Time Management Self Improvement

We all know that time is one of the most valuable resources that we do not have the luxury to waste for. Unlike money, gold and other material things, the time we spend can never be recovered. It is therefore important to use and manage our time wisely.

One of the biggest time wasters in people’s lives is procrastination. We all know what it is. Most people tend to delay doing things that should have been done a long time ago. When we continue to procrastinate, success will always be elusive in our lives. People who take action are those that will usually get ahead in life.

It may be hard to break procrastination because it is a behavior learned early in life and is hard wired into our subconscious mind.

To break the habit of procrastination, start doing the task at hand immediately. When there is something that needs to be done, start doing it right away. Do not wait until you are “in the mood” for doing it…that time will most likely never come.

Starting to do things immediately will effectively break the old habit of procrastination. You can start with the easy tasks and finish these first. Once the easy tasks are out of the way, you will start to feel good about your accomplishments and this will spark your mood to do more.

Do not aim for perfection when doing the task at hand. What matters most is getting started and then you can gain momentum to finish the greater jobs ahead. Always pursuing perfection to great detail is a waste of your time.

Write down your plan. It is very effective to have a daily plan because you can see which things are most important and which need to be addressed immediately. By writing down your plan, you can be more productive and actually save time by not doing the unnecessary and/or less important tasks.

And be sure when writing down your plan to make a schedule of what you will be doing for the entire day. This should include all the activities that you will do from the beginning to the end of the day.

Finally, set a deadline for your planned activities, making sure that you can finish the job at hand within the established time frame. Don’t let a few small failures along the way derail your plan. Put procrastination where it belongs…under your feet!

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PROCRASTINATION: You’ve known about it since high school or college, when everybody boasted about it. Everyone put off papers for a basketball game or a night on the town. It was OKyou only go through college once, right? You left college, but did you leave procrastination? You are now accountable for procedures and personnel responsibilities more complicated and more consequential than any you shouldered in college. Have your habits and attitudes evolved to handle them?

TACKLING PROCRASTINATION: 1) Recognition. Be aware of the costs of procrastination and the benefits of reform. 2) Insight. Discover procrastination patterns in our work. 3) Enlightenment. Learn the ways other people have successfully changed their habits. 4) Action. Begin to use those methods to change our own habits.

THE COST OF PROCRASTINATION: Procrastination is a choice. Faced with some distasteful obligation, large or small, professional or personal, we choose to do anything but carry it out. At first, its deadline is comfortably distant. There is no need to act because we have so much time. After some time passes, we realize that we are letting valuable moments slip by. Yet we dread the task, disparage the goal, and continue to opt for more pleasing work. By this time, however, we cannot ignore the impending moment of accountability. We begin to think That Job is more difficult and more momentous than anyone realizes. We begin to make excuses to ourselves or others, knowing well are only trying to gloss over a worsening situation. Eventually, we begin to lose confidence in our ability to make decisions, control our performance at work, and even lead worthwhile lives.

REASONS: FEARS AND FEELINGS BEHIND PROCRASTINATION: If the risks of procrastination are so high and the results so grim, why do we do it in the first place? Often because, as we anticipate meeting a particular obligation, we are struck by fear and its corollaries: 1) Performance anxiety: fear of doing a poor job. 2) Dreading the outcome: fear of what will follow. 3) Disliking the task: fear of specific steps. 4) Boredom: fear of monotony. You can start to control your time by controlling these fears. Face them honestly, define them. ask yourself whether they are rationalare they directly related to the obligation at hand, or are they rooted in anxieties about other aspects of your life? Once you have reflected on them, focus on changing the circumstances that give rise to them. Take steps to overcome your fears and work towards your real objectives instead.

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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.

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As a professional organizer, consultant and trainer, I have come to recognize that unless there is a focused effort to keep vigilance over priority busters, our best time management efforts will go unrealized. Our day-to-day lives demand more to resolving this than just practicing better time management principles.

The cost of a minute
Jim Miller of U.S. West tells us we experience eight interruptions an hour. American Demographics magazine says us we receive 23 paper and electronic messages an houreach one its own type of interruption. Regardless of the type or number, remember that every time someone stands at the door and asks if you’ve ‘got a minute?’ they invite you to climb out of your priority and into theirs. Politely moving them to an alternative time enables you to remain focused on your priorities.

‘Yes’ is an acceptable word
Learning to say no and meaning it is difficult. Let’s face itno can sound like ‘yes’ and no and sound like ‘maybe’. Saying it to supervisors or customers comes with its own cautionary reminder. But identifying and being committed to your priorities is what keeps us focused on when and if we should be saying ‘yes’.

Fight against procrastination
A difficult habit to break. When delaying decisions is how we handle matters, we permeate our time management practices with ineffective and frustrating scenarios. Not only for ourselves, but for others as well. Making decisions to move things forward is the only way to fight procrastination. One mindful step at a time.

Today’s business climate creates pressure to produce more workwith fewer peoplesoonerfor less money. It demands more of us. But there’s major productivity gains to be realized by proactively handling interruptions, keeping commitments tethered to priorities and actively making decisions. That is when we will realize productivity gains and less stress as individuals and as an organization.

There are only 24 hours a day. It’s how you use them that determines your level of satisfaction with work and life.

Copyright 2001 Cynthia Kyriazis. All rights reserved.

Cynthia Kyriazis is a Professional Organizer, trainer, consultant, speaker, coach and author with over 20 years management experience in multi-unit corporations. She is President of Organize it, Inc., an organizational consulting firm serving Fortune 500 clients since 1995. Cynthia has worked with over 150 companies and hundreds of professionals to help improve performance in the areas of time, information, space and electronic file management.

Cynthia has appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Kansas City Star and the Legal Intelligencer. She currently serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), member of the National Speakers Association (NSA), member of International Society for Performance Improvement - Kansas City chapter (ISPI-KC) and consultant to the American Coaching Association.

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