Tag Archive for: time management

Being a Better Manager of Your Time

 

Every day you hear people complain about the need for better time management, and when you take a close look at any one of these people, they clearly have habits (or ways of being) that are enormous time wasters. For instance, there are:

The Daydreamers: Daydreamers spend a good portion of their day wishing they had more time to do "fun" things. They tend to put off big tasks by performing smaller, more mundane items while they daydream and wish their time away. Then they end up working all night or on the weekends to meet deadlines.

The Optimists: The optimist is always underestimating the amount of time it will take to accomplish something, resulting in their constantly being over scheduled!

The Bobble Head Dolls: The bobble head doll is a compulsive "yes" person who says "yes" to everything! They don't know how to say "no" or they are afraid to say "no". Either way, the result is the same. They have more things piled on their plate than any one human-being can possibly accomplish!

The Perfectionists: The perfectionist crosses every "t" and dots every "i" nearly to a fault. While I advocate doing things right the first time, if you nit-pick, or if nothing is perfect unless it is done by you (or directed by you), your perfectionism is getting in the way of the time you have to do and have everything you say you want to do and have!



The Socialites: The socialite takes their need to connect with human-beings to an art form. While being "related" is a good thing, in and of itself, it is be a detriment when it gets in the way of the tasks at hand.

The Firefighters: The firefighter is always in a rush. Even when life and business is good, they are constantly frantic, and their forehead is bunched up in knots. Everything is a crisis... even if it isn't, and their franticness ends up draining a great deal of their time. They have simply forgotten how to slow down!

Do you see yourself in any one of these types of people?

You may actually see a bit of yourself in each one of these. Some days it may be your perfectionism that gets in the way of using time wisely, and the next day it may be daydreaming that stymies your progress.
The good news is that no matter which category you fit into, the tips for making the best of your time, and being better at time management, are all the same!

 

Related: 7 Time Management Tips That Actually Work

 

Tips for Better Time Management:

Take 10, 20, 30 minutes at the end of each day to put your plan for the next day down on paper.

Highlight the most important 3 or 4 tasks to be completed and do those tasks first. Don't allow yourself to get so bogged down in the "little" things that creep up that you run out of time for the "big" things.

Learn to say "no"

Before you say "yes" to anything, always check your own schedule and that of your family!

Be clear about your priorities; know what you want and what you don't want.

Stay organized; keeping the space around you organized will help to keep your head organized!

Take time for you!



Remember, being a better manager of your time isn't just about how to fit more into one day. It is about enjoying the time you have on this planet. It is about making the most out of the time you have so that you have time to sit back, relax and enjoy this crazy ride we call life! Our day is made up of 86,400 seconds... each one a moment in time that we can't ever recreate. Each one is unique and each one is valuable. So don't forget to make the most of those moments... to enjoy those moments... to enjoy your life.

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Clay Nelson has been coaching executives for over 30 years. Coaching from the core fact that growing people is the key to growing any business, Clay has helped countless business executives and their teams come together to not just improve their businesses, but to improve their lives.
Clay Nelson is also a well-regarded motivational and educational speaker, providing outstanding programs customized to the audiences he is speaking with. Able to speak on any number of topics within his noted specialties, Clay Nelson is known for moving audiences from the status quo to action as they create the businesses and lives they say they want to have.
For more information go to: http://www.claynelsonlifebalance.com

Time Management Tips

Most of us have to work, and the more you can do in the least amount of time, the better. Working smarter frees you up so that not only do you have a job, but you have balance in your life !

Getting Back To Basics

A simple time management tip is to use a daily 'to do' list.

You have a couple of choices:

Write your list in the morning, as the first task at the commencement of your working day.

Step back a bit and take the time to do it before you finish up the night before - as your final flourish for the day. This helps to free your mind so that you don't take your work home with you. Instead, you just leave it there to stew, all by itself, until you arrive next morning to take up the reins.

Write It Down

Forget trying to create a To Do list in your head. It must, must, must be written down. And then left somewhere highly visible, such as your desk top. That's why I suggest writing it in your diary, so you can juggle it with your other commitments.

An effective To Do list will almost always be updated during the day. It is not a static document. As your priorities alter with each crisis, your list will be a work in progress.

First of all, don't be unrealistic. Steal yourself to list only the achievable projects and activities. If you are unable to complete a task on the designated day, simply transfer it to the next day or another suitable time in your diary. Look at the daily To Do list as the map that keeps you on track.

When you have written your list in the diary, go back and number each item in order of importance. Then, you can simply start with No. One and work your way through.

Writing

Your Work Book

In our busy working lives today, we are bombarded with so many different distractions that it is sometimes difficult to keep track of everything that's going on, particularly if you work in an open-plan office.
Instead of recording on scraps of paper or sticky notes all the zillion thoughts that pass through your mind during these stressful periods, use an inexpensive spiral note book. Anything of importance that you write down can then be found again at a later date. Use it as an adjunct, or a companion, to your diary and as a great memory jogger.

You'll find using a Work Book will help you focus your thoughts, remind yourself of past conversations and save time as you'll no longer have to search for all those "back of envelope" notations.

Taming the Telephone

Murphy's Law of Telephones and Deadlines means that when you are really pressed trying to complete a project on time, the telephone will take off, with a mind of its own.

The pro-active person will rejig their answering message to say something like this: "Hi, it's Joe Bloggs. I'm unavailable right now however if you leave a message stating what your call is about, and the best time to phone you back, I'll get in touch later in the day."

On the other hand, if you have someone working with you who can screen your calls (lucky you) word them up to give a similar message. Asking what the call is about will help you assemble any relevant information before you call back. This will enable you to better plan your day, to return all calls sooner and more effectively.




Time Management / Stress Management

Effective time management will directly affect your stress management. Using these simple, commonsense time management tips will greatly reduce your stress levels. Keep your systems simple because the simpler they are the more likely you will use them. By implementing these tips and continually sticking with them you will also avoid procrastination, and work smarter, not harder.

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Lorraine Pirihi is Australia's Personal Productivity Specialist and Leading Life Coach. Her business The Office Organiser specialises in showing small business owners and managers, how to get organised at work so they can have a life! Lorraine is also a dynamic speaker and has produced many products including "How to Survive and Thrive at Work!"
To subscribe to her free ezine visit www.office-organiser.co

Get Out of Town! 5 Tips for Lightening Your Workload So You Can Take a Vacation

Get ut f the office earlier

 

You work hard. You covet every day of vacation you're entitled to. So why aren't you using them? According to Expedia.com's annual "Vacation Deprivation" survey, nearly one-third of Americans do not always take their vacation days. In fact, Americans are likely to give back more than 421 million unused vacation days {each year]..

Before blaming your job for forcing you to surrender your precious time off, take a look at your own habits at work and home. The best way ensure that you don't forego a single well-deserved day on the beach, on the slopes or just relaxing at home, is to increase your personal productivity. By tweaking the way you work and structure your day, you can get more done in less time and feel good about it. Best of all, you will never have to say no to a vacation again. Here's your five-step game plan for seizing control of your time and boosting your personal productivity:

1. Draw a line in the sand
Creating boundaries is a crucial step in regaining control of your time and increasing your personal productivity. The hard part of setting boundaries is telling other people what's important to you in a way that doesn't compromise the relationship.

First of all, schedule everything in your planner: exercising, going to church, taking the kids to the zoo, having a date with your spouse, spending time with friends, etc. That way, when a coworker says, "Will you come help me raise money at this event?" you can open your calendar and honestly say, "Gee, I'm really sorry. I have something planned." If it's not written down, you might accidentally say, "Uh, no, I'm not doing anything on Saturday. I guess I can help you out."



2. Don't be so darn picky
Have you ever delegated a task to someone, then taken it back because the person didn't do it the "right way"? You may suffer from the disease of perfectionism. If you demand that people perform your way, according to your perfect standards, many people will be content to let you do things your way, leaving you wondering why you have so much on your plate! The bottom line is: distinguish between a high standard and an unrealistic expectation. Some things require high standards and have to be done "just so." Most expectations we impose on others, however, are simply picky-picky standards without merit.

3. Learn to trust your subordinates
You should always retain broader management duties such as overall planning, policy making, goal setting, and budget supervision, as well as work that involves confidential information or supervisor-subordinate relations. But if there is another person who is 80% as capable to doing a task as you are, then delegate.

Consider delegating the following types of work:

Decisions you make most frequently and repetitively
Assignments that will add variety to routine work
Functions you dislike
Work that will provide experience for employees
Tasks that someone else is capable of doing
Activities that will make a person more well-rounded
Tasks that will increase the number of people who can perform critical assignments
Opportunities to use and reinforce creative talents

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Related: 7 tips for leaving the office earlier

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4. Question job responsibilities and related tasks
Have you ever looked back on a completed task and realized that if it had gone undone, there would be no consequence? When you're faced with too much to do, assess the tasks by asking, "What would happen if I simply didn't handle this?" If the answer is "nothing," don't do it.
In order to create effective work objectives, you need to know where you are expected to invest your time, energy, talents, and company resources. If you are to be evaluated on your successful accomplishment of work objectives, do those performance objectives really match what you do during the day? The things you want to or should be working on aren't always the things you're being evaluated on.

5. Stick to your guns
Many of those people have a jam-packed calendar because they can't say "no." Others prey on them, because they know a people-pleaser can never refuse. Perhaps you're afraid of losing control on something you may eventually be responsible for. It's time to get realistic and determine if the demands on your time have exceeded your ability to handle them.
Saying "no" does NOT undermine your authority or competence. Your credibility is actually enhanced when you honestly tell people you lack the time or the interest. First, it makes you seem more desirable (we always want what we can't have). Second, you ensure that you don't perform tasks slipshod, making you appear less competent in the end. Three, you'll have more time to devote to the tasks that do return the highest value for your time. So flex that "no" muscle, create your rules, and make sure others stick to them.

Make it a productive day! ™

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© Copyright Laura Stack, MBA, CSP. All rights reserved.
Laura M. Stack, MBA, CSP, is "The Productivity Pro"® and the author of Leave the Office Earlier. She presents keynotes and seminars on time management, information overload, and personal productivity. Contact her at 303-471-7401 or Laura@TheProductivityPro.com."

An easy method to keep your desk clear of ‘stuff’

Last week I spoke at the conference of a very busy multi-brand Marketing Department on how to manage their office environment and overload of paper and information. Since their Manager had read 'Getting a Grip on the Paper War - Managing information in the modern office' last year she'd been trying to convert her staff, but decided when the book got lost on someone's desk that she'd better get me in to help reinforce the message!

I asked: 'Who regards themselves as tidy and organised....' (before I'd finished the question, most hands went up) ... with their desks?'

A laugh went round the room, most hands went down, and some folk looked embarrassed.

That's a typical response. Most professionals, especially highly educated ones, haven't been taught simple methods to keep the desk tamed, and so that wonderful stress-reducer - a clear desk - is missed.
Seems to me it's so obvious that it's slipped under the radar.

Here, to help you get through the mass of 'stuff' waiting for your quick action, is one very simple desk-management technique, excerpted from the book.



Chunk your 'put-away' tasks
A very powerful desk-management behaviour to develop is a 'Put it away as you go' habit, but don't be ruled by it. Chunk it.
What do I mean by that? Imagine yourself working at the desk. You finish with a file, or a paper out of a file. You know it's a good habit to put away as you go, so you jump up, walk over to the filing cabinet, and replace it. Or you've borrowed scissors from the receptionist. She's threatened you with early death if you don't return them, so the minute you're finished you do as you were told. Then, (if you're lucky and don't get distracted), back you go to your desk to start on the next activity.
Two possible things can happen here.
1. You spend many minutes per day jumping up and down, interrupting the momentum you'd created at your desk.
2. Because you've completed something and not yet begun the next task there isn't as strong a subliminal pull back to your desk. You're therefore more liable to be distracted by some interesting little by-way, a file that catches your eye, or someone else walking past.
To overcome that scenario, try this one instead. You finish a task and put the completed materials either on the furthest away point of your desk out of your immediate visual range, or even better (as long as it doesn't cause a traffic jam!) put them on the floor beside or behind your chair. The next time you stand up, instead of stepping over the seeming clutter on the floor you ALWAYS bend down, pick it up, and put it away.
I learned this technique as a mother, trying to stay sane raising six children. (Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that one day I'd share it with business people!).
Whilst the children were little, (and anyone who's lived with children knows they have a profound disregard for tidiness) I found that, in a drive to keep the house looking a few notches above a war zone, I seemed to spend all day putting things away! Eventually I learnt to make piles 'to be put away in another room' by the door of any room I was working in. Then, as I walked out the door I'd pick up the pile, quickly zip around the house by the shortest possible route (implementing my own time and motion exercise) and put everything away. It was vastly more efficient than running around the house with each separate item.

Apply the same technique in your office, no matter how large or small, and you'll gain great time-savings. It may seem a slightly untidy way of working but in fact it's very efficient.

Even though there is a slight delay, you are still putting things away as you go - whilst they're fresh in your mind. It's rarely longer than 30 minutes before you put away your current crop of 'stuff'. You never end up with an intimidating pile of filing (and I've seen some mountains!). Over a year many hours are saved - you don't walk around unnecessarily. If it's filing, you don't need to spend time re-familiarising yourself with the item or paper in hand, but it hasn't interrupted your flow of activity.

Bottom line - it saves you spending 'the rest of your natural life' majoring in minor things.

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Author: Robyn Pearce You can contact Robyn at robyn@gettingagrip.com and her website is http://www.gettingagrip.com You can check ou the back issues of these Top Time Tips or the Discussion Board.

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Each day opens a new account for you

Imagine a bank credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening the bank deletes whatever balance you have failed to use during the day. What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course.

Each of us has such a bank, called "time." Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against "tomorrow." You must live in the present on today's deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness, and success. The clock is running. Make the most of today.




Whenever you think that time is not your most valuable commodity in life:
Ask a student who failed a grade, about the value of one year.
Ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby, about the value of one month.
Ask the editor of a weekly newspaper, about the value of one week.
Ask the lovers who are waiting to meet, about the value of one hour.
Ask a person who missed the train, about the value of one minute.
Ask a person who just avoided an accident, about the value of one second. Treasure every moment for the account will irrevocably clear out tonight, with no roll-over.

Remember that time waits for no one. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it's called the present.

V/R,
Scott Sonnon
www.facebook.com/ScottSonnon
www.positiveatmosphere.com

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13 small things to simplify your workday

One of the best things I did when I decided to simplify my life was to simplify my workday — first at my day job and later, by quitting my day job, in the work I do now as a writer and entrepreneur.

I’ve eliminated most of the routine, boring, administrative tasks with a few simple principles.

These days, I have eliminated the non-essentials, and can focus on what I truly love: creating.

Not everyone can make such drastic steps toward simplicity, but if you have some control over your workday, you can do a few small things that will simplify things greatly.

If you don’t have control, or if you find yourself thinking, “I can’t do these things”, I’d start to ask why not? Is it possible to change things, if not today then over the long term? I found that often I thought something wasn’t possible (working from home, for example), but in the long run they were.



You don’t need to do all of these things — pick just one, and try it. Then try another and see if it works. Experiment to find what works for you.

And enjoy the simple work life.

  • 1.  Start early. Going into work early was one of my favorite tricks — it was quiet, before the phones and chatter and meetings started, and I could get a lot of work done in peace. By the time everyone else was getting started, I’d gotten two or three big tasks checked off.
  • 2.  Limit your hours. It’s ironic, because so many people work long hours and think they’re getting more done and being more productive. But they’re throwing brute hours at the problem. Instead, cut back on your hours and set a limit — say 6 or 7 hours a day — and get your most essential work done within that limit. If you know you’re only working 6 hours today, you’ll be sure to get the important tasks done first and waste less time. Limits force you to be effective.
  • 3.  Make a short list. Make a long list of all the tasks you need to do … then make a short list of 1-3 things you really want to get done. Choose so that, if you got only these tasks done, you’d be proud of what you did today. Start with the most important task, before checking email or reading online.
  • 4.  Batch distractions. What are your common distractions? Perhaps things like email, reading blogs, Twitter or another social network? Set a time for these, preferably later in the day: say, from 3-4 p.m. Don’t do the distractions before then. By grouping them all into one time period, you allow yourself to do other work first, but still get in your distraction time. Another approach might be to do them for 10 minutes at the end of each hour — but stick to that 10-minute limit!



  • 5.   Write shorter emails. If email takes up a lot of your day, the simple change of limiting yourself to 3-4 sentences per email will make a big difference. First, it’ll drastically shorten the time it takes to write or respond to emails. And second, it’ll shorten responses to your emails, which means you’ll spend less time reading email.
  • 6.  Limit meetings. The fewer the better. Some top Google executives just do 5-minute meetings — anyone who attends these meetings had better be prepared, and concise. If you can get out of meetings and just get the notes, or find an alternative way to communicate, it could save you hours per week.
  • 7.  Automate. The fewer repetitive and routine tasks you have to do, the more time you’ll free up for creating and important work. So automate wherever possible: have people fill things out electronically, or get info from your website instead of emailing or calling you, or use a service that automatically processes payments or ships your product, and so on.
  • 8.  Eliminate paperwork. I used to deal with a lot of paperwork, and even then I knew it was a waste of my time. If businesses and organizations could have paperwork filled out electronically, it would save a lot of paper, copying, filing, and duplicate effort. Whenever possible, eliminate paperwork in favor of digital. This might be more of a long-term move.
  • 9.  Clear your desk. This can be done in a few minutes. Clear everything off the top of your desk. Only put back a few essential items. Everything else should be: filed, given to the appropriate person, given a permanent spot in a drawer, or trashed/recycled. Make quick decisions and then get back to work.



  • 10.  Get away. If you can get out of your office, you can find a peaceful spot where you can focus on important work. Find a spot where you can work, turn off the Internet and do your work, and then turn the Internet back on so you can email or upload it to the appropriate spot. Working from home is a good option here. The more you can do this (it might be once a week, or an hour a day, or half of every workday), the better.
  • 11.  Take breathing breaks. Every 15-20 minutes, get up from your desk, and take a breathing break. It could be simply walking around the office, saying hi to someone, or even better, getting outside to get some fresh air. Walk around, get your blood circulating, perhaps massage your neck and shoulders if you feel tension. Do some pushups if you want to get fitter. When you get back to work, remind yourself what you want to be working on, and clear away all distractions.
  • 12.  Practice a focus ritual. Every hour or two, do a refocus ritual. This only takes a minute or two. You might start it by closing down your browser and maybe other open applications, and maybe even take a walk for a couple of minutes to clear your head and get your blood circulating. Then return to your list of Most Important Tasks and figure out what you need to accomplish next. Before you check email again or go back online, work on that important task for as long as you can. Repeat this refocus ritual throughout the day, to bring yourself back. It’s also nice to take some nice deep breaths to focus yourself back on the present. More focus rituals.
  • 13.  Schedule big blocks of creative time. Not everyone can do this, but when possible, put a big block of 3-4 hours in your schedule for creating or doing other important work. Make this time inviolate, and don’t allow meetings or other things to be scheduled during this time. Be ruthless about clearing distractions and doing the work you love during these blocks, taking breathing breaks as necessary. Rejoice in your creativity.

Author:  Leo Babauta. "Follow me on twitter or identica. If you liked this guide, please bookmark it on Delicious or share on Twitter. Thanks, my friends.
Read more about simplifying your work and your life in my book, The Power of Less.   http://zenhabits.net"

 

Highly effective Strategies for Overcoming Procrastination

 

In this day and age we are so inundated with choice and opportunity that you might even say that we are spoiled for choice. There is just so much that we could do that we often end up not doing anything at all. Procrastination is one of the biggest dream killers. In a world where there is so much demand on your attention it is becoming ever more difficult to stay focussed and act on the things that would truly give you an extraordinary quality of life. Time is, was and will always be your most valuable asset and the way you use it will determine what you create or fail to create with and for your life. Having an effective strategy for overcoming procrastination is critical if you truly want to push past short term obstacles to create a life of fulfilment.

The abundance that modern life offers us tends to overwhelm us which leads to an emotional overload that will distract you and scatter your effort and concentration. There simply isn't enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time for the most important things in your life. Success at anything in life, whether it be your finances, your relationships or your body, requires an investment of time and effort from you. You need to focus and concentrate your physical and emotional resources on creating a desired result.

The first step in overcoming procrastination it to get really clear on exactly what you want from every area of your life. This clarity will give you the power to look past distractions that may throw you off course. It gives you a direction and a target and will help to build a mental picture for your life. One of the most destructive effects of procrastination is that it makes you feel out of control; like the events of your life is controlling you. If you don't know what you want it is all too easy to jump from the one task to the next. Apart from knowing what you want you should also develop some strong reasons why you want it. This will give you a sense of purpose and motivation that is critical for staying focussed long term.

The truth is that most people know what they need to do to create their life the way they want it. The challenge is not with knowing what to do, but in doing what you know. The only way you will create any result in your life is by taking action and procrastination is what prevents you from acting on the very things you know would give you a greater quality of life. The reason why people procrastinate is primarily because of fear, especially fear of failure. By not taking action and postponing important actions you avoid the potential for failing. The only reason why you procrastinate about anything is because at some level you link more pain to taking action than to not taking action. The ridiculous truth is that these "links" are mostly conjured up (by you) in your mind and they are not even real. When you make a task too big in your mind it will overwhelm you and it would seem too difficult and too big and you will end up procrastinating.



One of the most powerful strategies for overcoming procrastination is to learn how to break your tasks up into bite size pieces. Any task, no matter how big can be broken down into small manageable tasks that is easy to do. If you focus on climbing Mount Everest it will probably put you off immediately, but if you focus on climbing seven small mountain sections it becomes more believable. The power of chunking down your "big" tasks empowers you to take back control of any overwhelming situation – you cut it down to size. Your size.

One of the quickest ways to overcoming procrastination is to learn and utilize the power of immediacy. What can you do immediately? What action can you take right now that will move you closer to your goal? Doing something, no matter how small, will immediately break your mental pattern of procrastination and put you back in control. Taking the first step, even if it is small will create momentum and you will almost automatically be driven to take another step. Don't wait for everything to be perfect before you take the first step. Just do it. Just get it going. Often you will only know what to do next after taking that first step.



There are many strategies and skills you can use for overcoming procrastination. You do not have to be stuck or spinning your wheels. Like any skill you need to learn and practise it until you get good at it. Eventually it will become an automatic response and you will develop the habit of taking action despite your fears and apparent limitations.

This article is published with the permission of the author, Deon Du Plessis. He is the founder of The Self Improvement Gym, and author (in)action, a groundbreaking new action guide for eliminating procrastination.

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The Secrets To E-Mail Nirvana

You crank up your computer every morning, click to your e-mail and--whap!--a slew of messages demands attention.

E-mail can be a great tool, but many misuse it, turning what should be quick, easy communication into a laborious, time-consuming management chore.

"Many people use the inbox as a to-do list, calendar and filing system," says Mark Hurst president and founder of Creative Good, a consulting firm in New York. "File some messages and delete most of them, but without a doubt, don't let anything stay in your inbox permanently."

Hurst says effective e-mail management is built on filters, filing and ruthless use of the delete key.

http://bit.ly/dapIXy

The TOP 7 To-Do List Mistakes People Make

A well-constructed and properly utilized to-do list is a great first step in becoming a person of action, a doer who gets things done and, as a result, gets what they want in life. However, if you make any one of a number of critical mistakes, your to-do list may do more harm than good...

Here are the top seven to-do list mistakes people make:

To-Do List Mistake #1 - They Don't Have Any List at All

Many people begin their day without the slightest clue as to what they want to get done that day and thus, quickly mired in interruptions and trivia, they get little, if anything, of significance accomplished. My advice? If getting what you want in life is important to you, don't you be one of them!



To-Do List Mistake #2 - Their List Isn't Written Down

Some people feel they can easily keep their list in their head and don't feel the need to write it down. However, personally, I find that a huge waste of "memory" that would much better be used for producing constructive results.

To-Do List Mistake #3 - They Have Too Many Lists

Many people have a list for home, a list for work, a list for each of the different activities they're involved in, a list for each of the people they're associated with, along with any one of a number of other lists. Too many lists lead to confusion and confusion breeds inactivity. Keep it simple. Have one daily list and one daily list only.

To-Do List Mistake #4 - Their List Is Too Long

I limit my daily list to two items. Any more and I start the day feeling overwhelmed and, if I don't finish them all, end the day feeling "behind the eight-ball". I'd rather start the day with two items on my list, get them done, add more to the list as the day goes on, and get them done as well than start the day with twenty and end it with eighteen of them undone.


To-Do List Mistake #5 - Their List Is Too Complex

Too complex in that it contains items that may take days, weeks, or even months to complete. I've found that by breaking "big", often overwhelming, tasks into "small", easily actionable, tasks that can be done in just a few minutes and by putting these items on my daily list instead, I develop a momentum that allows me to plow through major projects far faster than I could by attempting the whole at once.

To-Do List Mistake #6 - Their List Lacks Priorities

If you start your day with the question, "Which of these items should I do first?", guess what you'll spend the majority of your day doing? You got it! Trying to decide which of those items you should do first. Need I say more?

To-Do List Mistake #7 - Their List Isn't Visible and/or They're Not Using It

In order to be effective, your to-do list needs to be where you can easily see it, when you need to see it, and, you need to refer to it frequently throughout the day.



These, in my opinion, are the top seven to-do list mistakes people make. Are you making one or more of them? If so, what are you going to do about it? Your answer to that question and your resulting action or lack thereof may well spell the difference between your getting what you want in life and your not getting what you want in life.

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Tony Mase is a serious student of the works of Wallace D.Wattles and the publisher of "The Personal Power Course: Ten Lessons in Constructive Science, Teaching You How to Use Your Own Subconscious Energies for Health, Prosperity and Personal Achievement" ebook by Wallace D. Wattles...

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From Pivotal Magazine

Great time management advice from 4 masters of the art.  => http://bit.ly/aZZjYm