|
Author: Inez Ng Article source: http://www.lifeorganizers.com/. Used with author's permission.
How many times have you remarked to someone that there are not enough hours in the day? The sad truth is, not matter how much you wish it, it is unlikely that you can get more than 24 hours in each day. So, the trick to time management is really how you get the most out of the hours you have. One way to do that is to become an exceptional planner of your day. It is not very difficult - just takes some basic knowledge and a lot of discipline. As a coach, I can help you with both, but the knowledge is what I'll cover right now.
Set aside time to plan
This is really the first step. You have to make planning a habit, and do the task religiously. I set aside an hour on Sunday mornings to plan my week. In order for me to make sure that the week goes according to plan, I have to have "a plan" to start with. In the beginning, it may take you longer than an hour, but once you've done the planning for a while, you'll get more efficient at it. You will also feel much more focused when you have identified what you want to accomplish for the week.
Schedule at least one week at a time
Some people only plan one day at a time, but I think that you need to be more forward looking than that. So, I suggest you focus on at least one week at a time, but also review what may be coming up in the next month while you are considering what to prioritize for the next week. The more proactive you are about your life, the less often you will find yourself having to react to unforeseen situations.
Identify your "big rocks" for your week
If you don't know what I mean, you have to read Stephen Covey. He made a masterful illustration using a bucket, some sand, and several rocks of various sizes. He explained that the sand represents all the busy work that we have to do, like answering the phone, reading email, filing away papers, etc. The rocks represent all the important things that we have to do, such as setting goals for the year, launching a new project, creating a vision for your team, etc. The bucket represents all the time we have for all the demands of our lives.
What happens with most of us is that we fill up our buckets with the sand first, and then we can only put a few rocks on top, and there's no more room for the rest. What he suggested is that we put all our rocks into the bucket first, and then fill in all the available spaces with the sand. And miraculously, everything fits in our container!
This is the philosophy you need to employ when you schedule your week. Identify all your big rocks, and block out the time to handle these first. Then worry about the sand afterwards. We have to make sure that we handle the important stuff first, and not let the busy work consume our days.
Think 24/7
I am not suggesting that you plan to work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But I am suggesting that you account for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in your schedule. If you neglect to consider Saturdays and Sundays because those are your "days off", you may find on Sunday night that you have not handled any of the household chores that you needed to get done. Or if you are planning on having a dinner party on Saturday night next week, you had better block off some time Friday or Saturday to straighten out the house, or go to the market.
Plan personal and play time
Don't think that a schedule is only for work, this is a plan for your life. So, make sure that you block off time for exercise, or "date night" with your spouse, or cheerleader time for your kids' games in your schedule. Remember that the goal is to have time to handle everything that's important to us, not just things that are important concerning work. If you want Friday to be a mental health day, block that off. You don't need to put in any more details than that. But you know that if you don't plan for it, it won't happen.
Leave some contingency time in your schedule
You know better than to expect that your days all go exactly as planned. Just when you are about to really focus on that important analysis you needed to do, your boss calls you into a meeting where your expertise is desperately needed, and your schedule is shot. So, don't cram every hour of your day with activities. Leave some contingency time for you to catch up when the unexpected happens.
Discipline, discipline, discipline
Once you have your days scheduled, you need to exercise discipline and stick to what you planned. Do everything you can to eliminate distractions and really focus on what you have to do. You will be amazed how much more productive you can be. So, close that email program, turn the phone ringer off and let voicemail handle the calls, close your office door for an hour of so. Then when it is time for you to handle email, and phone calls, and drop-in visitors, give all your focus to those activities then.
© 2004 Inez O. Ng ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Do you need some structure and accountability to propel you forward? Personal Coach Inez Ng has worked with professionals and entrepreneurs to transform their aspirations into reality. While focusing on specific areas, her coaching positively impacts all areas of her clients' lives. Learn more about coaching with Inez at http://www.RealizationsUnltd.com
In Network Marketing Youll Never Know What Could Happen
Prospecting in MLM can be very frustrating. There are times when it would be easier to admit failure and simply give up, but something will happen that will get...
Timepieces
Direct Answers - Column for the week of June 2, 2003 I am a father of three teenagers. The older boy and girl are obedient, good at their studies, and helpful ...
Rejuvenation and the Protein Revolution
Rejuvenation and the Protein Revolution in Your Kitchen©2003 Marilyn Diamond If you're like me, you want to see some serious rejuvenation when you look in the m...
Laminate Flooring is Built for the Twenty First Century
While capturing all the beauty and elegance of hardwoods, laminate flooring is both durable and easy to maintain. Its machine made construction will not stain, ...
Buying a Home with Bad Credit – Own a Piece of the American Dream
Buying a home with bad credit is an attainable goal. Everyone should have the chance to live the American dream.
Get Out Of Debt Faster With Debt Stacking
You go to the mail box and scan - a couple fliers (nah), your magazine subscription (yes!) and bills (groan). Every month the bills show up and as you sigh and ...
Mythology and Parables in Modern Communication - Part 1
Today there is a growing need to examine all our systems of thought and communication. We are witness to an information explosion. Never before has there been...
How Managers Hurt Their PR Results
When managers fail to persuade those awfully important outside folks to their way of thinking, and then fail to move them to take actions that allow their units...
Write Articles That Relate to Your Product or Service
If you want to make money online a good strategy that won't cost you a dime is to write articles that relate to your product or service.
Glyconutrients Will Be Revolutionary in Future Medicine - A Health Supplement
Glyconutrients are the eight essential sugars required for Optimal Health. They are essential for cellular communication, without which the cells and Immune Sys...
Page Rank Purgatory - Simple Things You can Do to Keep Your Web Site Out of Search Engine Hell!
Many of the SEO Guru's Proclaimed that Meta-Tags were all but dead a few years ago. Well Yahoo in their Guidelines are saying certain Meta-Data is actually a Ke...
Seven Ways to Get the Most Out of the Next Training You Attend
Sometime soon you will be attending training that you are paying for or it may be something your organization is investing in. Many people approach training as...
Online Investing & Stock & Share Trading: 4 Reasons Why Most Online Investors & Traders Go Broke
Most people are attracted to the idea of being in control of their financial future, but confused about how to start investing in the stock or share market, whi...
7 Steps Toward a Better Website
Creating a website is one thing, making it better is another. Matt shares 7 steps to helping you gain a better website.
June Gardening Tips
These are just a few gardening tips for you to consider here in late June. Many people seem to think that just because all the plants have been put into their ...
How To Write Little Tiny AdWords Ads That Bring Giant-Sized Profits
It seems to be a phenomenon. You try Google AdWords Select, your ad gets "disapproved" by the powers that be at Google, you count your losses and give up. It do...
Call To Action
Direct Answers - Column for the week of February 3, 2003 I need some advice, please! I've been married to the same man for 11 years. He's a nice person when h...
Counter-Offers: Do They Merit Consideration?
A counter-offer can be very enticing when faced with the choice of moving into a brand new work situation or maintaining the status quo. It certainly can be ve...
3 Cover Letter Secrets Revealed
Writing a cover letter can be like cleaning your garage -- you don't know where to start ... and you just want it done.
Does Internet Dating Work?
What's the Number One Question that Everyone Asks About CyberDating? Everyone -- and that included YOU! -- wants to know: "Does Internet Dating Work?" Well, I ...
Does Money Grow On Trees?
"Money Doesn't Grow On Trees." Some of us even believe it. An orchard owner would say the statement is wrong. His profits grow on trees… As small business own...
How to Get Great Organic Search Engine Listings
All too often I find site owners are confused (or in denial) about how to achieve the search engine rankings they desire on the SERPs (Search Engine Result Page...
Time-Proven Strategies That Increase Targeted Web Site Traffic For Free
Today Internet has over 36,000,000 web sites, and statistics says that most of these web sites are DEAD - they do not get targeted web site traffic. Only target...
12 Signs of Women Attention
A woman expresses herself not only with the help of words. She can twist her hair, or touch you accidentally. Or crosses her legs, not on purpose of course... I...
|
Print this page