Time Management: Set Yourself Up For Success

Any habit of mind or body that interferes with taking decisive action contributes to your tendency to procrastinate. Think about your good habits and the environment that leads you to be most productive. Consider your preferred working hours, your optimum concentration periods, and the ways you have been successful in the past. You can begin to build on your good points first by recognizing them and giving yourself credit for them. Then, enhance the skills and techniques you already have with those presented here and beat the specter of procrastination once and for all.

1) Manipulate your environment to your advantage by making your actual work-space fit your ideal as much as you can.
2) Use your best working time to concentrate on the jobs that give you the most difficulty. Set aside a specific period of time for a task and stick to your commitment.
3) Keep track of your time and how you spend it. If it slips by unnoticed, it will usually slip by under-used.

If you can identify your work patterns you will see how procrastination weaves itself into your work-day. Few of us say, "OK, now I am going to procrastinate for forty minutes." Instead, we let procrastination slip in under some other guise. To focus your thoughts on your habits, ask yourself these questions: What are my daily work patterns? (Keep a written record for 3 days, noting activities in fifteen-minute intervals) -- 1) When do I try to tackle tasks that I dislike? 2) When do I socialize or concentrate on "easy-work" instead of undertaking more important tasks? 3) How do I usually handle large, annual projects?

If you can identify your work patterns you will see how procrastination weaves itself into your work-day. Few of us say, "OK, now I am going to procrastinate for forty minutes." Instead, we let procrastination slip in under some other guise. To focus your thoughts on your habits, ask yourself these questions: -- 1) How do I usually handle daily, record-keeping, or follow-up tasks? 2) How do I usually handle the responsibility of communicating sensitive material or bad news? 3) Which of my job's regular requirements do I like least and how do I usually handle them? 4) Which skills that my job requires do I feel I do not have or could improve upon? If I am called upon to use those skills, what do I do?

Once you have a work habit record, take the time to analyze it: When you do so, be thoughtful and honest as you answer the following questions. Remember, you are striving to improve productivity, not to reinforce procrastination.
1) Do I avoid making and refining decisions and thus deny myself the opportunity to apply myself to the goal at hand?
2) Do I take the least active option?
3) Do I allow negative ideas about a task to balloon?
4) Do I fabricate reasons for postponing action?
5) Do I need imposed pressures to finish a task?

Copyright ae schwartz & associates All rights reserved. For additional presentation materials and resources: ae schwartz & associates and for a Free listing as a Trainer, Consultant, Speaker, Vendor/Organization: ae schwartz & associates

CEO, A.E. Schwartz & Associates, Boston, MA., a comprehensive organization which offers over 40 skills based management training programs. Mr. Schwartz conducts over 150 programs annually for clients in industry, research, technology, government, Fortune 100/500 companies, and nonprofit organizations worldwide. He is often found at conferences as a key note presenter and/or facilitator. His style is fast-paced, participatory, practical, and humorous. He has authored over 65 books and products, and taught/lectured at over a dozen colleges and universities throughout the United States.

professional maid services Park Ridge ..
In The News:

ShinyHunters claims responsibility for stealing 94GB of Pornhub user data affecting over 200 million records and demands Bitcoin ransom.
ChatGPT 2025 now connects to Apple Music, Canva, Expedia, TripAdvisor and OpenTable through built-in apps that help users create playlists, design graphics and more.
Apple releases emergency patches for two zero-day vulnerabilities actively exploited in attacks. iPhone and iPad users urged to update immediately.
DoorDash launches Zesty, an AI-powered social app that recommends restaurants through conversational search, now testing in San Francisco and New York.
Cybersecurity firm Infoblox reveals that over 90 percent of parked domains now redirect visitors to scams and malware, making simple typos extremely dangerous.
The Fox News AI Newsletter covers the latest artificial intelligence technology advancements, including the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
GPT-5.2 is now live for all ChatGPT users with improved coding, writing and image interpretation, with Kurt Knutsson offering his review.
New iPhone replacement scam uses pressure tactics and fake carrier calls to steal devices from buyers. Criminals claim shipping errors and demand urgent returns.
Amazon Ring's new facial recognition feature sparks privacy controversy as Electronic Frontier Foundation critics argue the AI upgrade expands surveillance risks.
New Android banking trojan Sturnus steals credentials, reads encrypted messages and controls devices.
Denmark's 3D-printed student village proves automation builds 36 apartments faster than traditional methods. Skovsporet project shows housing future.
Discover Android's new Sound Notifications feature that alerts you to smoke alarms, doorbells, and baby cries even when wearing headphones.
New SantaStealer malware reportedly threatens holiday shoppers with password theft. This Christmas-themed info-stealer targets browsers and crypto wallets.
The Christmas season brings a surge in Netflix phishing scams targeting shoppers with fake emails. Stacey P received convincing scam but verified account first.
San Francisco Giants invite Jamie Grohsong to throw ceremonial first pitch at Oracle Park after he learned to play baseball with a bionic hand following an injury.
FBI warns cybercriminals are stealing family photos from social media to create fake proof of life images in virtual kidnapping scams targeting victims.
Instagram's new 'Your Algorithm' tool lets you control your Reels feed in real time. The app now gives you power to customize what videos you see.
Major Marquis fintech breach exposes 400,000-plus Americans' data through unpatched SonicWall vulnerability, with Texas hardest hit at 354,000 affected.
Free up iPhone storage fast by clearing large photos and videos from Messages app. Simple steps for iOS users to delete attachments without losing chats.
Scammers are flooding inboxes with fake tracking alerts that mimic real carriers, exploiting the holiday rush to steal logins and personal data.
The Fox News AI Newsletter brings you the latest news on AI technology advancements and the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Texas family reunites with missing 11-year-old cat Grayson after 103 days using Petco Love Lost's AI photo matching technology and community help.
Tired of AI customer service loops? These insider tricks help you escape "frustration AI" and get real human help when you need it most for urgent issues.
Unlock richer audio from your streaming apps with simple tweaks to volume normalization, equalizer settings, and quality preferences for cleaner sound.
Scammers are sending fake Facebook settlement payout emails that mimic legitimate notices from the privacy settlement administrator to deceive users.

The Power of 90 Seconds

You can use the Power of 90 Seconds to transform... Read More

New Adventures - in Four Hours a Day

"Can you find four extra hours in your day?" a... Read More

10 Tips on the Right Time of Day for Your Personal Best

Does choosing which time we do an activity really make... Read More

Making More Efficient Use of Your Time

You can lose, damage or waste some things in life,... Read More

Because Its Been Years Since Youve Seen a Blank Calendar

If you have ever missed an appointment, forgotten to pick... Read More

Do You Over Promise and Under Deliver?

A new client recently admitted to me sheepishly that she... Read More

Mercury Retrograde and Time Management

The concept of Mercury Retrograde is very well known even... Read More

Sharpen The Saw

Sometime ago, my lovely wife woke me up in the... Read More

How Do You Start Your Day

"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces up, snow... Read More

21 Questions To Assess Your Readiness For Time Management

How many of us are guilty of "Putting the cart... Read More

How A Simple Four-Letter List Can Make or Break Your Business

One of the biggest problems most people have when it... Read More

Time Management - Keeping a Clean Desk

I have worked with so many people over the years... Read More

Handling Procrastination

"TIME CANNOT BE 'MANAGED.' THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF TIME MANAGEMENT... Read More

Time Management And How It Affects Your Kids

Last week I attended a presentation from Parenting Expert and... Read More

Time Invested Wisely = Your Dreams

This past Friday I was asked to speak with a... Read More

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

As a home-based, self-employed woman, mundane tasks can be as... Read More

Time Management: Set Yourself Up For Success

Any habit of mind or body that interferes with taking... Read More

Quick Tips On Time Management

Want to improve your time management?Edward W. Smith, motivational speaker,... Read More

Managing Time to Accomplish More

Time is inelastic. Despite what some of us persist in... Read More

House Cleaning - Three Ways To Finding The Time

It's always a challenge finding time to clean my house.... Read More

The Key to High Productivity is Energy Management

One of the issues most often raised by my clients... Read More

Prioritize with Two Questions

"Because there will always be something more to do, we... Read More

Are You Really Swamped or Just Disorganized

"Time is what we need the most and what we... Read More

Tips to Manage Your Time

Time and money are both very important in business. Yet,... Read More

Have You Got a Minute?

Such an innocuous little phrase, yet when you are hard... Read More

cleaning lady near Lincolnshire ..