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Time Management Habits that Reward You

Guest post by: Dave Ferguson

Article Overview: Time Management Tips

Time Management Habits that Reward You



In the past week, I have had two fans ask me if I have a column on Time Management that they could use with their staffs. Well, I didn't have one, so ask and you shall receive. Thanks for your inquiries.

We are all one big habit. From the time we get up in the morning to the way we treat people. Each of us has the choice to be one big bad habit or one big effective and thriving habit. If you chose the latter having Time Management skills are a must. Unfortunately Time Management is a skill many of us seem to learn and use only through necessity. When we use Time Management from a reactive standpoint, usually bad habits creep in and we end up not using the skill to its full potential. Help is here! If you adopt the proactive habits I'm giving you today, you should be able to accomplish the following:

• Elimination of Procrastination

• Quicker evaluation of your work

• Being more productive

• Increasing your free time (remember what that was?)

There have been many books written on this subject, but I have found it healthy to use the one's I share with you today:

1. Make "to-do" lists and complete the tasks on the list, by priority. Rate each item on the list by giving it a priority number. If you mix business and personal items, code them and prioritize them separately. If you're doing the right things you're being more effective.

2. Make "not to-do" lists and don't ever do anything on this list. I call these things clutter. It's all the stuff that we have the habit of doing that does absolutely nothing for anyone. Watching TV is one of my favorite "not to-do's" that I like to pick on. I mean, does it really matter who is the next American Idol? Is that person going to help you with your business or personal life? I seriously doubt it.

3. Use downtime for minor planning and you can save you time in the long run. Some people say always be selling, I say always be planning. Work on your game plan whenever you have downtime.

4. Reward yourself when you really deserve it. Not just because you worked a long day. If you've set goals that stretch you and you've accomplished one, that would be the time to reward yourself. Personally, I like mint chocolate chip ice cream when I accomplish a goal.

5. Concentrate on one task at a time and chances are you'll complete more of your tasks. Today, we brag about multi-tasking like it's really effective. Most times is usually efficient and not effective. Do the right things, don't do stuff right! Get really good at one thing before you pile on something else.

6. Avoid procrastination at all costs. This is a tough one, I know. Someone wise once told me, don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today. If it's something you don't enjoy doing, rather than putting it off, get it out of the way first so you can enjoy the other tasks.

7. Set personal deadlines that hold you accountable. If necessary have an accountability buddy, or hire a coach, this is what we are best at.

8. Delegate, delegate, delegate if you can. If you can't, git r dun!

9. Use a "time-blocking" system and your life will be much easier and effective. Block out time in your schedule for specific tasks and don't let anything get in the way during those times.

10. Be a team player and win! At work get others involved with this process and time manage as a team. At home, get your family involved. It's a "win, win" for everyone.

11. Use long term planning for long-term success. "If you're failing to plan, you're planning to fail."

12. Don't burn out. Get the proper sleep, eat right, exercise, take vacations or long weekends, volunteer somewhere, etc. Having balance in your life is critical. If you don't have it sooner or later you'll be in critical (burn out) condition.

If you can become skilled in Time Management and Planning you stand to gain more from everyday life. Now who doesn't want that? Have a great week.

 

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Article Tags: american idol, bad habit, bad habits, br 3, clutter, downtime, free time, game plan, having time, inquiries, personal life, priority number, procrastination, staffs, standpoint, time management skills, watching tv, who is the next american idol



Related Forum Posts
No B.S. Time Management - A great book I read on Time Management is No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs by Dan Kennedy.
Re: What I'm reading this weekend - Sept 10, 2010 - Glad you liked it David! I only managed to get partway through the list today because my one year old was looking for some playtime but I did read the Zen Habits one - I love reading Zen Habits while relaxing at a coffee shop!
Your Intial Mistakes Business - Hi, When I started my business I had made a lot of mistakes initially. These helped me in learning the art of the trade and today when I look back, I feel that these mistakes were quite silly. I had made my learnings then and those learnings have helped me time and again. Some of the mistakes I made were - i. Wrong Time Management ii. Wasting money on glossy Brochures and Business cards iii. Believing what they taught me at school was 100% correct iv. Giving too much when it was not required...... I would like to find out what have been your faltering moments in Business when you had started and what/how did they help you grow. Regards
Re: UPDATES: New Campaign! New Layout! New Ideas! - We've also expanded the list for Contest and All-Time Leaders. It's great to now see David and Yinka on the All Time list and recognize the contributions they've made to the forums!
Re: My 3 best business books - 1. Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill 2. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen R. Covey 3. Permission Marketing - Seth Godin Think and Grow Rich seems more powerful each time I read it or dip into it. The 7 Habits not only offers some very effective ways to organize your life (which I have yet to master!), but also some great quotations and thought provoking statements including this by Nazi concentration camp survivor, Viktor Frankl: [i:2naxzsom]Between stimulus and response, man has the freedom to choose.[/i:2naxzsom] Seth Godin's Permission Marketing is a good read for anybody seeking to understand how to approach doing business on the Internet in the right way with regard to winning people's trust.


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