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| Time Management |
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 | Nobody Can Manage Time
We are constantly
hearing about time management. In actuality time management is impossible.
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We are constantly
hearing about time management. In actuality time management is impossible. You
can’t manage time; it’s going to pass no matter what you do. As I mentioned in
my book, time helps us measure our passage through life, by creating markers
for us. Therefore, the only thing that you can manage with relevance to time is
your schedule.
Do you make sure that you leave enough time between meetings? Are you cognizant of the geographic distances between sales calls or meetings?
Too often, people will make appointments in different areas of their metropolitan region, yet will not allow sufficient time to get from one location to the next. It’s a good idea to leave flextime - extra time between appointments - for such things as traffic problems and longer than expected meetings. Additionally, it relieves stress and anxiety.Are you aware of your peak performance times of the day and do you schedule accordingly? Are you a morning person or an afternoon person? Some people are better at one type of task in the morning and another type later in the day. For instance, I prefer making business phone calls in the morning, and I am more proficient at writing in the afternoon.
Make sure you leave yourself enough time to prepare for meetings, sales calls, projects, etc. Regulate your schedule and handle preparation time as if it were meetings. List preparation time in your planners and do not accept appointments during those times. It is a difficult practice to get into, but once you have mastered it, you become much more effective and efficient at sales calls, meetings and projects.Stand back and look at how much energy you are sending out. It may be time to redirect some for yourself.
Procrastination is a schedule thief. Wasting the precious non-renewable resource of time catches up with everyone eventually. Shedding the habit of procrastination forces you to do away with the eventual frustration and pressure that comes with putting things off. Give yourself realistic deadlines and inform someone who can hold you accountable.
Learn how to say no. Close your office door. Screen calls and be diligent about needless interruptions.The greatest value in proficient schedule management is the ability to maintain an enjoyable life now! In a discussion with my son a few years back I was observing the fact that in his twenty-fifth year he was struggling with a decision that many years before I was faced with as well. My comment to him was that today you may be twenty-five…but in the snap of a finger (or so it seems from the perspective of someone more than twice his age), you’ll be fifty and “wondering” where the years went. By managing your schedule the transition “through” time gives you control of your life and career.
Realize that habit changes usually take 21 days. Be persistent. Your new habits of getting things done, not procrastinating, prioritizing, using a planner to layout specific times for all your tasks and maximizing your schedule, will create a fresh and more relaxing way of life!