Archive for September, 2011

Time Managment – The 4 D’s of Time Management

Friday, September 30th, 2011 at 6:00 am  
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Part Four- The 4 D’s of Time Management

Today we are going to talk about some letters. Most of us look at the letter D and think vitamins but today we will talk about what you need for self-management under four separate D’s.

Let’s jump in:

The first D we want to look at is the word Do.

Not everyone can do all things and certainly someone is not talented in everything. Doing what you like to do is very important because you will feel satisfied when you do it. Also doing what you do well is very confirming. It confirms who you are as a person. It just feels good to do something that you do well. But here is the catch, if you don’t do it then you could fall into procrastination and that is not an easy habit to break.

The second D is Delegate it.

Again if you are not doing what you love it might just take you twice as long to do that project. Who wants to do something longer than they have to? Give the job to someone that is happy to do it. I don’t like to do certain things and the satisfaction of giving it to another capable person that loves doing it, well, we both get a gift don’t we? I get to do something else with my time that I love to do and can do well and they get to do something that they love to do. Win-Win.

The third D is Dump it.

When we talk about getting rid of something we really have to think why we are doing that. Does it replace something else we might do? Does it repeat something that we are already doing? Does it create a bigger mess to deal with if I keep it? I at times work with Senior’s who are downsizing their homes. They don’t know what to keep, give away, store, or just Dump. One of the great things that we do together is to take pictures of items that they are not going to own any more for whatever reason. We take the picture of the item alone or we include the Senior or a family member in the photo with the item. Then we bind the photo’s where one side of the page is the picture and on the right is them writing something about the item and the experience or memory around it. Then we find a home for the item where it will be loved and cherished from hence forward. What a great tribute to our cherished moments that is for me to work with them on this project. It is total joy for me. Be creative. You are not dumping, you are passing on memories. Get rid of your STUFF!

The fourth and final D is Defer it.

This is the difficult one for most people believe it or not. At times more difficult than dumping it. This is why an item or project got in the to-do pile in the first place. I think sometimes people think that if they just don’t see something then it really is not there at all. Kind of like a magic trick. Consider that this D does not even exist if you really want to get things done. You really only have so much time. The bottom line is if you didn’t get it done up and until now you probably will not find the time to do it in the future either. Humm interesting thought right?

Now with all of that information we are still left with four D’s to work with when considering any task. In your average day you can pretty much take these D’s and work your system to get rid of your stuff on your to-do list.

Your last assignment for the month:

Take out your binder and make four pages with one D on each page. During the week write down the projects and to-do’s that come across your day. Write them on the page that best describes this item. Then next week start getting rid of items off of your list so that you can free up some time.

Let me know how many hours you saved this week? What do you plan on doing with this extra time?

Time Management – Where Are You Now?

Monday, September 26th, 2011 at 6:00 am  
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Part Three-Where are you now?

At this stage now and in your binder you probably have a fairly clear picture of what your vision for your life is. You could call it your ideal life. I hope that you started your three ring binder I mentioned in the last Newsletter. In there should be many gems like what your life would be like if it were exactly as you envisioned it to be. Now, here comes what you might call a tough part. Looking at your life now and what you wrote in your binder, did it look the same, close, or not at all alike? For some people it could be so different that it looks like an entirely different life. Hang in there with me.

Remember we are putting the puzzle together, no need to be overwhelmed. These two different views can be bridged so that they do eventually become the same. Honest.

Now let’s look a bit closer at what others might thing of time management. Have you gone into what we used to call a Stationary Store? I think that probably ages me, but today they call it Office Max or Office Depot. Don’t you just love these stores? I know I can get lost in them very easy and the colors everywhere makes me so happy. Now move down the aisles and get to the daily planners. How many do you see? There are so many different kinds that anyone could get eye socket tired looking at them. So many different views about putting time on paper. Ladies and Gents, effective time management is not about good time-keeping. Effective time management is so much more than that and truly on a deeper level than just jotting down what you want to get done in a calendar.

Ok now we are back to that four letter word that most people don’t want to hear, change. Oh sorry it is a six letter word but they put it in that category just the same. Changes either bit or small is a reality when you want to do something different that works. I am always so amazed with my clients that want a change to happen but they don’t realize that there needs to be a change for that to happen. Interesting but true. All change is achievable and possible. That is why I absolutely love doing what I do. We can do this together. No longer do you have to change on your own and alone. Looking at how your hours are spent is a huge eye opener for most people. But time and time again (sorry I had to do that) the changes, they say, were so worth it.

Assignment:

Get out the three ring binder and a fresh new page. I want you to write down ONE thing that you know has to change, no IF’s AND’s or BUT’s. (Another saying my Mom used to say) Write it down and think about it.

Until next TIME.

Time Management – Knowing Yourself

Monday, September 12th, 2011 at 6:00 am  
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Knowing yourself is so important that I would say that it is first essential and effective step you can make towards managing time. With so many pressures coming at you everywhere you turn life has become a bit overwhelming don’t you think? Time control gets out of our focus pretty quickly and we find it difficult to find out what is happening to us as we spin around with life’s challenges and changes.

So before you can really begin to look at managing your time the first thing you need to ask yourself is what in the world do you want to get out of life? I know this is a huge question, but in there is the key to actually doing what matters to you. Some would call this visioning but really it is a bigger picture of your life. If you just look at yourself on a minute by minute look you will not see the bigger scope of what is going on and what you really want.

Can you remember when you were a young adult when everything and anything was possible? The possibilities were endless. How did that vision look then? Are the same things that were important to you then important to you now? Have you lost sight of that and need to be reminded? That grand vision of saving the world back then might have been a bit huge but again there are clues in there at that time of your life that are clues to what your vision is today, it just might look a little different.
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What Is Time Management?

Monday, September 5th, 2011 at 6:00 am  
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Everyone has the same amount of time in their day. Do you use your time wisely? Do you struggle with the demands of your job? Do you feel that you are missing some of the best times of your life because you just don’t have time to enjoy them?

Out of these three questions I bet that you answered yes to at least one of these and you just feel like, until you get a grip on your time, that life will just slip you by. The pressures and demands of how to use your time could be getting you down in either your home life or your professional life. And the time that you have with your family is just not what you feel that they deserve.

However, don’t worry just yet. Time worries and frustrations are fixable, and it is not as difficult as you think to make some little changes that give you big returns for that effort. It only takes a few small adjustments in the way you use your time to change your life forever and you will be so happy that you did. Even though change does take some time to implement and then stick to your efforts for doing those changes far outweigh what you are experiencing now.
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