Time Management - A Timely Reminder
Are you still trying to manage your time? Stop - It isn’t going to work. Time can’t be changed, managed or controlled and will always stay the same. Each day will still have 24 hours in it, whatever you do. So, if time management doesn’t work, what’s the answer when, like most people, you think you don’t have enough time? Start by managing ‘yourself’ is the
change that’s needed. You can’t change time, but you can change yourself. When the change comes from within you, you’re more likely to find permanent solutions and achieve consistent results.
What is managing yourself?
Managing yourself is about being aware that you have choices, making conscious choices and being responsible for them. The choices you make and the resulting actions you take are manageable by you. Accept that those necessary changes come from within you and stop trying to change and control other people. Define and re-orient your life around your values. Slow yourself down at specific times so you can work effectively most of the time. Understand the difference between urgent and important, giving enough attention to the important pieces. Be willing to set clear boundaries, to say ‘no’, and be responsible for yourself and your actions. Cut out the “shoulds” in your life. The “shoulds” are what others expect you to do. For example “you ‘should’ stay late at work.” Understand that you ‘get something’ from constantly overcoming problems and beating deadlines, and this energy isn’t healthy for you. Define your priorities and stop tolerating distractions.
How do you manage yourself?
You manage yourself by changing your habits, behaviour and attitudes. Discover what works or doesn’t work best for you. Experiment with new ways of accomplishing things and re-evaluate on a regular basis. Be focused rather than scattered. Being focused means giving your full attention to the task in hand, whereas being scattered is attempting to do several things at once, but none of them particularly well. Take care of yourself as a human being. Ask yourself, “What memories do I want to have in my old age?” Do you really want to look back at all the hard work and long hours that you’ve done? Or do you want to remember the enjoyment of working? Do you want to recall family, friends and hobbies in a balanced way? Stop battling with time and look at time from a different perspective. Time is a resource and a tool to play with. You can choose to make it your friend and work with it. When you start to develop a reserve of time, you start to feel free.
Making the shift to managing yourself includes the whole of your life, not just your working day life. It’s about developing and working on yourself as a whole person. When you take just one aspect and work on it, it will have an impact on the whole of your life. When you manage yourself, it’s permanent. You get to the source of the problem and handle it fully rather than just papering over the cracks.
Time-management is the number one reason a coach is hired. You’ve probably done time-management courses which contained some very interesting material in them. However, there’s often something missing. What I’ve found when working with people is that they already know much of this stuff and want someone to help them devise a method which works best for them. A coach works with individuals and groups within companies to achieve more in less time.
What is the first step for you to take towards managing yourself?
Read more articles . . .
Wishing For More Time Gets You Nowhere
Take A Reality Check On Time
If you hear yourself say, "I wish I had more time!" then find out about:
the 'Above and Beyond Time Management' tool-kit.
Strategies and techniques for spending your time effectively and accomplishing much more than you think possible!
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Time Management From Your Vision
The Top 10 Time Wasters
Learn The Lessons For Effective Use Of Your Time
I Don't Have Enough Time
Wendy Hearn
winner of Small Business Consolidator - sponsored by Barclays Bank plc
and The Millennium Woman Awards
