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JULY 24,1997 AUGUSTA FOCUS
Paths to good time management
If you are like most people, bal
ancing a busy personal and profes
sional life is quite a challenge. Try
ing to keep current whether that is
with technology, your industry,
changing expectations at work, or
simply meeting your personal obli
gations, is becoming harder and
harder. More than ever, managing
time will is a key skill.
Time is probably the most pre
cious and limited resource we have.
In spite of our best efforts, time is
unyielding—noone can stopit, slow
itdown, ortruly saveit. Itistherare
person who has enough time to do
all the things that he or she wants
to do. For some reason, we keep
adding “just one more thing,” and
forget to eliminate others. The re
sult is an ever-increasing time
crunch. Do you take on too much,
have difficulty saying “no” to extra
demands, and fail to set priorities?
Paths to success
Considering howimportant goals
are, it is amazing that goal-setting
isnot taught inschools. Thebiggest
dreamers and most successful
people—whetherinsports, thearts,
business or science—started with a
dream, a driving purpose or inspir
ing vision.
Big-picture dreams are wonder
ful things. They inspire and excite,
but left alone, they rarely create.,
Turn your dreams, intentions and
desires into firm, achievable goals.
Specific, measurable, realistic plans
are the building blocks to living
your dreams. Not set in stone or
intended to be inflexible weights
around your neck, goals do make it
easier to stay on track and resist
temptations that may sidetrack you
in directions you do not wish to go.
Plan yearly, quarterly, monthly,
Watch for Augusta Focus’ upcoming trivia contest in the August 14, 1997 paper!
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weekly and daily. The secret to suc
cessful planning is to allow extra
time for unexpected situations, and
not overcommit or over-book your
self. Establish priorities on your
activities so that at the end of each
day, you have done the most impor
tant things. Planning long projects
by breaking them down into bite
sized pieces will help you dedicate a
few minutes each day to important
high-value activities that carry fu
ture due dates. By getting ahead on
projects, you are less likely to have
last-minute crises and time
crunches.
Focus on yourself
Beware of creeping bad habits
that can sabotage your best efforts.
Recognize subconscious patterns
that can make you your own worst
enemy. Whether it is trying to keep
everything in your head, versus
making a list, being constantly late
because you wanted to do just one
more thing before leaving for the
meeting or being easily distracted,
you can change your habits.
Keep one job in front of you at a
time. There is a fantasy that people
multi-task. Actually, what people
do is one task interrupted by an
other. It is nearly impossible to do
two things equally well, simulta
neously.
Thebest way tosave timeisnot to
speed up and attempt to jam more
and more into a crowded schedule.
The best way to do more is to do
less. Saying “no” and delegating
more are two important strategies.
Saying “no” more often will allow
you to say “yes” to your priorities
and to participate fully when you
volunteer. Eliminate unnecessary
and inappropriate activities. Those
can creep in if you do not pay atten
tion.
Identify those areas of greatest
stress, and begin to make changes.
A continual high-stress high-rush
style can cause health problems,
not to mention sleep and interper
sonal difficulties. For example,
make decision quickly. Rarely does
delay improve the quality of the
choice. Over-analysis can be seduc
tiveand also stress-producing. Keep
in mind that nearly all decisions
must e made with imperfect infor
mation.
Focus on others A
Controlinterruptions, time wast
ers and distractions. Whether at
work, at home, or in a home-based
business, these are insidious. Look
for patterns in interruptions. Of
ten, they are caused by a break
down in a system, process or func
tion. Low-priority items often mas
querade as important things that
require your immediate attention;
however, they will often take care
of themselves without your inter
vention. As a test of this, consider
all the things that do not wait for
your return from vacation. Some
how they get handled.
Manageyour staffeffectively. Del
egate regularly. It serves as atrain
ing tool, and helps make others’
jobs moreinteresting. Actively look
for things that your staff does well,
and let them do more of it. Employ
ees are more often limited by our
ability than by their own.
Odette Pollaris a nationally known
speaker, author and consultant. Her
book, 365 Waysto Simplify Your Work
Life is available at book stores. Her
company, Time Management Sys
tems, is based in Oakland, Calif. Call
1-800-599-TIME or e-mail at
Opollartms@aol.com.
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