Saturday, February 16, 2013

The 1 Goal Method For Effective Time Management

A simple time management tip: Use the practice of goal setting in a targeted way...

Time management insight: Remember, the focus of time management is actually changing your behaviors - creating new habits, not changing time. 

A great idea to do just that is use the practice of goal setting...but not "setting goals" per sae, but setting 1 goal at a time by the week.

So, as an example, if you want to address the issue of "time-wasters", rather trying to address them all at once, just choose one element of it.  For this example, let's use personal phone calls. For one week set a goal that you're not going to take personal phone calls while you're working; or on certain days or times of the day (notice how that is broken down even more into a day or segment of a day.)

Now in order for this to be most effective, track your progress - daily. In fact have something visual you can use, which is what I consider a coaching prompt. 

Your mindset in using this approach is knowing that if you reduce something a bit over time,  it can make a huge difference. Our mantra? A little bit done consistently goes along way!

Did you know having a time management workshop brought to your company can actually save your company money? - Curious how?...click here

Need a time management tune-up?  Then you'll want to pick up this fabulous resource:  Organizational Strategies for the Overwhelmed - how to manage your time, space, & priorities, to work smart, get results & be happy - here's the format's:  Kindle - The Book - Nook Audio Book -  The Seminar  :  See a review: Review #1

Friday, February 15, 2013

2 Must Have Time Management Skills

Are you efficient  & effective?....there is a difference...

Are you in the habit of getting things done and getting the right things done at the right time? One of the marks of an effective professional is exactly that:  the ability to get things done at the right time and in an efficient way - eh hem...meeting deadlines.

Several years ago, USA Today surveyed several freshman senators and house members to find out what piece of advice they would give incoming colleagues.  Interestingly, over half of those whose advice was noted addressed the issue of time management and scheduling.

In working with time management, here are two important elements to consider – efficient and effective. 

 In fact…
1. You can be efficient and not necessarily be effective.

2. Effective is getting the right things done at the right time.  For example, you can get a lot done in a week and still have critical activity fall through the cracks.

3. Being effective means one has to take the time to PLAN and determine what’s most important what’s critical or ABSOLUTE.

The conclusion?...they are equally important. So, an important professional success strategy is to be known as someone who gets things done and being efficient at doing so.

If you need help in either of these areas, then you'll want to pick up the title Organizational Strategies for the Overwhelmed - how to manage your time, space, & priorities, to work smart, get results & be happy -  Kindle - The Book - Nook - Audio Book -  The Seminar

Other  relevant readings on Kindle & Nook: 
Declutter Your Life From The Inside Out
Your Life Through the Lens of Time - The Interview

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Time Management Tip - Break It Down

Time management insight: Small bites can get big results!

Here’s a great time management tip or time management strategy that can really save you time!
Overwhelmed by a large project? Having a hard time getting motivated? Finding yourself procrastinating?
Ever heard the expression or question, “how do you eat an elephant? “ The answer? – one bite at a time.  Well that same principle applies when you’re feeling overwhelmed by a project, procrastinating, or having a hard time getting motivated.  You’ve got to break it down into small manageable action steps.
Usually looking at, focusing on one step and one step only allows emotional space for you to become motivated and see the light of getting something done. Once you write out actionable, reasonable steps your emotions become diffused and your brain begins saying…”hey, I can do that.”
Additionally, I employ is something called “the one minute challenge.”  I challenge myself to work on one little thing, task, etc. for only one minute.  I even use a kitchen timer.
The result?…I get focused on the “thing” enough to generate motivation to keep going.  If it’s not enough, I say, “ok…just one more minute.”  It’s like tricking yourself into gaining motivation in a fun way!
Coaching Tip: Break it down, focus on the first small step and give yourself the one minute challenge!
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If you haven't yet got your version of Organizational Strategies for the Overwhelmed - how to manage your time, space, & priorities, to work smart, get results & be happy - here's the format's it's in:  Kindle - The Book - Nook Audio Book -  The Seminar   See a review: Review #1

Other readings on Kindle: Declutter Your Life From The Inside Out Your Life Through the Lens of Time - The Interview

If you need a time management seminar or training brought to your organization – learn more here -

If you liked this post, you'll like this one: Time Management Advice From Webster's Dictionary

Sunday, February 10, 2013

What's The Real Skinny On Multi-tasking?


Frequent Multitaskers Aren't Good At Multitasking, Study Shows
If you think you're good at multitasking, you're probably just fooling yourself and if you think multitasking is a time management skill, put that thought under review as well.
That's the point of a new study in the journal PLOS One, showing that people whothink they are awesome at multitasking are also the ones who are pretty terrible at it.
"One of the main reasons people multitask is because they think they are good at it," study researcher David Sanbonmatsu, a psychology professor at the University of Utah, said in a statement. "But our study suggests people rarely are as good at multitasking as they think they are."
The study examined the multitasking ability of 310 college students. They were given multiple tests analyzing their multitasking skills, including their ability to use a cell phone while driving. They were also examined for personality traits such as impulsivity and the desire to seek sensations.
The researchers found some interesting associations. For one, people who actuallyscored well on the multitasking tests were the ones least likely to actually multitask.
Researchers also found that the more people talked on their cell phones while driving, the lower their ability to multitask.
"The people who multitask the most tend to be impulsive, sensation-seeking, overconfident of their multitasking abilities, and they tend to be less capable of multitasking," study researcher David Strayer, also a psychology professor at the university, said in the statement.
Past research has already shown that multitasking leads to sub-par quality of work and added stress. So why do we do it? Past research in the Journal of Communication shows that it gives us an emotional boost, even though it doesn't actually make us more productive.
"There's this myth among some people that multitasking makes them more productive," Zheng Wang, assistant professor of communication at Ohio State University and the researcher of the Journal of Communication study, said in a statement. "But they seem to be misperceiving the positive feelings they get from multitasking. They are not being more productive -- they just feel more emotionally satisfied from their work."
If you haven't yet got your version of Organizational Strategies for the Overwhelmed - how to manage your time, space, & priorities, to work smart, get results & be happy - here's the format's it's in:  Kindle - The Book - Nook Audio Book -  The Seminar  See a review: Review #1

Other readings on Kindle: Declutter Your Life From The Inside Out 
Your Life Through the Lens of Time - The Interview