Time management thoughts

1. Don’t waste time waiting. If you find yourself waiting for things to get done, bring work along with you, or even a good book that you have been wanting to read. Getting an oil change? Bring something to work on.
2. Get a planner. There are many types of planners out there today, some of the better ones out line each day of the week in 15 minute intervals, as well as included a full page monthly calendar. Once you find one you like, use it.
3. Differentiate between urgent and vital. Urgent are things that are due soon, but may not be life or death. Vital are things that may or may not be urgent, but that you absolutely must do.
4. Schedule your priorities do not prioritize your schedule. Take charge of what you have before you. You have the power to decided what you do and when.
5. Time journal for two weeks, giving account for every 15 or 30 minutes of time. This will help you see where your time is going and what takes up most of your time.
6. Learn to say no. This is your greatest ally. Practice saying no in polite but firm ways. You are no one’s door mat. Decide what you are going to do, then do not get distracted by other tasks that people may want you to do for them.
7. Learn what drives procrastination. Examine that times that you find yourself procrastinating. Is it because of the task, the time of day, or your overall mood?
8. Figure out what your time is worth. If you make 60,000 a year, each hour is worth roughly $7.00 (including waking and sleeping hours). Now, decide what tasks are worth your pay and don’t sweat the small stuff.
9. Set clear goals. Having a clear direction will help keep you on task. For everyone item on your to do list, think through each step that needs to get done to complete that task.
10. Put things into perspective. Take a moment each day to take a larger picture look. This can be considering yourself in relation to your life goals, or to humanity in general.

The "Get More Done" Habit

There is a very simple formula to help you prevent work overload and be more productive every day of your life.

Every time you are faced with a new task to perform, (an email request, new project at work,phone calls, etc.) apply the 4 D's as listed below. You will find that your workload will be reduced and your productivity will go up as you apply this screening and decision making tool to each task. Decide on the most appropriate choice - and take action.

#1 Do It Now - take immediate action, do the task right away, don't procrastinate.

#2 Dump It Now - make a quick decision and dump the task.

#3 Delegate It - give the task to someone else. This is a very critical aspect of time management. Your time is valuable; make it a habit to work on tasks that you do best and delegate the tasks that can be performed by someone else.

#4 Defer the Task - make an immediate decision to postpone the task to a later time. Make sure to schedule a time to complete it.

The above is by  Dan Robey

Time management ideas

1. Realize time management is a myth. Many want to squeeze too much into one day. Coming to the realization that there are only 24 hours in a day and that one can only fit so much into those hours, releases one from the worries and anxieties of things that are yet to be done.

2. Find out where you’re wasting time. Conduct a complete time examination. Walk through your day in 15 minute intervals, writing down what you are doing and for how long.

3. Create time management goals. Having clear goals will guide you through the process of getting control of your time. The best way to start is with pen and paper in hand and write out what you want more time

4. Implement a time management plan. Just like a budget guides money spending, a time management plan will guide how you can use your time.

5. Use time management tools. There are thousands of time management tools available today. The best is a daily or weekly planner.

6. Prioritize ruthlessly. Learn to cut out what is not important to you. Make a list of all the things that you need to get done, then think through each one and decide if it is worth your time or not. If not, cut it from the list.

7. Learn to delegate. Look at your to do list and see what can be handed off to other people, a spouse, a coworker or a friend.

8. Establish routines and stick to them. Find your rhythm in life. Learn what time you need to go to bed, what time is best to wake up and find specific times to do daily tasks, such as checking email and filing.

9. Set time limits for tasks. Time can get away from you really quickly if you do not have a set amount of time for a task.

10. Organize your systems. Do you use several email addresses? Several online programs? Bookmark often visited websites or put them on your explorer tool bar and use online calendar’s such as Google Calendar or Outlook.

Barriers to finding your passion

Many people are very clear what their passion is but they have external barriers that are in the way.  If you have barriers that are stopping you from living out your dreams then you need to get past them.  You have full control of external barriers and you can do something about them. 

People

The biggest barrier to someone not fulfilling their passion and dreams is another person.  It is common for someone to add input that is hard to listen to because you feel like you are being made fun of.  A person may ridicule the idea, think it is silly, and much more.  The last thing you need to listen to is an outside opinion if it is negative.

If you have a passion you need to surround yourself with supportive people.  Someone who is not supportive is not who you want around because they will only bring you down.  That is, if you let them. 

Many people have a spouse that is not supportive of a passion because they think the idea is ridiculous or they would be embarrassed of what your passion is.  This type of person you don’t need around you.  If you are making a decision of your spouse over your passion then you are restricting yourself.  It is important to make it clear to your spouse that you are passionate about doing something in particular and they need to be supportive of you. 

When you have the right support you can do anything.  When family members are not supportive emotionally then it can make things difficult.  The best thing you can do is let them know you are fulfilling your dreams and they will not stand in your way.  It is your life and you need to be satisfied with it when the time comes.  People who are not supportive you may have to shut them out for a while until they see that it truly makes you happy.

Money

Money is one of the biggest barriers that cause people not to move forward with a passion.  You might be an excellent mechanic and you want to start your own shop but you have never moved forward with the idea because of the cost.  Money can be overcome. But to overcome the money, you have to have examine your views on money and become more passionate about wanting the money. Money it has been said, does not buy happiness, but having money makes it easier to focus on what makes you happy and finding your passion.

There are many ways to get money together to start your own business or live out a passion that might cost a lot of money.  The best thing you can do is begin cutting costs in your life where you don’t need them. 

Many of the ways you can cut costs in your life include not eating out everyday for lunch at work.  Pack a lunch.  Consider taking the bus and not driving in everyday so you don’t have to costs for gas and parking.  Think about many of the additional expenses you have that you really don’t need.  You might buy tons of extra things at the grocery store you don’t even eat but it happens because you always go grocery shopping when you are hungry.

Every time you save money you would have normally spent on something else like a lunch at work you need to put the money away.  Open a savings account or buy a lock box at home and put the money in it.  Don’t count the money or ever get into it.  Just remember that every time you are adding to the box you are getting closer to achieving your passion.

One thing to remember is that by being creative with your life you will most likely find other ways you can make additional money to put aside for your endeavor.  You also may find a way to start your dream without any startup costs.  There are many ways to start your own business if it means you begin in your home first.  If you love to make aromatherapy candles and you have always dreamed of owning your own shop then you can start a business online first.  You may even find your online business is more successful than a brick and mortar store would ever be.

Money is an obstacle that can be overcome.  It is the most common excuse people use for why they cannot live out their dreams.  You should never fear for your survival.  In addition, if you have a supportive spouse they will help with the financial burden while you are getting started so you can live out your dreams.  In most cases, the financial payout in the end will be much better.

Time

Another reason many people do not live out their passions and make them happen is because they say they do not have the time.  This could be close to true if you commute to work hours away and get home late at night.  It is common for many people to be slaves to their work and never have time even for their family.  This makes them feel selfish when they want to take time out for themselves to live out a passion.

If time is a problem you must find a way to make time in your life to do what it is that you want to do.  You might consider waking up an hour or two earlier every day or staying up just a little bit later.  Remember, sleep is important for happiness and a good day so you cannot cut too much into your sleep.

You might get an hour for your lunch hour and can bring crafts with you to work or your laptop to work.  This way you can work on your passion an hour each day.  Finding the time is very important.

Time wasted is very common for people who claim they do not have the time to live out their passions.  You might spend hours every night watching television and not doing very much on the weekends either.  This time might be your relaxing time because you work so hard during the week. 

It is time to start cutting out all of the time wasted in your life going out with the guys, watching television, and doing things that are not productive.  You do have time to get started.  You just need to manage your time better.  Remember that you don’t have to complete an entire project once you get started.  If your project is hours and you have an extra hour each day then you can do a little bit at a time.  This will allow you to have something to look forward to each day also.