CAREER DEVELOPMENT, GOALS, SUCCESS UNIVERSITY

One key problem in self-improvement is managing your time so that you are able to accomplish your goals. This is vital for career planning so that you are not bogged down by procrastination.

Many people are known to procrastinate to some extent but some people become chronic procrastinators. This hinders them from accomplishing their goals and becomes disruptive to their careers.

To combat the destructive habit of procrastination, you must become aware of the instances in your daily life when you begin procrastinating. Then you have to understand why you procrastinate, whether just sometimes or chronically, then undertake effective time management methods so you can guide your career accordingly.

People procrastinate when they do not do what they have to do right away, usually putting it off because they want to do something that is more comfortable or enjoyable. Procrastinators may work just as long as a non-procrastinator on a certain task but it may be the wrong task. To combat this trend, try to make a list differentiating between an urgent task and an important task – important tasks take precedence.

Procrastinators may also put off a task because they feel overwhelmed by it, thinking that the job is too big for them or they lack the necessary skills or resources to complete it. This leads procrastinators to simply do easier tasks, without realizing that they are wasting time not tackling the larger task right away.

Procrastinators could also be perfectionists, have poor organizational skills or find their decision making skills to be retarded, maintain a fear of failure or success, or simply be waiting…and waiting…and waiting for the right mood to hit them before they undertake the task.

But regardless of the cause of your procrastination, you should be aware of it and be ready to deal with it right away. Otherwise you risk losing your career.

The first step is to be honest with yourself so you will recognize when you are procrastinating.

The next step is to keep a To Do List that will help you guide your daily activities. Many people neglect this obvious step because they think they already know what to do.

Then, you have to explain to yourself why you are procrastinating. The reasons for this may fluctuate between your behavior and the task itself.

Afterwards, you should find a way to motivate yourself to tackle the job you have set aside. This may be harder than just telling yourself STOP PROCRASTINATING! You can opt to reward yourself after undertaking the task. Or get peer pressure to work for you by asking a co-worker to check up on your progress after some time. If you still cannot work, it may be time to tell yourself what are the negative effects of leaving the task unfinished – this includes being booted out of the job, sad to say.

For those who find themselves overwhelmed by the task, they can break it down into a series of smaller and more manageable components that make up a larger Action Plan. You will be surprised how far you will go just taking each step as it comes.

 

- Leon Edward

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Leon Edward helps people improve in Leadership Development, Goal Setting, Success, Motivation, Self-Improvement, Happiness, Memory Improvement, Stress Reduction and more through his articles, blogs, reports and self-help success roladex-on-line. Visit his Success-Leadership Library, Articles  at http://www.AwesomeSuccess.org

Leon Edward also helps people improve  IQ, focus, memory, concentration, creativity, speed reading, public speaking , time management and reducing stress.
Download his IQ Mind Brain Memory Self-Help library at his website http://www.IQMindBrainLibrary.com

Posted by Leon Edward at 07:10 AM | Permalink

One famous saying goes, "sometimes I sits and thinks and sometimes I just sits." You probably have found yourself in this situation far too many. You have so much to accomplish and yet you are not getting anywhere. The culprit, oftentimes than never, is the time thief. It knows only too well that time is gold and that it will do everything in its power to steal it from you. If you don’t have much safeguard against it, you will find yourself giving in to it most of the time. Time stolen can never be recovered. No agency or insurance can provide you with anything to replenish your stolen time.

Be wary and avoid the pitfalls of time management. Here are a couple perpetrators:

1. Lethargy. This is one of the worst schedule interruptions. Most of the time we feel tired not because of any valid physical or emotional stress but because we are simply lazy. We let the power of indolence take over the wheel so that we can go to the backseat and indulge in some useless dawdling.

This is one of the worst schedule interruptions. Most of the time we feel tired not because of any valid physical or emotional stress but because we are simply lazy. We let the power of indolence take over the wheel so that we can go to the backseat and indulge in some useless dawdling.

2. Entertainment. You ought to know when to give yourself a break or a personal reward and that is when you have successfully achieved your goals; not when you just started the project or halfway through. This is also one of the major time wasters. The lure of television, cinema, shopping malls, and all other forms of entertainment often made us forget about our priorities. We succumb to the allure of self indulgence even if there really is no reason to do so. Reward yourself when it is due.

You ought to know when to give yourself a break or a personal reward and that is when you have successfully achieved your goals; not when you just started the project or halfway through. This is also one of the major time wasters. The lure of television, cinema, shopping malls, and all other forms of entertainment often made us forget about our priorities. We succumb to the allure of self indulgence even if there really is no reason to do so. Reward yourself when it is due.

3. Failure to plan. Committing yourself to an effective time management entails specific planning of goals. You need to come up with a tangible list of what you need to do today, tomorrow, or next month. You need to be realistic about it. Thinking about it is not planning. It is just simply musing. You may remember it now but wait until tomorrow and everything is lost. A list makes all the difference.

Committing yourself to an effective time management entails specific planning of goals. You need to come up with a tangible list of what you need to do today, tomorrow, or next month. You need to be realistic about it. Thinking about it is not planning. It is just simply musing. You may remember it now but wait until tomorrow and everything is lost. A list makes all the difference.

4. Failure to say no. It is admirable for someone to be of service to others; truly praiseworthy. To be incessantly available for other people’s requests though is a major blunder to your own schedule. You are messing with your time doing works that are not really yours. It is a commendable attitude but you must either do it in your spare time or do it at a minimal. You should learn when to say no. It spells a big difference between a good time manager and someone who lets others exploit him.

It is admirable for someone to be of service to others; truly praiseworthy. To be incessantly available for other people’s requests though is a major blunder to your own schedule. You are messing with your time doing works that are not really yours. It is a commendable attitude but you must either do it in your spare time or do it at a minimal. You should learn when to say no. It spells a big difference between a good time manager and someone who lets others exploit him.

There are a hundred and one reasons why we often lose so much of our precious time. These four tops them all. You should develop a sensible attitude to identify the signs that you are spending your time irresponsibly. Only then can you truly master the art that is time management

Posted by Leon Edward at 03:59 AM | Permalink

At first glance, it would seem that positive thinking and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) have nothing to do with one another. But many of us with ADD develop negative thinking patterns because we become frustrated by our challenges and frequent feelings of being overwhelmed. This negative outlook then makes it even harder for us to manage those challenges and move forward.

Practicing positive thinking allows people with ADD to focus on our strengths and accomplishments, which increases happiness and motivation. This, in turn, allows us to spend more time making progress, and less time feeling down and stuck. The following tips provide practical suggestions that you can use to help you shift into more positive thinking patterns:

1. Take Good Care of Yourself
It's much easier to be positive when you are eating well, exercising, and getting enough rest.

2. Remind Yourself of the Things You Are Grateful For
Stresses and challenges don't seem quite as bad when you are constantly reminding yourself of the things that are right in life. Taking just 60 seconds a day to stop and appreciate the good things will make a huge difference.

3. Look for the Proof Instead of Making Assumptions
A fear of not being liked or accepted sometimes leads us to assume that we know what others are thinking, but our fears are usually not reality. If you have a fear that a friend or family member's bad mood is due to something you did, or that your co-workers are secretly gossiping about you when you turn your back, speak up and ask them. Don't waste time worrying that you did something wrong unless you have proof that there is something to worry about.

4. Refrain from Using Absolutes
Have you ever told a partner "You're ALWAYS late!" or complained to a friend "You NEVER call me!"? Thinking and speaking in absolutes like 'always' and 'never' makes the situation seem worse than it is, and programs your brain into believing that certain people are incapable of delivering.

5. Detach From Negative Thoughts
Your thoughts can't hold any power over you if you don't judge them. If you notice yourself having a negative thought, detach from it, witness it, and don't follow it.

6. Squash the "ANTs"
In his book "Change Your Brain, Change Your Life," Dr. Daniel Amen talks about "ANTs" - Automatic Negative Thoughts. These are the bad thoughts that are usually reactionary, like "Those people are laughing, they must be talking about me," or "The boss wants to see me? It must be bad!" When you notice these thoughts, realize that they are nothing more than ANTs and squash them!

7. Practice Lovin', Touchin' & Squeezin' (Your Friends and Family)
You don't have to be an expert to know the benefits of a good hug. Positive physical contact with friends, loved ones, and even pets, is an instant pick-me-up. One research study on this subject had a waitress touch some of her customers on the arm as she handed them their checks. She received higher tips from these customers than from the ones she didn't touch!

8. Increase Your Social Activity
By increasing social activity, you decrease loneliness. Surround yourself with healthy, happy people, and their positive energy will affect you in a positive way!

9. Volunteer for an Organization, or Help another Person
Everyone feels good after helping. You can volunteer your time, your money, or your resources. The more positive energy you put out into the world, the more you will receive in return.

10. Use Pattern Interrupts to Combat Rumination
If you find yourself ruminating, a great way to stop it is to interrupt the pattern and force yourself to do something completely different. Rumination is like hyper-focus on something negative. It's never productive, because it's not rational or solution-oriented, it's just excessive worry. Try changing your physical environment - go for a walk or sit outside. You could also call a friend, pick up a book, or turn on some music.

When it comes to the corporate world, protocol is pretty much the religion. To know the things needed to do are the basics of productivity, but interaction and having a steady mind makes up the entire thing to true productivity. There are those who seem to work well even under pressure, but they're uncommon ones and we are human and imperfect. To get these little things like stress under our skins won't solve our problems. Sometimes it takes a bit of courage to admit that we're turning to be workaholics than tell ourselves that we're not doing our best.

Posted by Leon Edward at 05:38 PM | Permalink

Time management is basically about 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.

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 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.

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.

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, 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.

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.

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 record 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.

As the say personal time management is the art and science of 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.

Posted by Leon Edward at 08:31 PM | Permalink