E-Paper
Managing time
Identify what you want to be in life. Just make a note of where you would like to be at the end of your life.
Got a few minutes to spare? If your answer is in the negative, more the reason you should find time to read on time management
Take a notepad. Write down the answers to the following:
• What is my mission in life as far as my career, bank balance, family, self and society are concerned?
• What are my specific goals in each area, and by when am I committed to achieve these goals?
• Is time the limiting factor or is the block somewhere else?
• How is it that others around me seem to be progressing much better?
Read what you have just written. You will find that both your mission and goals are unclear and, perhaps, uninspiring. Now take a few more minutes to check out what is really in the way. Here are some commonly received responses. Do some of these match yours?
• Too many visitors and meetings.
• Your colleagues lack capability, enthusiasm and commitment, thus making delegation difficult or, perhaps, impossible.
• The management lacks vision and its policies are unsuitable for a good performance and personal growth.
• Family demands clash with work commitments.
• Too much work pressure.
• A lack of enthusiasm/ motivation/ confidence/training.
• Poor planning.
These, and many others, block our overall performance at work. But the real issues actually fall in three categories:
• Issues that can be addressed by systematically organizing appointments, meetings and other work. You could use an effective reminder system, make lists, or even turn to sophisticated software.
• Issues that relate to the lack of a clear-cut direction in life, both at work and at home. This is like living without a framework of reference, or a mission, and not setting goals.
• Issues that are governed by beliefs such as: Good people are not available; If I can spend more time with my family, I will be happier; and so on.
Most time management programs basically address the first category. These programs come with various attractive labels and send you home, armed with smart planners, colored markers, digital diaries, the latest software, etc. But to unleash your true power, you require to expand your effectiveness in the other two categories. The key to successful living is to focus on how to produce results with the environment just the way it is and, only if you cannot resist it, then try to reform it. If you choose to Go For It Now (GOFIN), read on...
