Article by Paula Eder

As Benjamin Franklin wisely said,”Do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.”

Time management tips can help you generate the power you need to energize and strengthen your time choices. This begins with investing the time to reflect on which time choices truly fulfill your needs. And identifying which time choices are due for an overhaul helps it build.

Do you fall into the trap of rationalizing that you lack the time to assess your time choices? Consider that time is precious, unrepeatable, and finite. So value your life and refine your time choices by building regular “reflection points” into the rhythm of your life.

What exactly is a reflection point? It’s a moment in your day, or week, or month, when you pause and reflect on how things are going.

Consider asking yourself the following questions:

1. What are the goals you are progressing with?

2. What are the intentions you wish to follow up on?

3. What relationships need tending?

4. What are your accomplishments to celebrate?

How to Make Reflection Points Work for You

Rather than treating reflection points as one more activity to squeeze into a busy day, envision them as spacious baskets that hold all aspects of your life. This enables you to create a relaxed overview while you sort through your priorities. From this time of reflection, you return to your day refreshed, with energies realigned.

Here are some ways to prepare your reflection points:

Reflection Points are Uniquely Yours.

You can focus on one thing or several. And work with a journal or list – it’s entirely up to you. The most important thing to keep in mind is that this is your opportunity to decide for yourself how to make your life work better for you. You needn’t explain yourself to anyone. Instead, you clarify what matters to you. In fact, your points of reflection can inspire you to reclaim personal power that you have allowed others to control.

Factor in Time to Fine-Tune Your Timing.

How frequently you schedule in points of reflection might depend on how satisfied you are with your life. And whether you envision fresh potentials you would like to explore. Times of transition also require more frequent retuning, as you familiarize yourself with a new landscape.

Create a Conducive Climate.

Consider setting aside time on a regular basis when you’ll be undisturbed. If it’s helpful, prepare your environment so that it is especially conducive for relaxing and looking within. Have touchstones nearby that inspire you, and a notepad for recording fresh ideas.

By shaping this special time to your needs, you can actively welcome these opportunities for reflection. Every time you review your time choices, you dignify your life with intentionality. There is no greater gift you can give yourself or to others than living by time choices that reflect your deepest values.

So, how can you start clarifying your priorities today to start finding more time?

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Article by Paula Eder

Time management tips are your avenues to discover and create enormous strength. As you explore how you combine power and time, you access life-changing keys that unlock your potential. To best support your productivity and your happiness, explore how you allow perfectionism to limit you.

Perfectionism is your enemy. It traps you into rigid behaviors and paralyzing fears. You may be surprised to learn how much perfectionism derives its powers from false promises and threats that you give yourself. Fortunately, sentence completion exercises can help you detect these destructive distortions. You can recognize right now just how insubstantial the promises and threats truly are! This helps you reclaim your power over your time and your productivity.

How to Expose Perfectionism’s Illusions – A Sentence Completion Exercise

You may find that you give these sentences different endings at different times. That’s all to the good. These variations enrich your understanding. What matters is that you develop a full appreciation of how perfectionism leads to self-sabotage.

1. Doing something perfectly means I am ____.

2. When I don’t do something perfectly, then ____.

3. Perfectionism weighs me down by ___.

Perfectionism may have started as an honest attempt to do your best and to please others who were important to you, when you were a child. Now, though, your task is to expose the illusions of perfectionism. Then, you can mobilize yourself using the resilience of realism. Explore the sentences you have completed. Then engage in the next eye-opening exercise.

Exercise: Reduce the Illusory Importance of Perfectionism

What myths do you attach to the idea of perfection? (For example, no matter how “perfect” you are, you will never be able to control others’ choices.)

What fears contribute to your desire to be perfect?

What real reward can you give yourself that is more valuable than chasing an empty dream?

As you can see, by shining the light on old beliefs, you expose their shortcomings, and provide yourself with a powerful incentive to explore, learn from your mistakes, and open up new worlds of potential!

Remember that this is an ongoing exploration. By constantly challenging the myths of perfectionism, you undercut its power to undercut you. The more effectively you utilize time by training your focus on realistic goals, the easier you will find it to pace yourself. Starting and completing important projects will no longer incapacitate you with anxiety.

As a final exercise, ask yourself – “How can I eliminate one of the constrictions of perfectionism from my life today?”

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Article by Paula Eder

Time management tips boost your productivity best when you create crystal clear priorities. So anchor your priorities with values, and your day will be infinitely more rewarding!

What Makes a Value a True Value?

For a value to be a true value, it must meet these seven criteria as defined by Louis Raths. Sidney Simon, Professor Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts, credits Raths as “the true father of values clarification”.

1. It must be freely chosen.

2. It must be chosen from other alternatives.

3. It must be chosen after deliberate reflection.

4. It must be prized and cherished.

5. It must be publicly affirmed.

6. It must be acted upon repeatedly.

7. It must be consistent with your other values.

Journal Your Way to Clearer Values with This Simple Exercise

One way to clarify your personal values is through the use of a journal. Sidney Simon calls this a “Values Journal”.

Over a period of three to six months, record your most important thoughts, feelings and ideas. Review your entries, identify emerging and consistent patterns and write them down.

How do they represent your strongest and clearest values? Writing down even one or two sentences to clarify these issues will strengthen your sense of self, and will help you make time choices you are happier with.

There are many questions you can ask yourself to help identify what’s most important. Those that present dilemmas provide some of the richest lessons. Make a list of dilemmas in which one value comes into direct conflict with another.

For example: you value boundaries, not taking what isn’t ‘yours’ – yet your baby is starving and you have absolutely no money.

* Would you steal infant formula if it meant you could save your child’s life? Ask yourself, what is your most cherished value?

* What consequences are you willing to endure?

* What sacrifices are you willing to make?

* What does this say about who you are and how you choose to live your life?

* Are your values consistent or do you find inherent conflicts that need to be resolved?

Like a lens on a camera, such questions help you select, focus and prioritize your values by defining and refining the most significant and fundamental aspects of your life.

Taking the time to maintain a Values Journal and explore dilemmas will yield unexpected rewards. Your sense of self will strengthen along with your confidence. The more respect you accord your values, the more calmly and assertively you can set important boundaries. Take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to truly value your time and inspire yourself to make the best time choices ever!

Now ask yourself: How can you start clarifying your values today to find more time?

Article by Paula Eder

Time management tips are lifesavers in stressful times. They are like paddles that move your kayak safely through the rapids. Each day will surprise you. Each challenge calls on you to respond with strength and flexibility.

But how much have you been taught about developing flexibility? Could mastery of this skill have helped you through past crises? Well, you can enhance your flexibility now.

The more you develop a core understanding of how to flex, the more motivated you will find yourself to exercise this strength, day after day.

Let’s return to the metaphor of the kayak. Envision yourself expertly guiding a kayak around eddies and rocks on a cool spring morning. Sense the exhilaration as you successfully navigate each obstacle. Maintaining this sense of centeredness, feel yourself develop agility in this moment to bring to today’s challenges. Here are some underlying principles of flexibility:

5 Flexibility Fundamentals:

1. Agility Improves Balance

The more agile you are, the more you can keep your balance. Which way is the boat pitching? Can you be at one with the motion and feel the dance? At times like this, you may feel more attuned and more alive.

2. Befriend change by anticipating it.

Since everything changes, your plans must change, too. Life surprises us all, as these times prove beyond a doubt! Old expectations are torn loose from their moorings, and we must swerve around them to avoid collision. You must know what is essential to hang onto and what can be eliminated. Difficult as these times are, they invite us to develop our core strengths. To keep afloat in troubled waters, identify what can be thrown overboard. Each good decision strengthens your self-reference and resilience.

3. Cultivate Relaxed, “Open Focus”.

Focused alertness guides you best. Immerse yourself in the moment. Sense where you are, and what appears just ahead. Resolve to engage fully, and see how you can replace fear with curiosity.

4. Viable Priorities Keep You Agile.

Clear priorities are the backbone of flexibility. Your priorities tell you who you are. They guide all your choices. Although it’s human nature to want to have it all, you define your strengths when: You identify just how little you need. You declare what comes first. You maintain what’s foremost in your life.

5. Gracefully Letting Go Supports Optimal Balance.

In Scott Peck’s classic book, The Road Less Traveled, he identified balancing as one of the 4 essential disciplines to living well. “Balancing is discipline, disciplined,” he states. That is, without the flexibility to give up one benefit to preserve another more valued one, we become rigid, encumbered, and eventually topple over.

All schedules, plans and time management strategies need to be tempered with flexibility. Become such a good friend to yourself that you can immediately identify what’s most important to you, and what you can let go. Support yourself in this all-important endeavor. It will strengthen your humanity, your grace under pressure, and your sheer pleasure in life.

As a final exercise, ask, How can you start clarifying your priorities today to cultivate flexibility and find more time?

Article by Paula Eder

Time management tips help you make the small changes that create profound transformations. It is always daily, manageable steps that move you from where you are to where you’d like to be. Yet making this progress is also some of the hardest work you’ll ever do. Why is that?

The vison that fuels your enthusiasm absolutely must be maintained. Protect it like a sacred flame. You know the adage, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Indeed, our great cities are built brick-by-brick. Imagine the challenge of keeping sight of the goal while stacking bricks for months or even years on end! So it is for us, very often, as we build toward our goals.

Commit to these 3 Golden Rules as you implement the action steps you’ve so carefully laid out to achieve your dream of success.

First Golden Rule: Begin immediately, and also take all the time you need. A life journey isn’t a race!

Beginning immediately and taking all the time you need is no contradiction. When you start out, remember that finding time to reach your goal probably involves many steps, including:

* Changing your time priorities.

* Setting time boundaries.

* Letting go of some old habits around time.

This can all feel quite disruptive at first! Give yourself and your loved ones the much-needed time to adjust as you make this transition in your life. After all, you are changing your life and making space for a new, more effective you to emerge.

Second Golden Rule: Reward yourself as often as needed, so you can maintain your forward momentum.

Llife journeys, like marathons, require constant sustenance. You will feel so much better about the expedition if you validate and reward every accomplishment of any size that moves you closer to your ultimate goal. This is vitally important! It’s so easy to feel like you aren’t getting anywhere at the beginning, or even the middle of an important venture. You may well feel like all you are doing is carrying bricks. Don’t worry – your success will begin to take shape. Each step along, give yourself plenty of pats on the back!

How often? This is so important, I’ll repeat it. Validate and reward yourself as often and as generously as you need to maintain your momentum. Whenever possible, align your rewards to reinforce your goals, as well. If you resist this highly practical step, simply ask yourself, “What is it worth to me to meet my goals?” Chances are, it is worth the manageable investment of time and healthy treats you will provide yourself. Furthermore, you will enjoy your journey far more!

Third Golden Rule: Correct your course instead of abandoning it.

Rewarding yourself to maintain your morale is essential. It is also of prime importance to stick with your plan, even if it needs some revising. This strengthens your capacity to succeed in 3 ways:

* Remaining on your chosen path builds focus, and focus is required to achieve your goals.

* Faithfulness to your carefully planned schedule develops self-trust.

* Unswervability translates into resilience. Each time you stay on course, you reinforce your vision.

You are your life companion, and your quality of life depends on remaining true to yourself. Certainly, If you notice that you or your results are veering way off track, take the time to assess what is happening and why. Maybe you do need to adjust your plan. It’s important to do this consciously and logically. If you simply ignore your initial plans and change course without checking in with yourself, you increase your reactivity. This can lead to your overreacting to smaller and smaller setbacks. Instead, build your confidence for your next goal, too!

These 3 golden rules are simple: not always easy, but always powerful. So fuel your incentive to find and stay on the path that transforms your intentions and goals into realities! As you proceed, you will discover that this path of transformation is one of the most exciting and doable journeys you will ever take!

Now, what is your next small but powerful step to reach your destination?

Article by Kanaga Siva

Yes the title is rather intriguing. When there are only 24 hours in a day, how can you create more time? Haven’t we heard people complaining that 24 hours is not enough to do all their work? Haven’t we seen people wasting time and idling knowing not what to do. We also see people working efficiently in their jobs, actively participating in several organizations and yet finding time to relax with their spouses and children. Why is it that some fail to accomplish much while others are able to do much and accomplish much in life? Where do they find this extra time to do this?1. Time Management Tip: Prioritize your work first.

You have many problems to solve, many tasks to be done on a short term and on a long term basis, but where do you start? Sit down quietly, put your thinking cap on and identify the things you consider as more important and requires immediate or early attention. Do not waste your time thinking about unimportant things. Prioritize these and also the not so urgent matters and start acting on the order of priority.

2. Time Management Tip: Focus Your Mind on the work at hand.

Every morning as soon as you wake up, look up your work schedule and plan how you intend working for the day. You have to work smart, in other words you have to work efficiently and also save valuable time. Focus your attention on your work irrespective of other considerations and distractions. Thus you will be able to focus your mind and start the day in a planed and systematic manner.

3. Time Management Tip: Do One thing at a Time.

In spite of prioterizing your work, you may find things that need urgent attention. Attempting to do many things at the same time can lead to confusion and even demoralize you. You have to accept the fact that you can’t do all at once it is always advisable to do one thing at a time, complete the task and move on to the next. Thus you will be able to concentrate on your work, work faster and boost your morale.

4. Time Management Tip: Avoid Procrastination.

While working you are bound to come across problems that you will not be able to solve. If it is not urgent, move on to the next and come back to it later. If the problem is beyond your capabilities seek external help and ensure the it is solved. Some have the habit of postponing all the difficult tasks and completing the easy ones. What happens is that the files keep on piling up and the tendency to procrastinate sets in. If you ever allow procrastination to take control of your life, your chances of success will be doomed for ever.

5. Time Management Tip: Learn to say NO.

Saying NO can indeed be very difficult. If you want to succeed in life and save valuable time, then you have to cultivate the art of saying NO whenever you consider that NO is the best answer. A simple “No Thanks, not this time, thank you for asking” will be a good answer. If you are not comfortable with this answer with certain people, you could say “Let me think about it and get back to you” or something similar to this. This will give you enough breathing space to think over it and if necessary say a definite NO when confronted with the same issue later.

Conclusion.

By adopting these tips, working smart and acting wisely Successful Businessmen, Entrepreneurs and Professionals create more time every day and participate in sevaral activities while the others watch with envy and wonder how they do it. Ordinary people think merely of spending time whereas these smart people think of using it.