Time Management
Winning Time Tipsby Drew Stevens CPSP
The year has begun and everyone is off to a fresh start. However do you feel like the issues of last year never left? Are you frazzled with harrowed days and sleepless nights? Are you reacting to everything?
Did you know that the average human being in our society loses AN HOUR A DAY due to disorganization? Just take a minute to think about it -- that's more than 2 weeks each year!
Unfortunately, many of us sacrifice our time to disorganized habits -- shuffling papers, looking for lost phone numbers, hunting for car key, even on procrastination.
So my question to you is how would you like some of that precious time back? I know I do.
When the pressures of work get to you and you need to be in control of your time. Use the POD principle.
First prioritize your tasks using numbers and color coding. Red for Urgent, Yellow for Important but not urgent and Green for personal or not important or urgent. You can place your list on a piece of paper or simply obtain colored manila folders to organize your work.
Second, organize the list in numerical order what comes first. Place a number on the top of the paper of the task the number in chronological order and importance in which you need to complete the task. The trick here is to have no more than five items in each color group or a total of 15 items in one day; this is simply because you will not have the time to complete them.
Finally, either delegate or ditch items that you physically or cannot get compete. You can control how much you handle simply by delegating it or throwing it away.
A famous quotation for you to remember is “The effective person does the important things first. And has less urgent battles and crises that arise!”
In addition to POD here are some additional items to make your day go smoother:
Live in a day tight compartment. – Accomplish only what you can do and do not carry over issues, tasks and frustrations from day to day. Once it is done let it go!
Develop a sense of urgency – Begin doing something anything by not procrastinating but simply by getting something on your priority list complete.
Know when to say “NO” – Possibly the hardest concept for most to grasp. Say no when you are overwhelmed and cannot meet a commitment. Peers and colleagues will value your honesty rather than get frustrated over your consistent delays.
TRASH email and voice mail – An acronym for Toss, Refer, Action Now, Store, and Halt. Email and Voice Mail can be controlled. Make time at the beginning and the end of the day to answer new messages and if possible delegate messages to others. Do commit to treating electronic media similar to other tasks; red for urgent, yellow for important and green for personal or not urgent or important.
Commit yourself to writing down daily goals. – This is a Must. For you to go through your day as smoothly as possible and with a road map you must have a goal, a purpose a reason for using the day. Take a few moments each and every day to establish goals and objectives that will get you to the finish line!
Turn your “should’s” into “MUSTS.” – Do not say I should do this or I should do that because you make excuses why you should not do it and ultimately should all over yourself. Rather be a change agent by using action words and phrases such as I must, or I am so that you begin to take action on the tasks and goals that lie ahead.
To feel like a winner and get control of your time you MUST change today. You have to feel that you can accomplish anything that you set your mind on. When you start to use these simple techniques, you accomplish anything and have more time to enjoy life.
Several years ago I heard a song by Brian McKnight from the movie “Men of Honor.”
The words of a song WIN state clearly how you can control your life and help you all to understand how to cope with daily issues, so that you always maintain a winning edge.
Never lose hope,
Never lose faith
There’s much too much at stake.
Upon myself I must depend
I’m not lookin’ for place or show, ‘cause I’m gonna win!
When you get lost in your journey, these lyrics will place you back on the path of success and enable you to realize that not only can you win but you have already WON!
Use POD, day NO, turn a Should into a Must and you to Win!
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The year has begun and everyone is off to a fresh start. However do you feel like the issues of last year never left? Are you frazzled with harrowed days and sleepless nights? Are you reacting to everything?
Did you know that the average huma
