Time management tips

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TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS

Time management is basically about being focused. The Pareto Principle states that 80% of efforts that are not time managed or unfocused generate only 20% of the desired output. However,  80% of the desired output can be generated using only 20% of a well time managed effort.  So how do you make this happen?

Some people view time management as a list of rules that involves scheduling of appointments, goal settings, thorough planning, creating things to do lists and prioritizing. These are the core basics of time management that should be understood to develop an efficient personal time management skill. These basic skills can be fine tuned further to include the finer points of each skill that can give you that extra reserve to make the results you desire.

But there are more skills involved in time management than the core basics. Skills such as decision making, inherent abilities such as emotional intelligence and critical thinking are also essential to your personal growth.

Personal time management involves everything you do. No matter how big and no matter how small, everything counts. Each new knowledge you acquire, each new advice you consider, each new skill you develop should be taken into consideration.

Having a balanced life-style should be the key result in having personal time management.  Time management is about getting results, not about being busy.

The six areas that personal time management seeks to improve in anyone's life are:

• Physical - a healthy body, less stress and fatigue.
• Intellectual - learning and other mentally stimulating activities.
• Social - developing personal or intimate relations and an active contributor to society.
• Career - involves job satisfaction and achieving personal development goals.
• Emotional - balance of appropriate feelings and desires and manifesting themselves.
• Spiritual - achieving self-actualisation and a personal quest for meaning.

Thoroughly planning and having a set of things to do list for each of the key areas may not be very practical, but determining which area in your life is not being giving enough attention is part of time management. Each area creates the whole you, if you are ignoring one area then you are ignoring an important part of yourself.

Personal time management should not be a daunting a task. It is a very sensible and reasonable approach in solving problems big or small.   A great way of learning time management and improving your personal life is to follow several basic activities.  One of them is to review your goals whether it be immediate or long-term goals often. A way to do this is to keep a list that is always accessible to you. Always determine which task is necessary or not necessary in achieving your goals and which activities are helping you maintain a balanced life style.  Below are a few steps you initially take in becoming a well rounded individual.

• Work with your natural cycle - try to avoid difficult tasks when you are not at your sharpest.
• Learn to say "No" even it is friends and family.
• Reward yourself
• Get cooperation from people around you
• Don't procrastinate. Attend to necessary things immediately
• Positive attitude and set yourself up for success.
• Be realistic in your approach in achieving your goals.
• Have a record or journal of all your activities. This will help you get things into perspective.

From the moment you integrate into your life time management skills, you have opened several options that can provide a broad spectrum of solutions to your personal growth. It also creates more doors for opportunities to knock on.