tips" »

Posted by Angie at 09:53 PM | Permalink

Use these 35 sanity savers this year to help you become more productive and get more done in less time, so you can get on with life!

Email

Only check your emails twice a day – don’t respond each time you receive an email it wastes too much time!

Set up folders for your inbox so you can ‘electronically’ file your emails when you have completed them.

Set up rules within your email so messages are automatically filed for you to read later.

Use colour coding so you can quickly glance over your inbox and see which messages are important.

When you have read an email and actioned it – delete it.

Remove yourself from ezines or electronic newsletters you don’t read.

Set up spam filters on your email.

"35 Santity Savers - Get More Producti" »

Posted by Angie at 09:34 AM | Permalink

Frustration is when an obstacle blocks your ability to achieve a goal. You know it is still possible to achieve it, but you just have no idea how.

Often the obstacle blocking a clear path to the successful completion of a goal is our own knowledge. The trouble is, we just don't know what we don't know.

One weekend, I set myself a project of downloading and installing some fairly complicated weblog publishing software. Getting started was easy, but soon it became apparent to me that my lack of knowledge in that area was causing me problems. I had neither knowledge or experience with running cgi-scripts. Twelve hours later I was still no closer to completing this arduous task - all I had accomplished was discovering a few ways that didn't work. Finally, with assistance froim my friends, I got it up and running. Total time? 22 hours. Not bad for something that I thought would take me an hour or so.

So the question is, if we don't know what we don't know, how can we plan for it?

The truth is, we can't.

But we can do some other things. We can either:

"Save Your Time - Delegate!" »

Posted by Angie at 11:39 PM | Permalink

This may not sound like a big deal. But it's amazing how completing one extra task each day can quickly add up and make a difference.

Here's how it works for me...

Each day I look at my 'Today's Things To Do List'.

Oh yes, I have a list. Without it I would be lost. I schedule upcoming work. I list deadlines. I make notes of the people I should be calling or emailing. I look for the spare moments when I can write an article or two. I list all my personal and family commitments too.

>> And then I add one thing more

In addition to my daily list of things to do, I also have a general 'Needs to be Done' list. These are items that don't really have delivery dates or deadlines, but should get done.

Examples? Maybe a follow-up email to a company I worked for a while ago but haven't heard from since. Maybe a note to myself to get back to a happy customer and ask for a testimonial. Perhaps a reminder to myself to check out a particular website or new service. That kind of thing.

"Freelance Productivity: Do One Thing Extra Each Day" »

Posted by Angie at 11:46 PM | Permalink

Where does your time go? We all know we are busy, yet we feel behind and don’t get to do the things we really want to do.

Planning is the best time saver there is. At the beginning of the week jot down your goals that you want to accomplish, fun things you want to do, work that needs to be done, and appointments to keep. Then write out a loose schedule for the week ahead, balancing it out between work, family, home, self and your other roles.

You can choose to put your action items on daily to do lists or schedule them on a calendar like appointments. How you keep track of your things to do for the week, depends on how much structure you personally like or need.

When you plan, it is helpful to schedule things for twice as long as you expect them to take. That gives you extra time for those traffic jams, interruptions, and fun, spontaneous moments. I try to plan on leaving 10 minutes earlier than I have to, for all my appointments, in case of unexpected delays.

My weekly planning session usually takes less than thirty minutes. My planning session includes gathering my papers and going through the in-box to find action items as David Allen suggests in his book “Getting Things Done”. I also plan goals, next action items for my projects, plan a two hour time alone, plan family night, and plan a date with my husband. I schedule work, exercise, fun time, time with friends and family, volunteer work, and self-care time. Planning allows the important to take precedent over the urgent for once.

"24 Time Management Tips" »

Posted by Angie at 08:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It is common knowledge that creating and living according to a financial budget is a requisite for fiscal health and well-being. Budgets enable allocation of resources according to priorities. $x for shelter, $x for food, $x for clothing, $x for education, $x for savings, $x for transportation, $x for entertainment, etc.

What is not commonly applied, despite the preponderance of daily planners and time management software, is a temporal budget. Time is our most precious asset. It is also our only non-renewable asset. Each heartbeat, each second ticking on the clock denotes one moment less of our diminishing asset of time.

Each day presents us with 24 hours = 1,440 minutes = 81,400 seconds.

How are you spending these ever diminishing seconds? How have you budgeted your time? To what purpose do you pass the time of your life away?

I presume, since you have enough interest in your own well-being to subscribe to this eZine, that you have an interest in personal fulfillment.

There are aspects to your being; each aspect having its own needs. In order to be fulfilled and happy, these needs will need to be met. Time must therefore be allocated or budgeted to fulfill those needs if you wish to achieve any measure of fulfillment.

"Time Well Spent" »

Posted by Angie at 09:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Once you have completed your day you can boost your efforts for tomorrow with an investment of only 10 minutes. Apply these strategies at the end of your work day and you will definitely increase your productivity.

Quitting time. Schedule time at the end of your day; just like for your first 60-minutes, you need to block-out the last 10-minutes of your day to make time for your end-of-day routine.

Look ahead. Start your ‘to do’ list for the next day. The best time to do this is at the end of the day when your focus is still on the job – it’s far more difficult to do in the morning when you’re wondering where you left-off the day before.

Carry over incomplete tasks from your current day’s list and add new priorities. It helps to clear your head and put it to paper and you’ll be amazed at how much more effective you can be when your brain power is being put to problem-solving rather than trying to remember everything you need to do! It helps too to give you a clearer picture of what needs to be achieved and what you can delegate – and, there’s enormous satisfaction in being able to tick-off completed items and review your achievements at the end of the day!

"Boost Your Productivity with 10 Minutes at the End of Your Day" »

Posted by Angie at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Whenever I've worked on 'de-cluttering' my living or working space, I've always found that it's the unfinished project – whatever I’m procrastinating about - that takes up the most room.

Physically, it's a constant reminder of something I tell myself I SHOULD be doing.

Mentally, it consumes my thoughts and diverts my attention from the present moment.

Emotionally, it weighs down my heart and nicks away at my confidence.

In this article, I invite you to consider how procrastination, as a form of self-sabotage, shows up in the different areas of your life.

Understanding Procrastination - Why do you procrastinate?

Maybe your physical surroundings and your 'systems' of organization are getting in your way. For example:

~ My workspace is too messy

~ I'm too busy

"Procrastination - Understanding & Overcoming it" »

Posted by Angie at 03:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One of the issues most often raised by my clients is better time management. People have tried prioritizing tasks, blocking out parts of their day for certain tasks, implementing new systems and getting better at delegation. While all of those things can make a difference, there is something else that will have an even greater impact on your productivity. The key to high productivity is energy management more so than time management.

Let me start to explain this concept by way of an example. A couple of years ago, a client was frustrated with his productivity. He had just come back from vacation and wondered to me why he couldn’t be as productive on his return as he had been on the day before he left. On the day before his vacation, he was a whirlwind of activity - plowing through the important phone calls that had to be made, responding to all the important emails on his computer, and clearing his desk of all the paperwork that needed his attention. By the end of the day, everything important had been attended to. He had had one of his most productive days. But upon his return, he had fallen back into his routine – productive, but not highly productive. He wanted to know how, or if, he could be highly productive on a daily basis. The answer is yes and no…

The reason for each answer has to do with energy management. Good energy management can allow you to be highly productive on a regular basis and poor energy management can keep you at average productivity or worse. Everything we do – from making sales calls to conducting meetings and presentations to attending little league games – requires energy. Most of us fail to take into account the importance that energy plays in our lives. Without the right amount of energy, properly focused and applied, we simply can’t be as productive as we could otherwise be. Certainly, even with a poor level of energy, we can be productive – most everyone is. We’re just not highly productive. Think about your day. Do you get up feeling tired? Do you put yourself on “cruise control” with a steady flow of caffeine throughout the day? Is your mental capacity diminished by mid-afternoon? Are you too tired to be active with family or outside interests in the evening?

"The Key to High Productivity is Energy Management" »

Posted by Angie at 11:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Slaves to the clock" was the cover story in the March issue of CEO magazine.

"You can never out work a problem, you have to out think it." said A.G. Lafley, Proctor & Gamble's CEO."

Too much to do. Too little time. It's a universal problem. From the CEO to the newest hire.

We're bombarded with information. E-mail, faxes, voice mail, overnight deliveries and old-fashioned snail mail. Unexpected phone calls, impromptu meetings, and emergencies that force us to drop everything.

So many projects, tasks, problems, opportunities, and people are fighting for our time and attention that it's almost impossible to separate the important from the urgent from the unnecessary.

With so much clutter it's easy to lose track of long- and short-term goals. And... the proposal that's got to be finished by 3:00 p.m. this afternoon.

It's easy to spend eight, ten, or twelve hours each day doing things that don't have any real payoff.

"Winning The Fight Between You And The Clock" »

Posted by Angie at 03:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Does it seem like everyone and everything is vying for your attention all at once? It can be hard for solo entrepreneurs to know what to do first, let alone try to find the time to get caught up. Here are some time management tips that will help you to stay on top of it all:

1. Put your to-do list in writing and prioritize it. Studies show that people who write their lists down are 90% more likely to complete their list than those who do not.

2. Be realistic about how long it takes to get things done. Block out a reasonable amount of time on your planner, especially if it’s an appointment where there’s driving time to consider.

3. Schedule time with yourself, without interruptions. If that means closing your office door and letting your voicemail take phone messages, then that’s what you need to do. Do this at your most productive time of the day. Are you a morning person? Start your day out with some quiet time by yourself, when you’re the most productive and focused.

4. Don’t multi-task. That’s right! These days, people have found that they’re much more productive when they’re allowed to focus on one task at a time, rather than constantly juggling a dozen different projects at once. Think about it – don’t you feel like you’ve actually accomplished something when you can cross things off your list?

"Time Management Tips for Solo Entrepreneurs" »

Posted by Angie at 10:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We are all born equal! We all have the same 24 hours in a day as Oprah Winfrey has the difference is how we choose to spend our time. No matter how you dissect this concept, there could only be 1440 minutes or 86,400 seconds at any given 24.

We've all been there and continue to get caught up in last minute rushes to meet deadlines, meetings that are double booked or achieve absolutely nothing, days that seem unproductive and crisis that spring unexpectedly from nowhere and destroy the most carefully planned day.

Somewhere in our education program, we all learned about the mathematical term "transition property" where if:

A=B and B=C, then A=C

Let's try to apply this formula to what we've read so far.

•Time Management (A) = Planning & Prioritization (B)

"TIME, The "Undervalued" Resource"" »

Posted by Angie at 12:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Most of us know how to manage our time. It is pretty simple really. What most of us miss are compelling reasons to manage our time. We know the "how" but miss the "why." Here are six foundational reasons I have that motivate me to manage my time and myself properly.

It is a matter of stewardship. I view my life as not my own. I am merely a steward of it. I am given control over it for some 70 years and I should make wise decisions with it! This is a great sense of responsibility that compels me to manage my time.

It is a matter of personal fulfillment. When I get to the end of my life I want to be able to feel a sense of pride and satisfaction that I have lived well, helped others, and achieved much. This drives me to not waste time but to use it wisely.

It is a matter of providing for and being responsible to your friends and family. I owe some of my time - serious amounts - to my friends and family. If I let myself get out of control, they suffer the loss and that is something I do not want for them. I manage myself and my time so that I can give valuable portions of it to those who matter most.

"Six Foundational Reasons for Managing Your Time" »

Posted by Angie at 11:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Does it seem like everyone and everything is vying for your attention all at once? It can be hard for solo entrepreneurs to know what to do first, let alone try to find the time to get caught up. Here are some time management tips that will help you to stay on top of it all:

1. Put your to-do list in writing and prioritize it. Studies show that people who write their lists down are 90% more likely to complete their list than those who do not.

2. Be realistic about how long it takes to get things done. Block out a reasonable amount of time on your planner, especially if it’s an appointment where there’s driving time to consider.

3. Schedule time with yourself, without interruptions. If that means closing your office door and letting your voicemail take phone messages, then that’s what you need to do. Do this at your most productive time of the day. Are you a morning person? Start your day out with some quiet time by yourself, when you’re the most productive and focused.

4. Don’t multi-task. That’s right! These days, people have found that they’re much more productive when they’re allowed to focus on one task at a time, rather than constantly juggling a dozen different projects at once. Think about it – don’t you feel like you’ve actually accomplished something when you can cross things off your list?

"Time Management Tips for Solo Entrepreneurs" »

Posted by Angie at 11:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

“TIME CANNOT BE ‘MANAGED.’ THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF TIME MANAGEMENT IS A BIT OBSCURE. THE ONLY THING THAT CAN BE MANAGED IS YOUR ACTIVITIES WITHIN THAT TIME.”

I am quite confident I have never had an original idea in my entire life. What I have done, however, is create new ways of expressing old ideas. In this respect, I now invite you to approach, with a new perspective, the way you manage your activities.

Need-to, Ought-to, Can-do

Say it a few times to yourself: “Need-to, Ought-to, Can-do.” Tongue-twisting aside, it represents three categories, within which falls everything that you are presently capable of. (Any activity that you are not presently capable of would perhaps fall into a forth category of “Can’t-do,” and yet I would submit that if you are spending much time considering what you cannot do, you are not only mismanaging your time—you’re throwing it away!)

"Handling Procrastination" »

Posted by Angie at 03:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As a home-based, self-employed woman, mundane tasks can be as compelling to me as chocolate. Laundry. Dishes. Email. Try as I might to stay focused on running my business, at times, these uninspiring tasks beckon to me as a moth to a flame.

Why, you might ask, do I compare the common task of laundry to the delightful and satisfying experience of chocolate? It’s not that I adore the opportunity to do household chores, but sometimes any distraction is easier and more enjoyable than hunkering down to work.

It begs the question, why do I want to avoid my work? I love my business. There’s nothing I’d rather do for a living. It gives me the opportunity to be creative, serve people and hopefully give back to the world. I’m bountifully aware of the benefits.

I know I’m not alone in this dilemma, I hear it all the time, procrastination; lack of focus and distraction is a universal challenges for self-employed people. What’s more, for the self-employed person working from home, this treacherous trio can become a slippery slope.

"The Laundry Has Never Been More Fun Or The Pitfalls To Working At Home" »

Posted by Angie at 03:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Most of us have a to-do list – some of us have a very long one! While a to-do list is a valuable tool to help us stay on track for the urgent tasks of the day (and while there are many ways to improve your production and use of this list), that isn’t the focus of this article.

This article isn’t about managing your time. It is about taking the limited time resources we have and determining how to leverage that time for greater results in our lives. When we use a lever we use specific, correct actions to create great results. That is what we all want to do with our time --find the activities that will create greater results -- personal, professional, business, financial, or others in our lives.

To use this lever we have to go beyond our daily to-do list. This lever will require 30 or preferably 60 minutes of your time each day. Considering the returns (leverage) you will get on this investment, it will be time well spent.

Exercise. We all know it is important for our health. Exercise, whether it is walking, running, weights, or some other regimen, makes us more fit, creates energy, gives us time to be with our thoughts, and releases valuable enzymes into our bloodstream. This is a highly leveraged activity. We all know its benefits, but do we do it?

"Beyond Time Management – Seven Ways to Leverage Your Time for Greater Results" »

Posted by Angie at 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Goal Planning-Achieving balance in a person's life requires assessment of one's goals and priorities. This translates into sitting down in a quiet atmosphere and taking just a few minutes to think about "What are my priorities in life? What could I never live without?" When one is clear about the things that are important to them in life, it is easier to determine which errands, assignments, and projects to take time out to complete or to dump or delegate. You will then be able to do the things you love to do. Thinking about goals is a crucial step in striking balance for our busy lives.

Delegate-A powerful tool that many people overlook or ignore is delegating. Everyone wants to grow and learn new skills. When given responsibility, most people are motivated to do a good job. Colleagues, students, children, whoever you delegate to, with your clear instruction and guidance you can trust that the job will be completed well. Mothers do not often realize that children of all ages are indeed capable of completing many tasks and often love doing them.

"How to Find More Time in Your Day-Balancing Career and Family" »

Posted by Angie at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)