Friday, October 22, 2010

3 Simple and Effective Time Management Techniques

Many people spend their days in a frenzy of activity, but achieve very little, because they're not concentrating their effort on the things that matter the most. Especially when you have a family and/or are working a JOB while you're trying to build a business so you can finally get out of that Rat Trap, you need to utilize simple techniques to get done what you need to get done in the shortest period of time.

Personal time management skills are essential skills for effective people. When you put into action simple time management, you'll find that you take control of your workload and say goodbye to the often intense stress of work overload.

These are 3 simple and practical techniques that can help you reach the pinnacles of success in your home business or just in general.

1 - Before ending your day, write down 3-5 tasks to be completed the next day. Now these are NOT "goals" but rather "tasks". If you just focus on accomplishing the income producing activities, your goals will be accomplished automatically. Don't stop until you complete these tasks so make sure they're obtainable. Over time this accumulative effort with explode your results!!! Small actions done consistently.....

2 - Oftentimes when we're pulled in so many directions and have so much to do, we feel overwhelmed resulting is our "shutting down" and doing nothing. Especially if time is tight and the last thing you want to do after a long day at your job and getting the kids to bed, is do even more work, this technique works real well. Set a timer for 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes - whatever is "manageable" and doesn't seem like a long time. Then focus on doing the income producing activities and once the time is up, you're done. This is good too because you know it's just a short period of time instead of thinking about all the things you have to do. You can do ANYTHING for 15 minutes a day and it's better than nothing plus you'll feel a sense of accomplishment. Small actions done consistently....

HINT: This is also a very good technique if you build your business utilizing the various social networking sites. The social sites are a great way to build up your warm market and build relationships; however, they are also a HUGE time waster. So, set a timer and when it goes off, you're done!!!! This will help you focus on tasks that produce results too because you know you only have so much time.

3 - One of the most important activities who can do while building your business is "prospecting and recruiting". However, 90% of people fail because they don't and especially when many people have that "phone fear", it's easy to get side-tracked and instead do what's "comfortable" which usually means "non-productive busy work". So, make it a habit to set hourly prospecting and recruiting goals in 30 minute segments. For 30 minutes, unless your house is burning down or some other emergency, all you do is get on the phone and talk to as many prospects as you can for 30 minutes. For one, if you can't set hourly goals, how can you expect to set weekly, monthly, etc. goals and also by making all your calls at once, instead of here and there, this will make that phone feel less heavy to pick up because after the first couple calls, you'll be on a roll. Small actions done consistently.....

At the heart of time management is an important shift in focus: Concentrate on results, not on being busy


Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Time Management Techniques - Key To Success

Time management is the application of certain processes or tools in order to achieve our goals or complete a project in a certain time period. It is not only applicable in the corporate world, but also in our daily activities. It involves goal setting, planning, organizing, analysis, prioritizing, supervising and budgeting time available. Time is indeed a very difficult resource to manage. This is why the term "time management" not only means managing one's time, but also implies managing our activities daily in order to make the best possible use of that time. When it comes to running a business, managing time becomes all the more crucial and difficult. It completely depends on the person on how efficiently the time in hand is utilized in order to succeed.

Time Management Techniques

* Goal setting:The most important step towards time management is setting the right goals in the form of tasks or projects. This can be given the form of a to-do list or task list with a set schedule of completion. This can be made both for our daily chores, as well as important projects, in work on a daily basis or set time periods. This acts as a reminder for the activities for us. An example of a task list is a simple list of groceries, or stages in a product's development. It is written in a step format and on completion of each task; one can either strike off or check the particular task and move on to the next one. This helps keep track of the pace at which the tasks are completed, as well as reviewing the strategies adopted.

It is also essential to note that the routine tasks need not be written every day, and one can save time by keeping a standard list of daily activities handy as a reminder.

Examples of goal setting are a sales target, conversion rate, product launch and so on. Each has a specific deadline as well.

* Planning:Planning how to utilize our time efficiently helps us in many ways. However, deciding which tasks should be done at a particular time is difficult. For that, we ought to know which time suits a particular task best for the most fruitful results. Planning is the most important step, especially for businesses like in the online marketplace. Everything else becomes secondary to time management in order to succeed. Planning begins with dividing the tasks listed into three categories of goals based on time:

• Short Term Goals: They can be daily or weekly goals.
• Medium Term Goals: They can be monthly or quarterly goals.
• Long Term Goals: They can be more than 2-3 years goals.

One can start planning for the short term goals and with the broader picture of the goals in mind, or one can plan for medium and long term goals as time progresses. Planning for a sudden change in routine is also vital as it could affect the management of time. So make sure the plan is flexible enough to keep some buffer for sudden failure or change.

The plan should also include timely monitoring of tasks in order to track the performance and make required changes at the right time. Assigning a deadline for each task is crucial and ensuring that it is followed is also important. Remember that the targets that we set for each time period should be practical and achievable.

* Prioritizing:In order to avoid wasting time on unimportant tasks at a given time, prioritizing the tasks is very essential. One should always analyze which is the most important goal at a given time, and what are the related activities that need to be completed to achieve that goal. This will automatically give us the flow of activities to be followed to complete the tasks. There are a number of methods followed for prioritizing the tasks. The most common among them is giving numbers to each task in the descending order of priority like highest importance task is "1", next one "2" and so on. Another way is ABC format in which "A" is the most important task, "B" the next and "C" the least important. One can choose any of these methods and prioritize the tasks in a better and easier way.
* Motivation:Time management is complete only when one is motivated to achieve the set goals as planned in the required time. It is not uncommon to get de-motivated by failure during any stage of the entire process of managing your time well. However it is on us how we keep that drive alive. We can achieve that by counting the checks or cross on the task list per day, which can boost our morale and motivation levels. Even rewarding ourselves for small milestones achieved can help us stay focused throughout.

Time Management Tools

There are many tools available online that help us in managing our time effectively. Some of the useful ones are as follows:

* Todolist and Vitalist:These are some of the task list managers available online, which are easy to use and available in various formats.
* MS Outlook and Google Calendar:Calendar is one of the most important tools in time management and is required for scheduling the tasks well. They have features like email reminders, meeting schedules, and multiple formats and so on.
* HighRise and BigContacts:These are tools for managing the contacts more efficiently with features like phone numbers, emails, addresses, notes for each contact, meetings, calls made, tasks due and so on.
* Basecamp and Backpack:These are project management tools that help in collaboration and storing notes and files. They also have features like checklists, task lists, page sharing to name a few.

Time management techniques are useful for all people and businesses that have set targets and want to succeed in the future. A laid-back attitude can never help in rising up the ladder. So time management is crucial for everyone and must be done religiously.


Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Effective Time Management Techniques - Simplify Your Life

Here are a few effective time management techniques which you should master. These can help you become more productive and make full use of your available time.

Many people talk about lack of time. They are unable to complete important tasks on time. Most often the reason is not lack of time, but it is due to improper utilization of the available time. We should learn effective time management techniques so that we allocate our available time to the most important tasks first.

So here are some strategies and tips to help you out:
1. Beat Procrastination Habit - One of the first things you should do is to learn how to overcome procrastination. When you put off things again and again, you will struggle to get important work done. You will find it hard to meet deadlines and organize your time well.

One of the effective ways to beat procrastination is to just start doing the thing you have been putting off. Very often, the first step is the most difficult one. Once you take the first step, you will probably find less resistance for continuing with the remaining ones.

Another important way of beating procrastination is to eliminate distractions that can take your mind off the task. Turn off mobile phones during work. Try to create an atmosphere of peace where you are not disturbed or distracted.

2. Prioritize Your Work - This is one of the most effective time management techniques out there. You should try to focus as much of your time on important work as possible. Prioritizing is very important as there are lots of things to be done and very limited amount of time at your disposal.

So you should be able to decide which things have to be done first. When the important things are taken care of, it won't matter as much if you are unable to finish doing the less important tasks.

Create a list of tasks that need to be done at the beginning of the day. Then give points from 1-10 to each task based on importance. Now re-arrange the tasks from your list from highest points to lowest. Start doing the tasks from the top of the list (those with the highest points).

Keep in mind that you simply cannot do all things. There are certain things which you might need to put off or delegate. This is a simple technique to prioritize your time and decide which tasks need your attention first.


Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Saturday, October 16, 2010

techniques for time management

• Personal time management skills and techniques
Time management lessons with an in-depth discussion of the important time management skills, techniques, and activities.

• Personal time management and goal setting guide
Just using your driving or exercising time smarter may be enough to learn ...

• Time Management Techniques - Time Management - Ways to Manage Time ...
Wish there were more hours in a day? Feeling frustrated because you're not accomplishing what you want to accomplish? We can accomplish what we want to each ...

• 11 Time Management Tips - Time Management
Hone your time management skills with these 11 time management tips. Learn ...

• time management skills training articles, techniques, tips and ...
Personal time management skills, tools and tips, and time management training articles, templates for time management planning and strategy, plus more free ...

Friday, October 15, 2010

time management techniques for college students

• College Student Time Management - 8 College Student Time ...
8 Time Management Skills for College Students. Learning How to Manage Your Time in College Can Be Critical for Your Success. By Kelci Lynn, About.com Guide ...

• Student time management tips
Well-developed student time management skills is a foundation of good study ... to learn all the time management principles and techniques you ever need. ... A short summary of basic guidelines on time management for college students. ...

• 57 Time-Management Hacks for College Students | College@Home
21 May 2008 ... 57 Time-Management Hacks for College Students. Most college students learn very quickly the value of their time when they're struggling to ...

• Managing Your Time - Dartmouth College
29 Jul 2008 ... Many students discover the need to develop or hone their time management skills when they arrive at college. Unlike high school where ...

• College Study Tips - Study Skills
Top viewed college study tips: - note taking techniques - fight for first year in college - time management tips - students to students study tips ...

Thursday, October 14, 2010

effective time management techniques for school pdf

• Time Management
With effective time management skills on your side, you'll overcome ... You'll instantly download it as an easy-to-use PDF file, which opens like the pages ...

• Harvard Business Essentials: Time Management--A Harvard Business ...
3 May 2005 ... 5216ES-PDF-ENG. This guide, from time management experts at the Harvard Business School, thoroughly explains how you can set up an effective ...

• The Really Big List of Classroom Management Resources
1 Dec 2000 ... There are classroom management techniques tailored to elementary and ... for Schools "Teachers Analyze" PDF downloads for Effective Time ...

• Time Management Training from MindTools.com - How to manage time ...
The skills we explain help you become highly effective, by showing you ... Plus get our Time Management Toolkit pdf worth US$9.99 free when you subscribe! ...

• Skills for Today's Workforce: Communication Skills, soft skills ...
11 Apr 2010 ... Time Management, Organization and Leadership ... Effective Library Research - Seven Steps ... Career Management - Stanford School of Medicine ... Career Management Skills for the 21st Century - PDF ...

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

techniques to solving time management problems

• Solving Time Management Problems
Solving Time Management Problems. Managing time in the workplace can be .... Where To Find Good Employee Time Management Techniques • Time Management ...

• Personal time management skills and techniques
Time management skills and techniques. Time management skills are your abilities to recognize and solve personal time management problems. ...

• Mind Tools - Management Training, Leadership Training and Career ...
Boost your career right now with management and leadership training from ... Further, discover techniques that improve creativity, assist problem solving, ... course shows you how to tackle the structural problems that cause job stress. ... How Good is

• Problem Solving Techniques - Problem Solving Training from ...
Time Management Main Page • Introduction to Time Management .... As such, these tools give you a starting point in solving problems that would leave other ...

• Unconventional Techniques to Solving Time Management Problems
12 May 2010 ... Learn different techniques to solving your time management problems. It's unconventional advice to get you more productive and reduce ...

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

time management techniques in business

• Time Management Skills Tips Techniques for Small Business ...
Learn how to schedule and manage time wisely and effectively, avoid procrastination and improve productivity.

• 11 Time Management Tips - Time Management
Time management skills are especially important for small business people, who often find themselves performing many different jobs during the course of a ...

• Time Management Definition - Time Management Skills
In business, time management has morphed into everything from methodologies such as Enterprise Resource Planning through consultant services such as ...

• Time Management Training from MindTools.com - How to manage time ...
This section of Mind Tools teaches you personal time management skills. ... practical techniques that have helped the leading people in business, ...

• Mind Tools - Management Training, Leadership Training and Career ...
How Good is Your Time Management?* - Discover time management tools that ... Nominal Group Technique* - Prioritizing issues and projects to achieve consensus. Organizational Design - Aligning organizational structure with business goals ...