The Clock's Ticking: Five Easy-to-Apply Time-Management Tips

The Leadership Blitz
October 15th, 2009

Every day, we are given 24 hours. Each of those hours gives us 60 minutes.

Each minute is worth 60 seconds, which means we are given a gift of 86,400 seconds to use to our advantage.

The problem is, we often allow ourselves to get off-track and lose focus we put too much pressure on ourselves to accomplish a million things in a small window of time.

It all boils down to how well we manage our seconds. Within that task, however, is a lesson I learned that holds a lot of truth: Time-management is a myth.

According to Susan Ward, time never changes. No matter how organized you are, there will always be 24 hours in your day. It comes down to how you manage yourself.

On that thought, here are some simple tips you can utilize to better manage yourself and get the most out of the time:

1) Determine Where You are Wasting Time - Do you start your day by checking email? If so, you put yourself at the mercy of others because your schedule is now dictated by the number of messages that require replies. Email, personal phone calls, and surfing the Internet are just a few culprits of time that can be easily avoided. Save your personal business for the times you allow yourself a break, and hold off email correspondance until the end of the day. If you *MUST* check email as your first activity, limit yourself to 15-20 minutes and only reply to the messages that require immediate response.

2) Create Daily Goals - Having your day laid out when you wake up in the morning makes it much easier to focus on what you need to accomplish. Instead of sitting down at your desk and saying, "OK, what do I need to do today," you can look at the blueprint you've already constructed and immediately get to work. I recommend constructing your next day's blueprint at the end of your current work day, while your mind is still focused on the tasks you need to tackle tomorrow. Waiting may cause you to forget a pressing issue.

3) Do Not Quit Until Your Goals are Accomplished For the Day - Walking away from unfinished goals ultimately means you are not holding yourself accountable for your results. In the "9 to 5" world, unfinished tasks lead to overtime. In regards to your own business, you should approach things in a similar fashion. When you structure your day, do not overload yourself to the point that you make reaching your goals stressful and impossible. If you are working a home-business full-time, give yourself 5-6 goals to reach. If you're working it part-time, give yourself 2-3 goals. Do not go to bed until your goals are reached. This is the ultimate test in personal accountability.

4) Prioritize Your Goals to Ensure They Are Reached - It's natural to push difficult tasks to the end of your day and spend your time doing the activities you enjoy first. However, this can be detrimental to your results. Your mind is usually freshest at the beginning of the day, and since the difficult tasks are usually pushed to the end because they require the most effort, approaching these tasks first, and with a focused mind, will ensure they're completed with more stellar results. Plus, conquering the difficult work early means your afternoon will be far less stressful.

5) Create a Routine and Stick to it Habitually - Time management and holding yourself accountable comes down to routine. Creating a schedule for your daily activities and sticking to that schedule will help you develop better habits. It's much easier to hold yourself accountable when your day is structured. Once you get used to your new routine, positive output and maximum results will be your payoff.

In the "9 to 5" world, the watchful eye of authority prevents you from spending your time on non-productive activities. In the home-based business world, you are the watchful eye of authority, and it's up to you keep yourself in check to ensure the goals you have set for yourself become reality.

"The only difference between rich people and poor people is how they spend their time." --- Robert Kiyosaki

Be the Best,

Jason Cercone
Internet Marketing & Home Business Consultant
jason.cercone@gmail.com
412-965-8428

http://www.homebizsuccessfactor.com/
http://www.alternativepaycheck.com/