Top Ten Motivators

Setting goals is the easy part -- but sticking with them over the long run can be a major challenge! Some people think that motivation requires will-power and dedication. Actually, staying motivated is all about setting up an environment that is conducive to you accomplishing your goals. Here are ten "tricks" for giving your goals staying power past January 31st:

BREAK YOUR GOALS DOWN

Do you know why 90% of us don't keep our New Year's resolutions? Because our goals are too big and too vague. Instead of telling yourself that you want to "get organized," try breaking that goal down into something smaller and more concrete. "Clean out all clothes that haven't been worn in a year" or "move all of the sports equipment to the garage" gives you a solid place to start -- then you can move on to another small goal that will take you one step closer to "getting organized."

PUT IN 15 MINUTES A DAY

Some people think that you have to commit hours of uninterrupted effort if you want to accomplish a goal. But the greatest advances are often the sum total of a series of SMALL EFFORTS -- a drawer here, a cabinet there, maybe a closet. Once you have set your goals for the year, commit to spending 15 minutes each day doing something that will move you closer to accomplishing that goal. You will be amazed at how quickly you progress!

PAINT YOURSELF IN A CORNER

The worst deadline you can set for accomplishing a goal is "over the next year" -- too vague, to broad, and too much room for slacking. Sometimes it's best to paint yourself into a corner if you want to get a project done. If your goal is to clean out the guest bedroom closet, invite company over! Make a COMMITMENT to someone else -- just knowing that other people are counting on you is often just the little "push" you need to get moving.

WORK WITH A "BUDDY"

This rule doesn't just apply at the gym! Do you have a friend who can help out with some of your organizing projects? Two people will get more done in shorter period of time -- and you will be less inclined to keep a bunch of junk you don't need! Just remember that you will be expected to reciprocate when your friend gets ready to clean out! And if you can't recruit any free help, consider bringing in a Professional Organizer -- someone who can be objective about your clutter.

TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY ABOUT YOUR PLANS

The best way to make yourself accountable for accomplishing your goals is to tell other people about your plans. The minute you spread the word that you are working on a project, people become interested in your progress. "Hey, how are you doing getting that garage in order?" Every time you hear those words, one of two things will happen. Either you will feel inspired to dig back in and get to work -- or you will feel lousy because you haven't made any progress. Option A gets you moving, while Option B tells you that something is out of alignment and you need to RE-EVALUATE your goals. Either one is a step in the right direction.

PUT IT DOWN ON PAPER

You've heard it a million times -- if you write a goal down, it is more likely to come to fruition. There is something about the act of putting your thoughts (any thoughts) on paper that makes you more committed to the outcome. You have invested time and energy writing your goals down -- what a waste if you didn't actually go through with them! And it is wonderfully therapeutic to cross an item off of your list once you complete it!

REVIEW YOUR GOALS REGULARLY

The best thing about writing your goals down is that you have something physical to hold in your hand and refer back to when you need a boost. But reviewing your goals doesn't just mean skimming the page and counting up how many things you haven't done yet. You must also ask yourself some questions about each goal -- why haven't I made more progress on this goal? What's getting in my way? Is this goal still important to me? If your priorities have changed, drop it from your list. You have enough important things to do -- you don't need to sweat over not accomplishing an unimportant task.

DEVELOP A "MANTRA"

Repetition is the mother of success, so you need to remind yourself of your goals everyday. Pick your most important goal this year, and turn it into a one-sentence "mantra." Your mantra should be in the form of an affirmation -- a statement phrased as though you have already accomplished your goal ("I am the master of my time" or "I live in a clutter-free environment.") Repeat this mantra first thing when you get up, last thing before you go to bed, when you are driving in the car, as you take a shower. Post sticky notes with your mantra on it around your home and office. Pretty soon, this will become your natural way of thinking -- keeping you going when you run into a roadblock.

ENJOY YOUR SUCCESSES

When was the last time you really acknowledged the fact that you accomplished an important goal? Too often, we simply charge into the next task on our list without really appreciating our achievements. Next time, spend a few minutes reflecting on what you have accomplished -- remembering the time and effort you invested and savoring the feeling of completion. This will refresh and renew your enthusiasm to continue on with your next goal. Without that moment of pause, you will eventually burn yourself out and lose all sense of motivation.

PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK

Do you reward yourself for a job well done? Lets go one step further -- do you plan ahead of time what reward you will give yourself when you complete a task on your list? There is a lot of wisdom in the old idea of a "carrot and stick." As you plan out your goals for the next year, attach a REWARD to each. It could be as simple as a walk around the block, or as grand as a two-week vacation -- just make sure that your reward is commensurate with the amount of work you will have to do to reach that goal. And be consistent about rewarding yourself for every accomplishment, no matter how small. You deserve it!

Ramona Creel is a Professional Organizer and the founder of OnlineOrganizing.com -- offering "a world of organizing solutions!" Visit <a target="_new" href="http://www.onlineorganizing.com">http://www.onlineorganizing.com</a> for organizing products, free tips, a speakers bureau -- and even get a referral for a Professional Organizer near you. And if you are interested in becoming a Professional Organizer, we have all the tools you need to succeed. If you would like to reprint this article, please send in an e-mail request to <a href="mailto:ramona@onlineorganizing.com">ramona@onlineorganizing.com</a>

Sprint Through Your Workday, Even if Youre a Marathoner

Whenever you have projects that can't be done in one sitting, they have to be broken up into steps. Some people are marathoners and work best when they can spend long, uninterrupted hours on their projects. They hate to stop working because of piddly considerations like eating or sleeping, and they look forward to their next sessions. They're motivated by their goals, and they enjoy the process. That keeps them on track.

However, many work environments are too full of distractions to support marathoners. Your home office also harbors plenty of distractions. Some distractions can be managed, but many are integral parts of the work day. I'm talking about the kind of environment that makes people say, "I must have ADD!" The answer is: learn to sprint.

Make Your Sprints Productive.

Some people are natural sprinters To find out, ask yourself if it's hard to get back into the swing of a project once you get up from that first session. The novelty has worn off, you're distracted by new projects, and the prospect of not finishing the current one any time soon diminishes your enthusiasm. This can make it hard to get projects checked off your list. But you can turn this tendency into a productive work style.

Think back to other projects you've completed. Can you remember how much time you comfortably spent at one sitting? If not, plan to work for 15 minutes. The session will actually take about 10 minutes longer than that, so schedule enough time. You'll begin by setting things up, physically and mentally. Get tools and equipment, put email and phone distractions on hold, and review what you'll be doing. Focus on working for the 15 minutes. At the end, clean up and make notes for the next session. If that was easy, try making your sessions longer. If it was a toughie, shorten them.

Why Does This Work?

Mainly, it works because you prepare yourself mentally to work for a specific period of time. The mental preparation and the time limit together are a terrific combination. It also works because you develop a new work habit. Once something becomes a habit, it feels natural and you come to expect it. You're not inventing the wheel each time.

Another reason it's helpful is that a project that's broken down into many steps can have many "beginnings." That's a good way to look at it if you find yourself losing motivation. Every time you finish a work session, you'll specifically describe what's to be done next time. If the next step is a different kind of activity, it will naturally seem like a new activity, even if it's part of a larger project. For example, once you finish reviewing a set of data, your next step is to call the salesperson to discuss your order. When you write your task out as "call salesperson" rather than "continue slogging along on the Schwartz project," you'll be able to focus on that current step instead of feeling overwhelmed by looking at the entire large project.

Finally, it works because no matter how little time you work on something, if you keep at it, with regular mini sessions, you will eventually finish. Guaranteed.

Claire Tompkins specializes in simple, efficient systems to help people be more productive, more easily. Before figuring out how to do something better, ask why you're doing it at all. Got to <a target="_new" href="http://www.clairetompkins.com">http://www.clairetompkins.com</a> to find out more. Contact her at <a href="mailto:Claire@clairetompkins.com">Claire@clairetompkins.com</a> and 510-535-0856.

Looking At Time With A Capital T

I keep a fossil on my desk at all times. Whenever I feel rushed or find myself creating a sense of urgency, I pick up the fossil and caress its polished surface. It's over 200 million years old. Suddenly, returning that phone call or meeting that self-imposed deadline doesn't seem nearly as critical. My ancient arthropod reminds me that, in the scheme of things, this moment is indescribably insignificant. I find that remarkably comforting.

True story: I brought the fossil with me as a sort of visual aid for a presentation I was giving on sustainability at Intel. As I opened the car door in the Intel parking lot, the fossil slipped out of my bag. It crashed to the pavement, the asphalt shattering the tip of my favorite piece of history. I'm trying hard to avoid seeing any deep meaning in that disturbing little incident.

Anyway, I've been stroking that poor broken fossil a lot this week. I'm not freaking out about anything. I've just been spending some time thinking about time.

Is life a function of time, or is time a function of life?

This is worth spending a considerable amount of time (or life?) contemplating. For those of you in a hurry, I've got this short sound bite answer: It depends on what kind of scope you're using.

My brother has worked for a nearby scope manufacturer for over twenty years, so my answer is colored by my familiarity with lenses and the way they magnify reality. You might come up with a response based on, say, your connection to compost. Or combustion engines. Or maybe blood cells. Me? I'm going with scopes.

I would say that time is a function of life whenever we are simply going through the motions of the day or looking at our accomplishments or failures over the course of our lives. We can divide periods of living into convenient packages--that wondrous year in Miss Green's first grade class, the bust-your-butt blur of college, the years in the old house on Birch Street, and on and on. You've got your own compartments.

We use time. It allows us to keep things organized, both in our day planners and in our minds. It's a helpful ordering mechanism.

It's hard to get a grip on the enormity of time when we view it in terms of appointments, lunch hours, and television time-slots. If we pull waaayyy back and look at it, then life becomes a function of time instead of the other way around.

We don't tend to pay attention to any of that while getting ready for work in the morning. We don't think much about Time with a capital T. That's because we're looking through the lens of the microscope. Well, haul out the telescope. Take a look at gigantic periods of Time. Consider unfathomable chunks of eternity.

We've been in the Cenozoic era for about 65 million years now. It started way back with the extinction of the last non-avian dinosaurs. The most recent Cenozoic period, the Quarternary, started a mere 1.8 million years ago, and has seen the development of humans from the very earliest use of tools and rudimentary language to the present flip-phone/camera/email devices that are all the rage today. That's quite a progression.

I'm thinking we've sort of maxed out the Cenozoic era. It has served us well in many ways, but frankly, it's getting a bit tired. Seeing as how humans were the ones to name the eras in the first place (that part is definitely time as a function of life), it's perfectly reasonable that humans should declare when the next one is starting. It's fairly arbitrary anyway. There's certainly some wiggle room--at least a couple hundred thousand years.

Can we start the new one now? Please?

Here's an idea--why not put a little thought into the next era? Instead of documenting the progress--or decline--of species, why not plug in a little intention and see where that takes us?

I wish I'd thought of that first, but I didn't. Thomas Berry and Brian Swimme coined the term "Ecozoic era" in The Universe Story, and then Berry went on to talk about what that might look like in his book, The Great Work. Berry describes the Ecozoic era as one holding the promise of humans living in a mutually enhancing relationship with all life forms.

This sounds pretty groovy, but it's not viewed as a Utopian concept. It's a viable proposition.

The first steps have been taken to build the foundation for a realistic movement toward this new era. The Center for Ecozoic Studies is at the forefront, but a number of scholars of all stripes are coming together to do some planning. There's not a gloom-and-doomer in the bunch. In fact, they are catapulted by hope and possibility. They take this work very seriously but embrace it joyously.

We should, too. We humans have come a long way from pounding rocks in a cave. We're perfectly capable of looking forward and envisioning an unprecedented era capitalizing on cooperation and awareness as guiding principles. We do it in the movies all the time. Why can't we do it for real?

I'd like to propose that we consider utilizing the concept that life is a function of time. Let's think about what it means to plan an era. Our cave ancestors couldn't imagine the world today. We have the advantage of the knowledge of history and a growing understanding of the forces that propel a planet through its evolutionary journey.

Like it or not, we've got a certain responsibility to use these fabulous frontal lobes. You don't have to be a scientist to think about the future of the Earth. You're human. Think about it because you CAN.

Look for fossil moments in your day to consider the universe, and grasp the opportunity to render yourself temporarily insignificant.

Just watch out for asphalt.

About The Author

Maya Talisman Frost is a mind masseuse. Her course, Massage Your Mind!: Defining Your Life Philosophy, has inspired thinkers in over 70 countries around the world. She publishes the Friday Mind Massage, a free weekly ezine serving up a satisfying blend of clarity, comfort and comic relief. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.massageyourmind.com" target="_new">http://www.massageyourmind.com</a> or <a href="http://www.mindmasseuse.com" target="_new">http://www.mindmasseuse.com</a>.

<a href="mailto:maya@massageyourmind.com">maya@massageyourmind.com</a>

Focus on One Thing at a Time to Get the Job Done

All too often we can feel overwhelmed by the amount of work that we have to do and it is easy to get caught in the trap of trying to accomplish too many things at once and never completing any to your own satisfaction. Often there is a push to accomplish more and more, especially if you are focussed on your career and want to impress.

However, if you want to be really productive, and actually get more done the answer is to actually do one thing at a time. This can sound counter-intuitive and there has been a push over the past few years for people to take on more and more and to fill the 'empty' periods of their day so that they are constantly doing something.

In reality 'do more' is not the same as 'accomplish more' and top performers the world over aim to do one thing at a time. For those of you who remember him Daley Thompson (perhaps the worlds top decathlon athlete) was interviewed on how he became so successful, his answer was to focus totally on the current event and to complete that, the other events just didn't exist in his mind during that time.

People who perform well in business follow the same strategy. Focus on one task at a time, concentrate and complete that one thing and then move on.

This doesn't mean that their waiting time is 'wasted', if they are waiting for something to happen with a particular piece of work they concentrate all of their energy on 'optioning' and 'optimising'.

On those occasions where they do move on to something else while they wait for a resolution they do several things:

(a) Take a Break ? The take a physical break from their desk. They get up, go for a 5 minute walk, get a coffee, anything that will take their mind off the previous task.

(b) Put it in their Schedule ? They plan in time in their schedule for the new task and set this time aside. If the first task comes back to them they finish the new task (or work on it for their allotted time) and only then do they return to the first task. They always go through (a) to change their current mental state.

(c) Schedule a re-visit ? They put into their schedule a time when they will re-visit the first task.

They never jump from task to task, everything is planned and measured. They plan to 'accomplish' rather than to 'work' on a task and the top performers never feel 'overwhelmed' or as if they are 'drowning' and they consistently achieve more than those around them by doing one thing at a time.

Give each task your total, complete and utmost focus and watch your productivity fly.

More information regarding Organisational Change, Coaching and Performance Development can be found at <a target="_new" href="http://www.achievinggreatness.co.uk">http://www.achievinggreatness.co.uk</a>

2005 ? Achieving Greatness Ltd. All rights reserved.

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PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box and live web site link.

L Stuart Avery is the Managing Director of Achieving Greatness Ltd, an organisation dedicated to raising awareness around personal and management behaviours. Achieving Greatness specialises in offering advice and support to organisations going through change intitiatives and looking to enhance the performance of their staff. It provides training courses, facilitiation services and coaching to business leaders on Leadership, Management and Strategy.

Stuart has over 20 years of experience across a wide range of industries including Government, Charities, Retail, Travel, Insurance, IT Services and Logistics.

For more information visit <a target="_new" href="http://www.achievinggreatness.co.uk">http://www.achievinggreatness.co.uk</a>

Time is on Your Side ? Manage it Wisely

How do you manage your time? Or is the more appropriate question do you wish you had better time management skills? I have clients and friends who rely on everything from legal pads to brightly colored sticky notepads to manage their time and appointments ? practically everything in their life. I don't understand why some folks place so little importance on something as important as time management!

As a professional Virtual Assistant, I have numerous clients and tasks I must complete every day. I also have a hectic personal life, full of family responsibilities and my hobbies. Organizing my time is critical to my success and to maintaining my sanity.

Submitted for your reading pleasure, and to enhance your brain, are some of my tips for effectively and efficiently managing one of your most valuable resources: time.

Determine What Works Best for You

We're all different in regards to time management -- what works for you may not suit me or my style. Are you constantly on the go and need your calendar at your fingertips? Or, do you prefer to keep a paper calendar? Do you loath computers and all they stand for, or are you so wired Edison would be jealous? Whatever tools you choose to include in your arsenal, ensure they're tools you'll use consistently.

The Building Blocks of Better Time Management

My time management tools are Microsoft Outlook? and my trusty PDA. Outlook serves all my appointment, e-mail and tasking needs in one easy-to-use package.

Two of my favorite Outlook tools are the Categories and Labels features. Categories allow me to classify my calendar items and tasks in a variety of ways, such as Clients, Potential Clients, Personal, and so forth. In addition, you can also Advanced Find (search) Categories, so no more wasted time looking for a calendar appointment or journal entry for a particular client.

Unlike the seemingly unlimited number of Categories you may setup, you are limited to ten (10) Labels (at least in the 2002 version). Labels allow you to color code your Calendar so you'll know at a glance which items are personal in nature, and which are client related.

Consistency is the Key

Whatever system you have in place or are considering to implement, the key point to remember is consistency. Follow the same procedures each and every time, without fail. Ensure you put good habits into play and more important, follow those good habits!

When I create new appointments or tasks, I use the first few characters to define the &quot;owner&quot; (client or myself) of that appointment or task. For example, when creating items for client Tom Smith, I'll preface all items with TSMITH. When searching for items for Tom, I know if I search for &quot;TSMITH&quot; I'll access all items related to this client. I'll also apply a Label to my appointments, such as TeleCon, PCI (Potential Client Interview), or Personal.

I pad all appointments with a 15-minute buffer on each side. I also schedule breaks during my workday.

My clients appreciate that each Monday I release my &quot;Lori's Schedule&quot; e-mail, a brief note notifying my clients when I'll be out of the office for that week. For example, all my clients know I'm a member of the Editorial Team for a well-known eZine and they know that unless it's an emergency, I am not available during this meeting.

When I interview potential clients, interns and vendors, I keep detailed conversation notes in the memo field for that Contact. I date all telephone conversations and apply color coding (font coloring) to each conversation. All interviews are kept to 30 minutes ? no exceptions. My Desktop timer helps me keep track of the time, and sounds a horn .WAV file when it's time to end the interview.

If I need to follow up with someone, I immediately create an appointment, applying Categories and a Label, and attach any necessary external documents (Word, Excel, etc.). For Calendar appointments, I also keep track of the number of times I've attempted to contact that person. Example: For vendor Lisa Andrews, I'll preface the appointment with LA(2), where the parenthetical (2) means this is my second attempt to contact Lisa. I allow a maximum of three follow up attempts ? no exceptions. Chasing people down is a waste of my time -- time I'd prefer to spend making money and running my business.

You Make the Call

Pet Peeve: Folks who call me and have no clue what they want to say. I've been known to hang up on such occasions, so let's ensure you don't make the same mistake!

A few basic rules of etiquette follow:

1. Peace & quiet rule the day, especially if you're making a business call. If the kids or your husband are home, close the door to your office. If there's a large amount of street traffic, go to an inner room in your home, as far away from the noise as possible. You don't want to shout over the din; instead, make the din disappear.

2. Know what you're going to say! I've advised numerous clients to have either an index card or a sheet of paper with the bullet points of what they want to say. I do something similar ? in the Calendar appointment for the telephone call, I include bullet points in the memo field and make notes during the course of the conversation.

3. Keep it brief. Make your point, get down to business and let's rock and roll.

4. Be on time. Have respect for the person you're about to call. They've set aside valuable time to talk to you.

You've Made Your List, Now Check It the 2nd Time

Spend a few minutes at the end of your day to review tomorrow's calendar. Doing so will get you prepared for tomorrow and will jump start your memory if you forgot to do something. Do you have any faxes still waiting to go out? Did you remember to call the printer and OK the proof? Any prep work you need to do for tomorrow? Take five minutes, review your calendar and to do list and then complete any last minute work.

It's All Relative ? Well, Your Relatives Think So

I know many people who have home-based businesses and at least 75% of them do not have a &quot;family policy&quot; in place. How can you work effectively from home if your girlfriends are calling you all the time, and if Uncle Joe stops by several times a day? Answer: You can't. What to do? Inform your family and close friends that unless it's a dire emergency, the family chit-chat and visits need to be kept to a minimum. For your part, you must ensure you call your dad at the end of the day to check in, and tell your girlfriend Lisa that yes, you can have lunch with her on Thursday. It's all about balance: part work, part play. Too much of the former will make you crazy!

&quot;No&quot; is Not a Four Letter Word (Subtitle: Even if it were, you should still utter it now and then)

Say this out loud, &quot;It's okay for me to say no.&quot; Doesn't that feel better? More important, do you believe it?

Do not allow the procrastination or the good intentions of others to encroach upon your time. If you do not have the time today to handle a task, be honest and say so. Offer alternative dates and times when you are available, ensuring you mark these times as &quot;unavailable&quot; on your calendar so you don't book other appointments during this time.

Remember, time is money. Learn how to organize and manage your time--you'll be glad you did!

Copyright 2005 Lori Davis. All rights reserved.

Lori Davis is Director of the Future at Davis Virtual Assistants, a New York-based VA firm. To learn more about Lori and DavisVA, please visit <a target="_new" href="http://www.davisva.com">http://www.davisva.com</a> and <a target="_new" href="http://loridavis.typepad.com/davisva/">http://loridavis.typepad.com/davisva/.</a> You may contact Lori at 917.319.8224 and via e-mail at <a href="mailto:lori@davisva.com">lori@davisva.com</a>.

How Can I Get Some Time to Myself?

&quot;I never seem to have any time for myself. What can I do?&quot;

When my two year old followed me to the toilet today I had very similar thought to yours. As busy parents we can often feel like there is no time for us and we are forever running around after others. We can be great at looking after everyone else and so often put ourselves at the bottom of the list.

Many of the mums I coach are surprised when I tell them it is time to start putting themselves first. If you are running on half full this affects every area of your life - your relationships, health or work ? and without doubt how good you feel about looking after your children.

I'm sure you will have noticed that when you're happy your children are happy too so for the next week make this a priority.

Write a list of all the things that you would like to do for yourself. What is the one thing you have been putting off? These can be simple things from calling a friend without being disturbed to booking a haircut, taking a bath or reading the magazine you bought a month ago.

Choose at least one thing that you are going to over the next week and actually write down when you are going to do it. Put down the date and the time when you are going to make this happen. If you need someone to look after the children for a few hours, call them now. Or at least firmly plan how you are going to ensure your time is your own.

Enjoy this time that you have created for yourself and you will be amazed at the results! Let me know how you get on.

Debbie Lewis is a specialist parent coach who regularly contributes on parenting issues to national and regional media including Channel 5's Trisha Goddard Show.

She has worked for over ten years with adults and children in a broad range of jobs including nanny and parenting consultant.

Debbie is professionally trained in parenting skills, child development and family assessment and a registered member of The Parenting and Education Support Forum, The General Social Care Council, an NLP Practitioner and accredited life coach.

The Power of Limited Time

The most powerful resource that we have is time. Everything we do is time-dependent and changes forever with the passage of time. Even though we may think that we are repeating things in fact there is no such thing as a repeatable cycle in the pure sense of the word as time is only ever going forward and cannot be slowed, stopped or reversed.

Time can not be changed itself but it does possess the supreme power to effectuate anything it touches. Conside for a moment that Man is initially driven by basic needs like hunger, shelter, love and security but as these are slowly fulfilled, he begins to desire more and more things like cars, houses, recognition, financial security for the future, etc. The future times for which he is so busily preparing, however, will come to pass quickly even whilst he is in the process of gathering things he believes to be important in this life. In other words, what we do in our allocated time is vital to a rich and fulfilling life.

We are all employees of "Eternal Time Limited" being clocked in on our individual shifts.

Time can change our moods, aspirations and how we look at ourselves and Life itself. We evolve our thoughts to a degree and then as time passes we degenerate into a state of fear, apprehension and not being so sure about that which we were previously positive about.

So how do we control Time and become masters of it? How do we use it for our advantage, even though we know that it is measured by others around us to categorise us in terms of how efficient we are in dealing with life's affairs. Our successes and failures are measured in terms of what we have achieved in a given time.

There is an ever-increasing pressure for us to achieve more in less time. However, most of us procrastinate every day of our lives. We let the precious time roll on by without doing anything that will lead us to an improved state. We need direction, goals, aims and objectives to achieve more in less time. We can manage our time better if we have the desire to achieve smaller goals.

Frustration grows when things around us either go faster than what we would like them to or slower than our internal clocks allow. We find ourselves constantly adjusting to the speed of our environment, matching it as closely as possible so we can synchronize our collective aims and objectives.

One technique that works well is to impose a time limit on any task. If you mentally restrict the amount of time allocated for achieving a mini goal, and actively fight the urge to perfect the task then achievement of the overall goal becomes easier. We spend far more time in perfecting and completing tasks then we do in starting them and keeping them going towards completion. We hang on for the ultimate perfect result for self-satisfaction and admiration of others whereas we could in fact complete a whole series of mini tasks quite quickly and without stopping if we consciously enact this secret of major successes.

Another powerful way to achieve more in less is to automate your processes wherever possible. Use your computer for focussing on specific tasks. If you are a business owner, you can actually create pockets of Creative Time by removing yourself from a significant part of your business through automation of business processes. We have achieved a great deal of success at my company InfiNET Point Ltd http://www.infinetpoint.co.uk by automating many time-consuming processes.

However, you do not need to be a computer whiz-kid to achieve Automation. Automation can be a manual process that is carried out by others on your behalf. You only need to define the process once and keep on refining it until it is perfected. It should ultimately work without your physical presence.

Awareness of the passage of time is crucial because although it is good to have an end to journey toward, it is the journey that matters in the end!

Having to achieve more in less time is something that I have had to do in almost all areas of my own life and I attribute my entire success to taking action in limited time. In business we have developed various time-saving automation products including a marketing product called CMS Desktop, <a target="_new" href="http://www.cmsdesktop.co.uk">http://www.cmsdesktop.co.uk</a>, geared for automation of Email Marketing and Customer Contact.

If you want to discuss Automation in any area of your business please contact <a href="mailto:moz@infinetpoint.co.uk">moz@infinetpoint.co.uk</a>.