Many people go through life satisfied with status quo – stomping ants, handling the routine, not reaching their God-given potential. Others make Hippos fly – reaching their potential, accomplishing something major. Which type of person do you want to be?
The two major components of time management are practice and purpose. The practice component refers to what you do with the minutes of your day. The purpose component refers to finding and knowing your purpose in life. When you manage your time and it falls in alignment with the purpose of your life, you have a fantastic chain reaction. This alignment can enable you to accomplish your tasks more effectively, to reach your goals more quickly and to give you a greater sense of peace.
Quiet Time. Every person must take time to think. Schedule an appointment with yourself, close yourself off and don’t allow interruptions. You will be amazed how clear your life’s purpose as well as the quality of your life will become.
Create a Hippo Goal. The best way to accomplish a major goal is to break it down into smaller pieces. “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” That old saying holds true for major goals.
For example, when I wrote my first book, I broke the writing down into smaller pieces. I got up an hour early each day and wrote approximately 250 words. At the end of each week, I had completed a chapter. At the end of the month, I had completed four chapters. I continued on until I completed the book. This process can be applied to almost any major undertaking. Focusing on the smaller parts makes any task much easier and keeps motivation high. When you reach goals, reward yourself.
Ten Tips:
1. Prioritize. Feeling overwhelmed by all you have to do? Stop and think: Which item must be completed today? This does not include items you’d like to get done today. But only the item(s) that must be completed today.
2. Be Realistic. One way to set yourself up for a panic situation is to plan an unrealistic amount of work for one day or one week. Use your common sense to reorganize when you have over-scheduled yourself. Enthusiasm is wonderful, but it doesn’t add more hours to the day.
3. Delegate. A person who refuses to delegate will very likely be a very busy and frustrated person. For anyone to personally handle every item is unnecessary and unwise. One very successful regional manager readily attributed part of his success to the fact that he trusted his administrative assistant to handle routine items that did not require his personal decision. This left him free to concentrate on working with sales personnel outside the office.
4. Work Efficiently. For example, make sure your electronic calendar does not cost you time. People who love electronics will shake their heads at this idea. But sometimes it can take longer to enter and maintain information in a gadget than to jot it down with a pencil in an old-fashioned paper planner.
5. Organize Meetings Well. According to a Wall Street Journal survey, meetings account for the greatest amount of unproductive time – topping telephone calls, paperwork and travel. With a little preparation, meetings can be transformed into productive assemblies helping you and your group steam toward, instead of away from, their goals. The key ingredient for a good meeting is preparation. Ask yourself: Is this meeting really necessary? Can the information be better presented another way?
6. Learn to Say ‘No.’ Many people have a tough time saying no. They allow themselves to become members of every committee, even those that are outside their particular talents and interests. People who can’t say “No” quickly discover their life is out of balance – it is being pulled in the opposite direction. No matter how important the obligation may be, do not allow your top priorities to suffer.
7. Destroy the Paper Monster. The best guideline for paperwork is to either file it or toss it. We never use 80 percent of the paperwork we keep. Paper, magazines and other forms create clutter and confusion that could turn into stress.
Another principle for paperwork is to handle it now. Spend 20 seconds filing that important paper now rather than 30 minutes searching for it later. Take a moment to jot down that phone number on your permanent list instead of spending 10 minutes tracking it down again later.
A third rule for paperwork is organize it. Use colored folders to prioritize your work; color allows you to see, at a glance, which jobs need your attention. Subdivide files for greater efficiency.
8. Manage Mail. Answer e-mail immediately. Don’t read it and then let it pile up in your inbox. Keep your inbox clutter-free. Create a “keeper” folder and transfer the mail you want to retain. Create another folder for “actions pending.” Respect other people’s time and avoid forwarding all those stories people love to send to you. Delete junk e-mail without reading it and use your filters to eliminate spam. Sort regular mail next to a trashcan. Handle it once – open it or throw it away. Don’t stop ding the important things in life to sort mail.
9. Make Lists. Making a list can be a legitimate time manager. Keep a pad handy to jot down projects as they arise, items that come to mind to do later and even phone calls you need to make. At the end of the day or week, mark off the items handled. Then, make a fresh list to prioritize the remaining items. This shouldn’t take but a few minutes each day or a little longer if done once a week. Using this process can help you avoid that familiar sinking feeling when you realize you forgot something important and also helps you feel on top of things on a daily basis while freeing your mind to concentrate on the job at hand.
10. Allow Time for Fun and Surprises. Don’t carry time management to the point that everything in your life is plotted, calculated and placed on a calendar. Allow some spontaneity and fun in your life. Every now and then, do something nice for someone – something totally unexpected. Call someone up and tell him or her how much you appreciate them.
The author is Gregory Smith. This article appeared originally in the Georgia Green Industry Association Journal.