Archive for January, 2009

Time management is about getting results, not about being busy

Time management is basically about having clarity being focused. The Pareto Principle also known as the ’80:20 Rule’ states that 80% of efforts that are not time managed or unfocused generates only 20% of the desired output. However, 80% of the desired output can be generated using only 20% of a well time managed effort. Although the ratio ’80:20′ is only arbitrary, it is used to put emphasis on how much is lost or how much can be gained with time management.

Time Management is not about a list of rules

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.

There is more to time management than meets the eye

There is 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.

It all comes down to having balanced in your life

Having a balanced life-style should be the key result in having personal time management. This is the main aspect that many practitioners of personal time management fail to grasp.

The six areas that personal time management seeks to improve in anyone’s life are physical, intellectual, social, career, emotional and spiritual.

The physical aspect involves having a healthy body, less stress and fatigue.

The intellectual aspect involves learning and other mental growth activities.

The social aspect involves developing personal or intimate relations and being an active contributor to society.

The career aspect involves school and work.

The emotional aspect involves appropriate feelings and desires and manifesting them.

The spiritual aspect involves a personal quest for meaning.

Planning is the key ingredient

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 so daunting a task. It is a very sensible and reasonable approach in solving problems big or small.

Its all in the basic steps

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.

Each and everyone of us has a peek time and a time when we slow down, these are our natural cycles. We should be able to tell when to do the difficult tasks when we are the sharpest.

Learning to say “No”. You actually see this advice often. Heed it even if it involves saying the word to family or friends.

Pat yourself at the back or just reward yourself in any manner for an effective time management result.

Try and get the cooperation from people around you who are actually benefiting from your efforts of time management.

Don’t procrastinate. Attend to necessary things immediately.

Have a positive attitude and set yourself up for success. But be realistic in your approach in achieving your goals.

Have a planner or journal of all your activities. This will help you get things in their proper perspective.

These are the few steps you initially take in becoming a well rounded individual.

Personal time management is the key to building a better life

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.

What is intuition?

Ever wonder how animals know when a storm is coming? They sense that danger is present. You have that sense also and it is called intuition. Some people call it instinct.

Intuition is essentially instinct. It comes from past experiences. If you learned that a stove is hot as a child, then you will instinctively stay away from stoves when you notice they are hot. That is a simplified explanation that we all can relate to.

Another aspect of intuition is learned behavior

Here’s another simple explanation. Have you ever visited family or a friend on the land and found your senses are heighten as they point out the various aspects of farm life? Those lessons teach you to hear sounds and look for signs that you never knew existed before. It’s actually quite amazing.

With each new experience and learned behavior you acquire new skills. Every time you have choice in your life you don’t consciously run through everything that you know before you make a decision. However, what you do know, that information pertaining to the choice you are making gets processed unconsciously and generates a feeling of being right.

Intuition is seated in your feelings

Some say that they don’t use their intuition because it is based on feelings. Intuition may come across as a feeling but it is backed up by a lifetime of experience and learning. So, you really don’t just trust a feeling or a hunch you trust your experiences.

Always check in with your feelings. Your unconscious mind will always point you in the right direction. Your intuition can save your life in certain situations as well as enhance your life.

Goal setting is best when using your intuition

Use that same process to set your goals. When you identify a goal you want to achieve, use your instinct to decide how best to achieve it. Truly your intuition will show you the best way to proceed. When one path doesn’t pan out, your intuition will help you decide the next course of action.

One reason we don’t always achieve our goals is because we go with someone else’s intuition without checking in on our own thoughts and feelings first.

Intuition requires ongoing practice

Intuition has to be practiced just like anything else. The greatest challenge we have is recognizing that it is really intuition. Think about what goes through you mind if you have to walk down the street at night. You wouldn’t go into a dimly lit street without some trepidation. Why? You have learned that there is inherent danger in these places.

I couldn’t say it any clearer – Don’t be afraid to trust your intuition