Time Management Tips
Managing time seems to be one of the most frustrating challenges we face and causes a huge amount of stress in our daily lives. Everyone knows the theory but we all find implementing better habits almost impossible. Our daily routine seems to have become dominated by the NOW and we feel compelled to action everything instantly. Technology introduced to make life easier, quicker and more effective seems to have turned us into gibbering wrecks.
An interesting article on time management published by RANONE described how Ohio State University in the US has classified the major time wasters into external and internal categories.
This analysis enables you to consider the original cause of the time management challenges faced in a slightly different way.
The article considers the following:
“By looking at these it is possible to establish the cause of an individual’s lack of efficient time management and pinpoint the old habits that need to be broken.
The external ones are: telephone interruptions; meetings; visitors; socializing; lack of information; excessive paperwork; communication breakdown; lack of policies and procedures; lack of competent personnel and red tape.
The internal ones are: procrastination; failure to delegate; unclear objectives; failure to set priorities; crisis management; failure to plan; poor scheduling; lack of self-discipline; attempting to do too much at once and lack of relevant skills.
To overcome these time wasters, employees must not only change their behaviour, but also maintain and persist with it.
Self-discipline and control is needed to ensure that behavioural changes will become habitual.
However, a sense of balance is also needed – there is no need to be too rigid, as the classic time management rules don’t work for everyone. There may also be some elements of an individual’s work that cannot be controlled, or don’t need to be controlled”.
Original Source “Easy Time Management” RANONE
The start point for those of us trapped in the cycle of constant ‘to – do’ has to begin with putting the brakes on and taking an honest look at how we are working and that can be difficult.
I have recently met two individuals who came to me absolutely overwhelmed with their work load and very unsure of what to do to change their situations. They invested a couple of hours with me looking at how they were spending their time, using me as an independent sounding board they were able to honestly reflect on what activity was taking their time, the unhelpful habits of thought and behaviour they had fallen into over a period of time and were able to make some clear and informed judgements about their real priorities.
What I realised working with them, is that even before they tried to prioritise they needed to go back several steps and using a framework developed talking with them, look at their lives as a complete picture – many of us tend to tackle time management issues by dividing it into work or home, when the reality is all of our commitments impact on each other.
In both cases, we were able to identify a vast range of side issues that influenced their decision making processes and discuss these fully and establish new and realistic priorities in a workable routine for them to implement successfully.
It is not always possible to timetable every part of your life and nor should you want to – some spontaneity is necessary, however peace of mind and a sense of well being comes from not feeling constantly pressured by our commitments and responsibilities left undone.
The framework I developed is now documented and available to purchase at only 4.99 GBP – either via the website or by contacting me directly patricia@frozenps.co.uk and includes a SPECIAL OFFER – If on completion of the work book you wish to have a follow up implementation discussion – I will discount the price against the consultation call fee.
For more information visit: Frozen Ps
