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By: Dr. Donald E. Wetmore
In
my thirty years as a Time Management speaker and consultant, I have
observed a lot of what we can and should not do to increase our daily
results. Time management is not necessarily working “harder”, but rather,
“smarter”. And
to accomplish significantly more in our days, we need not increase our
efforts. As an example, in a horserace, the first horse may earn a $50,000
purse and the second horse may earn a $25,000 purse. The first horse
gets twice as much money as the second horse, not because it ran twice
as far or twice as fast. It was only a “nose ahead” of the competition. So
it is with our daily results. We need not run twice as fast or put in
twice the effort to significantly increase our daily success. We only
need to be a “nose ahead” of where we already are. We are all productive
in our days. We would not survive the demands of this world if we were
not. The real challenge is how much more productive can we become? A
lot of our Time Management has to do more with what we are not doing
rather than what we are doing. Sometimes our mistakes and omissions
will keep us from running at a full pace. Here are the Top
Five Time Management Mistakes we should all avoid to help
us to increase our daily success both on and off the job, in less time
and with less stress. 1. Start
your day without a plan of action. You will begin your day by
responding to the loudest voice (the squeaky wheel gets the grease)
and spend it in a defensive mode, responding to other people’s and events’
demands. The tail will wag the dog. If there is a void of leadership
in your Time Management life, someone will fill that void, not that
others are bad people, but others will take all of your time if you
let them. You will have worked hard but may not have done enough of
right things. Time Management is not doing the wrong things quicker.
That just gets us nowhere faster. Time Management is doing the right
things. 2. Get
out of balance in your life.
Our lives are made up of Seven Vital Areas: Health, Family, Financial,
Intellectual, Social, Professional, and Spiritual. We will not necessarily
spend time every day in each area or equal amounts of time in each area.
But, if in the long run, we spend a sufficient quantity and quality
of time in each area, our lives will be in balance. But if we neglect
any one area, never mind two or three, we will eventually sabotage our
success. Much like a table, if one leg is longer than the rest, it will
make the entire table wobbly. If we don’t take time for health, our
family life and social life are hurt. If our financial area is out of
balance, we will not be able to focus adequately on our professional
goals, etc. 3. Work
with a messy desk or work area.
Studies have shown that the person who works with a messy desk spends,
on average, one and a half hours per day looking for things or being
distracted by things. That’s seven and a half hours per week. (“Out
of sight-out of mind.” And the reverse of that is true too, “In sight,
in mind”). And, it’s not a solid block of an hour and a half, but a
minute here and a minute there, and like a leaky hot water faucet, drip,
drip, drip, it doesn’t seem like a major loss, but at the end the day,
we’re dumping gallons of hot water down the drain that we are paying
to heat. If you have ever visited the office of a top manager, typically,
that person is working with a clean desk environment. Many would attribute
this practice to that person’s access to other staff members. While
there may be some truth in that conclusion, in most cases, if we went
back some years in that person’s career, they probably were working
with a clean desk back then which gave them the focus they needed to
become promoted to where they are today. 4. Don’t
get enough sleep.
Studies
show that nearly 75% of us complain on a regular basis, all throughout
our days, that we are flat-out tired. For most people, they get the
quantity of sleep, but they lack the quality of sleep. Their days are
filled with so much stress, they are out of control, working harder
but maybe not smarter, that it’s difficult to get a full night’s sleep.
(For some, they simply do not allow for a sufficient quantity of sleep.)
If you will plan your day, then work your plan, you will get more done,
feel a higher sense of accomplishment, and experience less stress and
enjoy a more restful night’s sleep. 5. Don’t
take a lunch break.
Many do not take a lunch break, working through that time period in
the hope that it will give them more time to produce results. Studies
have shown it may work just the opposite. After doing what we do for
several hours, we start to “dull out”. Sure, we can work through lunch
and be productive, but that is not the issue. The issue is “how much
more” productive we can be. A lunch break, even a short fifteen-minute
break, gives us a chance to get our batteries all charged up again to
more effectively handle the afternoon’s challenges. We are then less
likely to procrastinate a few of those difficult tasks that, in the
long run, will make a positive difference in our personal productivity. If these ideas were helpful, we have prepared an additional article entitled, “Top Five Best Time Management Practices”. It’s free. If you would like a copy, email your request for “top five” to: ctsem@msn.com Would
you like to receive free Timely Time Management Tips on a regular basis
to increase Dr.
Donald E. Wetmore Professional SpeakerProductivity InstituteTime Management Seminars127 Jefferson St.Stratford, CT 06615(203) 386-8062 (800) 969-3773Fax: (203) 386-8064Email: ctsem@msn.comVisit Our Time Management Supersite:
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