I've divided my tips into two sections - 5 ways to manage your time and 5 ways to take back your time. Both offer daily or regular practices to try out in your life right now.
The first section focuses more on easing the time pressures in your life, to deal with all of the things you've gotten yourself into ;)
The second section focuses on making overall changes to your life. When you take back your time you also take back your CHOICE. When we're feeling time pressured and stressed out it's easy to forget that we have any say in the matter. And we do!
5 WAYS TO MANAGE YOUR TIME
1. Choose specific times to look at email during the day - seeing emails as they come in can really distract you from what you're trying to accomplish and you'll end up losing time as you go back and forth between activities.
2. The 15-minute strategy. This not only helps motivate you by breaking down large jobs into smaller pieces, it also makes good use of your time. The strategy is to spend 15-minutes on a task and then move on the next. You can come back to the first one as many times as you need to until it's done.
3. Find a system that works for you for making and meeting deadlines and appointments - a calendar or day-timer. I use a Palm Pilot and have been really happy with it.
4. Plan and cook meals ahead of time. A huge time-saver and also makes it much easier to eat healthier. It could be as simple as cooking an extra portion of dinner and having it for lunch the next day, or you could plan out seven days at a time (which is what I do).
5. Keep up with things - whether it's tidying up your papers, doing the dishes or working on a report, doing things a bit at a time (see tip #2) instead of letting them pile up to the point of taking you all day, is much more manageable.
5 WAYS TO TAKE BACK YOUR TIME
1. Set and keep your boundaries - if you work for someone else, be clear about over-time and taking work home with you. If you work for yourself, establish the times of day that are no-work zones; good places to start are breaks for meals and deciding when you will start and stop work for the day.
2. Make one day a week "timeless" ? rise and shine when you feel like it, eat when you're hungry and let your inner child (or your actual child!) plan your day's activities. Warning: This may conflict with the tip below ;)
3. Cut your t.v. time - try limiting it to one hour per day. Or try cutting it out completely for one week.
4. Buddy up and find someone to take back time with. Whether it's your spouse, best friend, family member or work colleague, if you're both committed you won't let each other bow out.
5. Take your holidays! Whether you're self-employed or work for someone else it's important to take time off to rejuvenate. You will be more productive for it in the long run.
Where do you need to take back time in your life? Where do you need to manage your time better?
(c) Copyright 2005, Genuine Coaching Services.
Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach, is the author of "The Everyday Self-Care Workbook". To receive one of her free monthly newsletters, subscribe at http://www.genuinecoaching.com/newsletter.html
same day cleaning service Bannockburn ..Whatever providence has in store for us tomorrow is not... Read More
I have worked with so many people over the years... Read More
Perhaps it is merely semantics, but an underlying problem I... Read More
So What Then Is The Opposite Of Procrastination? Urgency is... Read More
"I find it interesting that the very cape I tried... Read More
We live in a world where more is expected of... Read More
Are you working a "day job" while building your home-based... Read More
Time is inelastic. Despite what some of us persist in... Read More
"Work smarter, not harder" is a clich? that has darted... Read More
How many people do you know who are so busy... Read More
How do you know what's the best use of your... Read More
?busy, busy, busy, busy, busy?busy, busy, bus? OK, slap me... Read More
All requests are not equal; all customers or clients are... Read More
To work smarter all you need is the consciousness of... Read More
Whenever I've worked on 'de-cluttering' my living or working space,... Read More
Today, it is hard to open an e-mail newsletter, a... Read More
Are you too busy to put yourself first? If a... Read More
According to a Miller Heiman 2003 Sales Effectiveness Study, over... Read More
We all face decisions that involve doing things that affect... Read More
PROCRASTINATION: You've known about it since high school or college,... Read More
Many of us get so caught up in day-to-day pressures... Read More
How can you get an extra hour out of each... Read More
Friends, colleagues, and clients are all telling me that one... Read More
I give presentations on organizational skill building as it relates... Read More
1. Do tasks less frequentlyClean house every 10 days rather... Read More
housekeepers near Deerfield ..There is an old way of goal setting and a... Read More
Whatever providence has in store for us tomorrow is not... Read More
I keep a fossil on my desk at all times.... Read More
Here's some time management tips to try:1) Set strict office... Read More
Many folks tell me that they just don't have time... Read More
I have worked with so many people over the years... Read More
Looking out through my picture window during a recent winter... Read More
We are all born equal! We all have the same... Read More
How many times have you remarked to someone that there... Read More
Why waste your precious time working on tasks, which are... Read More
Clarity brings accomplishmentOne of the most important things you can... Read More
Do your dishes really need to be dried, or could... Read More
When I sit down with a client to work on... Read More
Do you believe that the best way to deal with... Read More
As the song goes, this is the time to relax,... Read More
We all face decisions that involve doing things that affect... Read More
Benjamin Franklin wrote: "If you want to enjoy one of... Read More
When trying to achieve a quality education, everybody knows that... Read More
According to a Miller Heiman 2003 Sales Effectiveness Study, over... Read More
Most of us know how to manage our time. It... Read More
When do you want to make time for a networking... Read More
"I find it interesting that the very cape I tried... Read More
What would be your reaction if someone said to you... Read More
Are you working a "day job" while building your home-based... Read More
"If you control your time, you control your life" -... Read More
Time Management |