Time Management Tips for Effective Time Management

The Value of Time | Do You know ? | by Shabar Suterwala

2020-08-31T13:59:00.001+05:30

Live .Seminar on Time Management Topic Urgent v/s Important by Shabbar Suterwala

2020-04-07T23:27:00.000+05:30

5 Time Management Tips

2015-11-10T19:25:00.000+05:30

WAQT NAHI - No Time...!!

2011-12-12T16:39:00.000+05:30

The top ten time wasters

2010-07-22T08:46:00.001+05:30

When you don't know what to do, you keep on doing whatever comes to you, and in the process waste a lot of time. Here are a quick short tips to help you identify the common top ten time wasters:

1. Clarity of Priorities

Not knowing one's priorities is the biggest time waster! Know your priorities and you'll have a road map to guide your behavior.

2. Investment of Time
Not putting enough time into "A" and "B" activities wastes time. It's been said that 80% of our results come from 20% of our efforts. Maximize your efforts by investing 80% of your time into the essential "A" and "B" activities.

3. Interruptions
Interruptions, distractions, drop-in visitors, unplanned telephone calls are all potential time-wasters. Schedule "open hours" during specific time frames in order to accommodate those who need to contact you.

4. Conflict
Conflict takes up energy and drains us of our ability to be enthusiastic, focused and productive. Handle whatever conflicts are in your life so as to minimize the "drains" in your life. You'll have more energy and focus as a result.

5. Personal Concerns During Business Hours
Whether one works for a business or in one's own business, it's important to respect the boundaries between personal concerns and business. Boundaries help you to stay focused on the present task at hand while also minimizing distractions.

6. Procrastination
Indecision, daydreaming and delay on taking action impede progress. Consider creating supports that can help you in your decision-making. Create an accountability system with a colleague or friend, or better yet, consider working with a professional coach!

7. Lack of Self-Discipline
Lack of structure can be a problem. Structure supports our creativity it doesn't impede it! Self-discipline is knowing what to pay attention to and living from this awareness. It's also about creating the supports and structures that help us "stay on track" so as to fully honor our commitments.

8. Unfinished Projects
Jumping from project to project without resolution of the previous project, leaving tasks partly done, constantly switching priorities all contribute to wasting time. Treat every day like the day before vacation tie up loose ends! You'll have more energy, less stress and renewed focus the following day.

9. Socializing
Too much socializing with our colleagues or customers can be distracting. Understand the difference between productive socializing and wasting time there's a fine line and balance between the two.

10. Guilt and Shoulds
"Shoulds" come from the unexamined beliefs that unconsciously guide our behavior; guilt is the outcome of these "shoulds." Identify your pre-existing beliefs to see whether they make sense to you whether they're still worthy of orienting your life around. Unexamined beliefs create guilt when we don't live up to them. Explore what's really important to you NOW as you deconstruct outdated beliefs.

Time Management is one of the most important soft skills training one must work to overcome the above time wasters.

How to read faster?

2010-07-12T18:00:00.000+05:30

Here are a few of the lessons I’ve learned ...

1. Use a Pointer

Your eyes don’t actually stay fixed in one spot. They are frequently making brief twitches away from your center of focus to gather more information. These movements are called saccades and they represent the first tool novice readers can use to read faster.

Normally, when your eye twitches away, it must relocate in its previous position. Unfortunately, when you read, this position is constantly moving. Saccades (and just general distractions) cause you to slow down as you must search for your current reading position. The solution is to use a pointer.

The easiest pointer is just the tip of your finger. Simply place your index finger below a line of text and move it as you read. Initially, using a pointer will be slower than regular reading. But after you’re used to the motion, you can read more effectively.

Note for Advanced Speed-Readers: You can further increase your speed-reading rates by keeping your pointer 1-2cm away from the margins of the text. Your eye can catch the words in about a 1″ radius, so this can shave off a bit of reading time.

2. Speed Reading Is About Control, Not Speed

I dislike the way speed reading is often presented because it makes the skill seem to be only about increasing your top speed. As a result, many people are quick to judge that people can’t physically process more information or point out that comprehension goes down while speed reading.

To me, these arguments miss the point. Speed reading is about controlling your reading rate, not just going faster. If you’re in a racecar, top speed is important, but even more important is the driver’s skill at adjusting speeds to make careful turns. The ability to control your speed will make you a much more efficient reader than just blazing through text.

A pointer helps with control because instead of just using your eyes, you can physically move your hand to adjust your reading speed. If you move your hand faster, you will be forced to read faster. Also, if you slow your pointer down, your reading will slow. This kind of control allows you to carefully read confusing or important sections of text and go faster through obvious text or pieces of fluff.

For example, in a book I’m reading right now, the author frequently resorts to the same 3-4 paragraphs of description to explain a recurring idea. The paragraphs aren’t identical, but similar enough that I can use my pointer to skim through the content and still get the message.

3. Read Without Subvocalizing

When most people first learned to read, they spoke the words aloud. “Jill goes up the hill,” each word being pronounced earnestly by the young student. Eventually, you graduate from speaking aloud because it slows your reading speed. However, most people still vocalize the words inside their head, “Jill goes up the hill,” silently repeated in our minds.

Subvocalization isn’t always a bad thing. It helps us understand and follow a narrative. Just realize it isn’t strictly necessary for comprehension. Jsut as msot poelpe cna urndesnatd tihs secntene, most people don’t need to grasp every single word to get the meaning of a sentence.

Being able to read without subvocalizing is like adding an extra gear to your engine. It can open up the top speed of your reading rate, which is particularly useful for easy to understand or text with a lot of fluff. It isn’t the same as skimming, you’re still moving your pointer across every word. It’s a method speed readers can use that most normal readers don’t.

Practice moving your pointer faster than you can read words inside your head. This will break you of the habit of automatically subvocalizing.

4. Active Reading

Most people read passively, that is, reading a book hoping the information will strike them across the forehead and declare, “Learn Me!” This is a fine practice when you’re just reading for sheer entertainment, but what if your reading serves a specific purpose?

Speed reading requires active reading. That means, instead of just assuming the information will jump out at you, you become an inquisitive, seeking animal. Before you start reading, prime your mind by asking what you’re hoping to get out of your reading session. Even if you aren’t 100% sure of what you’ll learn, this priming exercise allows your brain to notice relevant details more quickly.

Active reading also means stopping to think about what your reading, as you read it. Stopping to think may not sound like much of a speed reading tactic. It’s not, but it is a smart-reading tactic that everyone should employ. If you find something interesting, pause either to reflect or even note the information in your book.

Would you rather read something today and forget it tomorrow, or read it deeply and make it a part of you?

5. Know When to Slow Down

As I mentioned in key #2, speed reading is about control, not just speed. Many people I’ve talked to after introducing them to speed reading brag about how quickly they dashed through a book. But, these same people later confess that they remember little about what they read.

Just as it is sometimes useful to speed up to move quickly through writing with a low information density, you often need to slow down to catch the important or confusing bits. Let’s view reading as if you are driving a car: If you’re on a straight, well-maintained divided highway, feel free to speed up. But if you’re doing hairpin turns on a dirt road in the mountains, slow down.

More than anything else, speed reading should give you an awareness of your speed. Most people read information with only 2 speeds: skimming and reading. Speed reading is about opening up all the intermediate layers. Now you should be able to skim, read without subvocalizing, read rapidly, read, read slowly and even crawl when faced with confusing or difficult ideas.

6. Make the Material More Interesting

I know, it sounds impossible. How can you possibly make statistics/accounting/Jane Eyre interesting?

But you can make material more interesting if you put some effort in before you pick up the book. No, you can’t make boring topics come alive as if they were the latest thriller fiction. But you can make them interesting enough that you can stay focused while reading.

I know it sounds like something out of a Tony Robbins‘ seminar, but attitude matters. When you’re approaching a book, imagine if you changed your perspective from, “Oh no, here’s some junk I have to read,” to “What could I gain from reading this, if I was really creative about it.” It’s not about confessing a secret love of accounting, it’s about keeping an open mind as to what accounting could teach you.

If you find the material more interesting, you’ll be able to read with complete focus. Complete focus can cut the amount of reading time in a third, without any loss in comprehension. That should be incentive enough to tweak your attitude.

7. Reading Rate Comes With Practice

Although less glamorous than subvocalization or pointer-enabled reading techniques, the best speed reading technique is this: read more to read faster. When you regularly read a book per week, your reading rate will improve.

First, if you aren’t reading in your first language, language proficiency will be your biggest obstacle to high reading rates. I’m an intermediate with French, and my French reading is a crawl compared to my English reading. That’s because every paragraph contains a new word or unfamiliar grammatical construction.

Once again, the way to overcome low proficiency is through practice. Even if you are reading in your first language, some authors will throw big words down you may not understand. My suggestion is that if you encounter such words frequently, look them up. I used Google’s define feature (example, “define simple“) religiously when reading through all of David Foster Wallace’s verbose tome, Infinite Jest.

Second, if you read more frequently, you get a better sense of what speed to go for the type of content and your purposes. NASCAR racers weren’t made that way. They became great at adjusting speeds through practice. Similarly, if you aren’t sure how fast to read a textbook or a novel, those intuitions can be strengthened with practice.

I also suggest for new speed readers to practice reading rather than just read. Practice reading involves taking a fresh book and using the techniques of a pointer and eliminating subvocalization to scroll faster than you can comprehend. This can help train your upper speed-limit reading speeds.
Try It Out!

Want to know your current reading speed? Pick up any book and do the following:

    * Setup a timer for one minute
    * Mark the line you started reading
    * Start reading and stop when the minute is up
    * Mark the line where you stopped
    * Number of lines - Count the number of lines you’ve read
    * Number of words per line - Take the second line and count the number of words in this line (including short words like I, and, etc)
    * Number of lines X Number of words per line = WPM, your words per minute reading speed.

Try the above steps with your regular reading pace, and after practicing several tips from above, try the measuring steps again to see how much you’ve improved. Let us know how you did!

The Big Rocks Story

2010-04-20T23:22:00.000+05:30

One day an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students. As he stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz." He then pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed Mason jar and set it on the table. He produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them one at a time into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?" Everyone in the class said, "Yes." Then he said, "Really?"

He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing it to work down into the space between the big rocks. Then he asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?" By this time the class was on to him. "Probably not," one of them answered. "Good!" he replied.

He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand and started dumping the sand in the jar until it filled the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?" No!" the class shouted. Once again he said, "Good."

Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?"

One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit some more things in it!" "No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point."

"The truth this illustration teaches us is that if you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all. What are the 'big rocks' in your life? Your children, your loved ones, your education, your dreams, a worthy cause, teaching others, doing things that you love, your health; your mate. Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll never get them in at all. If you sweat about the little stuff then you'll fill your life with little things and you'll never have the real quality time you need to spend on the big, important stuff."big

So, tonight, or in the morning, when you are reflecting on this short story, ask yourself this question: What are the 'big rocks' in my life? Then, put those in your jar first.

The Myth of Time Management

2010-04-12T07:47:00.000+05:30

The Myth of Time Management

Poor time management thinking and action can undermine your best efforts. If you want to manage your time more effectively, start thinking about time management differently. You can begin to change your time management mindset by dispelling the common time management myth.

Myth - Time Management
That’s right… time management itself. What a big fantasy. In reality you can’t manage time. Everyday you receive 24 hours. You can’t add more nor do you get any less time. Erase time management from your brain and start thinking out of the clock – Self Management. You want to organize the clock to fit your needs.

Sometimes the words time management can create mental blocks especially if you tried some type of time management in the past. Look at the meaning of the word manage: handle, deal with, control, cope, get by, make do, survive and direct. Now look at the word organize: put in order, sort out, arrange and systematize.

Which you prefer to do? Organize and arrange your time or deal with and cope with it?

I know I use the word time management, but that’s how people find us on the search engines. They think they have a time management problem. In reality it’s an activity problem. One of the first things I do when working with a client is shift their mindset from time management to Self Management with organizing their time.

Write it Down: Time Mgt Technique to get Results

2009-11-15T13:01:00.000+05:30

The Greatest Motivational Technique of All Time
By Frank Tibolt
Excerpt from A Touch of Greatness

Ivy Lee used to be a consultant in New York City. Hs regular clients were Rockefeller, Morgan, Carnegie, the Du Ponts and other big shots.

One day Charlie Schwab of the Bethlehem Steel Co. asked Lee about his services. Lee outlined them briefly ending with the statement, "With our services you'll know how to manage better."

"HELL!" shouted Schwab. "I'm not managing as well now as I know how. What we need around here is not more "knowing" but more "doing" …not more knowledge, but more action. If you can only show us how to do half the things we already know we ought to do ...show us how to "GET THINGS DONE" ...I'll gladly engage your services at any price."

"You're on," answered Lee. "I can give you a lesson in 20 minutes that will help you get more done tomorrow." "O.K." agreed Schwab. "I have just about 20 minutes before train time. What's your idea?"

Lee pulled out a 3 x 5 filing card, handed it to Schwab and told him. "Spend 10 minutes every evening before retiring reviewing the day's work. Ask yourself, "What did I forget, neglect or foul up? What specific steps can I take to prevent these foul ups in the future? What can I do to improve on today's work? Then spend 5 more minutes writing on this card the six things you need most to get done tomorrow." That took 8 minutes. "Now," said Lee, "Number them in the order of their importance." Three more minutes passed.
"Next," said Lee, "Put this card in your pocket and the first thing tomorrow morning, look at item 1 and start working on it. Look at item 1 every hour on the hour until you've finished it. Then tackle No. 2 the same way. Then No. 3. Do this until quitting time. As you finish each task, cross it off."
"Don't be concerned if you've only finished two or three, or even if you haven't finished No. 1. You'll be working on the most important. The rest can wait. If you can't finish all with this method, you can't with any other method either, and without this method, you'd probably never even decide which are most important."

"Before making up your next day's list transfer all your unfinished items to it. Spend the last 5 minutes every day making up a "must list" of the next day's most urgent tasks. After you've tried this method, have your key employees try it. Test it for as long as you like, and Len send me a check for what you think it's worth. Schwab sent Lee a check for $25,000 saying:
"This innocent looking little lesson is the most practical lesson I ever learned in all my life. It motivated me to make a phone call I had put off 9 months. That phone call brought me an order for steel beams that netted me 2 million dollars. I explained this humble lesson to all my executives. That did more to make the Bethlehem Steel Co. the world's largest independent steel producer, than all the meetings I held with my high-salaried executives."
Schwab learned, like most great men learn, that the simplest ideas are often the greatest in getting results. This plain little lesson is so plain looking and so plain sounding that many average people won't even try it. It's so plain that its results are almost unbelievable. But it has turned more little shots into BIG SHOTS than any "secret of success," or any high priced "motivation courses". It tops all methods of turning "ordinary" fellows into "extraordinary" producers.

If you think I'm claiming too much for this humble little lesson, let's look at what bigger and wiser men have said about it.

Walter Chrysler said, "I never started producing until I engaged a taskmaster ...a written list of things to be done every day."

Henry Ford said, "No executive is worthy of the name unless he works to a written schedule."
Henry Kaiser wouldn't hire a senior executive who didn't have the HABIT of scheduling his tasks in WRITING. Ditto Thomas Watson and Lord Northcliffe.

Both Dr. Charles and Dr. William Mayo of the Mayo Clinic ended their day's work with WRITTEN lists for the next day's work. Ditto Clifford Holland of Holland Tunnel Fame, Fred Ecker, president of Metropolitan Life daily uses a pad which he heads, "to be done today."

Thousands of other big men in business, industry, banking, education, selling, and other fields, have placed this method at the top of the list of "habits that make for success".

You'll find big producers everywhere, probably in your own company, use some adaptation of this method. For GETTING THINGS DONE, it beats all the fancy, high sounding, and high priced systems ever invented.

So let's get up your "must list" right away, while it's on your mind. It'll only take 5 minutes. And it might mark the turning point in your life as it did for many others. Since, in seeking success, the hardest part is always the start; a thing begun is more than half done.

Tomorrow buy yourself a dozen packs, a couple hundred cards. Use one every day for the rest of your life. No, that's not so difficult. You'll be surprised how quickly the habit will grow into an interesting game ...and the MOST PROFITABLE GAME YOU'LL EVER PLAY.

Would you like to hire a dynamic, super duper assistant who never forgets, to remind you, prod you, spur you, and nag you to GET YOUR TASKS DONE? A silent adviser who will draw and drive you day and night toward your chief goal in life? If you have no goal in life, it's later for you than you think. Better get one. Without one, you might continue to exist but real life will pass you by. You can hire this assistant for the price of a dozen packs of 3 x 5 cards.

PAPER NEVER FORGETS

If you want a sure fire reminder, WRITE IT DOWN ON PAPER.
If you want a manager to prod you out of your laziness, WRITE IT DOWN ON PAPER.
If you want to find yourself and your right career, WRITE IT DOWN ON PAPER.
If you want to solve a difficult problem, WRITE IT DOWN ON PAPER.
If you need a new idea, WRITE IT DOWN ON PAPER.
If you want to stick to a difficult task until you finish it, DITTO.
If you want to quit a bad habit, WRITE IT DOWN ON PAPER.
If you want to acquire a new habit or a new skill, WRITE IT DOWN ON PAPER.
If you want to become successful and rich, WRITE IT DOWN ON PAPER.

Paul Durinski, a former student said, "Writing down that statement about my goal changed my whole life. Before I wrote it down, it was just "some thoughts in my head".

Writing it down on paper changed it to something real, on fire, alive. My previous 15 years of merely thinking about it was time wasted. Writing it down on paper was like planting a seed in the ground. It grew. Believe me writing a thing down on paper works and HOW!"

Writing a thing down on paper signals the subconscious mind to work on it, to incubate, to gestate, to create... to realize the thing… to turn a wish into a fact. Why not hire this dynamic, loyal helper, your silent, invisible twin, as your 24-hour assistant? It will jog your memory, develop self-confidence, sustain ambition and enthusiasm, get things done, speed you ahead "years in months" — maybe make you rich, as it did others.

WHATEVER YOU WANT OUT OF LIFE, WRITE IT DOWN ON PAPER

There is a Right Time for Everything

2009-09-07T08:38:00.001+05:30

"There is a right time for everything:
A time to be born; A time to die;
A time to plant; A time to harvest;
A time to kill; A time to heal;
A time to destroy; A time to rebuild;
A time to cry; A time to laugh;
A time to grieve; A time to dance;
A time for scattering stones; A time for gathering stones;
A time to hug; A time not to hug;
A time to find; A time to lose;
A time for keeping; A time for throwing away;
A time to tear; A time to repair;
A time to be quiet; A time to speak up;
A time for loving; A time for hating;
A time for war; A time for peace;"

Lecture on Time Management by Randy Pausch

2009-05-19T09:32:00.000+05:30

Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch gave a lecture on Time Management at the University of Virginia in November 2007. Randy Pausch is a virtual reality pioneer, human-computer interaction researcher, co-founder of Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center and creator of the Alice software project.

How to Deal with Paper and Paper Work

2009-04-10T21:40:00.000+05:30

1. Do something with every piece of paper that reaches you and put it in its proper place not just back on the pile.

2. Have a “One Paper Once rule”

Either you will take action on it,
pass it to the concerned person,
file it or
throw it.

3. For items that will reach you,

sort it according to urgency,
highlight important aspects, such as magazine articles and
attach relevant files or information.

4. Take print-outs only and only if you cannot do without a print out.

5. Avoid the "I'll just put this here for now" habit.

6. Create a block of time during non-prime hours to handle paperwork. Schedule this in your planner and stick to it.

7. Sort through and handle the papers in your in-basket no more than twice a day.

8. Throw away previous drafts. They serve no purpose.

9. Ask subordinates to submit recommendations along with important reports. Nothing should be sent to you without a summary or indicated action.

10. Limit the length of letters, recommendations, responses, meeting requests and other correspondence to one page.

11. Review all forms and reports. Try not filling out redundant sections of forms, to see if anyone is really using them.

12. Ask people if reports they prepare (or you prepare) are really necessary. Prepare them only when needed, not just as a regular routine or culture.

13. Don't keep copies of all your requests to others, unless there are legal or personnel reasons to do so.

14. Handle routine requests or tasks immediately whenever you can.

15. Cut back on sending memos. Use a phone call / email instead.

16. Reduce the number of memos you keep. After all, memos are primarily for short-term information. Record the information you need and toss the memo.

17. Don't keep business cards tucked away in a drawer. Enter them on a contact manager database, and then throw out the card.

18. Create different file folders:

Reading files for long reports and magazines. If you read everything when it arrives, you will never get through your in-basket.
Personal file for those wacky inter-office jokes you want to keep (but will probably never look at again)
Training file for useful items on personal or professional development
Supplier file for information on products and services
Files for each subordinate for items to pass on or discuss
Invoices / Vouchers to pay
Upcoming events to attend
One folder for each subordinate and for your manager
One for each major project you're working on

19. Throw out last month's copy of a magazine when this month's copy arrives. If you must save them, only keep a year's worth. Stop subscriptions to magazines and newspapers you don't read anymore. This saves you money as well as time and guilt.

20. Schedule major reading for twice a week during non-priority times. Try reading on the way, bus or train, while waiting for appointments, or at breakfast instead of reading the paper.

21. When you find items you keep putting off reading, ask "How likely am I to read this and how valuable is this information?" Throw it out.

22. Extra storage space ends up getting filled up quickly. Try reducing or throwing out extra paperwork collectors. Limit your stacking trays to two: one for incoming papers and the other for outgoing papers.

23. Reduce your debit card or credit cards to one per adult, two if you use one for home and one for work. This reduces statements and bill-paying time.

24. Reduce your bank accounts, if you have several. If you find yourself dealing with multiple bank statements every month, this is a good place to start.

25. Pay bills by automatic deduction. Most utility bills can be handled this way.

26. Put all your small receipts/bill/challans/ in a small respective envelopes.

27. Are you going to take a print out this..tooo?

How To Prepare For Meetings

2009-04-10T21:11:00.000+05:30

Try to invite people on two to three different occasions to ensure their attendance;
Make a formal invitation, usually in person or by telephone at least two weeks in advance.
Send a follow-up confirmation note and agenda after attendance has been confirmed.
Try for a reminder. Have an assistant call to remind attendees about the meeting, or mention it to them yourself, in conversation.
As the chairman, preparing an agenda in advance helps you to;
Determine what items you want to cover;
Communicate to participants what is to be considered and what is expected of them;
Create order and control at the meeting;
Establish standards by which the success of the meeting can be measured.
Circulate your agenda in advance. If you can't, write it on a flip chart or white board before participants arrive. The agenda should include:
The purpose of the meeting, stated in one succinct sentence; e.g. "To review and agree details of the annual budget";
The start time and finish time;
Meeting location, including street address, floor, room number and map if necessary;
A list of who will be attending, and their titles;
Individual items to be covered, and action items on each
Put simple announcements at the beginning of the meeting, to warm up the group.
Start and finish the meeting with positive items.
If someone else is preparing the agenda, approach them beforehand to make sure your items are on the list for discussion.
Consider starting meetings at oddball times, such as 10:08 am.
Schedule a meeting for late in the day if you want it to be short. Business has a tendency to move quickly as it approaches five o'clock.

Time Management for Stress Management

2009-04-01T10:11:00.000+05:30

Time Management For Stress Management

View more presentations from Shabbar Suterwala.

Drop the Not Important Ball

2009-01-30T22:16:00.000+05:30

Prioritize the Important and drop the Not Important Items in your life.

Time Managementors Tips

2009-01-17T08:27:00.000+05:30

Time Managementors Insprirational

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Procrastination - it is one of the greatest time wasters

2009-01-10T09:31:00.000+05:30

Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task. ~William James

Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday. ~Don Marquis

Only Robinson Crusoe had everything done by Friday. ~Author Unknown

Every duty which is bidden to wait returns with seven fresh duties at its back. ~Charles Kingsley

The sooner I fall behind, the more time I have to catch up. ~Author Unknown

If it weren't for the last minute, I wouldn't get anything done. ~Author Unknown

Anyone can do any amount of work, provided it isn't the work he is supposed to be doing at that moment. ~Robert Benchley

There are a million ways to lose a work day, but not even a single way to get one back. ~Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister

It is an undoubted truth, that the less one has to do, the less time one finds to do it in. ~Earl of Chesterfield

The two rules of procrastination: 1) Do it today. 2) Tomorrow will be today tomorrow. ~Author Unknown

One of the greatest labor-saving inventions of today is tomorrow. ~Vincent T. Foss

You may delay, but time will not. ~Benjamin Franklin

Someday is not a day of the week. ~Author Unknown

To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing. ~Eva Young

Don't fool yourself that important things can be put off till tomorrow; they can be put off forever, or not at all. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960

Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. ~C. Northcote Parkinson, 1958

Procrastination is opportunity's assassin. ~Victor Kiam

If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting off doing it. ~Olin Miller

What may be done at any time will be done at no time. ~Scottish Proverb

There's nothing to match curling up with a good book when there's a repair job to be done around the house. ~Joe Ryan

Procrastination is something best put off until tomorrow. ~Gerald Vaughan

The best way to get something done is to begin. ~Author Unknown

You know you are getting old when it takes too much effort to procrastinate. ~Author Unknown

I do my work at the same time each day - the last minute. ~Author Unknown

Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week. ~Spanish Proverb

The time to begin most things is ten years ago. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966

Putting off an easy thing makes it hard. Putting off a hard thing makes it impossible. ~George Claude Lorimer

Tomorrow is the day when idlers work, and fools reform. ~Edward Young

Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow. ~Mark Twain

Tomorrow is the only day in the year that appeals to a lazy man. ~Jimmy Lyons

A year from now you may wish you had started today. ~Karen Lamb

Procrastination is like masturbation. At first it feels good, but in the end you're only screwing yourself. ~Author Unknown

One of these days is none of these days. ~Attributed to both Henri Tubach and H.G. Bohn

Procrastination is the thief of time. ~Edward Young

Time Management Tip: Eat that Frog

2008-12-19T08:10:00.000+05:30

There's an old saying that says..."If the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning is eat a live frog, then nothing worse can happen for the rest of the day!" Well, I don't know about you, but I think that's a pretty safe assumption.

Brian Tracy, in his book Eat That Frog! says that your "frog" should be the most difficult item on your things to do list, the one where you're most likely to procrastinate; because, if you eat that first, it'll give you energy and momentum for the rest of the day. But, if you don't...and let him sit there on the plate and stare at you while you do a hundred unimportant things, it can drain your energy and you won't even know it.

So, here's your assignment: for the next 30 days take a look at your list, circle the frog, and eat that first.

Important is to keep the important - important.

First Ten Time Wasters, Causes and Solutions

2008-12-18T10:37:00.000+05:30

TIME WASTER

CAUSES

SOLUTIONS

1. Attempting too much

· Over ambition and inordinate need to achieve

· Over response

· Over desire to appear cooperative

Ask your self what you are trying to prove. Be realistic. Keep perspective. Stop idling yourself.

Limit your response to the real demands of the situation

Stay uninvolved if other can handle it. Stop saying yes just because you want to be appreciated.

2. Confused responsibility of authority

· Failure to clarify precise responsibilities

· Job overlap

· Responsibility without authority

Prepare list of responsibilities for approval

Identify area of duplication. Eliminate

Insist on commensurate authority (equal to responsibility)

3. Drop-in-visitors

· No plans for unavailability

· Expecting subordinates to check with you excessively

· Inability to terminate visits

Recognize that “open door” does not mean physically open, but open to those who need assistance. Implement quiet hour; screening; hideaway

Manage by exception

Meet others outside your office. Stand upon entry and keep standing

4. Inability to say “No”

· Possess capabilities in demand

· Not knowing how to refuse

· Can’t say no to boss

Refuse to spread yourself too thin. Concentrate your efforts

Count to 10 before saying “yes”. When saying “no” give reasons, suggest alternatives.

Say no by showing list of agreed-upon priorities. If boss insists, agree, but advise what you fear will not get done.

5. Inadequate controls & progress reports

· Unaware of importance

· Lack of enforcement of controls

Recognize that controls monitor progress and correct variance, thus guaranteeing satisfactory performance.

Recognize this means you might as well not have controls.

6. Inadequate planning

· Unaware of importance

· Assumption that since few days are ”typical”, it is futile to plan

· Have plan in mind but believe it is not important enough to write it down

Recognize that every hour in effective planning saves four in execution and gets better results.

Recognize that most managers tend to waste time in the same ways everyday.

Recognize that no memory is infallible, and that no to-do list is complete until priorities and deadlines are met.

7. Inadequate Staff

· Lack training

· Limited finances

Recognize that without competent staff, effective delegation is impossible. Make staff training a priority.

Conduct cost-benefit analysis. Demonstrate what additional staff would do at what cost.

8. Incomplete information

· Lack system

· Lack of authority to require information needed

· Indecision or delay by others in providing needed information

Determine what information is needed. Then ensure its availability, reliability and timeliness.

Clarify authority. Use response deadlines. Take problem to boss if unsuccessful.

“Unless I hear” memo. Meet to explain importance of information.

9. Ineffective delegation

· Can do the job better and faster

· Over control

· More comfortable “doing” than “managing”

Lower standards to what is acceptable, not your own level of performance. Avoid perfectionism.

Relax. Emphasize goal-accomplishment, not methods. Measure results, not activities.

Remember the job of the manager is managing, not doing.

10. Lack of self-discipline

· Lack objective or standards

· Not following up

· Leaving tasks unfinished

Set objectives in key results area. Develop standards (conditions that will exist when the job is done well)

Recognize that people do what you inspect-not what you expect-and the same goes for you.

Complete tasks before putting them down. Handle it once. Get done the first time.

Time Management Workshop PPT Slides

2008-12-13T15:55:00.000+05:30

Effective Time Management

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: urgent important)

Five Time Management Mistakes that Wastes a lot of Time

2008-07-28T07:34:00.001+05:30

Five Time Management Mistakes that Wastes a lot of Time

By: Shabbar Suterwala

Have you heard people say “Time Flies”, “There is no Time”, “Where is the Time” and sort of pharases. In my career of conducting Time Management Workshop, I have experienced some of the major flaws that people do which becomes an excuse for the above mentioned pharases.

For all those who would like to master their time management skills, must avoid these 5 major Time Management Mistakes.

1. Procrastination:

Those things which have to be done now are being procrastinated of being postponed. This is one of the traits which is not outside but within us. We have made up a habit that we will do it later as it is not urgent now, we keep on delaying it till one day it becomes burning and urgent, and then we have no choice to act on it. At this point of time, we have to leave aside something that was important but not urgent to complete this task.

Many of the corporate executives also get a kick from doing something that is urgent, they love to take pressure, their common phrase is “ohh, don’t worry there is still a lot of time”.

2. Do it Myself Attitude:

"This is too important. Better let me do it." "By the time I show them how to do it, I will finish it myself." There are these executives and managers who always want to be in the thick of the things. They also get a feeling of threat if some one else starts doing what I do. Some have this misconception about their indispensability.

3. No Clearly Defined Goals:

Because we do not know what to do, we keep on doing whatever comes our way. We keep on working very hard but still do not get results or the sense of achievement because we never have defined what we want to achieve. “A journey of thousand miles begins with the first single step.” We all want to take the first step and we are ready to take it, unfortunately we have not defined our journey so we do not know in which direction to take the first step.

4. Not taking Decisions:

One of the major mistakes which waste a lot of our time is in-decision. We keep on procrastinating our decisions. We do not take the right decision at the right time be it with our professional life or our personal or social life or be it related to our health. And unfortunately many of our decisions are not our decisions at all. They are being imposed on us by our boss, colleagues, family and friends. We also have this urge to be perfect at time and we need a lot of data and testimony to justify our decisions and also always we want to be right at all the time so we remain in-decisive.

5. No Action:

This one is the giant of the time waster which waste chunk of our time. We do not Act on our Goals, we do not take any action on the decisions we make. Many a time people decide to change their habits and behaviour but seldom they take any action step on their plan. So no action – no results. Some times people who do not have clarity of goals, do not see the destination, so, if this set of people act today and cloud sit with a book and pen and start writing down their goal, probably this action step will bring them closer towards their goal.

So if you want to start managing your time, start managing the above five mistakes. So here is your short brief powerful action plan:

Step 1: Stop Procrastination

Step 2: Empower people around you

Step 3: Write down your goals of paper

Step 4: Make those tough decisions

Step 5: ACT now on the above 4 steps.

Wish you all the best. Time management is all about self management. The better you manage your self, automatically your time is managed.

Pls. share your feedback on the same.

With Kind Regards

Shabbar Suterwala

Corporate Soft-Skills Trainer

For further inputs

Contact Details:

Shabbar Suterwala's Leaders Workshop

Ph: +91-22-28423326
Mb: +91-9892225864

Email: LeadersWorkshop@mtnl.net.in, shabbarsuterwala@hotmail.com (Please feel free to revert back for any further query or inputs required)

Join us at: http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/LeadersWorkshop (An exclusive Yahoo Group for Soft Skills Developement Discussion)

www.LeaderWorkshop.5u.com/ Leader Workshop Website

http://shabbarsuterwala.blogspot.com/ Pearls of wisdom

http://leaders-workshop.blogspot.com/ Inspirational & Motivational Videos & Presentations

http://training-and-trainers.blogspot.com/ International Trainers & their Sharing

http://nlp-sharing.blogspot.com/ NLP stuff and video

http://seeandgetinspired.blogspot.com/ Inspirational & Motivational Posters

http://bust-the-stress.blogspot.com/ Bust the Stress - Stress Busters

http://earn-lot-of-money.blogspot.com/ Earn a lot of Money

How to get Cooperation from Other Department

2008-07-28T07:25:00.001+05:30

How To Get Cooperation from Other Departments

Other departments may appear to slow you down. In dealing with them, begin with an assumption that they are as competent as you are. Everyone is doing his or her best, and everyone is busy. Remember that ultimately, you're all on the same team. Your positive attitude will get better results than antagonism. Treat them as you would like to be treated.
Handle your special requests of other departments as you would handle a task that you would delegate:

Clarify the task to be done and the standards to be met.
Establish a timetable.
Ask if there is anything else that the person needs to complete the task.
Confirm the commitment that they made (don't make it for them).

If others let you down; be careful not to react with one of two opposite emotions; aggression and passivity. Aggression is fighting back, yelling, name calling, threatening to go to a higher authority, becoming impatient and being forceful. Passivity is giving in, ignoring an issue, procrastinating, apologizing or running away.
Be assertive instead. Use the person's name. Say please and thank you. Ask, don't tell.
Be straightforward with your request. "Our department needs this delivered to us by tomorrow." Adding an explanation helps to validate the request. Then ask if there's anything else they need, or anything you can do to help the process. Clarify the agreement made.
If the person objects, repeat the request, stating it slightly differently each time. "Jillian, I'd like to get a copy of that report by tomorrow." She answers that she's too busy. "I can understand how you've got a big workload. (Avoid the dreaded "but") I do need the report finished by tomorrow so can we find a way to complete it somehow?"
Ask "Would it be helpful if I…" Sometimes they can do a better job if you help first. Your offer also displays genuine empathy.
Use the phrase, "What would have to happen..." For instance, "I understand most of the staff have left for the day, but what would have to happen for this to be finished by tomorrow morning?" Sometimes the person might suggest a solution that you can help achieve: "Well I'd have to send it over in a taxi and we're not allowed to do that." Maybe they can't authorize a taxi, but you can.
Don't appeal to a higher authority. If you say "I need this done, and I can get my boss to speed things up if I have to," you may not be successful. Instead, build a relationship. Take an interest in things that are important to them.
If problems persist, keep a log of transactions. Include the date you sent something to another department and the date you got it back. Use this to support process improvement, not to blame someone.
Create routines for standard requests from other departments that are repeated. For instance, automate your expense report. This isn't bureaucracy, it's efficiency.
On the other hand, remove routines that were created for occasional exceptions that no longer occur. Old routines may be slowing other departments down.
Ask what the holdups are. Convene a meeting to outline your concerns. The other department might identify blocks that can be removed.

Contact Details:

Shabbar Suterwala's Leaders Workshop
B/303, Mandsaur CHS,

Kokani Pada, Kurar Village,

Malad (East), Mumbai 400 097

Mb: +91-9892225864

Ph: +91-22-28423326

Email: shabbarsuterwala@hotmail.com

Visit us: www.LeadersWorkshop.5u.com

Join us at: http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/LeadersWorkshop (An exclusive Yahoo Group for Soft Skills Developement Discussion)

www.LeaderWorkshop.5u.com/ Leader Workshop Website

http://shabbarsuterwala.blogspot.com/ Pearls of wisdom

http://leaders-workshop.blogspot.com/ Inspirational & Motivational Videos & Presentations

http://training-and-trainers.blogspot.com/ International Trainers & their Sharing

http://nlp-sharing.blogspot.com/ NLP stuff and video

http://seeandgetinspired.blogspot.com/ Inspirational & Motivational Posters

http://bust-the-stress.blogspot.com/ Bust the Stress - Stress Busters

http://earn-lot-of-money.blogspot.com/ Earn a lot of Money

How to get Cooperation from Other Department

2008-07-28T07:25:00.000+05:30

How To Get Cooperation from Other Departments

Other departments may appear to slow you down. In dealing with them, begin with an assumption that they are as competent as you are. Everyone is doing his or her best, and everyone is busy. Remember that ultimately, you're all on the same team. Your positive attitude will get better results than antagonism. Treat them as you would like to be treated.
Handle your special requests of other departments as you would handle a task that you would delegate:

Clarify the task to be done and the standards to be met.
Establish a timetable.
Ask if there is anything else that the person needs to complete the task.
Confirm the commitment that they made (don't make it for them).

If others let you down; be careful not to react with one of two opposite emotions; aggression and passivity. Aggression is fighting back, yelling, name calling, threatening to go to a higher authority, becoming impatient and being forceful. Passivity is giving in, ignoring an issue, procrastinating, apologizing or running away.
Be assertive instead. Use the person's name. Say please and thank you. Ask, don't tell.
Be straightforward with your request. "Our department needs this delivered to us by tomorrow." Adding an explanation helps to validate the request. Then ask if there's anything else they need, or anything you can do to help the process. Clarify the agreement made.
If the person objects, repeat the request, stating it slightly differently each time. "Jillian, I'd like to get a copy of that report by tomorrow." She answers that she's too busy. "I can understand how you've got a big workload. (Avoid the dreaded "but") I do need the report finished by tomorrow so can we find a way to complete it somehow?"
Ask "Would it be helpful if I…" Sometimes they can do a better job if you help first. Your offer also displays genuine empathy.
Use the phrase, "What would have to happen..." For instance, "I understand most of the staff have left for the day, but what would have to happen for this to be finished by tomorrow morning?" Sometimes the person might suggest a solution that you can help achieve: "Well I'd have to send it over in a taxi and we're not allowed to do that." Maybe they can't authorize a taxi, but you can.
Don't appeal to a higher authority. If you say "I need this done, and I can get my boss to speed things up if I have to," you may not be successful. Instead, build a relationship. Take an interest in things that are important to them.
If problems persist, keep a log of transactions. Include the date you sent something to another department and the date you got it back. Use this to support process improvement, not to blame someone.
Create routines for standard requests from other departments that are repeated. For instance, automate your expense report. This isn't bureaucracy, it's efficiency.
On the other hand, remove routines that were created for occasional exceptions that no longer occur. Old routines may be slowing other departments down.
Ask what the holdups are. Convene a meeting to outline your concerns. The other department might identify blocks that can be removed.

Contact Details:

Shabbar Suterwala's Leaders Workshop
B/303, Mandsaur CHS,

Kokani Pada, Kurar Village,

Malad (East), Mumbai 400 097

Mb: +91-9892225864

Ph: +91-22-28423326

Email: shabbarsuterwala@hotmail.com

Visit us: www.LeadersWorkshop.5u.com

Join us at: http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/LeadersWorkshop (An exclusive Yahoo Group for Soft Skills Developement Discussion)

www.LeaderWorkshop.5u.com/ Leader Workshop Website

http://shabbarsuterwala.blogspot.com/ Pearls of wisdom

http://leaders-workshop.blogspot.com/ Inspirational & Motivational Videos & Presentations

http://training-and-trainers.blogspot.com/ International Trainers & their Sharing

http://nlp-sharing.blogspot.com/ NLP stuff and video

http://seeandgetinspired.blogspot.com/ Inspirational & Motivational Posters

http://bust-the-stress.blogspot.com/ Bust the Stress - Stress Busters

http://earn-lot-of-money.blogspot.com/ Earn a lot of Money

Save an Hour Each Day - Get Organized

2008-07-28T07:22:00.001+05:30

Save An Hour Each Day... Get Organized!!!
by Jeffrey J. Mayer (Author of “Success is a Journey” and “Time Management for Dummies” books)

What does your desk look like? * A toxic waste dump? * A bomb exploded? * Burglars had ransacked your office?

In corporate America, most business people associate a messy, dis-organized desk/office with being productive, effective and efficient.

Are you a member of this club?

Did you know that most people are “wasting” an hour each day looking for “STUFF” that’s lost on their desk? How about you? (Do you wish it was “only” an hour?)

And it always happens at the most inopportune time. How many times last week did you call someone up, ask them a question, and they responded, “Hold on a second and let me find the letter/file/proposal. I know it’s here... somewhere.”

And five minutes later they come back and sheepishly said: “I can’t find it, let me call you back later.” Thus beginning another round of telephone tag, stretching a quick five-minute conversation into a five-day odyssey.

If you want to get ahead in life, make more money, and even get home for dinner every once in a while, follow these 6 steps and you’ll be organized. (This complete procedure is explained both in my best-selling “Success is a Journey” and “Time Management for Dummies” books.)

Step #1. Schedule An Appointment With Yourself
For most people, it takes about 2 hours to get organized. Write it on your calendar, and KEEP THE APPOINTMENT!!!

Step #2. No Interruptions
Turn off the telephone, close the door (or put up a Do Not Disturb sign across the entrance to your work space), and allow NO INTERRUPTIONS!

Think of this session as a meeting with your boss or most important client.

Step #3. Bring A Dumpster
Sixty percent of the stuff on most peoples desk can be tossed. That includes you!!!

So keep the papers, documents, and files you need, and throw the rest away.

Remember: Don’t succumb to Cleaner’s Remorse. (Going thru the trash and pulling out the stuff you just threw away because you think you may “Need It Again.”

Step #4. Pickup A Piece Of Paper
Now that you’ve closed the door and turned off the phone, pick up a piece of paper - any one will do - and ask yourself 3 questions

What is it?
Why do I have it?
What am I going to do with it?

If you can’t come up with a good answer, THROW IT AWAY!!!

Step #5. File Your Papers
If you need to keep a piece of paper, (file or proposal), put it in a properly labeled file folder. If one doesn’t exist, create one on the spot.

Step #6. Record Your To-dos On A Master List
If there’s work to do, note it on your Master List, which is a to-do list written on a big piece of paper - like a legal tablet.

You can also record your tasks inside your contact manager - like ACT!, or your PIM - like Outlook, or your PalmPilot.

Before you know it, your desk will look like the flight deck of an aircraft carrier, and your garbage can will be filled to the brim, overflowing, and spilling onto the floor.

You’ll be organized, efficient and productive. You’ll spend your time doing things that make you successful.

Compiled by

Shabbar Suterwala

Corporate Soft Skills Trainer

Contact Details:

Shabbar Suterwala's Leaders Workshop
B/303, Mandsaur CHS,

Kokani Pada, Kurar Village,

Malad (East), Mumbai 400 097

Mb: +91-9892225864

Ph: +91-22-28423326

Email: shabbarsuterwala@hotmail.com

Visit us: www.LeadersWorkshop.5u.com