|
|
| Time Management Information |
|
|
|
|
Busy, Busy, Busy
?busy, busy, busy, busy, busy?busy, busy, bus? OK, slap me with a wet diaper! Enough of that silliness. Most you know what I'm talking about though, right? That's us! Busy. Doing what? Stuff. What kinds of stuff? All kinds of stuff. Like what? You name it. Give me an example. Can't. Why not? Too busy? OK ? that's it! Blow the danged whistle! We need a Time Out! Holy Smokes, Folks! We're going outta control. No, not all of us of course. But there are enough of us pushing our physical, mental and emotional limits that it's worthwhile talking about it. Let me ask you this. When was the last time you just kicked back and looked at the clouds to see what cartoonish kinds of figures or shapes you could see in them? Or the last time you touched a plant leaf and really thought about how it felt and how amazing it was that it was an actual living thing? Or the last time you strolled leisurely down the road or path and thought about nothing in particular? Or the last time you watched a baby sleep and enjoyed the feeling of being a part of a great creation? Or the last time you leaned back in an easy chair and snoozed ? not because you were completely worn out, but just because it seemed like a neat thing to do? How long has it been? An extremely long time? Never? Hmmm? Many of us unfortunately, are the proud owners of the skewed assumption that we must always be doing something. OK, for those of you who have a tendency to get overly technical, we are always doing something ? even when we're doing "nothing". You know what I mean. I'm referring to our obsession with physical and mental (and sometimes emotional) activity. We go to work, do stuff, talk with folks, go home, go to the store, go out to an activity, run errands, pay bills, haul the kids around, fix meals, do yard work, do house work, fix stuff, paint stuff, reorganize stuff, buy more stuff, watch TV, surf the web, and on and on. Even our vacations are so crammed with "doing" that we're pooped puppies by the time we get back home. Yeah, I know. I have heard time and time again, "But I just have sooo much to do that I can't get it all done in a day!" Hmmm (again?). And I think to myself that there are several possible reasons for this comment. This person may be in a survival mode of operation and his/her day is filled to overflowing with more than one job, caring for loved ones and trying to meet the demands of everyday living. This can be tough, but we do what we gotta do. Or this individual may just be a bit disorganized and have a difficult time establishing logical priorities. Or, maybe he/she isn't really all that busy but for some inner reason would like others to think he/she is. Or maybe this person has a difficult time saying no for a variety of reasons. Or perhaps this individual has become so accustomed to being busy or having some type of auditory input or stimulus that to do otherwise is uncomfortable ? again, for a variety of possible reasons. We all have our individual, special reasons for being busy and admittedly, many of the reasons are completely valid. I'm suggesting however, that none of the reasons are valid enough. Every single one of us needs time to kick back for at least a few minutes each day to recharge our physical, mental and emotional batteries. And the busier we get, the more critical this re-charge becomes. Most of us know, or have known, people who have succumbed to the Go-Go-Go Syndrome. We have seen everything from burn-outs to complete physical, mental or emotional collapse. Suddenly, the go-go-go has turned into a stop-stop-stop. Everything that seemed to be such a high priority dropped dramatically in its ranking ? probably closer to the level it should have been at in the first place. I think it would be very beneficial if we all made the small effort that it takes to reserve at least fifteen minutes a day just for us. Fifteen minutes for a time out to relax, meditate or just let the old brain cells cool down. Fifteen minutes to regroup and recharge our batteries. Just fifteen minutes. About one percent of our day. OK, considering all the other possible options, it might not be the absolute best fifteen minutes you've ever enjoyed in life but it's still worth doing. Give it a try. You'll like it? About The Author Gene, through NuPathz.com, provides an easy reading self-help blog along with affordable books and materials written to help folks find the road to a more enjoyable lifestyle, to pass on some of life's "secrets for survival" in a chaotic world & offer a few smiles along the way. It's a down-to-earth, simple approach to discovering a better life. This article is an excerpt from Gene's blog posted on 12/2/03. You can visit Gene at http://www.nupathzcom/
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Managing Time to Accomplish More Time is inelastic. Despite what some of us persist in believing, it will NOT magically expand to accommodate all we have to do. So, in order to maximize the time we have available, we have to spend it wisely. Time Management Doesnt Exist! So What Can You Do? There is no such thing as time management. You cannot control time, throw it out, sell it, or give it away. You cannot stop time; it goes on forever and ever. So, what can you do? Time Management Lessons from a 3 Year Old Zak is my three-year old godson. He is the apple of my eye along with his sisters Carley and Brenna. I was watching him the other day as he was preparing to assume a self-proclaimed role of 'Master of the Universe' while playing a game with some of his friends. I marveled at how prepared he was and how his plan included alternatives if there were any 'problems' in the scheme of things. He was, in fact, more focused on achieving his goal than just about anyone I've ever seen. How Much Is Poor Time Management Costing You? * If you were paying you to prioritise emails over coaching your team, would you feel you were getting a good return on your investment? 9 Proven Principles for Increasing Productivity, Profit and Peace of Mind Do you feel guilty about all the publications you purchase but never read -- or the articles you read with great ideas or opportunities you never implement? Are you spending time recreating marketing materials because you cannot find what you wrote the preceding month or year? Do you run out the door for an appointment at the last minute because you could not find your keys or the directions you needed to get where you are going? Are you frequently feeling tired and overwhelmed? Do the people you care about express frustration at your disorganization or want to spend more time with you? If so, "getting organized" should be high on your priority list! 31 Ways to Get An Extra Hour Out of Each Day How can you get an extra hour out of each day? For many small business owners this is a daily challenge. Linking Purpose To Everyday Behaviors How do you know what's the best use of your time right now? Time Management: How To Get More Done If you can regularly ask yourself "Am I regularly and consistently working on those items that will move me towards my clearly defined goals?" and honestly answer "Yes" then you are probably doing ok. 10 Tips on the Right Time of Day for Your Personal Best Does choosing which time we do an activity really make a difference? You Cant Buy Time Our daily lives are inundated with a crammed to-do list. We are often rushing throughout our day trying to keep up with ourselves. Although technology has improved and simplified our lives, we are as pressed for time as past generations. Often your day seems so full, and you are so pressed for time that it is impossible to get in all there is to do, and yet a little quiet thinking will show that the important things can be easily put into two thirds of the day, and the remaining third is free for rest, or play, or both. You can feel normally pressed for time; and because of this pressure you can arrange in your mind what best to leave undone, and so relieve the pressure. If one thing seems as important to do as another you can make up your mind that of course you can only do what you have time for, and the remainder must go. You cannot do what you have time to do so well if you are worrying about what you have no time for. Make Procrastination Wait Reflect on the rewards of kicking the procrastination habit. They are quite clear: -- Daily feeling of accomplishment. -- Long-term sense of achievement. -- Better performance. -- Satisfaction with a job efficiently done. -- Freedom from the tyranny of imposed tasks-more confidence about mastering future assignments. -- Better professional image. -- Higher self-esteem-belief that you can and will make decisions and take effective action. -- More control of your job and career. Seven Ways to Say, No! A common remedy for improving your time management is to develop the ability of saying, "NO." Since it is easier to recommend than to do, here are some tips on how to do it. Scheduling Productive Days - Dont Interrupt, Im Pouring Concrete 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. Achieve More With Less Through Proper Planning One question a lot of people ask me recently is: "how do I manage my own personal time and get so much done in the same 24 hours everyone else have? They wonder how I have time for my family, being a Motivational Speaker, Business/Life Coach, Writer, Publisher, and Toastmaster." Time Management is Cause Control Recently I've experienced a barrage of time wasters. Everything you can imagine, most of them unexpected, many of them self inflicted. It's amazing how fast you can go through minutes. 5 Result-Getting Time Management Tips How often have you tried to manage your time in more productive ways, and found the process to be difficult and confusing? Perhaps you simply gave up on the idea. As one friend said, "Time management takes too much time!" 7 Ways To Improve Your Life In 7 Days Choose to be Happy Expand Your Time In our time-crazed society, lots of time is what most of us don't have. Yet, all of us would like to have more time. So what can you do about that? Expand your time. It's simple. Fitting An Education Into A Busy Lifestyle Fitting an education into a busy lifestyle How To Better Handle Your Mail Letters, magazines, bills, flyers, what to do with them all. There should be only two responses to every piece of mail or e-mail, do something with it, or toss it!
|
| home | site map |
| © 2005 |