Archive for July, 2011

by Rich Talbot
As utility companies recently announced another rise in fuel prices I was pleased to reflect that I adopted several money-saving measures some time ago. These were not drastic acts that saw me writing by candlelight, just a few minor lifestyle changes that would cut down on my consumption. The changes were minor: I fitted low energy light bulbs, I only fill the kettle with as much water as is required, and I make sure that electrical appliances are not left on standby overnight. I might not see a huge difference in my quarterly fuel bills, but at least I know that I am doing what I can to keep my electricity charges as low as possible.

But whatever I do save on my fuel bills, it will come with no real effort from me because I have incorporated these cost-cutting measures into my daily routine. A similar approach could be taken with time management, where measures that save valuable minutes, or even seconds, are adopted as part of the daily routine to maximise efficiency with little effort. Here are some time saving techniques you could slot into your own daily routine to keep wasted time to a minimum.

When the telephone rings, do you feel compelled to answer it? If so then you are on your way to haemorrhaging minutes. It may only be a brief call of acknowledgement, but it might also be someone who will cause a lengthy distraction. Do you want to take that chance?

Take control of the phone and let your voicemail deal with any calls while you are working.

The email is one of the wonders of modern communications. We can send messages across hundreds of miles in less time than it takes to address an envelope and lick a stamp. Yet just because we can send messages instantly, this does not mean that they must be read and responded to immediately. The constant dipping into your inbox every time an incoming mail alert sounds will only waste time.

Take control of your inbox and set aside time each day for attending to your emails.

If you feel that a task is so huge it is overwhelming, try turning the telescope around and looking at the smaller picture. Breaking down a huge project into more manageable tasks will present a far less daunting view. The feeling of dread that comes from taking on too much can bring about a keen distaste for the job. This is a major cause of procrastination.

Take control of your to-do list and break down large tasks into smaller chunks.

Amidst the glut of technology in the modern office, there is still room for old fashioned hard copy. Documents should be filed as soon as they are not needed and in such a way that they can be easily retrieved. There are few bigger time wasters than looking for a typed A4 document among sheaves of other A4 typed documents. Keeping an organised, uncluttered desk is a great aid to effective time management.

Take control of your documents and file them properly.

It may seem contradictory but you can optimise your time management by taking time out to analyse and plan. This may involve an initial outlay of your time, but a well planned structure to your day will give a healthy return on your investment. Always be aware of which tasks are high priority and which are of little importance. Analysing how your time is spent will help you utilise that time more efficiently.

Take control of your time and plan it effectively.

The important factor in all of this is that these measures are adopted as part of your daily routine. This means that you are maximising efficiency with no effort from yourself.

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Article Source: Article Wagon

by Terence Legaleto
It never quite works the way you planned it, does it? You have a to-do list that is chock-full of items, and you make a detailed plan for the entire day, thinking you will finish a full one third before lunch, another third before tea and the rest before an early dinner.

Only, as it turns out, you end up finishing less than ten percent in the entire day, leaving you with a mountain to climb on the morrow, and a depressed mood for the rest of the day.

Manage Your Time Effectively

There is a simpler solution, however, and all it involves is making a decision to keep things simple. Ignore the volume of work that needs to be done over the next three sessions in the day, and only focus on your top three tasks in terms of importance.

Prioritize-One Small List

Prioritize those three tasks above all else, and focus only on the most important one.
Once that is done, move on to the second, and then the third.

Your Second List

Finish those, and then check the rest of your list, and see if the next three most important tasks can be done and so on.
The advantages are many: you have a simpler task in front of you, one that does not seem so daunting. Your to do list over the next two hours is wonderfully short, and best of all your horizon stretches out over only two hours or so. Simplifying both your tasks and the number of tasks can give a wondrous boost to your enthusiasm, leaving you with less to do, and that is always more manageable.

Of course, it could sometimes happen that a single task alone can take more than an entire day, but there is a workaround for that as well, which involves breaking up that one single, mammoth task into smaller, bit-sized chunks.

And once you have these bit sized chunks, you can slide back into the top-three-done!-top-three-done! routine. Give it a shot the next time you have a daunting day ahead of you; you will find it a lot easier to power through your tasks for the day.

Managing your time effectively will lead to less stress and far greater productivity no matter what task you are trying to accomplish and reducing even the most complex tasks to bite size chunks can lead to great success rates. Failure to do so will lead to unnecessary stress and pressure and have a malign influence on your mental health.

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Article Source: Article Wagon