Time Management is Key to Success Part 1
I was recently cruising around the Net, utilizing my favorite search engine, Google™, for information on personal development. The amount of available information is amazing, both from experts and people with good ideas on making life more manageable. I saw a link entitled “All For Time and Time For All: The 10 Commandments of Time Management” on the terrific web site www.alltipsandtricks.com. Hmmmm, that topic sounds interesting to me. It seems that in a time when everything is more convenient than ever, we should have more time on our hands, but quite the contrary, we just put more on our plate. These tips are quite helpful for getting things done while maintaining your sanity. Here is my take on the first three “commandments”.
1. Don’t wait until things become urgent.
Sometimes when things become urgent and need to be done, we go a little nutty. The problem is not just that we have so much to do, but that we view it as we have so much to do and not enough time. Perspective is everything. The truth is usually that we don’t need more physical time, we simply need to believe that the time we have is enough for everything that needs doing. Wrap your mind around that!
2. Make a to-do list.
Forgetfulness is human nature, and spending your whole day running everything you need to do through your head is just exhausting. If you spend no more than 10 minutes every other hour thinking of what the things are that need to be done, by the end of the day you’ve had spent about one hour on the planning process. Try this instead. Every morning sit down for a minute and think your day ahead. Write down the things you wish/need/think to do that day. Your brain will kiss you for that. The longest to-do list can be done in less than 10 minutes.
3. Dare to break the to-do list.
Inflexibility leads to stress so be flexible during the course of your day. If by midday, your list is antiquated, simply change it … no big deal. Priorities can and often will change as the day goes on, just like as life goes on. Change and evolve with them. If there are things on your list that are based on mood, you can always take them off. If you have working out at the gym on your list, but don’t have it in you physically, then move it onto tomorrow’s list. Doing things when you are in the mood saves you a lot of time.
To be continued…
Maya S.
