Time Management Notes: Organizing for a Fresh Start
Think back to your elementary school era, to your first day in a new school year. Regardless of what happened the semester before, you had a chance for a fresh start. There were no time management issues following you. You were dressed in your best clothes, with new supplies, and you walked into a well-laid-out, neat classroom, ready to have a productive year. A desk was assigned where you carefully placed your supplies. Books were passed out, and you added those to the desk contents. You were in control, with no distracting clutter anywhere.
Now jump two months into the school year. Take a look at some of those desks again. Which one most closely resembled yours?
Were you the one whose desk still had all the books stacked inside, large textbooks on the bottom, smaller ones on the top, pencils right at the edge inside of the desk for easy access?
Were you the one who appeared to own more books and papers than anyone else in the class because your desk was overflowing? There were books falling on the floor all the time, wrinkled papers sticking out, no pencil or crayons to be found without a major overhaul.
Move ahead a few years to present day. When you walk into your office in the morning, what is your first reaction? Is it excitement about the prospects for the day or dread at having to cope with all the daily demands while operating in disorganization?
Unfortunately you do not often have the opportunity to make a fresh start each year as children do. Instead you tend to keep on accumulating more and more year after year without the chance to clear out your space at the end of a term.
You might begin to resemble the child with the overflowing desk. As he pulls out a book, several other items crash to the floor. Now the class has to wait while he gets his things together. He is using up valuable time, and he is also causing others to lose valuable time.
A similar scenario occurs in everyday work situations. Are you being as effective as you can, or are you bogged down because of all the clutter around you? Have you ever held up a project because you misplaced information or overlooked a deadline?
The first point of entry into your workday is usually the desk. You will never be an efficient time manager if you do not have control of the paper and clutter surrounding you.
Even if your personal area is organized, you are directly affected by the disorganization of colleagues. When they do not have appropriate systems, they end up interrupting you to ask for a report or to question a date. They might show up late for meetings or not follow through on an important project. Their lack of organization leads to numerous inefficiencies, and then to stress and subsequent illnesses. All of these can have a direct impact on you and those around you.
Consider setting aside time once or twice a year to stop, catch up or reorganize, and give yourself a fresh start. Your attitude on entering a clear, well-laid-out space will add a positive slant to each day and more hours of productive output. It is also a great lesson for children.
7 Quick and Easy Steps to Manage Your Time More Effectively
The internet is one of those things in life that borders on the verge of a good versus evil battle. It can be the greatest money making tool in existence, or the most malicious time waster. When people venture into the business of internet marketing, they often think it’s going to be a piece of cake. Most people who decide upon internet marketing as a business venture love the internet to begin with and want to unleash its evident power to their advantage.
Sometimes these web lovers are sorely disappointed because it seems that they work for hours upon hours and don’t get anything accomplished. That, my friends, is the nature of the beast!
If you intend to do business on the internet, you absolutely have to be disciplined in order to manage your time. Here are 7 steps to doing a better job of it:
1. Set work hours
It is so easy to waste time when you should be working and to end up working unreasonable hours. Internet work can seemly turn into an addiction overnight if you don’t set specific work hours and stick with them.
2. Schedule play hours
Don’t spend your work hours playing – surfing the net, visiting internet forums or participating in chat rooms. Set aside leisure time for such activities if you are prone to them.
3. Schedule communications
Set specific times during your work hours to open email. This should usually be the first thing and the last thing you do each work day. If you open your email periodically and respond to it, your work hours can be eaten up in a hurry! Turn off any indicators that tell you you’ve got new email.
4. Block the SPAM
Use a SPAM blocker to isolate or block SPAM email and keep it up to date. Use a separate email address for your business and personal email. Open personal email during your leisure time and business email during your scheduled communication time within your work hours.
5. Make a long-term plan
Make a long-term plan of what you wish to accomplish through your internet marketing. Having a vision with milestones and deadlines will keep you focused and working purposefully day after day.
6. Plan your days
Plan your days ahead of time with a “to do” list that ensures important things will get accomplished. Always plan a little time for unexpected interruptions or demanding little emergencies.
7. Kill the messenger
If you use messenger programs such as MSN Messenger or Yahoo Messenger, log out during your work hours. If you conduct business communications through the messenger program, open separate accounts or block contacts so that only your business associates that you need to be available to can contact you via the messenger program during your work hours.
Implementing these 7 simple tips will help you to master your time and will skyrocket your productivity!
A friend of mine back in high school never failed to amaze me every time we have assignments, projects, and requirements to submit. He would work on projects only a couple of days before submission when we had been given weeks to do it. It was also his habit to write papers and solve homework usually on the day of submission itself. Yes, he sometimes turned in late but I just find it somehow brilliant that he gets to still finish tasks without fully utilizing the time frame given to us. Little did I know then that my friend’s habit of cramming is already a behavioral problem called procrastination. Yes, that’s really the term for it.
We cram from time. We postpone doing the dishes to finish a movie on TV. We put off finishing our office work to be able to clock out early and attend a party. We start some tasks much later because “there’s still so much time.” And the list goes on. Heck, cramming is a part of life. But once cramming becomes your lifestyle, that’s where you got a problem.
Procrastination delays things and is counterproductive as well as unnecessary. These inevitably cause stress and a wave of guilt. Because one fails to deliver what is expected of him or her, s/he tends to magnify the perceived sense of disapproval of the people around him or her. One’s self-confidence and self-worth could also reach extremely low levels such that the person already starts sinking into depression and finds it hard to socialize even with close friends.
With stress also comes the degradation of physical health. To be able to review for an exam or finish writing a paper, students usually spend whole nights cramming. Lack of sleep and rest lowers the body’s immune system, making one more susceptible to illnesses. And it gets even worse when once your body starts to slow down, you load up on coffee and other energy-boosting, caffeine-heavy drinks. Caffeine may keep your body awake longer but it can’t keep your mind as sharp. Thus, the end result will just be a lowered body resistance.
One of the reasons of procrastination is the lack of skills. Some people who are not confident enough to do a certain task may, as a coping mechanism, procrastinate so they would have an excuse if they don’t finish their task on time properly. Procrastination lets them avoid doing something and gives them some sort of consolation. They make themselves believe that were they only given more time to work on something, they could’ve done it right.
Another reason for procrastinating is lack of interest. When they don’t have the drive to do something, some people procrastinate by doing something else or nothing at all. The thing about here is most people believe that they have to be in the mood to be able to do something when, actually, it should be the other way around. “Mood” is such a fleeting emotional and mental disposition, so it won’t really do us right to wait for it just to be able to do something. As efficient people say, the motivation is in the doing.
Now, given that procrastination is a serious behavior problem, if you think you’re a candidate for being a certified procrastinator, you should know better than to just laugh about it. Read up on how to strengthen your will power and discipline to be able to correct this habit. And, do it now.
Tips for Organizing Your Monthly Bills and Paperwork
Do you get hit with late fees because you forget to pay your bills on time? Do you constantly waste time searching for that cable bill you left somewhere in the house? Spend an hour organizing your personal bills and papers now, and this will save you time and frustration in the future. Plus, this helps make tax time easier because you already have everything in one place.
First of all, have a place where you sort your mail every day. Junk mail gets trashed or recycled right away. Magazines and catalogs should go in a rack to read later. Open your bills, make a note of the due date and immediately put them on your desk in a small file until you write the check. A small letter file that sits on your desk works well- no need to buy any fancy tickler file unless you think that will work better for you.
It’s best to start in January, but you can begin to set up your filing system at any time during the year. Use a filing cabinet or plastic storage box to store all your files. I prefer a plastic file box because at year end I can carry it to the basement to store with other old records.
If you have more than 10 bills a month, use a separate manila folder for each company you write a check to. I prefer to use the manila file jackets instead because they have closed sides that prevent small receipts from falling out and getting lost.
Create a folder for Miscellaneous for those people or companies you only pay once or twice each year, such as insurance or magazine subscriptions. You can also use this folder to keep those occasional letters you need to write during the year but don’t know where to file them.
Make a folder for bank statements and another one labeled “For income taxes.” As you pay a bill that can be deducted on your tax return (such as real property tax or medical bills), file it in this folder instead of your paid bills file. Name one folder “Investments” for any paperwork that comes regarding your 401(k) or IRA during the year.
If you pay less than 10 checks a month, you don’t need a separate folder for each company-you can manage with only one file folder for all of your bills for the whole year.
Keep all your paycheck or direct deposit stubs in an envelope or folder, newest one on top. I use a regular letter envelope for mine, and always keep them until I verify that my W-2 is correct when it arrives in January.
Pay your bills as you get paid- either weekly or bi-weekly. If you are paid monthly, chances are you will have to pay some of your bills during the month, so schedule time to pay bills every other week. Be sure to allow a week’s mailing time if you pay by check. If you pay online, this chore will be easier, and in most instances you can set up your payment in advance of the due date.
After you write the check or pay online, be sure to mark the bill “Paid” with the date and check number before you file it in the folder you have set up.
At the end of December, create new files so you can be ready for the next year.
By organizing your bills and setting up a filing system, you will wind up spending less time on this chore every week. And, next tax season all you will need to do is pull the file “For income taxes” to begin preparing your tax returns.
Due to the tremendous success of this helpful resource, we are running a special sale price for it! Be one of the thousands who are learning how to organize their home using this ebook, The Essential Guide to Organizing Your Home.
Unless you have some magical powers like Mary Poppins, you know that cleaning and organizing your home can be a daunting task. With The Essential Guide To Organizing Your Home, that task will become much easier. Inside you will find practical tips and techniques to rid every room in your house of clutter and keep it that way.
Do you shudder when you think of people coming over to visit unannounced? Do you panic when you get a message on your answering machine that family is coming and they left 4 hours ago (and it’s a 5 hour trip)? Do you try to clean before your cleaning lady comes? Can you not afford a cleaning lady and try to do it yourself, ending up discouraged, frustrated, and thinking it’s just impossible?
The Essential Guide To Organizing Your Home is your solution. Now you can dive right in with this easy to follow, room by room guide to a clean and organized home.
The Essential Guide To Organizing Your Home is the ultimate guide to maintaining a clutter free home. Order your copy today and get organized now!
