Improve My Business

Time management is one of those things that we all know we should be doing yet for some reason, we aren’t, kind of like eating healthy. At the end of the day it boils down to this, time is what it is and there is nothing we can do to change it, what we can change though, is how we interact with the time we have, in other words, how we use it. This is the heart of time management, controlling how we use our time in pursuit of increased efficiency. We learned some of the basics of time management earlier this month, this week I want to explore some interesting ideas and topics in time management.

To me, one of the interesting things about time management is that, at one point in time or another, we have all done it. Everyone goes through periods where they are so busy they have to budget their time down to the minute to make sure that everything gets done, and this is time management. However, we often lose this sense of urgency when the task list dwindles and we aren’t so overwhelmed. We no longer feel the need to schedule everything and our time management practices get left behind.

Have you ever found yourself wondering what happened to the time? If so you are probably a victim of failed time management maintenance. When we have a lot to do we don’t wonder what happened to the time, we know what happened to it, it was used accomplishing one of the many things we needed to get done. However, when we don’t have a lot to do, we open ourselves up to procrastinating. When we open our task list in the morning and add up the hours only to realize that we don’t have to spend every minute of the day going 100% in order to get everything done, the tendency is to relax a little bit. When we feel like we can relax we don’t feel this need to schedule our time in order to get everything done, so our time management falls to the side. We simply think that we don’t have that much to do so it will certainly get done.

The risk here is obvious and we have probably all experienced. We start doing something not task related and all of a sudden it’s the middle of the afternoon and we haven’t gotten anything done. Where did the time go? This is why maintaining our time management habits is so important. If we manage our time outside of crunch time like we do when we are busy we won’t leave ourselves open to these afternoon panic attacks, instead we would have everything done before the middle of the afternoon and have time to relax.

The biggest complaint about using time management techniques when we don’t have to is that people want to feel like they can relax and not have to stress about their work all the time. When things are slow we like to rest and recoup a little bit so that we are ready to go next time things pick up. This is incredibly valuable and we all need this down time so we don’t burn out, this is certainly true. However, you can use time management techniques and stay relaxed during the downtimes, in fact, time management can make your slow times even more relaxing.

Think about it this way. What would be more relaxing, taking some time for yourself in the morning only to realize that you let too much time slide by and now have to scramble to get the few things done that you had to do today, or managing your time, so that you get everything on your list done by two in the afternoon and can spend the last part of the afternoon relaxing and taking care of personal items. It is easy to see, that, while it may seem like managing our time forces us to stress about our work, it really can allow us more freedom to truly relax and enjoy those rare times when things are running smoothly and we don’t have to spend our whole day putting out fires and keeping the ball rolling.

So I encourage you to think about maintaining those great time management habits we use to get through crunch times. Keep them going and not only will you be rewarded with better personal time, but next time you get busy it won’t be such a struggle to schedule your time because you will already be in the habit.

Technorati Tags: efficiency, managing your time, Time Management, working smarter

There is a bunch of research out there promoting the idea that laughter can improve productivity, and given what we discussed earlier this week about attitude, I decided today I would help lighten things up a bit by posting some funny productivity cartoons.

Hope these help improve your personal productivity for the day.

Technorati Tags: efficiency, humor, managing your time, working smarter

Today’s post focuses on treats… (see previous blog post for tricks).

Tomorrow is Halloween and I think we’re all ready to receive a few treats! Here are 10 ways managing your time more efficiently will reward (treat) you:

1. Gaining control of your life. You will stop being reactive in life and working proactively towards goals.
2. Ability to Meet Goals. By setting priorities you will achieve your goals sooner and more efficiently, no more cramming at the last minute or giving up without success.
3. Increased Confidence. Improved piece of mind and sense of achievement will boost your self-esteem and encourage you to take on more projects.
4. Feel Healthier. Energy levels will improve due to less mental clutter. You will feel less frustration, anxiety, guilt, and stress because you will not have the extra burden of undone tasks weighing on your mind.
5. Heightened Creativity. With less pressure on you for all the tasks you can’t get done, you’ll find you have time to be creative, even if you don’t think of yourself as a particularly creative person.
6. More Productive. You’ll get more done, which means more profit at work and more quality time at home. You can spend your saved time doing things that are important to you. Maybe you’d like to volunteer, go to more of your kids’ events, family gatherings, take up a new hobby, or even take an occasional weekend getaway – guilt free!
7. Have Fun. Laugh. With better time management you can take time to smell the roses, play a game, or enjoy a nice chat with a friend you haven’t talked to in a while. When you are burdened with too many undone tasks fun time gets to be just going through the motions (your hearts not in it) and it loses its therapeutic and restorative effects.
8. Be More Successful. This is in line with #’s 2, 3 and 6, but it should be said controlling your time will make your endeavors more successful. Whether its finishing a project, landing a new client, or planning a vacation, with good time management you are more likely to succeed.
9. Stop Being Labeled a Procrastinator. How good would it feel to say that you don’t procrastinate? Think of the kudos you’ll get on your employee reviews, or the honor of being sought after as a mentor by others who admire your efficiency.
10. Work Seems Less Like Work. Tasks will get done faster. You’ll have more personal time to relax and enjoy life, family, romance, and hobbies. Work may be a means to an end, but it doesn’t have to be a chore. Take satisfaction in your accomplishments.

So, what do you say? Is it worth employing a few tricks to receive the treats? Have a safe and fun Halloween, and don’t forget to make your tricks and treats last throughout the year!

Technorati Tags: efficiency, Halloween, having fun, living your life, managing your time, quality of life

In the United States, October 31st is Halloween - where children dress in costumes and go door-to-door saying, “Trick or Treat!”. In order to prevent pranks (the tricks), adults hand over candy (the treat).

Today’s post focuses on ‘tricks’ that you can use to become more efficient (and stay tuned for our next post to address treats…)

Everyone’s looking for a shortcut to be more efficient. What are some of the industry ‘tricks’ in order to be more efficient?

1) Plan. Taking some time at the end of the weekend (Sunday evening), or at the beginning of the week (Monday morning), will go a long way towards ensuring that the little things aren’t overlooked.

2) Communicate Concisely. Identify the goal of a conversation before you initiate the discussion. Understand the other person’s time situation, if they are in a time crunch wait until a more appropriate time to ensure your issue gets the proper attention. Only discuss one issue at a time, and practice active listening, if you spend your time thinking of what you will say next, you will very likely miss details and forget what was said, at least on their part, later.

3) Manage Interruptions. Identify your typical interruptions and then plan on how to counter-act them. Control your phone use, let voicemail allow you to prioritize your calls and finish your task before returning the call. Respond appropriately to interruptions, don’t let yourself be led into their panic, if it is not an emergency, let them know when you can respond.

4) Organize/File Effectively. Keep your computer files tidy. Don’t save unnecessary docs and emails. Use a consistent naming convention throughout your folders, keep completed work separate from your in-progress work.

5) Stay Positive – If you tell yourself there’s no possible way you can get it all done, then you will undoubtedly find a way to not get to all you tasks, getting mired down with the thoughts of “so much to do” will distract you from actually focusing your time and getting it done.

Later this week we’ll post our efficiency “treats”!  In the meantime, please share the “tricks”  you use to increase your efficiency.

Technorati Tags: efficiency, Halloween, managing your time, organizing, Stop Procrastinating

As October, and the fall, continue to march forward, we start to notice the loss of daylight more. This may require us to shift our schedules - exercising after work rather than before, for example; or starting to prepare dinner earlier than in summer since the kids have to go to bed earlier in preparation for those EARLY morning reveilles….

As your daily pattern changes, remember to examine those changes to see if there are positive plans that you can implement.

Some ideas:

- during those dark hours in the morning, when the day still seems ‘quiet’, can you meditate, pray, or practice some self-renewal ritual?

- Is there a way to incorporate movement into your daily routine - parking farther away, taking stairs, or walking briskly during breaks and lunch? Can you do an indoor workout? Movement will have a positive effect on your mental as well as your physical well-being.

- Incorporate family time and movement/exercise. Our family is somewhat typical - we have game systems in the house… so we have Dance Dance Revolution, a game involving rhythmic stepping/dancing for the PlayStation, and are looking at the Wii Fit. This is something that the whole family can do together, and involves lots of laughter (mostly at mom) as well as lots of movement (for all of us).

- Make an extra effort to get outside during daylight hours - studies have shown that exposure to natural light has a positive effect on the production of endorphins which has been shown to be a natural mood-lifter, and necessary for vitamin D absorption, among other benefits. See this article on Shine for more and resources. Lack of sunlight is also responsible for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) in some people. You can learn more about SAD at the Mayo Clinic website. (see above suggestion for walking during lunch)…

Embrace the change in season and see how you can improve your business!

Technorati Tags: efficiency, flexibility, living your life, Time Management, well-being