Improving Time Management

 Procrastination
May 032009
 

time-management

This is a quick article on improving time management. Time management and prioritizing is something that we all struggle with from time to time. However, this needn’t be the case!

Some people seemed blessed with the ability to manage their time effectively, however time control is actually a skill you can learn. You can change your habits so that you too can improve your time management skills.

Here are some physical things you can do to improve your time keeping:

  • Set the time on your alarm clock 10 minutes earlier. You will wake up working to a time deadline to get ready, but setting the time wrong tricks your mind into thinking you are late when you actually have some spare time. This even works after a while when you know it is the wrong time – it is still a psychological tool.
  • Set your watch 5 minutes early. Under the same vein as above this will help you if you are one of those people who are constantly late for appointments and meetings.
  • Reward Yourself. Set yourself time keeping goals, and rewards for if you stick to them. These can be as simple as having a cup of tea and a biscuit, to allowing yourself to treat yourself to a new shirt if you keep time on something more important.
  • See where you are wasting time. Do you spend too much time surfing the net, reading emails, or making personal phone calls? Make a timetable of your actions as you go about your day and you will soon see the unimportant activities which are costing you valuable time which could be spent elsewhere.
  • Outsource. If you can pass non critical tasks on to other people in your workplace this will free up your time. You should always be doing tasks which you are a specialist at, spend your time wisely doing what you are good at whenver possible
  • Set time limits. Set a limit for completing a task. If it isn’t done then move on to something else. You can always schedule more time for the unfinished task later. Just setting a deadline helps us work faster as we know we have to move on to something else.
  • Keep a Routine. When you do some tasks at the same time each day it becomes normal. You won’t procrastinate on them as it is normal for you to do them. You will also become better at them as you practice them day in day out, and this will save you time in the long run

This article was brought to you by Real Subliminal – if you are serious about your time keeping then try our time management cd – designed to rewire your mind and replace negative thoughts and habits which are the cause of your time problems

6 Causes of Procrastination

 Procrastination
May 012009
 

procrastination-causes

Procrastination can be a massive problem if you let it take over your life. It can strangle motivation, and spell the end for your hopes, dreams and plans. There are several causes of procrastination which this article will outline. Once you know of and can recognize these causes you can cut them out of your life and increase your productivity tenfold.

Procrastination simply put is when you find yourself putting off things that you should be doing, in favor of doing something more enjoyable, or perhaps even something just more comfortable. The problem with this is that you never push yourself, you never learn anything, and rarely achieve any large successes.

Here are some common causes of procrastination to look out for:

  • Feeling Overwhelmed: Possibly the most common cause. If you just don’t know where to start, or the task is so big it will take forever there can be the temptation can be to put it off. However this won’t make it go away. You will just have to do it at the last minute, under even more stress, and probably do a worse job. Do yourself a favor and get it out of the way early.
  • Wrong Priorities: Procrastinators work just as many hours as everyone else, but they may not understand the importance of prioritizing urgent tasks over routine work. Next time you have a “to do list” on your hands be honest with yourself and ask yourself if the task you are starting is the most critical.
  • Waiting for the“Right” Time: There is never a right time. You are making excuses. If you just start you will soon realize that the present time is perfectly fine and you will soon be making good progress into the project.
  • Fear of Failure: Rejection and failure are feelings we try and keep away from. it hurts our egos and upsets us. Next time you feel these feelings think of the success and how good it will feel instead.
  • Poor organizational skills: This could be anything from having 5 unfinished projects on the go at the same time, to having an untidy desk. Organize yourself and you will know exactly what you need to do and when. You will be in control.
  • Perfectionism: This is where you feel you don’t have the knowledge or skills to complete the task to satisfaction. Sadly this is counter productive as you gain more knowledge and skill through experience than you ever can from reading and researching about it.

We hope you have enjoyed this article on the most common causes of procrastination. If you are honest you will probably recognize yourself in the above statements somewhere. We all procrastinate from time to time, but when it becomes a real issue we get nothing done and move closer and closer to failure with every step.

If you are serious about overcoming your procrastination then view our stop procrastinating subliminal CD. It contains powerful positive affirmations to help you rewire your inner mind, eliminate the thoughts that are holding you back, and replace them with thoughts to make you act in the moment, and get things done.