Time Management

Brian Tracy is the expert author behind the famous book, Eat That Frog.  His new pocket sized book, Time Management is easy to read and full of simple and easy to implement ideas.  Here are some of my favorite tips from the book:

Time Management is a skill.  It’s something we can all learn.  With practice, we get better at it every day.  The real goal of time management is making the best of what you have every single day in order to live your best life.

When you’re thinking about time management, picture yourself “as if” you already are a great time manager.  What can you get done every day?  How is that different from your day now?

Stopping to think about what matters most in life to you can really assist you in managing your time better.  What are you biggest goals?    What is most important to you?  What do you value the most?  Tasks that reinforce these values are the ones you want to put your energy into.

Always keep the end in mind when you are doing any task.  This helps to make sure you the tasks are fitting with the desired outcome.

Writing to do lists is one of the ways you can be most effective.  Getting things off your mind and onto paper can help you sleep better and help you start the day on the right note.

Sometimes planning what NOT to do is just as important as what you are doing.  If you know you waste time on social media, make sure you set boundaries on the time you spend.

Brian poses three awesome questions: 1.  If I could only do one thing on this list, all day long, which one activity would contribute the greatest value? 2.  What’s the second most important activity?  3. What the third most important activity?

When we are given a deadline or an incentive to finish, we always shock ourselves with how much we can get done in a short period of time.

Multitasking has been used by everyone for as long as we can remember.  However, studies have recently shown that by multitasking you can lose up to 10 IQ points as the day goes on. No wonder you feel flustered!

There are two types of procrastinators.  High producers procrastinate on tasks of little to no value.  Low producers procrastinate on tasks that of high importance.

Finally, it’s not rocket science, but it’s been shown that those who have organized desks are more productive.  Keep your desk clear of distractions and clutter.