19 replies
Recently I had to achieve a goal in my sales and I didn't quite make it. This made me feel like a complete failure. I was so close, but yet so far! This was a substantial loss of earnings which would have helped.

I had successfully hit another target - improving my status in my company. This made me feel a little better.

I was looking for a bit of simpathy from my husband and all I got was - "Its down to time management".

The explanation I was given was - "If you went into an exam, you would share your time out answering all the questions and not necessarily spend all the time answering and completing a few questions. Its all about planning your time."

Working for myself and having to be self motivated means I did not take this as criticism, but I have taken this on board. It has helped me re focus how I spend my time during the day, planning ahead and this will definetely help me achieve my goals.

I would like to know if anyone has some good time mangement tips - how do you do it?
#management #time
  • Profile picture of the author Chris Lagarde
    The only time management system I've ever had luck with is "Getting Things Done" (GTD) by David Allen. You can implement it in a variety of ways e.g. paper- based, PDA-based, or a combination of the two. If you inevitably slip into disorganization again, it's easy to get back into using the GTD system.

    One caveat...don't spend a bunch of time trying to tweak it. While one of the strengths of GTD is that it is a flexible time management system, don't get caught up in the trap of trying out the latest tool/software/implementation of GTD.
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  • Profile picture of the author Veredfu
    The best advice about time management that I can think of is of Eben Pagan. I have seen some of his videos and found them really inspiring and eye opening in relation to time management. You can see in this link http://www.wakeupproductiveblog.com on the left side of the screen there are links to deferent posts, some of them are videos of his trainings, I found them really interesting and helpful.

    Good luck
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  • Profile picture of the author FrankRose
    Managing time can be a challenge. It definitely takes focus and organization (mostly). What works for me is this technique called "Time-Boxing." All you do is set a certain amount of time on how long you are going to put in work and stop. You can tell yourself that you would work for 5mins (just to take some action) and actually work longer than expected.
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    • Profile picture of the author SteveSki
      I found a really great time management tool that
      is different from most and really helps you to stay
      focused. Just google "The Action Machine" to check
      it out!
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  • Profile picture of the author AmyBrown
    I too use principles from GTD and Eben Pagan, but for me it comes down to always having a plan. If I start my day without a plan for what I need to do I'll generally accomplish nothing.

    I use a kitchen timer or Online Stopwatch to keep myself on task. I set the timer and do nothing but the task at hand. I started with 5 minutes but most of the time I now use 30-45 minute blocks.

    Congratulations on reaching one of your goals!
    Signature
    "Test fast, fail fast, adjust fast."
    Tom Peters

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  • Profile picture of the author Mr. Enthusiastic
    There's no such thing as time management. Time manages to move along in your life just fine, with or without your help. There is such a thing as self management, though. You can decide what is most important to you, and organize the way you think, the way you make plans, and the way you choose your next action. Through this self-management, you make the most of the opportunities that time always makes available to you every day.

    That said, it's a handy shortcut to refer to "time management" rather than "self-management in response to passion from inside and time from outside yourself." That's quite a mouthful.

    There are two main approaches: top-down and bottom-up.

    In the top-down approach, you decide what matters most in your life. You then go from a big dream, to specific projects, to action plans for your month, week, and day. This is the Franklin-Covey approach and also in the Tony Robbins "time of your life" system.

    In the bottom-up approach, you start by clearing out the clutter, plugging the leaks and catching up on what's overdue. After you have the ability to make plans, you then plan out your actions in terms of immediate categories. After you make progress, you then have a mind more free to envision your higher options. This is the approach of David Allen and Julie Morgenstern.

    Just like nutrition, there are some things that work for everyone (drink plenty of water!) and some things that are good for some people and toxic for others (rice & beans vs. red meat, etc.). I suggest you skim several of the top-rated time management books, try a few things from top-down and bottom-up approaches, then go deeper into whatever is most helpful for your way of dealing with life.

    Chris
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  • Profile picture of the author VilPietersen@
    Oright ma?

    I found that a good way to manage time is to do it in adveance. Sit down and set yourself a goal for that month, week, year or whatever time period you want.

    After you have your ultimate goal, work out what you need to do in order to achieve it. These are your tasks. Give your tasks a weighting, and split them evenly (depending on their weight) between the present time and your deadline date.

    Lastly, you need to track your progress, if you find that you aren't sticking to your plan, then you need to sit down, see what you need to do and change your plan accordingly. No point in aimlessly trying to do tings with no light at the end on the tunnel eh (I know you don't do that anyway).
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  • Profile picture of the author bmitch213
    Your husband seems like a smart man. It took me a while to figure out how to manage my time effectively. If you want to better managed your time start writing down 5 of the most important things you need to accomplish everyday:

    Example
    1. Write 3 articles
    2. Write a post for blog #4
    3. Find a product
    4. Finish my ads
    5. Send out newsletters for acne site.

    I hope this will help. All day we have so many things going on if you write down important things to do for each day you won't waist so much time. It's best to do this before your work day ends so you can be effective for thew next day.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mr. Enthusiastic
    I guess I forgot the most important time management tip of all - at least for Sue and Vil: ask your Significant Other!
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  • Profile picture of the author mine1718
    what i do is never try to do more then i can handle, you have a limit , and you should stick to it
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    • Profile picture of the author sandra.IMqueen
      Being able to say no is one pretty powerful time management tool and being willing to ask for help is the other.

      Both require you to be honest with yourself about truly doing only what you are able to do.

      There are those who see asking for help as a weakness, when in fact it is a strength. After all there is nothing strong about missing deadlines because you never sought the help you needed.

      So say no when you know you need to and ask for help when you know you it's the best thing to do.
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      • Profile picture of the author nehaluck11
        Time management is the key to success.If you know how much time you have to finish the particular you will work according to it.Because
        "Life is once only once
        Time and tide wait for nonce"
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  • Profile picture of the author mmekongtours
    I think rest is a good thing, when the relaxation, I have new ideas, and my furniture is good.
    The level of passion for our wild heat up as it sometimes incapable of self, yourself into dead-end alley,
    Congratulated all are comfortable, success,
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  • Profile picture of the author Ruth P
    Like someone mentioned above, I also use the Action Machine.

    I set a timer e.g. 30 minutes, and I just work until it goes off. It is perfect for getting your focused, and you often find you get something done that would have taken hours otherwise.

    But my other tip would be that people are all different. Unfortunately it takes a lot of testing to find what really works for you. Even though the above system works for me, sometimes I slip out of it and need to try something else for a while. I don't know why, it's just the way I am.
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  • Profile picture of the author Trey Walter
    You could try out this one:

    Write down everything you do for one week. After this week you'll probably know how you can improve.

    It's an idea I just got and I'll start doing it right now.
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  • Profile picture of the author AwesomePossum
    I echo veredfu, Eben Pagan is by far the best I've ever seen on this.

    If not, you could pick up a Brian Tracy product on it.

    There's too much to work on. Tips in themselves won't do you any good. You need to find something and stick with it.

    You're going to be building new habits which take a month to reprogram. So you need some guidelines to follow and to stick with them.
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  • Profile picture of the author schwennbloosky
    Time management can be a tricky thing to conquer. I think everybody has their own way of organizing their workload in order to be productive. The way I get stuff done is to simply prioritize a to do list for the day... I focus on things that I can tangibly get done that day and get those out of the way first. You have to be smart about the things you take on day to day. Obviously their are things you simply can't get around, but it's important to stay focused and prioritize!
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    • Profile picture of the author RellieLorenzo
      There is never too much advice on time management. Thank you for posting this.

      I think even the best at time management need to hear solid fundamentals every once in a while.
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  • Profile picture of the author ScottCofer
    Instead of thinking in terms of time, which we really have no control over, think in terms of action.

    Ask yourself, "How can I best manage my actions, both now and for the rest of the day?"

    Here is a good post by Matt Morris to expand on this thought:

    ==> The Unemployed Millionaire Show: Action Management | Matt Morris | The Unemployed Millionaire Blog

    Best to you,
    Scott
    Signature

    You CAN make money online ... you just need a plan:
    http://www.netmoneyplan.com

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