3 Ways To Do More With Less Time

We live in a world where more is expected of us every day.

First there were fax machines, now email and cell phones. Our number of communications daily from various sources is extreme.

How can we get to all of it in a timely fashion and still get 8 hours of sleep?

Here are three time reducing strategies that are easy to implement:

1. Schedule. Like it or not in today's world if you want to achieve greater levels of success you must learn to use a schedule. You can use a Palm Pilot, a journal or a Daytimer. I use the Franklin-Covey Planning software for windows. It pops up when I turn on my computer and it is compatible with my Palm Pilot so that I can sync at night when I leave my office.

Now, having a schedule isn't half as important as using a schedule. It doesn't work if you don't use it? everyday.

I keep track of appointments, make a To Do list and then as I work on projects I enter them in so that I can make a journal of my day. Later, this will help me remember how much time I spent on tasks for billing purposes. I schedule in exercise time and I schedule in personal development time for reading and writing.

Once you get started, you'll find it easier and easier to use. The amount of time saved by spending the time to keep your schedule can be enormous. It helps to eliminate the clutter we create on our desks and in our minds when trying to remember all the things we need to do.

It can also help to eliminate unnecessary tasks. Many times we say 'yes' when something is not really in alignment with our goals. The act of making time for it and getting on the schedule will cause you to evaluate its importance. This can be a tremendous time saver.

2. Systems. Systems are a key component in time management. I have a system for everything! Systems do not have to be complicated but they help to keep you on track and save time. For instance, I use a 'system' for my after-work time. When I leave the office my evening everyday is pre-planned. I drive home, I change, I make dinner, I watch one hour of TV, I work two hours, and I go to bed? A system.

I follow the same system every single day. It removes wasted time trying to decide what I'm going to do with my time. Setting up systems for checking email or taking calls can be a real time saver. If you have tasks that you do regularly, think about ways to systemize them. Sometimes setting up forms or check lists, creating schedules or flow charts, delegating, just about anything can be turned into a time saving system.

3. Lists. Keep lists. You can keep the lists in your schedule but you need to get into the habit of making a list for tasks and systems. Checklists save time because you don't have to think about what comes next. The amount of time I save by using a calculator instead of figuring in my head is enormous?. Using lists is very much the same.

By removing the "think" time you streamline processes and save brain energy for more important things. I have a grocery list prepared in Excel, I print it off before I head to the store and buy only what I need. No time wasted wandering the aisles.

I have a checklist for updating my weblog and writing my newsletter. I have templates for the newsletter and I have time scheduled to do both.

Many times a little time spent upfront can be a huge savings later. When I find myself doing a task that I've done before and feel like its taking too long, I sit down systemize and make a checklist and suddenly I've found 15 or 20 minutes.

? Yolanda A. Facio for Strategy-3.com All Rights Reserved

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Time Managements

There are the golden rules that apply to time. If followed, your life will be successful. If you ignore these, however, you will always be scratching to catch up. Do not be one of the people you always here say "I don't know where the time went, it just flew by!".

1) Time is fleeting. Think about it...the moment you started reading this is gone, never to be regained. It seems we get so caught up in petty circumstances that we forget what we set out to do, and before you know it, the day is gone!

2) Time is valuable. You always have time to make money; but you can never have enough money to make time!

3) Time is unforgiving. The amazing thing about your time; even through no fault of your own, even "wasted" time will never stand still.

4) Time is money. You must be constantly asking yourself,"Am I doing the most productive thing I can be doing right now?". Watch out for those "wasted" moments we were talking about earlier.

5) Time is changing. We all must constantly renew our minds, and let the past be just that...the past! It can't help you now, aside from the learning experience, don't dwell on it.

6) Time is the ultimate judge. We have all heard "time will tell!". Well, there is some truth to that, as the future has a way of finding any flaw in the plan. Pre-planning will save massive amounts of your precious commodity called time.

7) Time is in your control. We can all be more in control of our day and how we spend it. Today should have been planned out yesterday, and tomorrow should be thought about today.

You can design your future, much like an architect designs a building. Start small, and work your way to the big things. Prioritize events and meetings in advance and stick to it. Things will always come up, so be vigilant, you will catch yourself doing un-productive things. The more you are "tuned in" to these events , the more you can do about it!

About The Author

Michael Niles is a Seattle based trainer and speaker. For more info call 206-229-3119 or <a href="http://www.focussalestraining.com" target="_new">www.focussalestraining.com</a>.

<a href="mailto:michael6941@hotmail.com">michael6941@hotmail.com</a>

If Only Your Brain Was the Size Of That Of an Ant You Could Easily Implement Habits

A year and a half ago I was introduced to something called Swarming or Swarm intelligence.

A big telecommunication company was actually mimicking ants to improve the performance of some of their products.

Now if a big telecommunication company is modeling behavior of ants and produce better products that way, there must be something worth looking at inside the head of ants.

Imagine for a moment that you are an ant. A worker ant - one of those responsible for bringing food back to the hill.

You have just found something edible that you want to bring back to the hill.

And before heading back you put Ant Rule #1 into action.

Ant Rule #1: If you find something edible you must mark the spot with a scent before heading back.

Simple rule - right?

So you leave a tiny drop to "mark the spot"

Once back at the hill you unload your loot and head out again to find more food.

Now as an ant you really don't have the massive mental capacity necessary to remember where you found the food.

Ant Rule #2 steps in.

Ant Rule #2: Head in the direction of the strongest scent from an "I found food here"-marker.

Simple rule - right?

So you head in the direction of the strongest scent.

It isn't the maker you left yourself, but apparently some of the other ants found food that was closer to the hill. Or maybe there was more food available, so more ants have visited and left more markers.

Anyway, you head for the food, leave a marker, head back to the hill, and then heads back out again.

But this time there is no food left at the marker, and you can't pick up the scent from other markers.

Ant Rule #3 steps in.

Ant Rule #3: If you don't know where food is, just start walking in a random direction.

So you pick a random direction and start walking.

A few minutes later you pick up the scent of an "I found food here"-marker - and you are back in business.

Now, listen closely: "When I snap my fingers you are no longer an ant"

SNAP!

Back in the realm of the humans? - good

So an ant uses only a few simple rules for bringing back food to the hill.

How many rules are in play when you bring food to the house?

Thousands I guess.

Get up in the morning, go to work, wait for paycheck, deposit paycheck, withdraw money from bank, compare offers, go to shop, find groceries, pay for the stuff, go home...

And these are only top-level rules/tasks - each of these break down into smaller and more complicated rules about how we get up in the morning, how we behave at work, how we compare offers etc.

Now you can't just live a simple life like the ant - the world we live and operate in is just too complex for that.

But you can easily apply Ant Rules to your daily life to make it easier.

And you can even use Ant Rules to create good habits.

Let's say you want to acquire good eating habits.

"Good eating habits" is a very complex entity, but what if you break it down into little Ant Rules?

Ant Rule #1: When given the choice: Always choose sparkling water instead of soda.

Ant Rule #2: Go for a walk right after eating supper.

Ant Rule #3: Eat fish on Mondays.

See, each of these rules are simple enough to be implemented with ease.

And they can be implemented gradually so you are not overwhelmed with "all the new stuff" in your new habit.

Another beauty of the simplicity of Ant Rules is that you can teach them to anybody.

How about your children?

Do they leave stuff around house?

And can it be a real challenge to get them to clean their *entire* room?

How about an Ant Rule that says "When you enter your room you must pick up one thing from the floor and put it in its right place"

Do you think you could get your kids to agree with just picking up one thing instead of cleaning up the entire room?

Now, I promised to talk about swarming and swarm intelligence, but one person with a set of Ant Rules can't really be considered a swarm?

So where do you find swarms of people?

In your home and at your workplace.

What if everybody lives by the rule of fixing just one thing when they enter a room? - how much simpler would you think it would be to keep a tidy place?

And how about at work?

Which Ant Rules can you think of that would fit into your workplace? - Rules that your team or co-workers could easily agree with and that would make you function more effectively as a team or make it a more pleasant place to work?

Copyright ? Henrik Flensborg 2003.

About The Author

Henrik Flensborg is the author of "Beat Procrastination - Right Now!" - a free ebook that will reveal to you why and how you have been procrastinating - and what you can do about it.

Henrik also publishes the Growth Focus newsletter that will help you move forward in life and business. He also owns the website <a href="http://growth-focus.com/" target="_new">http://growth-focus.com/</a> where you will find this and many other articles from his newsletter.

The Myth of What We Manage

Perhaps it is merely semantics, but an underlying problem I find that people have as it relates to the success in their life lies in a proper understanding of what exactly it is that we manage. Think about it. We have time management (In fact I have a seminar on this very topic, some of which is excerpted below), and financial management, and relational management, weight management, career management, and many, many more.

The fact is though, that we don't manage any of those things. What we do manage is ourselves, as they relate to those things. We don't manage time. Time clicks by, second by second, whether we do anything or not. What we do is manage ourselves, and our activities, as the time passes. We make choices as to what we will do and be involved in. The problem as well as the solution lies not with time, but with us.

We don't manage money. A pile of money will sit there forever if left alone. It won't grow or shrink. What we manage is ourselves and the decisions we make in regard to how we will spend the money. Getting the idea?

So as we live our lives and pursue success, one of the keys to grab on to is the idea that the most important thing we can manage isn't a thing at all - it is our self!

How then can we manage ourselves? Here are some thoughts.

Make sure that the above is firmly engrained in your thinking: I only manage myself. I can choose how I will act and react in every situation. Dwight D Eisenhower said that "The history of free men is not written by chance, but by choice, their choice."

Know your priorities. Do you know from top to bottom what your priorities are? Have you decided what the top ten things you want to spend your time on are? How about the same with your money? Only after you know these things can you properly manage yourself into choosing to live your priorities.

Learn to say "no" with a smile on your face. Here is where most of us fail. We do not choose to say "no" to those things that are not a matter of priority (the reason "why" is another newsletter article and probably a few counseling sessions at that!). Someone calls us up and asks us to do something for them (usually because they haven't managed themselves and would like our help picking up the pieces) and we say "Uh, I guess so." Then what? We usually kick ourselves for the rest of the day. "Why did I ever say yes?" Instead, practice this, "Gee, I am really sorry but I am not going to be able to be involved this time. I am sure you will be able to find somebody though." Go ahead and try it right now. Weird, isn't it? That is because we don't say it very often.

Schedule your priorities into you schedule or budget or whatever structure governs that area of your life. For example, do you have a financial budget that you yourself set? Then do you first and foremost spend your money in that way, say at the beginning of the month? If you do, you will eliminate even the opportunity to blow your money on impulse decisions and expenses because your money has already been committed into your priorities.

Remember, one of the greatest gifts God gave us is the ability to choose. And we can choose to manage ourselves appropriately and according to our priorities. As we do, we will find ourselves feeling less and less of the personal pain and frustration that we feel when we are out of control.

Get goin'!

About The Author:

Chris Widener is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of Made for Success, a company helping individuals and organizations turn their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and achieve their dreams.

To see Chris "live" at the upcoming Jim Rohn Weekend Event as he speaks on the subject of Secrets of Influence go to <a target="_new" href="http://Chris-Widener.InspiresYOU.com/">http://Chris-Widener.InspiresYOU.com/</a> or call 800-929-0434.

10 Time-Saving Calendar & Scheduling Tips

Nowhere is the line drawn more clearly between 'Industrial brains' and 'Electronic brains' than when it comes to the way people prefer to keep and use their calendars. These scheduling tips will really make your calendar talk to you, whether you use a packaged set, print out a computer calendar because you like the paper 'view' for better planning, or you synchronize your Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) with your laptop and office computer and it never hits paper.

Time Guidelines

Although everyone's situation is different we can learn a lot from the CEOs who are running multi-national corporations. Forbes magazine ran a one-page article based on interviews with CEOs and CFOs about their time guideline practices.

Not one scheduled more than 75% of their time, and the majority scheduled no more than 65% of their time. So you're looking at no more than 2/3 to 3/4 of their daily time being scheduled. Here are the earth-shattering reasons that these world class MBAs came up with for these Time Guidelines.

First, everything takes longer than you think it will. Second, things come up that you've got to deal with right away. (No matter how important what you're working on is.)

And the Third, he told as an anecdote, "You never walk into a meeting when there are millions of dollars at stake having worked right up until the last minute before the meeting. Because no-one else in the room has." Take a break before important meetings: you'll be more creative.

Now, I've never been in a million dollar meeting, but I share these with you because the more I apply these Time Guidelines the better my workday goes.

The Buffer Zone (not to be confused with the Twilight Zone) Allow one hour in-between any meeting's scheduled finish and your next appointment. If you work with someone who schedules meetings in your absence, explain that you want them to hold this line for everyone except your boss and their boss (or perhaps your spouse).

Leaving/Returning from a Trip

If you are returning to work at beginning of the business day, schedule no appointments before noon. Give yourself some time to unpack and thoroughly review your voice mail and e-mail. If you return to work mid-day schedule nothing until the next morning so you have re-entry time to process action items from your trip or meetings.

The reverse is true if you are leaving on a trip: allow at least a half day to prepare for the trip itself, as well as a final review of your in-box and e-mail to make sure there are no 'time bombs' hidden among the rest that can wait.

Auto-Response e-mail

For every day you will be out of the office (or in meetings all darned day again) set up an auto-response e-mail that includes an alternate contact, if appropriate. Even if you're only going to be out for one day, informing every one when you will actually be available, creates more realistic expectations.

Voice-mail Outgoing Message

When you are "Out of the Office" it's best to change your outgoing message on your voice mail as well. Let them know when you will be 'open for business' and who to contact in your absence. Start by saying "WAIT! Listen to this message carefully." Many people skip outgoing messages automatically. Other people simply don't listen to what is actually being said because they've heard it many times before.

Be as specific as possible when referring callers to another source. Give the person's name, phone, e-mail, and/or web address. The more specific you are the more likely it is someone will make the effort to get their questions answered by your alternate. The goal is to keep delivering services, even in your absence. This also whittles down the backlog awaiting your return.

Electronic Calendaring Programs

Most computer calendaring programs are connected to a contact database wherein all the pertinent contact information is accessible. Contact Management Programs are the best generation of their simpler contact/calendar antecedents, and are designed to center all your information about contacts by automating and documenting your communication (e-mail, phone, documents, e-fax, notes, etc.). It is truly a relationship-based way of thinking.

In addition, you can use any contact/calendaring or Contact Management program to quickly set up an easy project management tool that will appear seamlessly on your calendar display window or on printouts.

Enter a new contact into your contact record, using the project name (or code name) for the contact name field. You can now schedule tasks, to-dos, calls, and especially meetings on your calendar associated with your work on the project itself, not with the client or another team member. This allows you to plan for your milestones on various projects, and dedicate time to specific projects on your calendar.

In companies which network their calendars this is an especially important technique, because when someone is looking for an open time to schedule a meeting and your calendar shows project meetings, they are more likely to move on to another date.

Color-Coding Your Calendar (paper or electronic)

Color-coding is highly effective way to keep yourself straight with modern life's many and varied activities. Color-coding will reduce misfiles by as much as 90%, even if you don't change anything else about your filing system.

For those who use a paper calendar/planner, using pencil or erasable pen can be helpful especially if you rewrite your calendar often. I recommend that clients carry two erasable pens in their organizer; black for business appointments and blue for personal ones.

I recommend you use the four-color ballpoint pens for scheduling appointments with categories like black-business, blue-personal, red-travel, green-project action items. Buy plenty of whatever kind of pens/pencils you use to color code your calendar!

Your color-coding doesn't have to be this complicated and if you use one of the many excellent computer calendars around you can automatically color code your entries as they appear on screen and in printout.

I use a Contact Management program called ACT. It includes the option to assign a range of priority colors to any activity. However, since I don't schedule anything that isn't high priority I use the colors for my categories of black-business, blue-personal, red-projects.

Also, I highly recommend the color display PDA's over the black/gray/white displays. The display area of the PDA is limited so having the color provides you with improved visual function. Be careful when using the calendar function to check the day before and the day after the one you are looking at scheduling for any complications in coordinating your activities.

Applying any of these guidelines will help you out some. Applying all the tips that you possibly can, will change the way you work for the better. Just do it!

Time-Saving Calendars and Scheduling Tips By Eve Abbott, Excerpted from her new book, "How to Do Space Age Work with a Stone Age Brain TM"

Copyright, Eve Abbott All Rights Reserved.

Eve Abbott's newest book is available online at <a target="_new" href="http://www.organize.com">http://www.organize.com</a> Remember to sign up for more of the Organizer Extraordinaire's time-saving tips. Enjoy free brain quizzes to help you work at your personal best!

"How to Do Space Age Work with a Stone Age Brain TM" is an entertaining, interactive guide offering easy, online assessments to help make your own personal organizing solutions match your individual work style.

Where Do Your Priorities Fit?

An expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students when he decided to do an experiment. He pulled out a large mason jar, a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one by one, into the jar. When no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?" Everyone in the class said, "Yes."

He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. The instructor then poured gravel in the jar, shook it and asked, "Is this jar full? " By this time the class was on to him. They replied: "Probably not,"

Next, he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar until all the space between the rocks was filled. Once more, he asked the question. "Is this jar full?" "No" the class shouted.

Finally, he grabbed a pitcher of water and poured until the jar was filled to the brim. The speaker looked at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?" The speaker listened to a number of very good responses and said: "The truth this illustration teaches us is this: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all."

What are the big rocks in your life? Are they your spouse, children and grandchildren? Are they your work, television or gambling? Are you wasting time with things that are unimportant? What is important in your life?

About The Author

Don Schmitz is a well-known writer and speaker on parenting and grandparenting. He is the author of "The New face of Grandprenting...Why Parents Need Their Own Parents" and founder of Grandkidsandme, which includes: Grandparent Camps and Grandkid Days. Don holds graduate degrees in Education, Administration, Human Development and is father to three sons and grandfather to four granddaughters. Contact Don Schmitz at <a href="mailto:Don@grandkidsandme.com">Don@grandkidsandme.com</a> <a href="http://www.grandkidsandme.com" target="_new">http://www.grandkidsandme.com</a>

Time Management Mastery

From Potential to Performance

One of the great things about life is that we can realistically be or do anything we choose to. This includes being a good time manager! We must believe that we can be a good time manager - that we have the potential. Unfortunately, many people say, "Well, I am just a poor time manager," as if it was ingrained in their DNA. The truth is that anyone can be a great time manager, if they choose to go from potential to performance.

So, how do we do this? Here is a simple 7 part process:

1. Believe that you can become a good time manager

2. Inventory where your time is currently being spent

3. Determine what your life values are - what do you view as important, what do you want to accomplish?

4. Set time priorities that will move you toward living out your values

5. Develop a system of scheduling that works best for you, not a time management conglomerate

6. Learn to say "no" to things that are not part of your priorities moving you toward your values - exercise your power to choose

7. Do what is in your new schedule

These simple steps, if you apply them, will take you from having the potential to be a good time manager to true time management mastery and performance!

About The Author:

Chris Widener is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of Made for Success, a company helping individuals and organizations turn their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and achieve their dreams.

To see Chris "live" at the upcoming Jim Rohn Weekend Event as he speaks on the subject of Secrets of Influence go to <a target="_new" href="http://Chris-Widener.InspiresYOU.com/">http://Chris-Widener.InspiresYOU.com/</a> or call 800-929-0434.

Creative Leadership; Inspirational Power ( Part 2 )

Time management is absolute crucial nowadays where business decisions have to be taken often at the speed of light, leaders have to find spare time to prioritize their actions.

Time is the scarcest of all resources. Leadership should be about developing the ability to inspire people to reach high levels of performance and success. Being able to dream a vision and having the passion to communicate that vision by concentrating the attention at key strategies.

Listening, coaching, and mentoring being an inspiration for others while managing the change culture of your organization. These are the skills and competencies that leaders clearly need to focus on. To achieve this you have to free up time, which, actually seems to be a paradigm in current days. So how can we best cope with this situation?

Managers rarely have time to spot opportunities. Their daily work routine prevents them from taking the first necessary step towards being a Strategic Leader. Developing the capacity to craft an idea and transforming it into reality. First of all you have to believe that you are not unbearable. So why don't you try and delegate more.

Most cases of, what seems to be, excessive workload are originated, because most managers are not able to influence the flow of their daily demands. It is a question of reacting instead of acting. Managers that take demands for granted and simply respond to them, rarely challenge themselves about the meaning these demands actually have, and if they really make sense or whether one could or should transform them. By being always "under fire," people never find time to ask themselves the vital Leadership question: "Am I busy performing the right actions?" We really need to frequently challenge ourselves about the usefulness for the business of some tasks we are performing. And how can we best monitor the level of importance for the organization that a specific request has? Well, here are 6 Questions that helped me to prioritize projects throughout my working carer. The answering of these questions helped me evaluating the degree of priority for a specific demand or project.

- "What economic benefit will this action bring for the company? - "Is this action aligned with the company's Vision and mission statement?" - &quot;does it fit in the global strategy the company or department is perusing?&quot; - "How will it satisfy stakeholders?" How important is it to your boss, your team, and other interested parties? - "What is my level of passion, skills, and energy for it - "Do we have the resources?" Are there sufficient time, money, and any other necessary resources to accomplish this goal? If you can't bring all six to the table, than probably, you're not going to achieve a high return on your efforts.

That should be one of the criteria that identify a leader, the ability to question routines. The simple fact is that being busy is easier than not. A higher level of adrenaline gives us the perception that we are fully occupied and busy as time is passing by. It is basically a question of being entertained, and most people, we have to admit it, feel more comfortable not having to think about the usefulness of some tasks. Answering to each new demand, providing an answer to the latest request, and complaining about excessive workload is easier than setting priorities, or reflecting about their relevance for the organization. It makes us occupied and people like that status, being the centre of attention, where people constantly ask them for assistance, information, or advice. If the pack is moving in one direction Strategic Leaders need to stop and ask themselves: Why are they (we) doing this?

Strategic leaders deal in different manners with requests and demands than their busy manager colleagues do. They need time to think and reflect. They look cool and relaxed giving the impression of being fully in control of the situation. Rather than simply responding to any issue that gets thrown at them, they handle their demands by:

-Designing a road map of how and when they want to achieve what in their jobs:

1.). For example, rather than keeping general goals in mind such as "sales increase " or "excellent after sales service," , that are no better than wishful thinking , they try to paint a general picture of how this objectives can be achieved, a vivid mental representation of your objectives that includes ways to achieve them. While reacting to demands can be distracting, the kind of personal road map that one needs to create should produce an up- side down effect: It allows us to align short term actions with the long term strategy, so that we can immediately point out our short term priorities and relate them with OUR vision and longer term planning. Such an approach is much more motivational and should produce better results as simply responding and reacting to demands and requests. 2.) Strategic Leadership means that you take a closer look at what you choose to do or not do. That way, you create space for actions that are vital for the organization rather than executing tasks you like or find most familiar or easy. It is important that you leave your comfort zone and try to get used to more unfamiliar tasks. It is therefore important that you as a Strategic leader develop your change management skills and competencies. Set priorities among your tasks, aligning your activities with your Personal Road Map.

3.) Practicing Time management also means monitoring the daily time we spent interacting with others. Reacting blindly and instantly to any demands that pops in is extremely time consuming and even exhausting as this means long lasting face to face discussions, telephone calls , etc. This is one of the main reasons why people complain about the multiple interruptions they face during a regular working day. Management is mostly about Team work, which means that a Strategic Leader must learn when, how and for how long one is available to spent time with his direct reports. We often spend more time then really needed with our direct reports, often because we want others to consider us a caring good boss by being always available. It is important that you provide them the feeling that you are there TO HELP THEM, ADVISE THEM, TO HEAR THEIR NEEDS AND SHARE THEIR CONCERNS, but this should not be at any time, any place and any time. Try to explain them that they have certain hours where Your door should be open for them , or if this is physically not possible due to space constraints ( Open space offices ), then try to get some reserved , restricted time for You to reflect and analyze.

4.) There are managers out there that constantly worry whether they are meeting others' expectations. They want to come under a good light at the group picture.

By trying to please everybody, these managers tend to get absorbed in speculations about what others expect, about the best way to meet those expectations, and the impact of not meeting them. The end result is that these managers fail, because in the quest of trying to please everybody they usually end up pleasing no one and ultimately do not find free time for following their one agenda. Strategic Leaders are aware that they can not meet every-ones expectations; instead they focus on their key stakeholders because these managers have the sensibility to know the influence these stakeholders have. Giving a strong and honest commitment to these key people implies having to say no to most of the less relevant ones. The biggest advantage of this strategy is that by focusing on these strategic stakeholders you can actively shape your actions according to the demands of these persons, and ideally will be to combine this strategy with being proactive. The attack is the best defence, action is better than reaction; Strategic Leaders present their own visions, projects and objectives before their Key Stakeholders come across and present their demands. This is a form of tailoring to your personal goals others expectations. Rather than arbitrarily building a relationship network with many individuals, Strategic Leaders, opposed to what most managers do, deliberately focus their time and effort on building strong and close ties with people who can influence the achievement of their objectives. This is a long term strategy that is based on the build up of solid long term relationships, and Strategic Leaders spend a lot of time developing their personal networks, not without a huge portion of true warmth, respect, and, even some friendship.

Henrique Pl?ger Abreu has a Master Degree in Business Administration. He has more than 20 Years of working Experience in Sales and Marketing as a B2B Consultant and Public Speaker. He is the President of the L.T.C. a non profit Organization.

Time Management Lessons from a 3 Year Old

Zak is my three-year old godson. He is the apple of my eye along with his sisters Carley and Brenna. I was watching him the other day as he was preparing to assume a self-proclaimed role of 'Master of the Universe' while playing a game with some of his friends. I marveled at how prepared he was and how his plan included alternatives if there were any 'problems' in the scheme of things. He was, in fact, more focused on achieving his goal than just about anyone I've ever seen.

Then it hit me?Zak was mentally organized. Maybe some of my teachings had rubbed off on him?but more than likely Zak was just being himself. Here's what an organized three-year old can teach us about improving our time management skills:

His goal was clear and he could see himself in the role he was about to create. He looked at some of the alternatives, decided what he wanted to do, who he wanted to be and began preparing himself. He was convinced that what he wanted was attainable and totally realistic and was clear that he was going to do something about it. Setting and envisioning goals is crucial for all of us.

He knew what was important. I didn't see Zak spend too much time with low pay-off activities. He was clear on what he needed to do first, before anything else, and then made sure it got done. He prioritized.

He had a plan. He moved forward with first things first, but if the plan didn't work he was fully prepared to temporarily shift activity until he got where he needed to be. He actually had a strategic plan and made decisions based on that plan.

He communicated. Yes, you can only imagine the excitement of children's voices, but is it any different than the frequency and types of interruptions and struggles in communication that you experience at work? He managed to keep everyone 'informed' and pointed in the right direction, even when some of the kids disagreed.

He took action. True, three year olds aren't always the most judicious group, but with his crown and scepter, right or wrong, he was moving forward to his goal. Sometimes what we do isn't popular, but it's important to getting the work done.

He delegated. Zak was more than happy to share with his friends what each should be doing and where they needed to be going. Trust me when I tell you that he let them know when they were 'off track'?but he also helped them with their assignments.

He reflected and adjusted. By the end of the game Zak did, in fact, become the 'Master of the Universe'. He was happy and satisfied that his plan had come together and almost immediately began thinking about what he needed to do the same and what he needed to do differently in the next 'universe'. No plan of action is ever complete unless you can reflect and assess on how to make it better in the future.

So if you would like to become master of your universe when it comes to time management, take a cue from this three-year old. You just never know what might happen.

Copyright 2004 Cynthia Kyriazis. All rights reserved.

Cynthia Kyriazis is a Professional Organizer, trainer, consultant, speaker, coach and author with over 20 years management experience in multi-unit corporations. She is President of Organize it, Inc., an organizational consulting firm serving Fortune 500 clients since 1995. Cynthia has worked with over 150 companies and hundreds of professionals to help improve performance in the areas of time, information, space and electronic file management.

Cynthia has appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Kansas City Star and the Legal Intelligencer. She currently serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), member of the National Speakers Association (NSA), member of International Society for Performance Improvement ? Kansas City chapter (ISPI-KC) and consultant to the American Coaching Association.

The Ultimate Virtual Reality

I used to think video game addictions were a joke and I'd laugh anytime anyone compared it to crack but is it really that funny? Let's make some comparisons.

? Crack consumes time that could have been invested more wisely ? video games consume time that could have been invested more wisely.

? Crack costs money ? video games cost money.

? Crack can ruin lives ? video games can ruin lives.

? Crack can ruin your health ? video games can ruin your health.

? Crack is addicting, meaning the more you do it the more you want it ? video games are addicting.

? Crack is a hardcore substance that infiltrates the body's chemical processes and becomes an external chemical addiction. Video games get the adrenaline pumping, which leads to a self-induced physical and mental addiction.

Many will laugh as they read this ? I want to laugh too! But video games and other forms of electronic entertainment are like giant vacuums sucking the time out of the ultimate reality ? life. Life in the &quot;real world&quot; is and will continue to be the pinnacle of existence. Yet as more and more virtual environments spring up and becomes more &quot;real&quot; ? more people will get hooked and escape from true world.

In my research I found a few sites that talked about their life running game addictions and some of the steps they took to solve the problem. In one dramatic example a gentleman took a Glock 17 9mm to his Civilization CD! http://www.logsdon.net/games/civ2.html

In another classic example a young Jeffrey Stark writes a passionate essay on how an online reality game has ruined 7 years of his life. He urges &quot;Please watch your son closely. And if you really want to do him a favor, take the computer away, or delete his characters, delete the game, and take his EQ disc and break it. He WILL BE PISSED at you for like a month, but eventually, he will become a *normal* person. Its harsh, it's cruel, but I tell u what: when he looks back upon his life, he will thank you for doing so, as would I if my parents did this along time ago for me.&quot; The full essay: http://www.selfpsychology.org/_forum/0000014b.htm

What is so fun about video games?

My hypothesis is that in a virtual environment like video games we have more control over our virtual environments and shorter timelines to get feedback on our performance. We can also do things in the virtual world, without the consequences we'd normally face in public. This allows us to free our inhibitions and experience the excitement of dating without boundaries, running people over or shooting them on the streets ? like what you find in some of the most popular games on the market today.

It seems that human beings are hard wired with a carnal desire to be and do whatever we want ? without limits or without consequences. The real world spoils all that fun. The virtual world becomes an outlet for our wildest fantasies. Whether it be commanding an army for the glory of Rome or playing the role of a mob hit man. The excitement also becomes compounded with online gaming. The challenge of matching wits with other players makes the gaming experience even more intense. The brain loves a challenge ? and one where a strategy can be applied with almost instantaneous feedback (a few hours or so) is almost too good to pass up. It becomes a problem when these hours are stacked on top of each other for days on end and other more important time investments suffer.

The Time Vacuum

The time vacuum exists when there's nothing to fill it. Video games are a motivating filler of the time vacuum. T.V. and other forms of idle entertainment also play a role. All forms of entertainment are not bad. And engaging your time in leisure is not negative. But a real question of value comes up when a consistent time investment yields only a short-term reward.

Have you asked yourself the value of your time investments?

Ask yourself if the time you invest in your game, television show, or movie is going to affect your life tomorrow in a positive way? Are you investing in the future or are you simply killing time. Most time investments are like candy for the mind - sweet at the time but stupid in the long run.

What can you do that's enjoyable today and also has a more positive impact in the long run?

? Invest your time in your passions. Your passions should fuel the actions that lead you to the vision of your future. If you don't have a clear vision ? that's where your time investment should start. (See Rules for Goal Setting)

? Read books today that are applicable tomorrow.

? Make a list of activities you would consider entertainment and evaluate them in terms of current enjoyment and long term value. Even put many new things in this list you have never even done before. Experiencing new things can be fun! Life is an experience ? soak it up. This step alone will significantly improve your life in the long run.

These alternate activities should be motivating enough to give you a twinge of excitement when you think about spending time on them. They are the things you'll immediately bring into your mind when you find that you have free time. You don't want to get distracted and just do what sounds fun. You want to evaluate the activities you'll have fun doing ahead of time. Now this might seem to contradict spontaneity but in truth ? going out on the weekends to watch a band play or a comedian can still be valuable activities for your social growth. You should just know in advance where you will permit your time to be invested and where you will not. This requires logical evaluation reinforced by a commitment and decisive action. Knowing what you want out of life and what you're absolutely willing to do to get there is perhaps the best remedy for all forms of time waste. Darwin once said, &quot;Anyone who dares waste one hour of life has not discovered the true value of life.&quot;

This article is part of the James Rick Daily Vitamin by James Rick, a daily blog that merges our understanding of spirit with the physical world. James Rick is author of Full Potential, a revolutionary guide to mastering your life in stages. He is also a motivational speaker, entrepreneur, and CEO of two international ventures.

More can be learned at <a target="_new" href="http://www.jamesrick.com">JamesRick.com</a>.

Time Mastery vs. Time Management - Knowing the Difference

How much time do you spend on Mastering Your Time? I don't mean managing time. There is quite a difference between managing and mastering your use of time. The goal of managing your time is to be more efficient, to squeeze more productivity out of your day. There are a lot of benefits to being a good time manager, especially in a rushed and frenetically paced culture.

The goal of mastering your time, however, is to live better, to savor your time?. which is just another word for your Life.

If you accept that your time is non-renewable, precious, then it makes sense to take this most valuable personal resource seriously, and devote to it the attention it deserves. Look at Time Mastery as a way of actually lightening your load ? even if it paradoxically takes a little bit of time to lighten up.

Here's one approach to Mastery: Each morning, use some time to plan your time. That is, picture your day ? what you want to accomplish, what things are urgent and what things can wait, what preparations it would be useful to make, and a high priority is to focus on what pleasures you are anticipating. Those events and activities that emerge from this review which are most important go into your scheduler first, and everything else must fit around them. That way, as you move through your day, you'll know what can be relegated to low priority; you'll know what requests to honor and which to refuse.

By spending a very few minutes in focused concentration each morning, you can prevent the tendency we all have to allow our time to be appropriated by others. Once you know what is necessary and desirable for now, it is easier to recognize the un-necessary and un-desirable, then eliminate the drip drip drip that adds up to an erosion of your non-renewable day.

In short, using those few minutes in the morning to get clear is a small investment that helps you throughout the day to avoid the lost moments here and there that add up to a great chunk of time - your life. Even better, a little planning helps you focus on making sure every day includes something to savor.

Judith Schwader, the Time Guide, is the creator and publisher of Time Mastery, an e-zine focused on the philosophy and practice of living in abundance through a conscious use of time. To find additional guiding articles and subscribe to her FREE e-zine, visit <A target="_new" href="http://www.masteringyourtime.com/">www.masteringyourtime.com</A>.

Keeping YOUR Calendar Full

When do you want to make time for a networking group?

One of the most valuable tools you have is your calendar. This tool actually rules how you conduct your day. If you take control of your calendar, you will actually be able to control most of what happens to you at work (and at home). You need to spend a small amount of time each day reviewing your calendar for the next 5 working days. Yes, you will have appointments beyond 5 days but the most important ones will be in the next few days. You should always plan your calendar so that it fits your travel and administrative time. A calendar cannot just be appointments and meetings, you must also schedule when the actual work of putting together a proposal or servicing a customer will take place. The calendar should also include "down time" for you to catch your breath, and don't forget that you need to keep up with the latest business developments in your niche.

A person that is not able to control their calendar will find that each day has a new challenge, how to get everything done in 12 hours or less. Quite often this challenge is never conquered unless the calendar is controlled by careful planning. You must plan your networking meetings and also plan to follow up and send out information you have promised. A good calendar will allow you to make better business relationships.

Planning is one of the keys to successful businesses. The plan does not have to be elaborate; it simply has to show you what your daily limitations are and also what extra "emergency" time you have built in. For example, some doctors will build in a little slack time for drop-ins or emergencies. They know ahead of time that there is a good chance that this will happen, and if it does not, then other things will fill in the void. Part of your planning should also include time when you can help others, and so maybe you have time to receive help too, occasionally!

Bette Daoust, Ph.D. has been networking with others since leaving high school years ago. Realizing that no one really cared about what she did in life unless she had someone to tell and excite. She decided to find the best ways to get people's attention, be creative in how she presented herself and products, getting people to know who she was, and being visible all the time. Her friends and colleagues have often dubbed her the &quot;Networking Queen&quot;. Blueprint for Networking Success: 150 ways to promote yourself is the first in this series. Blueprint for Branding Yourself: Another 150 ways to promote yourself is planned for release in 2005. For more information visit <a target="_new" href="http://www.BlueprintBooks.com">http://www.BlueprintBooks.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.

Procrastination. Id love to but...

When a good friend asked me to contribute a little something for her newsletter it seemed like a great idea. When I cleared the decks and sat down to write it seemed a great time to color-code my closet or whip up a crab casserole. As an enthusiastic writer, who has nevertheless had writing blocks which have lasted longer than some World Wars, this business of avoiding doing something that I really want to do has always mystified me.

As a Life Coach I learned that the classic coaching take on this was that I have an agenda other than actually writing and finishing a piece. I am avoiding doing something I think I want to do because I don't really want to do it. This is often the explanation I give to my clients when they 'fess up to not taking actions which are so clearly needed in their lives.

"What do you really want?" I ask them. "What would happen if you didn't take the action?" And the biggie. "What is your expected outcome?"

Because it's occurred to me more than once that my foot-dragging over an activity directly correlates to the attachment I have to its outcome. If I don't have much energy invested in how something turns out I can either do it or not do it. If something is important to me, especially if it reflects something about me or gives an impression of myself to the world (like writing or keeping a sparkling clean house), I'll create avoidance or stress around it.

So the lesson for today is this. When you find yourself putting something off notice what you are doing. Awareness is key. Many of us aren't even aware of our lack of awareness. If you're procrastinating be aware that you are working with something which is important to you.

Be grateful that you have things to do in your life which are important to you. Put all else aside and do it immediately to the best of your ability. Be aware of what the doing of the task has taught you.

Then you can go back to matching your socks and alphabetizing your recipes.

Mary Rosendale is a Life Coach who works on a large canvas. Her clients are people in change in many ways. She specializes in life and career transitions and loves working with people who are moving out of their comfort zone to take on new perspectives, transitions and lifestyles.

Visit <a target="_new" href="http://www.theconstructedlife.com">http://www.theconstructedlife.com</a>

Time Is Everything

Time is wealth;

Time is health;
Time is power;
Time is strength.

Time is the essence of life

Time is everything

But time is nothing,
without proper planning.
Its just the wastage of time
And God never forgive those who waste their time

All influential people,

All important people,
All successful people,
Have one thing in common

They all value their time.

For them,
Time is everything!

Do you value your time and the time of others?

About The Author

Hifzur Rehman is the editor of <a href="http://www.selfimprovement.ch" target="_new">http://www.selfimprovement.ch</a> This site offers everything for a successful living.

<a href="mailto:hrehman@selfimprovement.ch">hrehman@selfimprovement.ch</a>

Too Much to Do? Too Little Time?

Hey - Did someone press the FFW button?

Have you ever felt like someone just pressed the Fast-forward button on your day and before you know it the day is over and you are sitting there wondering what you've accomplished?

I love to organize and with working Part Time outside of the home and FULL-TIME at home with my business, 4 children and Husband I really rely on a schedule and many time management tips to keep my sanity (ok, so some of you think I am already insane, I won't argue with that) but at least I am organized ;)

Here are a few of my favorite Time management Tips:

1. Meal Planning: Try planning 1 - 2 weeks worth of meals at a time and write them down on a calendar. Do your shopping accordingly and prep tomorrows dinner today. You will be AMAZED at what a time saver this is.

2. To-Do Lists: I know most people HATE them but they actually do work. Just take a few moments out of your day (either in the morning or in the evening) to make a list for that day or the following day. Be sure to only put down the items that you MUST finish on this list.

3. Delegate: Do you have friends, a husband, children that can pitch in and do a few things for you? If so, be sure to use all of your resources.

4. Morning Rush: Scooting the children out of the door can be a huge time eater! Be sure to prepare lunches, lay out clothes and plan your breakfast the night before. This will make your mornings run a tad smoother.

5. Just say "NO"!: Such a small word that carries a might punch! If you truly can't fit something into your schedule and it is not urgent, just say No!. Keep a list of non-urgent things that you can do on hand for when you do have some down time.

Well, those are just a few of my time management tips. I personally set aside about 15 minutes a night and sit down with my Palm Pilot and make a short TO-DO list for the following day and it is amazing at the time this save.

Also be mindful of your own body. Are you a morning, afternoon or night person? Try to schedule your most time consuming tasks when you have the most energy.

Take Care!

Aurelia Williams is the mom of 4 busy children, a Personal Life Coach and the owner of Real Life Solutions, which is an informational site that also offers products, low cost advertising and a great newsletter. You can visit her site here: <a target="_new" href="http://www.reallifesolutions.net">http://www.reallifesolutions.net</a>

The Kaizen of Goal Setting

There is an old way of goal setting and a new way of goal setting! The old way of goal-setting involved setting yor goals, preparing a list of sub-goals, and then carefully checking them off one after another (as and when they were being accomplished). Am I trying o pour cold water on the goal setting method many of us grw up on? Not necessarily

While I am not saying the step-by-step approach does not work, I am advocating a flexible-goal setting approach. The flexible goal-setting approach acknowledges the presence of chaos and unpredictability of our modern times, where change is rapid and conditions shift in an instant.

What's more, a tiny weeny change nowadays has the potential to create major upsets and instability.

Enter the flexible goal-setting system. And, this is how it operates. Set big-picture, lief-enhancing goals with flexible sub-goals that you can adjust to fit in with shifting conditions. The simplest way of putting this into practice is to build into your goal-setting, daily incremental steps that aggregate into your vision. Add to this sub-goal A, sub-goal B, sub-goal C, maybe sub-goal D.

Remember, each sub-goal must be flexible enough to respond adequately to the requirements of the shifting conidtions.

You don't want to throw your hands in the air in desperation because your plans and goals have been derailed, do you?

Well, the 'Kaizen of Goal Setting' is about knowing the difference between the old and the new, and applying it to your goal setting.

Ke o agile is an NLP Coach and publisher of In TheZone, an NLP focused ezine for capacity builders in the personal and professional skills development areas. In TheZone can be accessed at <a target="_new" href="http://inthezone.port5.com/">http://inthezone.port5.com</a>

House Cleaning - Three Ways To Finding The Time

It's always a challenge finding time to clean my house. Seems the hours, days and weeks just fly by, so much to do, so little time. Here are three ways to fit in your house cleaning.

1. Schedule it in. We all make appointments, whether it is for ourselves or someone else. Before we set up an appointment we check our schedules, making sure we find the best time. Why not schedule a house cleaning appointment. Pick a time once a week and make that a regular appointment, if we need to cancel be sure to reschedule it for that week. I find that since I keep up with cleaning once a week, it doesn't take me as long and there isn't much dust.

2. One room a day. Instead of choosing one day a week to clean, try cleaning one room a day. Our house won't be clean at once, but by the end of the week the whole house will be cleaned. Monday comes and we are starting again. Sometimes when I'm cooking and have something in the oven, I'll do a quick wipe down of all the counters. While the kids are in the tub, I wipe down the bathroom and clean the toilet.

3. Hand off a room. If there are other people living in the house and are old enough to take on responsibility, then hand off a room. We can either have them choose or we can choose the room for them. Let them help with the cleaning and I don't think asking for help with "one" room in the house is asking too much. Once we have less rooms to clean, the easier it is to get the rest of the house done.

Cori Sachais Swidorsky
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Editor and publisher of Informing Women Newsletter, a FREE publication and owner of <a target="_new" href="http://www.InformingWomen.com">InformingWomen.com</a>. Provides information on women's issues and self improvement advice on a variety of subjects such as weight loss and fitness, relationships, health and beauty, home based business, parenting and inspirational, motivational topics. For more information on self improvement and women's issues, go to: <a target="_new" href="http://www.informingwomen.com">http://www.informingwomen.com</a>

Organization Tips That Add More Hours To Your Day

One of the most common complaints that small business owners have is lack of time. What most don't realize, however is that their lack of time stems from a lack of organization. But with a few simple tips - that you can implement immediately - you can literally add hours to your day.

--- Putting Things In Their Place

First and foremost, you should live by the motto, "A place for everything and everything in its place". When you are finished with a piece of paper, a brochure or any other physical document - file it. What usually happens is that you finish using a piece of paper, "temporarily" put it in a stack and then have to spend two hours cleaning up after yourself once a week. Or, you may leave it in a stack and spend two hours a day digging through the mess to find what you need.

Create a filing system that works for you personally and then use it! Perhaps you'd like a filing cabinet? There are also expandable folders and numerous other filing systems. Choose the one you like, create a folder for it and put it where you can find it again if need be.

--- I'll Be Right There

How many times a day do you say (or think) that? Especially if you work from home, you probably have plenty of interruptions that take valuable time out of your day. If you're a work-at-home parent with young children, it may be a bit more difficult to end interruptions all together, but these tips will help.

1. Set "office hours". As much as possible, let your family know that between 8am and 11am, you'll be working. Then again from 1pm until 6pm you'll be "in your office".

(Or whatever hours work best for you.)

2. Ignore your email. Well, partially, anyway. Unless you're expecting some urgent message, don't stop what you're going to run check your messages each time you hear the "bell" ring. Decide on the time frame that works best for you and then check your email at certain times during the day. (Perhaps every three hours or so.) During the rest of your work time, turn your email software off so you can resist the temptation to check each message as it arrives.

3. Screen your calls. These days most people have voice mail or an answering machine. Unless you're expecting a call, let the machine get it. Just as with your email schedule, you can set aside time during the day to return calls. This is a great way to avoid telemarketers, too!

--- Automate and Delegate

When those routine tasks start taking up valuable money making time in your schedule, it's time to either automate or delegate.

It's all a matter of how you use your time - make money or waste money. You can earn money each hour by performing work or you can waste money by doing every little thing yourself. There are several options you can look into in this area.

Software - There is software available today that will do practically everything! GoldMine or ACT can automate almost all of your contact information, e-mailings, prospect follow-ups, appointments and much, MUCH more. Outlook is an exceptional 'Day Timer' type tool that can help with scheduling as well as email. SystemWorks can automatically maintain your computer's "inner workings" and automatically update your virus protection. There's a program to do practically anything you need.

Assistance - I know the first thing most small business owners scream is "I can't afford an assistant"! Maybe not one that comes to your home and spends eight hours a day with you, but you CAN afford a virtual assistant, a college or a high school student.

A virtual assistant is someone who handles projects or duties for you "virtually" from their computer. Perhaps you need to have a report proofread. Just email it to him/her and, once it's done, they'll email it back to you. Virtual Assistants can also schedule appointments, follow up with clients, return routine email inquiries and perform numerous other tasks.

You can also check with the career development or job placement offices of local high schools and colleges. They often have students who are willing to work in exchange for a small fee or for the experience itself.

Whatever you do - make the most of your time. Being unorganized not only wastes hours of your day that you could be making money, but it also is a tremendous stress producer. Getting your office, your schedule and your day in order can make for a much more fulfilling and profitable business.

Diane C. Hughes * ProBizTips.com

FREE Report: Amazingly Simple (Yet Super Powerful) Ways To Skyrocket Your Sales And Build Your Business Into A Tower of Profits! ==>> <a target="_new" href="http://madmarketer.com/diane">http://madmarketer.com/diane</a>

Are You Running Out of Time?

Here's some time management tips to try:

1) Set strict office hours and stick to them - use an answering machine to pick up calls after hours. Don't be tempted to &quot;pick up just one more call&quot;.

2) Have a day timer (or hand held PDA) that you write everything down in and carry with you.

3) If you're running late to pick up the kids call the school - keep doctors/dentists/personal phone numbers in the book too - you can book appointments while you're waiting in a line or stuck in traffic.

3) Keep a large calendar at home too - and make sure the whole family knows what everyone else is doing.

4) Take care of yourself - you're the company's most valuable asset (eat well, sleep enough and get some exercise)

5) If you find work is taking over your weekends for things like trade shows, or other appointments, be sure to take the same amount of time off during the week.

6) If you find you're really getting overloaded - write down what you do in every hour for a whole day. This will really show you the way you spend your time. This will also let you re-allocate your time to those things that are most important to you. You may find you're spending 30 - 40% of your time on time wasting tasks like answering non-essential emails or phone calls. If you can schedule a certain time each day for these kinds of tasks, OR delegate them to an assistant you will be able to spend your time more productively.

Do YOU have some time saving tips? Why not share them with other business owners? Send in your tips to: wendy@thinkwithoutboundaries.com with "time saver tips" in the subject line.

Wendy McClelland is a motivational speaker, marketing innovator and Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach who specializes in teaching people to "think without boundaries!" She is a past nominee for "Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year" and her clients have included software developers, an Olympic athlete and a wide range of business organizations. She has spoken to 10,000+ conference attendees, about Marketing, Internet Business and Motivation. You can contact her through her website ? <a target="_new" href="http://www.thinkwithoutboundaries.com">http://www.thinkwithoutboundaries.com</a>

How to Make More Time For Your Life

Do you wish you could work less and play more? Are you so stuck in the rut you can't see a way out? Have you ever said I wish I had more time for me?

Well there is hope. First of all you have to be aware of your situation, have a strong desire to change and then take action.

Jackie's Story

Jackie is 31 yrs of age and the Business Development Manager for an insurance company.

She always arrived at work at 8.00 a.m. and never left the office before 6.30 p.m. most nights. She bemoaned the fact that work took over her life.

Through the process of coaching we discovered that the only reason Jackie didn't have a personal life was because she never planned to have one.

She realised she buried herself in her work needlessly. She avoided going home as she had nothing to look forward to. Jackie lived on her own, she wasn't in a relationship and had no hobbies. So she defined her purpose in life through her work. It made her feel worthwhile and wanted. Although her career was blossoming, Jackie was unhappy. In fact, she was lonely.

We worked on getting Jackie on purpose in her personal life.

Through the coaching process we concentrated on three key goals which would be achievable and realistic over a six month period. Why? Because that timeframe is long enough to achieve measurable results and make long term changes.

Jackie's main goal areas related to her career, health and fitness and relationships. This is what she came up with:

Career

Leave work by 5.00 p.m. each day.

Health and Fitness

To be able to wear my black skirt. (Jackie had put on so much weight that she couldn't do the zip up.)

Relationship

To be in a loving relationship.

There were a number of secondary goals, however these three were the key ones that Jackie was the most passionate about and was prepared to take action on.

Define the Goal

Once the goals were defined we then worked out the strategies to reach them and then the actions to take to achieve them.

Career - Leave work by 5.00 p.m. each day

We looked at Jackie's time management. I had her fill out our Weekly Planner which also can be used as a time sheet. We discovered she wasted at least two hours a day on unwanted interruptions and being unable to say 'no'. We showed her simple ways to plan her day more effectively and get more done.

Health and Fitness - To be able to wear my black skirt.

Jackie had no exercise routine and her diet was inadequate. Together we worked out the best solution for her physical activity which was to join the gym near her work. By attending the gym at 6.00 a.m. each morning she was able to bounce into work instead of dragging herself in.

In fact the gym was a double bonus as there were a few good relationship prospects who attended at that hour.

Jackie never planned what she would eat. In fact she didn't shop regularly and therefore would often grab fast food for lunch and dinner. By showing her healthier alternatives and planning time to shop, it was easy for her to improve her diet and overall well-being.

Relationship - To be in a loving relationship

Through the coaching process Jackie realised she would have to be proactive in this area and needed to meet more people. She had always wanted to do photography and enrolled in a TAFE short course. By doing this not only did she meet a nice unattached guy but fulfilled a deep seated need to do something creative in her life.

Once Jackie realised that she wanted to have a life and was focussed on her goals, everything changed. On her own she would most likely not have made any significant changes as it would have been too overwhelming and require her to move out of her comfort zone.

The fact that she was investing her own money in herself and had someone to be accountable to, made a huge impact on the results she achieve.

5 Simple Ways You Can Make More Time For Your Life

#1 Learn how to manage your time so you can be as effective as possible.

You can read books on time management, attend courses or the most effective way is to have a coach to work with you.

#2 Say "no"

You don't always have to say yes to everyone else's requests. You can say 'no'. Perhaps you need to learn how to be more assertive.

#3 Lighten your load

Wherever possible look at ways of delegating or outsourcing tasks to free up more of your time, i.e. at home have a cleaner or gardener. At work see who else can help to lighten your workload.

#4 Do similar things at the one time

Do all your errands in one trip. Visit clients on the one day. Allocate a block of time to return phone calls or respond to emails each day.

#5 Timetable Your Life

Plan in your diary when you will take time out for you. Maybe every lunchtime you'll go for a 30 minute walk or attend the gym three mornings a week, have a facial or massage fortnightly. If it's not in the diary chances are it won't happen.

The Final Word

Many people often float through life with no particular purpose. They'll make the excuse "I haven't got time". It's easy to say "I haven't got time" or "I'm too busy" to avoid having to change and stretch themselves. However, what is the alternative? Continually do the same thing and getting the same results or making changes and getting different results?

The choice is yours.

Have a great week,
Lorraine Pirihi

Lorraine Pirihi is Australia's Personal Productivity Specialist and Leading Life Coach. Her business The Office Organiser specialises in showing small business owners and managers, how to get organised at work so they can have a life! Lorraine is also a dynamic speaker and has produced many products including "How to Survive and Thrive at Work!"

To subscribe to her free ezine visit <a target="_new" href="http://www.office-organiser.com.au">http://www.office-organiser.com.au</a> This article may be reproduced providing it is published in it's entirety, including the author's bio and all links. For further information please contact Lorraine Pirihi

Vilfredo Paretos Principle: The 80-20 Rule: 80% of Results are Produced from 20% of Efforts

Vilfredo Pareto's Principle, or The "Pareto Principle," is more commonly known as the 80-20 rule. It suggests that a ratio of approximately 20% to 80% can be found as an effective measure for most things in life. Whether revenues generated per customer or value for hours worked, it usually can be found that 80% of all of our results in business and in life come from only 20% of our efforts!

As importantly, the 80-20 ratio seems to hold true for many input/outputs, causes/consequences, or efforts/results. It also holds true across the spectrum of relationships, business, finances, time- whatever the case may be.

Richard Koch, author of The 80/20 Principle, suggests that the key to earning more and working less is to pick the right thing to do and only those things that add the highest value. Contrary to public belief, "be intelligent and lazy" is NOT an oxymoron- in fact, it's an important theme of this book! Discarding low value activities in all areas of your life, the true essence of the Pareto Principle, will create the time and freedom for you to enjoy a more richly endowed lifestyle.

<h3>How can you apply Pareto's Principle?</h3>

Look for the evidence of Pareto's Principle in all areas of your life. As best you can, determine where 20% of your energies, resources, time, and talents should be invested for maximum benefit (The 80-20 Rule). Then do it.

In addition to concepts like <a target="_new" href="http://www.wizardzofwealth.com/wealth_pareto_principle_80_20_rule.php" title="Pareto's Principle">Pareto's Principle</a>, wizardZofwealth.com offers people of all income levels wealth-building strategies in the areas of small business, entrepreneurship, self development, personal finance, trading, and investing. The site's exclusive Wealth Notes presentation style makes learning easy for people seeking <a target="_new" href="http://www.wizardzofwealth.com" title="Financial Independence">financial independence</a>.

Balancing Your Work, Family and Social Life

<B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Balancing Your Work, Family and Social Life</B>

<B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">By Gene Griessman, PhD</B>



Many of us have an image of personal balance as a set of scales in perfect balance every day. But that's an unrealistic goal. You are in for a lot of frustration if you try to allocate within every day a predetermined portion of time for work, family and your social life. An illness may upset all your plans. A business project may demand peaks of intense work, followed by valleys of slow time.

Balance requires continual adjustments, like an acrobat on a high wire who constantly shifts his weight to the right and to the left. By focusing on four main areas of your life ? emotional/spiritual needs, relationships, intellectual needs and physical needs ? at work and away from work, you can begin to walk the high wire safely.

Here, drawn from my conversations with many high successful Americans, are ten ideas for balancing all aspects of your life:
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in">1. <B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Make an appointment with yourself.</B> Banish from your mind the idea that everyone takes precedence over you. Don't use your organizer or calendar just for appointments with others. Give yourself some prime time. Regularly do something you enjoy. It will recharge your batteries. Once you've put yourself on your calendar, guard those appointments. Kay Koplovitz founder of the USA cable television network, which is on the air 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. Koplovitz ran the daily operations of the network for 21 years. For more than two decades, there was always some potential claim on her time. Therefore she vigilantly protected a scheduled tennis match just as she would a business appointment.
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in">2. <B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Care for your body.</B> Having a high energy level is a trait held by many highly successful people. No matter what your present level of energy, you can increase it by following these steps:
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.9in">Eat. Don't skip meals. Your physical and mental energy depend upon nourishment. Irregular eating patterns can cause a frayed temper, depression, lack of creativity and a nervous stomach.
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.9in">Exercise. Over and over again, highly successful people mention the benefit of exercise routines. Johnetta Cole, president of Bennett College for Women and former president of Spelman College, does a four-mile walk each morning. She calls it her mobile meditation. The benefits of exercise are mental, emotional, physical and spiritual. If you are healthier and have more stamina, you can work better and longer.
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.9in">Rest. A psychologist who has studied creative people reports that they rest often and sleep a lot.
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in">3. <B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Cut some slack.</B> You do not have to do everything. Just the right things. Publisher Steve Forbes taught me a lesson: &quot;Don't be a slave to your in-box. Just because there's something there doesn't mean you have to do it.&quot; As a result, every evening, I extract from my long list to-do list just a few &quot;musts&quot; for the following day. If, but three o'clock the next day, I've crossed off all the &quot;musts,&quot; I know that everything else I do that day will be icing on the cake. It is a great psychological plus for me.
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.9in">There is nothing wrong with pushing yourself hard, disciplining yourself to
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in">do what needs to be done when you hold yourself to the highest standards. That builds up stamina and turns you into a pro. At time, though, you must forgive yourself. You will never become 100 percent efficient, nor should you expect to be. After something does not work, ask yourself, &quot;Did I do my best? If you did, accept the outcome. All you can do is all you can do.
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in">4. <B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Blur the boundaries.</B> Some very successful people achieve balance by setting aside times or days for family, recreation, hobbies or the like. They create boundaries around certain activities and protect them. Other individuals who are just as successful do just the opposite. They blur the boundaries. Says consultant Alan Weiss, &quot;I work out of my home. In the afternoon, I might be watching my kids play at the pool or be out with my wife. On Saturday, or at ten o'clock on a weeknight, I might be working. I do things when the spirit moves me, and when they're appropriate.&quot;
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; TEXT-INDENT: 0.15in">Some jobs don't lend themselves to this strategy. But blurring the boundaries is possible more often than you may think. One way is to involve people you care about in what you do. For example, many companies encourage employees to bring their spouses to conferences and annual meetings. It's a good idea. If people who mean a great deal to you understand what you do, they can share more fully in your successes and failures. They also are more likely to be a good sounding board for your ideas.
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in">5. <B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Take a break.</B> Many therapists believe that taking a break from a work routine can have major benefits for mental and physical health. Professional speaker and executive coach Barbara Pagano practices a kind of quick charge, by scheduling a day every few months with no agenda. For her, that means staying in her pajamas, unplugging the phone, watching old movie or reading a novel in bed. For that one day, nothing happens, except what she decides from hour to hour. Adds singer and composer Billy Joel, &quot;There are times when you need to let the field lie fallow.&quot; Joel is describing what farmers often do: let a plot rest so the soil can replenish itself.
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in">6. <B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Take the road less traveled.</B> Occasionally, get off the expressway and take a side road, literally and figuratively. That road may take you to the library or to the golf course. Do something out of the ordinary to avoid the well-worn grooves of your life. Try a new route to work, a different radio station or a different cereal. Break out of your old mold occasionally, with a new way to dress or a different hobby. The road less traveled can be a reward after a demanding event, a carrot that you reward your self with or it can be a good way to loosen up before a big event. Bobby Dodd, the legendary football coach at Georgia Tech, knew the power of this concept. While other coaches were putting their teams through brutal twice-a-day practices, Dodd's team did their drills and practices, but then took time to relax, play touch football and enjoy the bowl sites. Did the idea work? In six straight championships games!
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in">7. <B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Be still.</B> Susan Taylor, editorial director of Essence, sees to it that she has quiet time every morning. She regards it as a time for centering ? for being still and listening. She keeps a paper and pen with her to jot down ideas that come to her. The way you use solitary time should match your values, beliefs and temperament. Some individuals devote a regular time each day to visualize themselves attaining their goals and dreams. Others read, pray, meditate, do yoga or just contemplate a sunrise or sunset. Whatever form it takes, time spent alone can have an enormous payoff. Achievers talk about an inner strength they find and how it helps them put competing demands into perspective. They feel more confident about their choices and more self-reliant. They discover a sense of balance, a centeredness.
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in">8. <B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Be a peacetime patriot.</B> Joe Posner has achieved wealth and recognition selling life insurance. Several years ago, Posner helped form an organization in his hometown of Rochester, NY to prepare underprivileged children for school and life and, he hopes, break the poverty cycle. You may find some equally worthy way to give something back through your church, hospital, civic club, alumni association or by doing some pro bono work. Or you may help individuals privately, even anonymously. There are powerful rewards for balancing personal interests with the needs of the common good. One of the most wonderful is the sheer joy that can come from giving. Another reward is the better world that you help create.
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in">9. <B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Do what you love to do.</B> As a boy, Aaron Copeland spent hours listening to his sister practice the piano because he loved music. By following that love, he became America's most famous composer of classical must. When I asked him years later if he had even been disappointed by that choice Copeland replied, &quot;My life has been enchanting.&quot; What a word to sum up a life. By itself, loving what you do does not ensure success. You need to be good at what you love. But if you love what you do, the time you spend becoming competent is less likely to be drudgery.
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in">10. <B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Focus on strategy.</B> As important as it is, how to save time for balancing your life is not the ultimate question. That question is, &quot;What am I saving time for?&quot; Strategy has to do with being successful ? but successful at what? If others pay your salary, being strategic generally means convincing them that you are spending your time in a way that benefits them. If there is a dispute over how you should use your time, either convince the people who can reward or punish you that your idea about using time is appropriate, or look for another job. The &quot;what for?&quot; question should also be asked about the life you live. It is truly a comprehensive question and gets at the question of wholeness.


<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.3in; TEXT-INDENT: 0.2in">So what makes for a successful balance life? I can think of no better definition than the one given by Ralph Waldo Emerson:
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.3in"> To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because I have lived. This is to have succeeded.
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.3in">

<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.3in"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Gene Griessman, PhD, is an Atlanta-based author, workshop leader and speaker. His books include </B>Time Tactics of Very Successful People <B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">and</B> The Words Lincoln Lived By<B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">. To learn more about Dr. Griessman's products and speaking engagements, visit him online at <A target="_new" href="http://www.presidentlincoln.com/">www.presidentlincoln.com</A></B>.

Managing Worry: Productivity Tips for High Achievers Who Worry

Are you a worrier? Do you frequently spend time and energy worrying about your finances, your children, your career, world politics? Worry can be a highly useful, brilliantly engineered cue to action or a useless and destructive energy drain. The challenge is to decide which it is, on a case-by-case basis, and manage yourself accordingly.

Here is a quick and dirty, but highly effective way to manage your worrying habit.

1. Learn to recognize when you are worrying.

This takes practice. You may not recognize yourself worrying until you've been at a particular worry for days or weeks. But whether you catch yourself in the first minute or the first month, the most important step is recognizing the pattern. You can develop your &quot;witness&quot; over time and become more proficient in noticing when you are worrying.

2. Determine if something needs to be done.

Ask yourself, &quot;Is the worry a cue to action?&quot; <ul> <li>For example, if you are worried that your toddler will get lead paint poisoning from the lead paint on your windows, there is indeed something that needs to be done. You need to get the lead paint removed from your windows. And keep your child well supervised in the meantime.</li> <li>If you don't know whether or not something needs to be done, find out. You need to get more information ? THAT's what needs to happen. </li> </ul>

3. If something needs to be done, get it done as soon as possible.

Often just deciding to take the action can loosen worry's grip on you. But it's critical that you follow through -- take that action as soon as it is feasible. <ul> <li>Call the state agency that deals with lead paint removal and get the names of contractors who do that kind of work. Get moving with hiring and scheduling a contractor. Call your pediatrician and get advice about how to protect your child during the removal process and follow up on every detail. </li> </ul>

4. If nothing needs to be done, release the worry.

<ul> <li>If the lead paint removal is scheduled, your child is adequately supervised, and you're following all of the pediatrician's instructions, there is nothing more to be done. Your job in this case is to re-focus your attention elsewhere.</li></ul>

For most people, relinquishing the worry is the hardest part. If you generally let worry run unchecked, you know that it's a very greedy energy that will take as much of your attention as you let it. It will reduce your effectiveness and productivity. Some serious boundary-setting with yourself is required here.

Experiment with the following strategy. In your mind, respond to the worry with something like this: "Thank you for sharing. I appreciate your concern (this is important). But there is nothing more to be done right now, so I'm going to stop thinking about this.&quot; Then get yourself to focus on something else ? find something else compelling and engaging to think about. You might line up some contenders in advance. Just about anything that works for you will do.

Sooner or later, the worry will return. Repeat steps 1 through 4 as needed. This is an iterative process. Hang in!

Here is a short list of some of the worries that my clients have learned to deal with more effectively:

<ul> <li> Personal finances. My client regularly pictured herself as a bag lady, penniless and homeless, despite her current (and past) circumstances, which were nothing of the sort. The action that was called for was to develop a strong and detailed financial plan with an expert.</li> <li> Global warming. My client, a self-proclaimed &quot;tree-hugger and dirt worshipper&quot; was sick at heart and frequently anxious about global warming. The action called for was to get involved with conservation and political action organizations. </li> <li> Career. For one of my clients who worried she was failing in her current job, the solution was to identify where she needed to improve her performance, and to get training in that arena. Another career-anxious client determined there was no action required. She learned to respond to the angst by listing for herself the ways she was effective in her work; this activity served to change her state of mind. </li> </ul>

Do you need help figuring out whether a worry merits action or how to disarm a stubborn worry-habit? Invest in yourself and get the help you need. Coaching can make a difference. <a href="mailto:sharon@stcoach.com">Contact me</a> for an initial consultation at no charge.

Copyright, Sharon Teitelbaum, 2005.

Sharon Teitelbaum is a Work-Life and Career Coach who works with high achieving women with young children , people at mid-career , and professionals seeking greater career satisfaction or work-life balance. Her book, Getting Unstuck Without Coming Unglued: Restoring Work-Life Balance, is available at her website, <a target="_new" href="http://www.stcoach.com">http://www.STcoach.com</a>.

Certified as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC), Sharon works by phone with clients around the world and in-person in Boston.

She delivers keynotes and workshops on work-life balance issues, has been in national publications including The New York Times and Working Mother Magazine, and has appeared on cable and network television. She publishes <a href="http://www.stcoach.com/newsletters/index.html">Strategies for Change</a>, a newsletter offering practical tips for work-life success.

Sharon has been married for 30 years and is the mother of two amazing young women. You can contact her <a target="_new" href="http://www.stcoach.com/contact.html/">here</a>.