Since the beginning of time, we have been a population preoccupied with the concept of time. Unfortunately the term "Time management" creates a false impression of what a person is able to do. Time can't be managed and is uncontrollable. However, we can manage ourselves and choose how we use time.
We measure daily activities, progress, even distances in terms of days, hours or minutes. Most important, we think of money in terms of time. “Time is money” is a phrase often heard in the business world. Our job productivity is often related to the time consumed in to perform specific tasks. In many business compensation is paid in terms of rates per hour.
Do you use time or does it use you? Do you stay on top of things, or do they stay on top of you? To a very large degree, your success will depend on whether or not you master the art of effective time organization. However, time management is a skill few people master and is one that most people need. If you really want to improve the use of your time and your productivity and at the same time feel good and effective, you should start by building a strategy around your time, evaluating your current behaviors and habits.
Time management is a skill, a technique, a mindset and a lifestyle. It can be adopted by anyone who wants to:
• Feel in more control
• Attain more out of life
• Reduce stress
• Realize more balance in life
• Achieve success in business
To use your time successfully you must first accomplish what is most important for you. When you don’t accomplish what you truly want, you may feel confused, compromised, and frustrated. Many people try to use time management techniques that work for others, only to be disappointed. It does not matter if you use a paper-base system, a PDA, or one of those expensive mobile devises. What really matter is that you are using a system that make you effective.
Myths About Time Management
Some of the myths related to time management use are a direct consequence of our attitudes. Our attitudes are developed through a conditioning process that began very early in life. As you examine your past and the future, you will develop a much better understanding of why you do the things you do. Let’s take a look at some myths related to time:
MYTH: My life is completely controlled by external events.
FACT: You can have some control over many aspects of your life, but you and you alone are responsible for initiating that control.
MYTH: I should meet everyone's expectations.
FACT: The needs and demands of others may be inappropriate for you and your lifestyle. First, become clear about what your needs are. Then, consider what others expect of you.
MYTH: I should have no limits.
FACT: We all have limits . . . failure to acknowledge this may cause you to become perfectionist in your expectations. Perfectionism normally leads to procrastination.
MYTH: I do not have time
FACT: You need a time strategy.
Common Time Wasters Which Need To Be Identified
In order for a time management process to work it is important to know what aspects of our personal management need to be improved. Below you will find some of the most frequent reasons for reducing effectiveness in the workplace. Identify the ones that are major obstacles to your effective use of your time. Identifying your time stealers
• Interruptions – telephone
• Interruptions - personal visitors
• Meetings
• Tasks you should have delegated
• Procrastination and indecision (see my article “The Habit of Doing Nothing)
• Acting with incomplete information
• Dealing with team members
• Crisis management (fire fighting)
• Unclear communication
• Inadequate technical knowledge
• Unclear objectives and priorities
• Lack of planning
• Stress and fatigue
• Inability to say "No"
• Desk management and personal disorganization
Fortunately, there are strategies you can use to manage your time, be more in control and reduce stress. You can analyze your time and see how you may be both the cause and the solution to your time challenges.
There are many ways we can manage our time more effectively. The following is list of some strategies you can use to use your time more effectively:
1. Put your daily plans in writing.
2. Plan your daily time use by listing your activities in order of their priority.
3. Delegate.
4. Be selective
5. Make brief notes immediately following a conference, meeting or an important conversation.
6. Keep simple records regarding the routine of your daily life.
7. Schedule a quiet time –do not disturb-.
8. Use waiting time wisely.
9. Keep your work area uncluttered and free of distractions.
10.Keep incoming “Junk mail” to a minimum.
Using your time is your responsibility and is controllable if you choose to. The degree of your commitment to achieve personal goals will determine how serious you are about setting priorities for you time.
As an Executive Coach, I help individuals and organizations develop better attitudes more rapidly and produce more satisfying results. I work with my clients in all areas, including business, career, finances, time management, productivity, employee motivation and relationships. As a result of coaching, clients set better goals, take more action, make better decisions, and more fully use their natural strengths.
If you wish to explore deeper into the subjects contained in this article, please call Activate Group at (305)722-7215 or send an e-mail to pjperez@activategroupinc.com.
Reference and excerpts taken with permission from Management and Leadership published by Resource Associates Corporation.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Start a winning streak: Are you being Coach? By Pablo J. Perez,
“Everybody starts out at 0-0 at the beginning of the game. Everybody is even,” proclaimed one coach whose team was in a losing streak. Billy Beane, general manager of the Oakland Athletics baseball team, made a similar point, saying that, mathematically, each game is a new start.
Even though both statements sound logical, both are wrong. Each game does not reset the organizational score to zero, any more than each quarter is a fresh beginning for a business or than each day is a new life for a person. Reset an old car’s odometer to zero, and it is still an old car.
We carry our baggage from the past, but the great news is that attitudes and behaviors can be improved, substituted or changed; giving us the chance of starting a brand new winning streak that will make us feel we are attaining our dreams and, as a consequence, becoming successful.
How can I stop a losing streak? How can I start a winning one? Close your eyes and envision your future. Are you happy? Are you rich? You can see yourself many years from now, surrounded by symbols of success, but what you will not imagine is the path to get there. It does not matter how hard you try; knowing what road to take is not an easy task. As people aspire to better lives, they are more likely to seek outside help to get them there: a professional coach.
People seek out coaches for three common reasons: take their performance to the next level, navigating some transition in their lives or careers, or having the need to change a behavior that is holding them back from their goals.
The dictionary defines “Coaching” as "private instruction." Yes, being a coach is much like being a private instructor, but it really is so much more. I believe coaching is also a talent and a gift. Good coaches have a knack for helping people and encouraging people to dig deep and realize more of their full potential than even they, themselves, thought possible.
FACTS ABOUT COACHING:
* Professional coaching is more popular than ever. The International Coach Federation boasts about 8,000 members, up from approximately 1,500 in 1998.
* In 2004, 56% of polled companies said that executive coaching would be a major learning method they would emphasize. Then in a 2006 follow-up survey, 51% said the use of coaching had actually increased.
* In the study, High-Impact Executive Coaching, 43% of CEOs and 71% of the senior executive team had worked with a coach.
* 63% of organizations say they plan to increase their use of coaching over the next five years.
* 92% of leaders being coached say they plan to use a coach again.
As an Executive Coach, I help individuals and organizations develop better attitudes more rapidly and produce more satisfying results. I work with my clients in all areas, including business, career, finances, time management, productivity, employee motivation and relationships. As a result of coaching, clients set better goals, take more action, make better decisions, and more fully use their natural strengths.
If you wish to explore deeper into the subjects contained in this article, please call Activate Group at (305)722-7215 or send an e-mail to pjperez@activategroupinc.com.
Some of the concepts and facts discussed in this paper were taken from “Coaching: The Fad that Won’t Go Away” by Jim Bolt.
Even though both statements sound logical, both are wrong. Each game does not reset the organizational score to zero, any more than each quarter is a fresh beginning for a business or than each day is a new life for a person. Reset an old car’s odometer to zero, and it is still an old car.
We carry our baggage from the past, but the great news is that attitudes and behaviors can be improved, substituted or changed; giving us the chance of starting a brand new winning streak that will make us feel we are attaining our dreams and, as a consequence, becoming successful.
How can I stop a losing streak? How can I start a winning one? Close your eyes and envision your future. Are you happy? Are you rich? You can see yourself many years from now, surrounded by symbols of success, but what you will not imagine is the path to get there. It does not matter how hard you try; knowing what road to take is not an easy task. As people aspire to better lives, they are more likely to seek outside help to get them there: a professional coach.
People seek out coaches for three common reasons: take their performance to the next level, navigating some transition in their lives or careers, or having the need to change a behavior that is holding them back from their goals.
The dictionary defines “Coaching” as "private instruction." Yes, being a coach is much like being a private instructor, but it really is so much more. I believe coaching is also a talent and a gift. Good coaches have a knack for helping people and encouraging people to dig deep and realize more of their full potential than even they, themselves, thought possible.
FACTS ABOUT COACHING:
* Professional coaching is more popular than ever. The International Coach Federation boasts about 8,000 members, up from approximately 1,500 in 1998.
* In 2004, 56% of polled companies said that executive coaching would be a major learning method they would emphasize. Then in a 2006 follow-up survey, 51% said the use of coaching had actually increased.
* In the study, High-Impact Executive Coaching, 43% of CEOs and 71% of the senior executive team had worked with a coach.
* 63% of organizations say they plan to increase their use of coaching over the next five years.
* 92% of leaders being coached say they plan to use a coach again.
As an Executive Coach, I help individuals and organizations develop better attitudes more rapidly and produce more satisfying results. I work with my clients in all areas, including business, career, finances, time management, productivity, employee motivation and relationships. As a result of coaching, clients set better goals, take more action, make better decisions, and more fully use their natural strengths.
If you wish to explore deeper into the subjects contained in this article, please call Activate Group at (305)722-7215 or send an e-mail to pjperez@activategroupinc.com.
Some of the concepts and facts discussed in this paper were taken from “Coaching: The Fad that Won’t Go Away” by Jim Bolt.
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