Time Management Tips - Solution to Wipe-Out Tardiness

(Time Management Tips)


Today is Monday. The clock alarmed at exactly five in the morning, but you still feel like sleeping. Irritated, you grabbed the poor clock, turned it off, and put it face down. You dozed off for another 30 minutes. Suddenly, you realized that you have work today, and surely you'll be late again! You almost jump out of the bed and dragged yourself into the bathroom, brushed your teeth, took a bath, then dressed up.

You keep on looking at the wall clock while you search hysterically for the keys. After five minutes, at last you found them. You grabbed your bag and hurried towards the front door. Then, for the last time, you took another glimpse at the wall clock.

You started the car engine and drove as if you are a fugitive being chased by a bunch of policemen. You can now imagine your Boss' crumpled face and his apparently authoritative index finger tapping at his very expensive Rolex watch. Oh no! You are wired...again!

Tardiness is truly a problem for some people who lack the skills in time-management. Being late is not exclusive on matters of attendance. This factor is also one of the top-most things that are being considered in gauging performance, specifically when it comes to the timely submission or completion of the assigned tasks.

With the proper time-management techniques, tardiness can be effectively eliminated. There are two things that matter in wise time-management: 1) time allocation and 2) time awareness.

1) TIME ALLOCATION. Allocate your time depending on your priorities. Being late for several times a month or worse several times a week does not leave a good impression. You have to know what your priorities are. Spend more time on the things that you really need to accomplish and reduce your time spent on less important things like partying, watching television or going to the movies very late at night, long chit chat with friends or boyfriends/girlfriends, etc. It is not that you have to leave a life of boredom and isolation, but the point is wise time allocation really matters. If you perceived that you might possibly stay up late because you have to finish some activities, then, just make sure that will wake up the next day by the time that you exactly set. Otherwise, go get enough sleep. Conserve your energy so that you will be able to wake up early and be at school or work early.

2) TIME AWARENESS. After setting you priorities and allocating your time, you have to set a deadline for yourself. If you say that I should be able to finish dinner preparation by 7:00 PM, then finish the preparation by 7:00 PM, or much better if you will be able to have it done before 7:00 PM. If your goal is to finish your homework by 10:30 PM, then cut your hands off the PlayStation and start with your homework. If you say that you should be able to submit the report to your Boss before lunch then do everything within your means to beat your own deadline.

These things may be difficult to implement at the start. However, if you will only give them a try, punctuality at all times will be guaranteed. Many people will notice the big improvement and you yourself will surely feel the big satisfaction on what you have achieved.
By Cheriz Jay

Time Management Tips - Pressed For Time, Do Not Jump to Conclusions - 10 Timeless Time Management Techniques Touted

Often we are faced with important and crucial decisions and we must decide on a very short time table. The decisions we make will have long-term effects on our lives or financial future. So, much so that we cannot make a mistake and thus, it causes us stress and anxiety, almost to the point of paralysis. It's times like this that we need to take a deep breath, have a glass of wine and then get serious about the tasks at hand.

When stressed for time with too much to do and you know that the decisions you make are paramount, you should;
Make a list
Prioritize the list by importance
Assess how much time you have
Mark off any things on the list that are not crucial
Determine how much time each item will honestly take
Put a check mark next to each item which requires a decision to be made
Consider your options and choices
Write down the criteria of each issue important to you for the proper outcome
Give a value to each
Work through your list by order of importance
By Lance Winslow

Time Management Tips - Being Bored at Work Can Actually Improve Your Life!

We've all been there before, bored at work, sitting in our cube farm watching the clock on our monitor read the same time for what seems like forever. Is it time for lunch yet? We ask ourselves this question knowing we just stepped in the door twenty minutes ago. We look at the pictures of our families or pets sitting on our desks over and over again. We've checked our emails, our facebook pages and caught up on our daily gossip magazine articles. Now what?!

Believe it or not, being bored at work can actually be a good thing. It gives you time to reflect on your current situation and assess whether you are truly happy in your profession. If you're unhappy, you have the motivation to make a change for the better. Through this motivation you can take action to research your alternatives and then find another opportunity that will eliminate your boredom.

If you sit at work day in and day out bored out of your mind, you're probably frustrated with your current situation. So, it's time to make a change. The longer you will this way the more motivation you have to do something different. Eventually, that motivation will lead you to do something about it. This is where the research begins.

You start by researching job postings and your current salary to see exactly how underpaid you are. When you find out you're not making what you are worth your motivation to do something else increases. So, now you are filling your time with research to see what your alternatives are. Over time you will stumble across an opportunity that is too good to resist. You can then start pursuing that opportunity with the time you are wasting at work.

Once you've found an opportunity that you want to pursue, you can use the time you have to prepare for it. You may find another job that you want, so you can use your time to study interview questions, go on interviews and do more research. Maybe you've found a business opportunity that you can do on the side while you're still working full time. If you haven't found the right opportunity yet, you can take the time to focus on personal development that will get you ready for that opportunity when it arrives.

Before you know it, you've cured your boredom at work. If you use your time wisely to focus on your personal development, your own business or a new job then it's only a matter of time before you can kiss your old job good bye. You are now ready to enjoy your time doing something that you enjoy. When you look back at the time you spent being bored at work you can rest knowing that it was a blessing in disguise and that it actually helped improve your life.
By Dawn Ploegmakers

Time Management Tips - How Are Your Boundaries?

Are you squandering time and energy because of absent or weak boundaries? Take this simple self-assessment and see how you measure up.

Answer true or false for each of these items:

1. I am generally present, wherever I am. When I'm at work, I'm 100% at work. When I'm home, I'm 100% at home. When I'm in a meeting, I'm in that meeting. When I'm with my kids, I'm with my kids. And so forth.

2. I do not spend time with people I don't really want to spend time with.

3. I am honest with myself about what I will do and what I will not do.

4. I am clear in my communications with other people about what I will do and what I will not do.

5. I am not pressured into saying "Yes" when I want to say "No." At work, in my community, at home, in my relationships.

6. People know that I am reliable. If I say I will do something, they know I will deliver.

7. I do not rescue other people.

8. I own my schedule. My schedule does not own me.

SCORING: True = 1 point, False = 0.

Totals:

7-8: You have strong, clear boundaries. Keep up the good work, and trust yourself to know when and where to build new boundaries or strengthen the old ones.

5-6: You have some strong boundaries and could benefit from strengthening others. Some focused work on your part could deliver huge results for you.

Under 5: You are dissipating precious focus and energy through weak or non-existent boundaries. You can make some quantum leaps in your quality of life if you choose to strengthen these boundaries.
By Sharon Teitelbaum

Time Management Productivity Tips - Managing Your Inner Procrastinator

Most people consider their procrastination habit a sure sign of imperfection, proof of their innate degeneracy. But a more generous interpretation of procrastination can yield better results.

Consider, if you will, the possibility that you procrastinate for a good reason. If you can identify that reason and work with it, then your need to procrastinate will dissolve and you can just go forward and do the thing you have been avoiding.

Some people procrastinate doing boring things. What a smart move! Who wants to spend time doing boring things? If you can allow yourself to notice that you are procrastinating a boring job, then you have the option of finding a way to delegate the boring job to someone else who may be delighted to have the job because they will get paid, they will learn something new or a whole host of other possibilities.

If you are procrastinating because you are intimidated by the task, or don't have a clue how to even begin it, then what's really needed is some help. Stop asking yourself to get going with a job you don't know how to do. Go out and find someone who can help you.

Or perhaps you are procrastinating because the task is likely to be unpleasant or difficult in some way, perhaps just because it's out of your comfort zone. You need to let a client know that you'll have to charge extra for the changes he's requesting. You need to tell one of your direct reports that she can't have the vacation dates she's requested. You're going to tell you mother that you're not going THERE for Thanksgiving this year. You get the idea. One of the best ways to support yourself in this kind of situation is to plan the conversation so it takes place between two "bookends" of support. In other words, line up a close friend or colleague to be available for you to talk to before and after the difficult conversation. That way, you have some support going into it, and you also have a safe person to debrief with after the difficult conversation.
By Sharon Teitelbaum

Time Management Tips - Avoiding Overwhelm

I left a meeting with one of my mentors recently with a page of fabulous next steps for my coaching, workshop, and book business. There were probably 10 actionable items noted on the page, each one of which was the tip of a project iceberg. I left the meeting in full overwhelm. It's not as if I'm underutilized these days!

I took the page back to my office and put it on my desk where I could see it while I did other work. Now and then I would look over at the page and feel awful. Before the afternoon was out I realized a few things about me and that page.

First, I realized that I wished I was "the kind of person who" could knock off some of those items in no time flat. Someone who could devote a couple of hours one evening and crank out high level results for, say, half of the items on the list. And then do the other half the next morning. But I am not that person, and I felt diminished by my less than favorable comparison.

Then I realized that:

I had completely imagined this brilliantly efficient person who could work oh-so-much-faster and better than I can.
As soon as I had invented her, I went into a compare-and-despair routine, which did not support me to take any action.
Since I had invented this character who was a better me than I was, I could also make her disappear. So I made her disappear.

At that point, my resistance fell away, and I could finally take on the list for what it simply WAS: some potential projects for 2006. I stopped being overwhelmed.

Now I could actually do something useful. My first order of business was to identify which projects I wanted to take on, period. And then to prioritize: which tip of which iceberg would be first in line. And my second order of business was to schedule some project time into my calendar for Iceberg #1. At this point I became energized.

Very often, what's at the heart of feeling overwhelmed is resisting your limits. A panicked lawyer client with pneumonia, sick children, and a huge trial coming up expected herself to pull all-nighters as she had when she was in college. Once she accepted that she was no longer as "invincible" as she had been in her younger, simpler circumstances, she was able to get over her panic, plan how to use her limited resources strategically, and get going.

What personal or structural limitation are you resisting? If you can accept the real limits of your circumstances, chances are good you can move beyond feeling overwhelmed and get back to work, which is where the breakthroughs happen.
By Sharon Teitelbaum

Time Management Tips - Develop Your Time Management Skills to Better Manage Your Life

The basic idea of time management is to develop SKILLS to utilize time more effectively. The amount of time had been cast in stone for all of us; no one could increase or decrease it; we all have 24 hours a day, no more no less. And the number is always trickling down... No one can stop it. The pressure of the passing of time and feeling of wasting it are the main reason why people feel that they're running out of time.

Therefore, having the skills to use our time effectively is key to time management. Some examples of the skills required to manage time properly are goals setting, planning, organizing and scheduling.

Set Goals and Craft Your Road Map.

Ever wonder why there are people who seem to know exactly what to do every single day? The answer is because they have their goals set. Having goals are very important, they are your road maps so you know where you want to go and what you want to accomplish in your life. It's like when you're hopping on a bus; first, you need to know where you're heading to and then catch the right bus that will bring you to your destination. If you don't know where you want to go, you can just hop into any bus because it doesn't matter where you will arrive if you don't where you're going.

Having goals in your life also help you focus your energy on activities that are important to you rather than squandering your time doing things that are not important.

Develop Habit To Plan And Schedule Your Time.

I find it very useful to invest 30 minutes to an hour planning and scheduling my activities for the day. It may seem like a waste of time to sit down and plan for things up front, but this can save untold hours later on. While doing your planning and scheduling, do not ignore trivial activities such as exercise and picnic with kids or family.

Many people say that they have no time for exercise. You should not think so. The time you spend for exercise is time well spent; it's a good investment. Regular exercise will make you more healthy and sick less. Imagine how much time are wasted when you're sick and not productive? That's why I say time spent for exercise is a great investment.

As you can see, your time is actually your life. So if you could manage your time well, you would manage your life well. Remember that we each get the same amount of time every day. There's a lot of time out there and a lot that gets wasted. You will feel that time is always on your side if you have the skills to use it effectively. On the other hand, time seems to slip away from you very quickly if you don't have the skills to manage it.
By Leon Lioe