by Marlies Cohen

Mastering Time Management

By Becoming Ultra Productive

TIME MANAGEMENT ACTION PLANNING

The key to time management is

self-management

If you don’t have time to do it right, when

will you have the time to do it over?

~John Wooden

Create your own productivity system – no one system works for everybody

Quit procrastinating – this is a huge time waster

Eliminate time wasters -Remove them before you start work.

Master your skills to get your work done faster and well.

Learn to say no. If you keep saying yes to everything, you delay your progress.

Just do it! Stop the excuses

Be well rested. The quality of sleep is more important then the quantity.

Learn from the best. This short cuts your learning curve.

Reward yourself. An incentive will perk you up.

Ditch the unimportant. Don’t waste your time.

Be on time for everything on your schedule.0

PREPARE THE NIGHT BEFORE

2

For every minute you spend organizing,

an hour is earned ~Benjamin Franklin

“How did it get so late so soon?” ~Dr. Seuss

Make a big master list of everything you need to do.

Put all your ideas on this list.

Organize or mark your tasks according to their priority

• must do today – your most important tasks (MIT)

• should do today

• could do today

• some day

Get a head start. Get up when the alarm goes off or even 5-10 minutes earlier.

Set a target or goal – to give you something to work towards. Set a deadline – this motivates and creates speed and action. Time Box your tasks – define a fixed time slot for your most important tasks.

MOST IMPORTANT TASKS

“Start with the end in mind. ” ~Stephen R. Covey

“Make use of time, let not advantage slip.” ~William Shakespeare

The Most Important Tasks (MIT) are the big, tough tasks for your day that you really need to get done.

These are the ones that will keep you in the office past the time you planned to leave, or working after dinner if you don't get through them.

Do these tasks before you move on to other tasks like the ones you don’t like.

Remember the 80/20 rule of time management

80 % of the importance of what you do in any given day lies in only twenty % of the activities you do. Focus on accomplishing the top twenty % of the most important tasks and you will feel more productive and satisfied at the end of the day and you still will have done 80% of the most important work.

LIST MAKING / PLANNING STRATEGIES

“Your mind is for having ideas, not

holding them.” ~David Allen

“The key is not spending time, but

in investing it.” ~Stephen R. Covey

Separate your today list from your master list.

Your sole focus of this list has to be on today.

Have deadlines for your tasks and stick to them.

Take regular breaks to make sure you don’t become stale or over-stressed.

Separate your today list from your master list.

Your sole focus of this list has to be on today.

Limit how many items you add to your to-do list.

Build in some flexibility.

Break down large projects into small parts and prioritize.

Check off each item as you complete it.

Measure your results, not your time.

Review your achievements each day.

Keep a done list, a running log of everything you complete in a day.

GO FOR EXCELLENCE, NOT PERFECTION.

PERFECTION TAKES TOO LONG!

8 HABITS OF HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE PEOPLE

Habit 1:

Ruthlessly cut away the unimportant - focus on the important

Habit 2

Allocate breaks strategically - Rest when you are tired

Habit 3

Remove productivity pit stops – thoughts that limit your productivity

Habit 4

Tap into your inspiration – channel your inner muse

Habit 5

Create barriers to entry – don’t make yourself too accessible

Habit 6

Optimize time pockets - make the best of every minute

Habit 7

Set timelines – so things get done

Habit 8

Automate everything possible – outsource, delegate and automate

Same Old Way

Something New

Credit: Celestine Chua http://personalexcellence.co/blog/productive-people-manifesto/

If you want to contact Marlies:

www.marliescohen.com

902-463-4630

info@marliescohen.com

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