Can you Save Time and be more productive?

Hi Readers

I found a very useful article at: http://www.chartcourse.com about Time management tips. I know this is one of the most challenging thing one faces and thinks about everyday. I am in pursuit of gathering enough information to develop a plan and a process to manage my time properly and remember that I need to manage it properly.

Sometimes we know the tips then we forget them in the heat of the situation and that is sometimes very challenging. Its easy to learn about time management, I have been to many courses and have read a lot but when you are struck with challenging situations then you tend to forget those ground tactics. You know why? The reason is that you have not been able to make them a habit. Habits are never forgotten but things you learn are easily put in the back seat when you think there is something more important to tackle then follow some rules. I’ll be honest the major problem I face is remembering the rules I know them but I seem to forget some of them you can call it bad memory but I call it lack of good habits. In any way I think you read and read and keep on embedding the idea and making them as habits and it will not be long that you will start seeing changes.

Consistency is most important then anything and of-course being positive and having confidence and belief in oneself is another big factor. OK here is the article:

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How do you keep up with your goals?

I have tried lots of different approaches. I would love to have everything in a digital world but it never seems to work. If I keep my tasks in an application, Outlook, Project, PlanPlus, an Excel spreadsheet or a Google doc they get lost behind the other windows on the screen.

The one solution I always come back to is the whiteboard.
Every morning I write out all the tasks I need to complete that day on the whiteboard. It is then my mission to cross those tasks off and clear the whiteboard. Some days I get all the tasks done early and I will add some more to the whiteboard. On other days I don’t finish them all and they roll over to the next day.
The whiteboard is always there, staring at me, telling me what must get done. It helps me stay focused on the jobs for the day.

Another way is to keep up with my tasks is list my action points on the spot in one booklet and then keep it with me all the time to keep up with my priorities. Then once a task is completed I just cross it out. But then like in my case I have my personal life to do list and then office work. More over the office work is also divided into three major and different areas of work.

I tried using Outlook to-do list and am still trying to use it after realising that you can actually import all your conversations and calendar invites in your to-do list and then start updating it as things progress. I find it useful but once I am out of office like at the weekend I forget. I am going to try sync it with my mobile but am not sure how effective would that be.

Another approach I took a few months back was creating an excel sheet and actually having one sheet per project it went well for few weeks but then a few days I was out side the office and couldn’t access the damn thing and was stuck with my memory and it was painful as I had to deliver outside the office and had all my sources in my beautiful and colourful excel file. After that experience I thought I shall not use excel though the idea of using Google docs was there but I was again dragged to good old notebook. But the problem with notebook is that once you are on next pages things from previous pages if pending are not carried forward and there is a huge chance to miss them.

Mind mapping and mind maps technique I have heard is quite good but how to effectively use it is still not clear. Can you share your experience how you keep up with the time management side of your jobs and how you keep up with your goals,tasks and projects? Thanks

What do you use and how do you make sure you stay focused, keep priorities and acheive your goals? Share please…

Ten Ways To Start Taking Control

“How many times in life we become frustrated by our challenges and frequent feelings of being overwhelmed. We feel confused sometimes wanting to do everything but not being able to focus on even one and then we tend to just let go of time and sit in delusions and lack of focus. This negative outlook then makes it even harder for us to manage those challenges and move forward. The best way to eradicate this is learning to think positively and being aware of this condition.”

Practicing positive thinking allows people to focus on our strengths and accomplishments, which increases happiness and motivation. This, in turn, allows us to spend more time making progress, and less time feeling down and stuck. The following tips provide practical suggestions that you can use to help you shift into more positive thinking patterns. Her are ten best way to tackle confusion and manage your life properly:

1. Take Good Care of Yourself
It’s much easier to be positive when you are eating well, exercising, and getting enough rest.

2. Remind Yourself of the Things You Are Grateful For
Stresses and challenges don’t seem quite as bad when you are constantly reminding yourself of the things that are right in life. Taking just 60 seconds a day to stop and appreciate the good things will make a huge difference.

3. Look for the Proof Instead of Making Assumptions
A fear of not being liked or accepted sometimes leads us to assume that we know what others are thinking, but our fears are usually not reality. If you have a fear that a friend or family member’s bad mood is due to something you did, or that your co-workers are secretly gossiping about you when you turn your back, speak up and ask them. Don’t waste time worrying that you did something wrong unless you have proof that there is something to worry about.

4. Refrain from Using Absolutes
Have you ever told a partner “You’re ALWAYS late!” or complained to a friend “You NEVER call me!”? Thinking and speaking in absolutes like ‘always’ and ‘never’ makes the situation seem worse than it is, and programs your brain into believing that certain people are incapable of delivering.

5. Detach From Negative Thoughts
Your thoughts can’t hold any power over you if you don’t judge them. If you notice yourself having a negative thought, detach from it, witness it, and don’t follow it.

6. Squash the “ANTs”
In his book “Change Your Brain, Change Your Life,” Dr. Daniel Amen talks about “ANTs” – Automatic Negative Thoughts. These are the bad thoughts that are usually reactionary, like “Those people are laughing, they must be talking about me,” or “The boss wants to see me? It must be bad!” When you notice these thoughts, realize that they are nothing more than ANTs and squash them!

7. Practice Lovin’, Touchin’ & Squeezin’ (Your Friends and Family)
You don’t have to be an expert to know the benefits of a good hug. Positive physical contact with friends, loved ones, and even pets, is an instant pick-me-up. One research study on this subject had a waitress touch some of her customers on the arm as she handed them their checks. She received higher tips from these customers than from the ones she didn’t touch!

8. Increase Your Social Activity
By increasing social activity, you decrease loneliness. Surround yourself with healthy, happy people, and their positive energy will affect you in a positive way!

9. Volunteer for an Organization, or Help another Person
Everyone feels good after helping. You can volunteer your time, your money, or your resources. The more positive energy you put out into the world, the more you will receive in return.

10. Meditate and give your self time
Meditation is very important part and factor of our lives which should be present in everyone daily activities. Meditation wont take hours it will just take minutes and you can feel enriched with energy and self confidence. All it takes it to site in a quite room close your eyes and let go of the thoughts and just relax. Dont think anything just take deep breaths and feel as fine light from the sky is falling on your shoulders its the light of peace harmony and well being. It is lighting up your surroundings and its cleaning all the problems. Think of something that relaxes you like thinking of a beautiful garden where everything is for your and is beautiful. Just ten minutes everyday and you will feel relaxed confident and in control.

Giving your self time doesn’t mean watching your fav. program on the tele. Remember even if you think television watching is not relaxation for your brain as it has to continously absorb new information and then process it for your to remember it and your brain doesnt feel relaxed so avoid televisions most and stop being a couch potato if you want to take control of your life.

When it comes to the corporate world, protocol is pretty much the religion. To know the things needed to do are the basics of productivity, but interaction and having a steady mind makes up the entire thing to true productivity. There are those who seem to work well even under pressure, but they’re uncommon ones and we are human and imperfect. To get these little things like stress under our skins won’t solve our problems. Sometimes it takes a bit of courage to admit that we’re turning to be workaholics than tell ourselves that we’re not doing our best. Hope this will help more coming soon….

How to manage your time

Learning how to manage your time so that you can accomplish what you set out to accomplish is a skill that will help you throughout your life. It is particularly helpful when you are a college student as you have deadlines and many competing priorities that need your attention. It‘s natural to feel overwhelmed and anxious at times, but having a plan to help you get organized and set priorities will help ease the tension.

Everyone develops their own approach to better manage time, and here are a few tips to help you:
A. Anticipate and plan
B. Break tasks down
C. Cross things off
D. Don’t procrastinate

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