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:

Stomping Ants or

Making Hippos Fly!

The Art of Managing Time and Your Life

By Gregory P. Smith

Many people go through life satisfied with status quo, stomping ants, handling the routine, not reaching their God-given potential. Others make Hippos fly, reaching their potential, accomplishing something major. Which type of person do you want to be?

The two major components of time management are practice and purpose. The practice component refers to what you do with the minutes of your day. The purpose component refers to finding and knowing your purpose in life. When you manage your time, the minutes of your life, and it falls in alignment with your purpose of your life, you have a fantastic chain reaction. This alignment can enable you to accomplish your tasks more effectively, to reach your goals more quickly, and to give you a greater sense of peace.

Quiet Time

God gave each of us a brain and a soul, but many of us don’t make time to exercise it. I begin each day with a cup of coffee on my front porch. I watch the sun rise, pray, and ask God for direction for this day. I think about my goals and projects, and I listen for new ideas. I then head off to my office to begin work. Every person must make time to think. Schedule an appointment with yourself, close yourself off, and don’t allow interruptions. You will be amazed how clear your life’s purpose as well as the quality of your life will become.

Create A Hippo Goal

The best way to accomplish a major goal is to break it down into smaller pieces. Learn how to implement Work Break Down Structure. The old saying, “How do you eat an elephant?. . .One bite at a time.” The same is true with major goals. For example, when I wrote my first book, I broke the writing down into smaller pieces. I got up an hour early each day and wrote approximately 250 words. At the end of the week, I had completed a chapter. At the end of the month, I had completed four chapters. I continued on until I completed the book. This process can be applied to almost any major undertaking. Focusing on the smaller parts makes any task much easier and keeps motivation high. When you reach goals, reward yourself.

Greg’s Ten Tips

1. Prioritize. Feeling overwhelmed by all you have to do? Stop and Think–which item must be completed today? This does not include items you’d like to get done today, but only the item(s) that must be completed today. A friend woke up at three in the morning feeling overwhelmed by the many tasks for the coming week and was worried that she could not get it all done. In desperation, she asked herself, what has to be done by Monday afternoon? Tuesday afternoon? The result was she discovered she could indeed accomplish all of her deadlines for the week on schedule when she prioritized!

2. Be realistic. One way to set yourself up for a panic situation is to plan an unrealistic amount of work for one day or one week. Use your common sense to recognize when you have over-scheduled yourself. Enthusiasm is wonderful, but it doesn’t add more hours to the day.

3. Delegate. A person who refuses to delegate will very likely be a very busy and frustrated person. For anyone to personally handle every item is unnecessary and unwise. One very successful regional manager readily attributed part of his success to the fact that he trusted his administrative assistant to handle routine items that did not require his personal decision. This left him free to concentrate on working with sales personnel outside the office.

4. Work Efficiently. For example, make sure your electronic calendar does not cost you time. People who love electronics will shake their heads no at this idea. But sometimes it can take longer to enter and maintain information in a gadget than to jot it down with a pencil in an old-fashioned paper planner.

5. Organize Meetings Wisely. According to a Wall Street Journal survey, meetings account for the greatest amount of unproductive time–topping telephone calls, paperwork and travel. With a little preparation, meetings can be transformed into productive assemblies helping you and your group steam toward, instead of away from, their goals. The key ingredient for a good meeting is preparation. Ask yourself–Is this meeting really necessary? Can the information be presented best another way? If there is still a need for a meeting, plan it well.

6. Learn to Say No! Many people have a tough time saying no. They allow themselves to become members of every committee even ones that are outside their particular talent or spiritual gift. I once knew a man in my church that dedicated his life to youth. He was the pastor’s dream come true. He organized youth trips and retreats. He was always at the church. He taught Sunday school for the youth and they were being led to the Lord. We were all shocked when we learned his wife asked for a separation. She was upset because he spent all his time with the youth and very little with his family. People, who can’t say no, quickly discover their life is out of balance; it is being pulled in the opposite direction. No matter how important the obligation maybe, do not allow your family priorities to suffer.

7. Destroy the Paper Monster. The best guideline for paperwork is to either file it or toss it. We never use 80% of the paperwork we keep. Paper, magazines and other forms create clutter and confusion, which could turn into stress.

Another principle for paperwork is handle it now. Spend 20 seconds filing that important paper now rather than 30 minutes searching for it later. Take a moment to jot down that phone number on your permanent list instead of spending ten minutes tracking it down again later. A third rule for paperwork is organize it. Use colored folders to prioritize your work; colors allow you to see at a glance, which jobs, need your immediate attention. Sub-divide files for greater efficiency. An administrative assistant, tired of rifling through the thick folders left by the previous employee, took time to sub-divide each large file into smaller, separate files. The time saved was worth the time invested in the task and the compliments from the boss who recognized the ease of use of the reorganized files was an unexpected bonus.

8. Manage Mail. Answer E-mail immediately. Don’t read it and then let it pile up in your in-box; keep your in-box clutter free. Create a “keeper” folder and transfer the mail you want to retain. Create another folder for “actions pending.” Respect other people’s time and avoid forwarding all those stories people love to send you. Delete junk E-mail without reading it and use your filters to eliminate spam. Sort regular mail next to a trashcan. Handle it once-open it or throw it away. Don’t stop doing the important things in your life to sort mail.

9. Make Lists. Making a list can be a legitimate time manager. Keep a pad handy to jot down projects as they arise, items that come to mind to do later, and even phone calls you need to make. At the end of the day or week, whichever is best for you, mark off the items handled. Then, make a fresh list and prioritize the remaining items. This shouldn’t take but a few minutes each day or a little longer if done once a week. Using this process can help you avoid that familiar sinking feeling when you realize you forgot something important and also help you feel on top of things on a daily basis while freeing your mind to concentrate on the job at hand.

10. Allow Time for Fun and Surprises. Don’t carry time management to the point of where everything in your life is plotted, calculated, and placed on a calendar. Allow some spontaneity and fun in your life. I know a manager who decided to invite everyone over to her office for ice cream floats. This was a lot of fun and created a very positive work environment. I know another company that provides their employees 22 tons of M&M’s to eat each year. Every now and then do something nice for someone totally unexpected. Call someone up and tell him or her how much you appreciate them.

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Another tip from me: Meditate just 10 minutes a day and also excercise just 15 minutes a day.

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…

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….

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

ANTICIPATE AND PLAN
Every student needs to have some kind of tool to keep track of his/her busy life. This could be a calendar, a day planner, a hand held electronic planner, or a legal pad. Whatever the tool, it needs to be something you can carry with you, and you also need to be able to see at least a week at a time so that projects or tests don’t sneak up on you. Most things take longer than we think they will, so if you think about things in advance and plan for the certainties, you will have enough flexibility in your schedule to handle the unexpected things that come up. Put everything on your calendar…. tests and projects, study time, social engagements etc.

BREAK TASKS DOWN
Whether you are faced with a big task, such as graduating in 4 years, or smaller tasks such as studying for a final, it helps if you break the task down into smaller, more manageable parts. Students who procrastinate often comment that when they wait to the last minute to complete a project, they often feel overwhelmed, and the task seems insurmountable. By setting priorities and breaking the bigger project into smaller tasks, the work is more manageable, and less intimidating.

Here’s how to break tasks down:
1. Look at the big picture; make sure you understand what the end product is supposed to look like. Ask the professor to show you examples from previous classes.
2. Look at the parts. What pieces will enable you to get to the whole? Figure out step-by step what you need to do. It’s not going to happen through magic.
3. Think about the logical order of completing the pieces. What should you do first, second, third. Etc?
4. Create a timeline for completing your tasks.
7. Have a plan to help you stay on track. Put the time you will spend on the project into your study schedule so that you can set aside the time for it. Stick with this plan. A plan is only good if you see it through.
8. Complete it early enough to have some time left for a final review.

CROSS THINGS OFF
Making a “to do” list is an essential part of effective time management. Making these lists helps you see all that has to be done, and it is a memory jogger to remind you of what has to be done. You can make immediate to do lists and longer term to do lists. Putting a date when tasks are due is helpful. Writing things on your hand to help you remember things can only take you so far!

Long-term lists look the same, but the “by when” dates are further in the future.
Once you make a list, make sure you have it in a convenient place…. Somewhere you will see it easily, and often!

DON’T PROCRASTINATE
If most of your life you have followed the belief of “don’t do today what you can put off until tomorrow”, then most likely you brought this mind set with you to college. Procrastination can lead to many sleepless nights (literally) and can contribute to academic and personal difficulties. Procrastination can simply be a way of life for many students, and this can be stressful for them as well as others around them. It might be hard to do, but take care of business first, and then do fun things. There are resources on campus that can help you learn how to deal with procrastination so that you can get your work done in a more productive way.

Here are some advantages of being a good time manager:
· You will have less stress in your life.
· You will have more time for the things you want to do and that you enjoy.
· You can be a better-rounded student and enjoy many aspects of college life.
· You will be able to spend more time with friends.
· You can learn more… efficient learners get more from classes than those who keep trying to figure out how to study and learn effectively.
· You will be able to play more.
· You will feel good about yourself… when you feel good about your academic accomplishments; it spills over into other parts of your life.

References and Resources

Taken from: http://www.uhs.uga.edu