A Timely Bit of Advice
Read Tips To Manage Your Time by Guy Mendelson
Read Essential Information on Time Management by Gloria Schifter
Read Women in Business...7 Tips To Recapture Time by Karin Syren
Essential Information on Time Management by Gloria Schifter
Time is money we are often told. But in today's time-deprived society time itself is not only money...it is everything! Time management holds the key to how effective we are in business; how to work smarter not harder; how to stop procrastinating and move on in a motivating mode. Procrastination stops us from working seamlessly from one task to another. If you're having problems getting started, tell yourself (self-talk is empowering) that you will work on one task for just fifteen minutes. No more, no less! Chances are when the fifteen minutes have passed you will either have completed the task or you will keep going until completion. Doing your work in small chunks will zap the procrastination, add to your productivity and leave you less tired when you are finished.
To further fine tune your time management try to prioritize your business needs with realistic scheduling. Keep a "to-do" list which is feasible and not one which it totally overwhelming. With that in mind you will easily meet deadlines and insure a positive profit margin. In addition, as a small business owner, you should incorporate the latest timesaving tips which reduce work interruptions. interruptions occur anywhere from eight to ten times per day, on average, and last approximately three minutes each. That's a lot of wasted time. People who are good at multitasking (handling more than one task at a time can be readily learned) can turn an interruption into a positive using a verbal form of shorthand to answer a questioner. Remember, if you are interrupted by someone whose "spiel" is of no interest to you, be up front, say you are busy using an assertive (not aggressive) tone and quickly return to your work. Learning to say "no" when it is appropriate will save you both time and money.
If you arm yourself with vital information such as how-to declutter your desk/office space; set up a daily time-budget, use basic business organizing routines you will find yourself less stressed and more successful. Now is the time to JUST DO IT!
Ms. Schifter, who is a small business owner and an adjunct faculty member of New York Institute of Technology, offers one-on-one and group workshops to enhance your business productivity. Tele. 631-499-8781.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tips To Manage Your Time by Guy Mendelson
Time and money are both very important in business. Yet, like me, many business people tend to give a lot more specific thought as to how to spend their money. Too often, how we spend our time is only thought of in terms of "What am I going to do today?" or "What should I do next?"
There are only 24 hours in your day, just the same as everybody else's and you need to know how to use those 24 hours to your advantage.
There are so many simple ways to save time during our busy day that they are easily overlooked. Sometimes we just overlook the obvious. But being prepared with lists, notes, ongoing files, and systems will help you screen out those unwanted distractions and focus on the important matters at hand. So let's get down to business!
Here are some tips to manage your time:
First and foremost, Set priorities. Determine what is most important. Everything's not an earth-shattering emergency! Someone else's perception of a priority does not mean it is so to you. Discern what needs your attention immediately, what can be delegated, and what can be addressed later. Remember, prioritizing is the key to mastering the use of time.
Regardless of how your priorities are defined, we could all use some extra time in the day. The following are some time management ideas that can help increase your productivity and improve the quality of your life. Try incorporating just a few of these ideas and see how it affects your life.
1. Plan your day the night before. List and prioritize the top five objectives you desire to accomplish when you get to the office. Start with the number one item on your list and stay with it until it is complete. Try to do the most difficult tasks first.
2. Get to the office early. You will never be successful in the sales profession if you get into the habit of coming to work at the "crack of noon."
3. Use a diary or digital organizer. With so much to organise in your busy life you need to record your appointments, things to do and goals somewhere. Preferably in a paper diary or digital organiser that you can take everywhere. This is the most effective way to get things done, plan your work and your life.
4. Get in the habit of using a To Do list every day. At the end of each day, make a list of items to complete the following day. This helps you put closure on the day so you don't leave worried about forgetting the tasks that await you tomorrow.
5. Clean out the Clutter. You will save yourself heaps of time, energy and money if you clear out your work and home environment…paperwork, books, old equipment etc. You'll be able to find things, save money because you won't have to buy what you already have hidden somewhere, plus you'll be less stressed.
6. Use the Right Tools. It's no good having the latest whiz-bang computer when the desk that you sit at is too small to accommodate it, or the chair has poor back support, or the lighting is dull causing you eyestrain and fatigue. All these factors heavily influence how you work. Invest or ask for a decent desk, purchase a desk lamp or request the light globes be changed. Don't avoid the warning signs your body gives you. Take action now before you have eye, back or neck problems.
7. Resolve to do today what you wanted to do tomorrow. Make a catch-up list of tasks you have avoided or put on the "back-burner" and rank them from the most important to the least important. Resolve to do at least one task from this list each day.
8. Do your most difficult work when you are in your peak performance state. If you're an early morning person, do that extra-effort-needed project first thing in the morning. If late evening hours are more your speed, save that high-energy project for that time.
9. Place your phone on voicemail mode at strategic times of the day.
Voicemail is wonderful for those times when you're either feeling sluggish, want some quiet time, or just want to get a project done. You can access your messages later and return calls on a priority basis.
10. Learn to say NO once your priorities are set. Avoid interruptions. Set aside a period of the day as "off-limits" during which time you will not be interrupted. Use this time to work on your "A" or top priorities, or even as a designated time to handle your mail or return calls. One way to avoid interruption is to make it clear that when your door is closed you are not to be disturbed. Other way is to Let others in your home/office know when you don't want to be disturbed.
Constant interruptions are annoying and distracting; they are also time-zappers. Letting people know when it's ok to interrupt and when it's not is crucial to time management.
11. Schedule your phone calls around your peak performance levels. You want to give your customers/clients your very best attention and this requires energy and enthusiasm.
12. Avoid Unnecessary Meetings. Before agreeing to attend a meeting, check if you really need to be there. Maybe a phone call or email will be just as effective.
13. When you need a swift response, send an Email or make a phone call whenever possible to avoid time delays in receiving an answer.
14. Do What You Do Best and Delegate the Rest.? At work see if there are ways you can delegate tasks which would suit someone else's talents. Many office and home based workers are spending heaps of time on mundane secretarial tasks which would take a person who is trained in that area a quarter of the time to undertake. Assign tasks to another or others to give you more time to handle the tasks which only you can do. Effectively multiplying your time is the ultimate time management technique. Remember, everything that needs to be done does not have to be done by you. Delegating to another person can save you a lot of time in mundane tasking.
Delegate, delegate, delegate. Avoid the temptation of doing administrative duties and paperwork. Salespeople historically tend to hide behind their paperwork. Focus your efforts on the things that you are licensed or hired to do and consider employing someone else to handle your paperwork. If you have any doubt, ask yourself "What is the best use of my time right now?"
15. Schedule free time. Find at least one day each week during which you do no work or business at all. You will get a better perspective on your work after you have time away from it.
16. Look After Yourself First. Exercise regularly, eat healthily and be around positive people. Feed your mind by attending personal development courses. Read self-help and motivational books, listen to tapes. Do the right thing by yourself and you'll have heaps of energy, be motivated which in turn will help you be more productive.
Time management really can be easy. A fact! You are in control of your time.
If you take away one time management tip, remember that good time management is about knowing what's most important and doing that the most.
Don't forget the most important time management tip- make time for yourself. You're no good to anyone if you're sleep deprived and miserable. We all deserve a little downtime, even if that means you have to schedule some time for yourself into your calendar each day. Your business, family and relationships will all benefit when your priorities are in order and you have balance in your life.
By following these simple yet very effective ideas you will have more control over your work and your life, experience less stress and be more proactive. All of these factors affect your general well-being, confidence and results.
Yes, these strategies are simple and you probably already knew what you need to do, you just haven't done it yet.
Isn't it time you took action?
About the Author: To reach Guy Mendelson email him at: guyef@walla.com or visit his websites: http://www.great-money.net and
http://www.business-oppurtunity.com
Want a Free e-course?, send blank email to: networkingcourse@FreeAutobot.com
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Women in Business...7 Tips To Recapture Time by Karin Syren
Time management is a universal concern and yet we tend to think
taking the necessary steps to conquer the issue is a bit like
eating an elephant! But since the only way to eat an elephant is
one bite at a time, begin today to win time back into your
service - it's been your enemy long enough!
1. Keep a running To Do list.
This yields immediate results. Use your list to continually
reassess your changing priorities, to enable you to remain fluid
in the face of a day that seems to morph before your very eyes!
The idea is to empty your mind of the daily details and free it
for the more valuable creative opportunities. If you use your
computer, create a template with all the elements valuable to
you and a format easy to read and update. Load it daily or build
continually on the same list, refreshing as you go.
On the go? Print your list and take it along, making notations
for transfer later. Keep supporting materials attached, copies
letters, estimates, invoices, and phone numbers, everything
necessary to dispatch the items on your list. Since you won't
need 15 minutes to locate supporting paperwork, you can cross an
item from your list, even if you only have a few minutes between
appointments.
2. Use an organizer or palm pilot - make it really work for you.
If you use a daily planner, make your entries in pencil and be
sure that each date has plenty of room for those unscheduled
"squeeze-in" activities you wish to complete. Update names and
addresses each time you update your address book in your email
program. Consider working with a zippered planner and include
copies of supporting paperwork for each upcoming appointment,
phone call, etc. You may find the best of both worlds works for
you, and a hand held organizer which syncs with your computer is
the perfect tool for you. Whatever you use, make sure it's
comfortable for you - after all, it will only work if you'll
work it.
3. Handle incoming mail immediately. Keep a wastebasket near
your front door or inbox and sort mail as it arrives - never let
it pile up. Be ruthless! If you put it aside to read later, make
sure "later" is an actual item on your schedule, "time to review
today's mail," and then stick to it. If it's not, remember
manana never comes. You may be rushed at the moment, but check
your LATER stack and if it's an inch high or more, there is a
pattern in the making and chances are you won't get to it until
you are doing a major muck-out.
4. Use voicemail and email freely as appropriate.
These two valuable technologies have developed somewhat of a
reputation as inferior communication tools. No technology is all
bad or all good - all things in moderation. Learn how to use
electronic communication wisely and appropriately and value it
for the opportunity it affords you to clearly state your issue
uninterrupted and with no time wasted. These tools are most
effective when used to enhance, not to replace, personal contact.
The same temptation we fight with incoming mail presents itself
with both voicemail and email. Deal with incoming messages
immediately, only filing emails when you have read them and know
you will need to refer to them in future. Transcribe voicemail
messages for future use and then delete them. If you haven't
time to listen right away, make sure you schedule a time.
5. Use travel time as personal development and study time.
Employing motivational tapes and audio books, make this time a
personal enrichment time that you can look forward to each day.
If you don't already have a backlog of tapes and CD's you never
seem to get to, try your local library for starters. Large
bookstore chains devote entire sections to audio books - the
hardest part is choosing among them!
If personal development is not a key issue, you might consider a
small tape recorder to document squibbets, brilliant thoughts,
notes, or additions to your To Do list. Don't try to juggle too
much if you're the driver though - save your serious dictation
for stop lights, freight trains and gridlock. Business letters
and reports are best kept for a time when you can concentrate
fully on the project.
6. Schedule appointments early in the day.
This is a great time manager and, allowing for a bit of initial
resistance, people will become accustomed to your scheduling
idiosyncrasies. Leave your afternoon for follow-up
conversations, correspondence, etc. Evenings are free and
carryover is minimized. It's worth hitting the ground running
each day if you know the rewards are real and there will
actually be an end to your day!
7. Make a working file for every project & file everything in it
- immediately. If it's a new project, make a new file the first
time it generates paper - it takes seconds to place an item
where it belongs and most people work smarter in an uncluttered
atmosphere. Keep your current projects handy in a desktop file;
you'll be more likely to keep up with the filing when it's close
at hand. Consider a tickler file, 31 files labeled with the days
of the month. File a copy of a dated action item along with
copies of supporting documents in a desktop file or a tub drawer
and check it first thing each morning.
Start today! Each tip can be implemented with minimal
preparation, but the reward of gaining a sense of control over
the day puts you back in the driver's seat, actually spending
time (i.e., making conscious decisions regarding its
allocation), rather than watching it trickle through your
fingers. With the time you'll save - - start planning your
vacation. See you on the beach! Copyright Karin S. Syren &
So-lu'shunz Management Services.
Karin Syren is a certified coach concentrating on women's needs,
helping leaders clearly identify issues facing them, coaching
them through the steps to gaining, regaining, & maintaining
control of the intense demands and transitions facing them. She
offers guidance in discovering mission, creating vision and
designing goals. For information & to schedule a complementary
session, please see her website at http://www.solushunz.com or
email her at karinsarticles@hotmail.com .
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
|
