May 09, 2001 04:33 PM
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“Don’t cheat time…Time becomes evil, if you cheat him…”
This is really true, whenever I have tried to cheat time and it has cheated me in a bad way and have fallen flat on face. The word “I will do it tomorrow” has to be taken seriously because whenever you put things to tomorrow then you will never finish your work on time.
Many a times we feel the time allotted is so less and how could if we had some more hrs added in our day. Technology has seen us growing day by day. With lot of time saving devices like fast foods, ovens, ATM’S our works seems to gets to be done faster but still we feel that “I wish I had more time”.
Now, the question is there is 24hrs, which is 1440 mins, and in turn which is 86400seconds. So imagine yourself that you don’t have 24hrs but you have got 86400 seconds in a day and you can see that it becomes a very big day. Once you realise that, you can really manage your Time well.
Prioritise your work….
Decide on your work; think what has to be done today or by the week or by end of the month. If your work, which you have taken, seems really complex then try breaking down the work into manageable steps, which can be handled one at a time. Also rank your work on (V.V.I) Very Very Important, (V.I) Very Important and (I) Important. Because if you rank your work then, you will be able balance your work. Remember there are no things, which are not important. For you it must, not be important now but it will become important in future, hence mark that work also.
Do you have things to do…
A day is not complete unless and until you have big list of things to do. Just thinking about wont help. Write down the “things to do list “ of the day and get yourself organized. Now a days you get lots of Organizers and Planners which helps you in keeping track of all your work, but the point is just carrying a Organizer won’t work you need to write down things. If you’re a techy guy and always on the computer then get yourself the Lotus Organizer, (Which I use it) it comes real handy. Instead of keeping things on my mind, just write the things down on the organizer and have seen my day automatically shrunk. How do you guys think, with my busy schedule still take out time for writing and reading reviews on MS. Still after writing reviews and finishing my work, I have time for a evening beer or a movie.
Do you procrastinate…
There are different kinds of people some like to pay their bills the same day they receive them and some wait till the due date has arrived. Here, the question is not to keep the money in the bank but it is of putting off the work because its tedious chore and we do not enjoy these chore. Procrastination is a big problem for many of us, even I was one of the victim of procrastinate but effectively managing time has helped me take care of this problem Believe me guys it can seriously harm your career. Whether your procrastination causes you to arrive late at work or late for meetings, or keeps you from turning projects in on time, employers do not look positively upon it. Being on time and completing your work in a timely fashion shows your seniors that your definitely dedicated to your job. Unless and until you don’t demonstrate your commitment you will not advance in your . People who discipline themselves to tackle thing they don’t like and fear, gain self confidence and make better use of time.
Its very important your overcome this fear of procrastination and the best way you can do it is:
Imagine how you will feel when your simple work like paying a bill is completed. Think positively about its outcome.
As I said earlier, if your project or work is complex break down your work in to different steps and set the time and date to begin working on the first step and think as if it is an appointment. Promise yourself to spend just 15mins on the task until it is done and schedule your work in such a manner, that there is no interruption when you perform your task.
Reward yourself when you complete the task. It may be small reward, may be a glass of strong Coffee with Pastries.
Can you delegate the work…
Have their been instances when the time which you are spending on a certain work which could have done by someone else. You can manage your precious hours of work by delegating your partly finished work to your co-employee or your sub-ordinates.
Can you concentrate without getting distracted…
There are many a times you feel frustrated, when you are doing some important task, people turn up at your desk and disturb you. The key is to physically stop out disturbance as much as possible, whether you need to shut your door, or ask people to be quiet. Its all in your mind, because your mind controls your physical activities. Your mind can really tune according to you if you tell it to. If you see that their has been lot of interruption which is the main cause then allot yourself a time period of the day when you will meet people, take phone calls and the remaining time is all yours and its really private time in which you can complete your work.
Use the 80-20 rule...
One of the great authors of time management has stated this 80-20 rule, which indeed makes your mind think can I really do this. The 80-20 rule states that 80 percent of your accomplishments come from only 20 percent of your efforts. The trick is to figure out what makes that 20 percent so productive. Then, devote more of your time to these productive activities, and reduce the time spent on unproductive work. To analyze how you spend your time, keep a log of your daily activities for about two weeks.
Do you know your energy level…
Most of us have certain times during the day when we're more alert and perform better. Once you've determined your pattern of physical and mental energy levels, try to adjust your daily schedule to mesh with it. By handling mentally demanding jobs during your peak energy periods, you can get more done in less time. Fit your schedule to your moods and energy levels, and you'll find that you'll save time and be more effective in your job.
People think that time is something you can’t see, but when it piles on your shoulder you can’t move. There are days when thinks go whizzing by others crawl painfully along. As long as time remains slippery, elusive, and hard to conceptualise, you will have difficulty managing your days. You need to change your perception of time and develop a more tangible view of it. You need to learn to see time in more visual, measurable terms.
As a I said earlier, if you manage time you will think God has blessed you and when you start cheating time, it takes a face of a evil and then piles on you like anything and you really start worrying …”WHAT HAVE I DONE WRONG”
