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| 7 Time-Management Skills Will Get You to the Success that You Want |
- Up to 80% of the average working day is spent on activities that do not promote you
- Only 17% of Americans track their time
- 46% of stress reported among employees in the US is caused by poor time management and getting overwhelmed as a result
- 87% of students could achieve better grades if they had better time management skills.
Here are 7 tips for you, so that you can be the master of your time rather than a slave to it:
TIP #1: SET GOALS. NO GOALS= NO DIRECTION.
Think of goal setting as if you are the captain of a ship. You have
just looked into the GPS of the ship and said: “What am I putting into
the GPS of the ship of my life?” If you fail to program the GPS, you
don’t set your goals. You just drift in the sea. You’ll end up
somewhere, doing something, living somehow. However, you need to be able
to determine for yourself what to program into that GPS. Where are you
going?
To manage your time, you need to ask yourself: “What am I managing it for? What are my goals?”
Write down your goals and keep your goal list short, including no more
than three. What are you looking to accomplish today? What are you going
to accomplish this year? What are you putting in the GPS of the ship of
your life?
TIP #2: LEARN TO BE QUICK AND HARSH WITH PRIORITIZING
We are bombarded with many tasks and so many other things that we
want to do. We tend to multitask throughout our day and overextend
ourselves. When the day ends, we ask ourselves: “What did I accomplish
today? I ran around all day, but what did I actually accomplish?”
That’s because we tend to spend major time on minor things. The things that matter less tend to take most of our day.
Prioritize by making 2-second decisions on what matters the most to you,
and just get out of your own head and give yourself a number. How much
does this matter right now? How important is it, between 0 and 10 If you
have certain things today that you assess as a “10” for you, you decide
that no matter what, those are the things that you are going to focus
on. The twos, the ones, the threes they can wait for later.
TIP #3: GET ORGANIZED. NOW.
The mess has to stop because the mess is eating up your energy and
wasting your day. If your household or your desk is chaotic, you’re
going to find yourself spending a lot of time looking for things and
information, trying to reorganize as you are going through the day.
Start each day with your inbox and your desk is organized and your
household in a decent state. you will find that you’re having an easier
time managing your day. You wouldn’t be running around looking for
things and trying to figure out where everything is and what to do. When
you can find something that you really need, it gives you a clearer
mindset.
TIP # 4: PLAN YOUR DAY
Stop starting your day without planning it because before you know it
the day will run you- you will not run the day. Planning the day is
about answering this one question: what must happen today? And then you
write it down. You never, ever start your day without answering that
question. How important is this? How important is that? Get out of your
own head and give it a number, 0-10. Stop spending your day on your 2s
and 3s. Plan ahead and focus on your 9s and 10s. That’s how you run the
day.
TIP #5: DELEGATE. EVERYONE AROUND YOU CAN DO SOMETHING.
Stop being superwoman or superman. There is no trophy for you at the
end of the road. Everyone around you is capable of doing something. And
the only reason they are not doing it, is that you never told them to.
Yes, I know that in an ideal world people could read your mind. Well,
they don’t. And for that reason, you have to tell them. If you delegate-
your life will improve instantly. If you don’t- you can blame no one
but yourself.
TIP #6: CHOOSE TO MANAGE YOUR STRESS (OR YOUR STRESS WILL MANAGE YOU)
Stress is a choice. So is calm. Stop getting worked up. This is a
behavior pattern that you can change- if you choose to. It doesn’t
matter how you choose to manage your stress- walks, baths, yoga, talking
to a friend- you know what works for you, so make the conscious choice
to do it. You can also choose not to manage your stress or to manage it
very poorly. That’s a choice that you can make. The result comes with a
high price tag, though- poor thinking, poor health, and complete misery.
Doesn’t a bubble bath or a walk sound much better?
TIP #7: SET BOUNDARIES. SAY NO.
Why are you doing such a poor job at setting boundaries? Are you
scared not to be liked? Are you pleasing others at the expense of
yourself? Are you too tired and worn out because you didn’t set
boundaries and now you just continue not to set them, just to become
more tired and more worn out?
Can you just prioritize yourself for once? For heaven’s sake, and for the love of you- just say NO.
Run the Day- or the Day will Run You!
Managing time is managing yourself. We are talking about managing your life and everything that matters to you. Are you a leader or a follower? Are you going to run the day or let the day run you? Only you decide. And you, only, will pay the price or earn the reward.
