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Time Management

Written by: Manny Nowak

Article Overview: No matter where I go today, or whom I speak with, I find a burning concern in people related to time management. They are stressing, and I mean heavily stressing because they feel they are failing at managing their time.

Time Management

Surprise, no one can manage time – face it, realize it, come to grips with it, you cannot manage time. I know there are 1000’s of books out there that tell you it can be done. I know there are many who think they can teach you. But, as they say, the proof is in the pudding – and I still see to many people who are going crazy trying to manage their time. Strange thing is that most have read some of the books and/or have been to numerous seminars, and are still failing.



As 2005 comes to a close – or it might already be closed by the time you read this, you will again be struggling about how in 2006 you are going to get control over your time, how you are going to become a better time manager.



So if we cannot manage time, what can we do?

First let’s look at this from a strictly scientific standpoint. Remember the scientist looks at facts. The facts are:

1. There are 168 hours in a week.

A. No more, no less.

B. No matter whom you are

C. No matter how much money you have

D. No matter how old you are

E. No matter anything period – that is it.

F. Accept that fact that there are 168 hours in the week.

2. You have to sleep, if you didn’t I would be the first to take advantage of it.

3. In today’s business environment, you have to do email, so plan for it.

4. If you want a successful marriage and family, they have to get some time.

5. If you want to keep from going over the deep end – you need some time for you.

6. You have to eat.

7. If you want to stay around and be healthy, you have to exercise.

8. If you want people around you, you have to shower.

9. As I learned at a Networkzing event recently, you have to allocate time for interruptions, they will happen



So, once you take time for the above things you can deal with the time that is left. You still cannot manage it, but you can use that time to deal with what you have to do. Remember one thing, if you do not allocate time for the above items, they will take the time anyway.



Everyone has a to do list. Whether in a daily planner or on a yellow sheet of paper, you have one. It is a list of all the things you have to do. You might even get sophisticated and assign priorities and times and sequence. But are you getting them done?



Try the simple approach above. First allocate time for the 9 items that you have to do anyway. Then look at your list and determine for each item:

1. What is it you are trying to accomplish? If the item is to call a prospect, then the what simply a sale? If you cannot determine the what, or if you don’t like the what, then why is it on your list?

2. Why do you want to do this? Again, if the what is a sale, then is the why because you need money, is the why because you need to replace a client that left, is the why because you need to make quota. What is the why? Again, no why, then throw it out.

3. How are you doing to do this? Ok, you know what it is; you know why you want to do it, now comes the real item. What do you have to do to make it happen? The key to note here is that now when you look at the how, you know what and why you are doing it, and thus you have a better chance for success.

4. Do you have the discipline to do the how? Can you make yourself do it?

5. Who is holding you accountable beside yourself? True success comes from having someone you need to answer to. Someone who, as Emerson says, “Our chief want in life is someone who shall make us do what we can”



This is just a very simply overview of what you can do to get more out of your time. I will be spending more time on this in 2006, because it is a major issue to my clients and to my readers. Have a great 2006 – and get your time under control.

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  Time Management is an Oxymoron
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Article Tags: 168 hours, better time, business environment, how much money, interruptions, marriage, marriage and family, proof is in the pudding, scientist, seminars, sleep, standpoint, strange thing, successful marriage, time face, time manager



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