by Maya Mah
http://www.managemytimenow.com
©
2009
There must be a reason why some people can just handle
all the tasks that are thrown at them. They can handle the urgent items on their
to do lists, the unexpected project changes that show up and even their personal
commitments.
The reason these people can easily succeed
in what they put their eyes on, get the important stuff done and enjoy time with
their families is because they have mastered the art of time management.
Wouldn't
you like to know how they do it?
Would you like to know
how you too can manage your time easily?
Here are just 3
of the most powerful techniques that these people use.
Some
of the strategies may sound like "common sense" to you, but please don't
just ignore them, use them and you'll be pleasantly surprised by the effectiveness
of these strategies - even the ones that sound like common sense.
Time
Management Strategy 1:
Gaining Clarity
Most people
stress out and can't seem to figure out what they are doing, why they're doing
it and what the most important thing they need to do is. The reason for this painful
overwhelm is the fact that most people don't spend time gaining clarity.
Clarity
is an important prerequisite for productivity. If you are not clear, you are not
going to have a highly productive day.
Here's why - when
you are not clear, your mind is still running out trying to find solutions to
all the other problems or issues that you are facing and so it's easy for you
to stress out.
The easiest way to boost productivity is
to gain clarity.
Ask yourself
1.
What are all the things that need to get done?
2. What
are the goals I have?
3. What's the priority level of each
goal?
Time Management Strategy 2:
Worrying Less and
Getting More done
Are you giving yourself the rest, relaxation
and "vacation" time that you deserve?
If you
are like most people today, you probably are not. And, here's the problem with
that – when you don't relax, you are decreasing the level of your productivity.
A tired mind is a terrible problem solver!
Have you ever
tried solving an important problem at 11PM or even at 1AM after a very long and
tiring day? Did it work? How long did it take?
You see,
when you are not relaxed, even simple problems take long to get solved and end
up wasting a lot more time than they deserve!
Give yourself
frequent and short relaxing breaks during the work day and set aside some quality
time to spend with your family doing what relaxes you so that you can prepare
for another highly productive day at work!
Time Management
Strategy 3:
Learning How to Prioritize
The biggest
time management problem you and I face today is - not knowing what the most important
thing to do at the current moment is.
And, it also kills
your productivity. When you don't know what the most important thing on your list
is, your mind is still running around trying to figure out if there are some other
potential landmines that need to be dealt with instead of what you're working
on right now.
How do you solve this problem?
You
take the questions you asked in step 1 (gaining clarity) and then you look at
all the tasks that need to get done and pick the one that's most important and
has the highest level of priority.
