Time Management Tips

I believe it was Stephen Covey who demonstrated the way most of us fill our days. He had a variety of items on the table in front of him; rocks, pebbles, sand, a pitcher of water and an empty container. He asked the audience if all the materials would fit in the container. It seemed impossible (a'ha, much like your daily schedule) and he started to fill the container, pouring in sand, then water, then pebbles and sure enough, he couldn't get all the rocks to fit.

But then he demonstrated how it could be done.

The rocks, which represent the core areas of your life: family, health, spiritual well being, went in first.

Next, the pebbles, representing important tasks: attending school, meetings, community service, went in next.

Then the sand, representing the less critical activities, those that take less time but are numerous: chores, errands, phone calls to make. The pebbles and sand filled in the space between the rocks.

Lastly the water, representing time "wasters", time spent that yields little return; watching TV, surfing the net and reading gossip magazines. Miraculously, everything fit.

Moral of the story: First things first. Schedule your priorities and other things around them.

Time management is actually self management. By managing our selves, we are able to concentrate on priorities, increase our effectiveness, set attainable goals and enjoy a more balance life style.

78% of workers in America wish they had more time to "smell the roses". You can't make more time for these activities (there are still only 24 hours in each day). Instead, you have to make more of time you have. Are you spending time on activities that could be reduced or eliminated? Did you know the average American watches 28 hours of television per week?

Are there any strategies or ways to turn wasted time into productive time? For example, driving home in traffic, you can catch up on the news, relax with soothing music, listen to a favorite book on tape or even learn a something with a training tape.

Identify and concentrate on IMPORTANT activities by asking "What would happen if I don't do it?"

Avoid over promising and under delivering by setting realistic goals. Sometimes you'll have to break down large tasks into manageable steps.

Q: How do you eat a whole elephant?

A: One piece at a time

You will be able to accomplish more during your Peak Performance Time. Consider when you are most productive (morning, afternoon, night) and schedule the most important tasks during that time. Perform more routine tasks during non peak hours of the day. Rodger Constandse, Time Thoughts, recommends keeping a log to record how much energy and focus you feel at each hour during the day. Keep this log for a couple of days and see if you spot any consistent trends of energy and focus.

Achieve Planner is a Windows time management software system that helps you get organized, increase your productivity, and make better use of your time.

• Plan, track and manage multiple projects quickly and easily

• Organize your to-do list with hierarchical (multi-level) outlines

• Use color-coded priorities to focus on what is most important

• Schedule your project and appointments in the calendar

• Save time by managing tasks and working more effectively

You can easily download and start using this powerful software right now...

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