Time Management: Set Yourself Up For Success

Any habit of mind or body that interferes with taking decisive action contributes to your tendency to procrastinate. Think about your good habits and the environment that leads you to be most productive. Consider your preferred working hours, your optimum concentration periods, and the ways you have been successful in the past. You can begin to build on your good points first by recognizing them and giving yourself credit for them. Then, enhance the skills and techniques you already have with those presented here and beat the specter of procrastination once and for all.

1) Manipulate your environment to your advantage by making your actual work-space fit your ideal as much as you can.
2) Use your best working time to concentrate on the jobs that give you the most difficulty. Set aside a specific period of time for a task and stick to your commitment.
3) Keep track of your time and how you spend it. If it slips by unnoticed, it will usually slip by under-used.

If you can identify your work patterns you will see how procrastination weaves itself into your work-day. Few of us say, "OK, now I am going to procrastinate for forty minutes." Instead, we let procrastination slip in under some other guise. To focus your thoughts on your habits, ask yourself these questions: What are my daily work patterns? (Keep a written record for 3 days, noting activities in fifteen-minute intervals) -- 1) When do I try to tackle tasks that I dislike? 2) When do I socialize or concentrate on "easy-work" instead of undertaking more important tasks? 3) How do I usually handle large, annual projects?

If you can identify your work patterns you will see how procrastination weaves itself into your work-day. Few of us say, "OK, now I am going to procrastinate for forty minutes." Instead, we let procrastination slip in under some other guise. To focus your thoughts on your habits, ask yourself these questions: -- 1) How do I usually handle daily, record-keeping, or follow-up tasks? 2) How do I usually handle the responsibility of communicating sensitive material or bad news? 3) Which of my job's regular requirements do I like least and how do I usually handle them? 4) Which skills that my job requires do I feel I do not have or could improve upon? If I am called upon to use those skills, what do I do?

Once you have a work habit record, take the time to analyze it: When you do so, be thoughtful and honest as you answer the following questions. Remember, you are striving to improve productivity, not to reinforce procrastination.
1) Do I avoid making and refining decisions and thus deny myself the opportunity to apply myself to the goal at hand?
2) Do I take the least active option?
3) Do I allow negative ideas about a task to balloon?
4) Do I fabricate reasons for postponing action?
5) Do I need imposed pressures to finish a task?

Copyright AE Schwartz & Associates All rights reserved. For additional presentation materials and resources: ReadySetPresent and for a Free listing as a Trainer, Consultant, Speaker, Vendor/Organization: TrainingConsortium

CEO, A.E. Schwartz & Associates, Boston, MA., a comprehensive organization which offers over 40 skills based management training programs. Mr. Schwartz conducts over 150 programs annually for clients in industry, research, technology, government, Fortune 100/500 companies, and nonprofit organizations worldwide. He is often found at conferences as a key note presenter and/or facilitator. His style is fast-paced, participatory, practical, and humorous. He has authored over 65 books and products, and taught/lectured at over a dozen colleges and universities throughout the United States.

---

Tips to Save One Hour Per Day

At Home? Keep related items together, for example the coffee... Read More

10 Tips on the Right Time of Day for Your Personal Best

Does choosing which time we do an activity really make... Read More

Oh, My Goodness! Where Has the Time Gone?

It's 6:00 a.m. I'm awake. I'm pumped! I'm ready to... Read More

Just Remind Yourself

This is one more article on "Organizing and Enjoying Your... Read More

Work, Work, Work: Making Each Moment Count

Time, time, time. It seems there is never enough of... Read More

How Would You Like to Capture Some Time?

Women's health issues often are focused on goals to reach:... Read More

How To Better Handle Your Mail

Letters, magazines, bills, flyers, what to do with them all.... Read More

Time and Life, Bit by Bit

Looking out through my picture window during a recent winter... Read More

Overcoming Procrastination

Procrastination, the habit of putting tasks off to the last... Read More

How Can I Get Some Time to Myself?

"I never seem to have any time for myself. What... Read More

The Power of 90 Seconds

You can use the Power of 90 Seconds to transform... Read More

Taking Time Out to Play - Summertime and the Living is Easy

As the song goes, this is the time to relax,... Read More

Plan Your Day and Stick to Your Plan

How many times have you remarked to someone that there... Read More

Time Management Training - A Necessary Investment or A Waste Of Money?

Many organisations view time management training as something they'll spend... Read More

Time Management Lessons from a 3 Year Old

Zak is my three-year old godson. He is the apple... Read More

What Are You Thinking?

What would be your reaction if someone said to you... Read More

Time Management: Eliminate Time Killers to Gain More Hours Every Day

There are two types of time killers in everyone's life.... Read More

Creative Leadership; Inspirational Power ( Part 2 )

Time management is absolute crucial nowadays where business decisions have... Read More

Time Management Wasters

I am an ordinary man - A middle class high... Read More

Let Someone Else Do It

When you decide to become self-employed, you automatically become the... Read More

Take Back Your Time

"You will never find time for anything. You must make... Read More

Time Management: Setting up your Schedule for Success

Would you describe yourself as extremely busy? Do you often... Read More

Time Management -- Urgent vs. Important

"It's just been one of those days?I can't seem to... Read More

Delegate or Drown

Why waste your precious time working on tasks, which are... Read More

Time Management: How to Make Your Meetings More Productive

In most organizations, meetings are often the biggest time-wasters. With... Read More

Living Life In A Time Starved World

Recently I saw an advertisement for a time management booklet:... Read More

Focus on One Thing at a Time to Get the Job Done

All too often we can feel overwhelmed by the amount... Read More

Keeping YOUR Calendar Full

When do you want to make time for a networking... Read More

Time Management For Home Business Owners

As each day passes, and more and more things need... Read More

Time Management

Isn't it amazing that some people can produce huge results... Read More

5 Tips To Get More Out Of Your Work Day

It's easy to waste time on things that seem urgent... Read More

Boost Your Productivity with 10 Minutes at the End of Your Day

Once you have completed your day you can boost your... Read More

Hey, Free Agent, Did You Eat Your Breakfast Today?

And when you finally sat down to eat breakfast, was... Read More