Time Management For Beginners

Its not easy to suddenly start making and following To-Do-Lists 'to the T'. Nor is it a piece of cake to get rid of your time wasting habits in a day or two. I know because I myself started out like this and trust me, it never works that way. Which is why I have come up with this post to help people start managing their time in a more comfortable manner.


Tip #1 - Review your day.
This is a simple but very effective trick. All you need to do is spend five minutes reviewing your day before you fall asleep. Rewind and play back your day in your mind. Right from the time you got out of bed in the morning to the time you got back in it - for eg. I got up at 8 am. Made breakfast , got ready and left for work at 9 am. Reached office at 9 :30 etc etc. Just recall what you did, one after the other. I do not care if you spent three hours on Twitter or two hours gossiping on the phone, what I care is that you should know exactly what you did in the day. 

How does it help you?
Recalling your day will help you realize exactly where you waste time, so come tomorrow, you will think twice before repeating the same mistake.


Tip # 2 - Do one single thing at the same time, everyday.
It could be anything - From getting up at 7 am everyday to having dinner at 9 pm or it could even be tidying up your room daily at 10:30 pm. But do it everyday! No excuses, no days-off. When I say every single day, I mean every goddamn day, no matter what important task comes up (unless of course its an emergency).

How does it help you?
It shall help you keep a routine, even if its just for a tiny part of your day. It will help you become more determined towards your cause.

Get started, then!

One of my Best Time Management Tips

I am sharing with you one of the Best Tips I have ever received. I can state from my personal experience that it is indeed highly useful, if you do it properly!

The 80-20 Rule of Time Management

The 80-20 Principle was founded by Italian Economist Vilfredo Pareto, a little more than 100 years ago. What this principle tells us is that 20% of the quantity = 80% of the quality. What he is trying to say here is that everywhere, in every aspect, 20% of the amount attributes to 80% of the quality, and the rest 80% amount has a total value of just 20%. 


For example, 20% of the world's population has 80% of the world's wealth. 20% of the employees of any organization are responsible for 80% of the organization's success. 20% of a company's products generate 80% of the revenues. 20% of the kids in school bring 80% of its accolades and so on and so forth.
When you sit back and think about it, you will realize that this is a universal truth.

How does this apply to Time Management?


As per Pareto's principle, 20% of the tasks you do, account for 80% of your success.
Let me repeat for emphasis: 20% of the tasks you do, account for 80% of your success.
Therefore, if you can concentrate more on these 20% of your tasks and do them better, you will have a much greater chance of achieving what you desire. 
So how do you do that? Here are a few tips you can use:


First of all, its absolutely critical to recognize these 20% tasks that are of utmost importance. One very easy way to set your priorities right is by asking yourself one simple question:
If I were forced to leave town for a month tomorrow, what are the tasks I would make sure I do before I leave?
You answer to that shall help you set your priorities straight.


After you have recognized these important tasks, now you have to make sure you do them effectively.
Some people are night owls while other are morning larks. You know which part of your day is most productive for you. Ensure that you do these important tasks, as much as possible, at those times when you are functioning at your peak. Remember, these are the tasks that will determine your success rate, so they have to be done with utmost care and efficiency.


Try these methods out for a week, and see the results yourself.
Cheers!


You can read more about Pareto's Principle here: http://www.management.about.com/cs/generalmanagement/a/Pareto081202.htm

Do day-to-day Things Faster

Hi,

This is a fun video I found that lets you do small little day-today things at an astonishing speed.

The link to subscribe to the original owner of the video is http://www.youtube.com/user/efrainvideos

Try out some of these techniques.

Have fun. :-)

How to be efficient when you are having a holiday

Some times, even during a break or on holiday, work does not leave us completely. You may still need to get a little amount of work done during your vacation, but in the festive and relaxed atmosphere you hardly feel like thinking about work, let alone actually doing it.


One easy way to counter this is by making it a 'two-hour job day'. What you do is that you ensure that for some amount of time (say 2 or 3 hours a day) you do your jobs. Do not fall off to bed till you have put in that hour or two of work. Convert your holidays to a two-hour job day and you will not have to run around getting your work when its too late already!
Cheers.

How To Get More Out Of Yourself Each Day

One very simple trick that I learnt from my teacher. It hardly takes two minutes, but I guarantee that if you do it regularly, your efficiency will increase by atleast 40%:

Every night, before going to sleep, just recall your day; what did you do the entire day - right from the time you woke up till the time you are going back to sleep at night. You should be able to have an answer to what you were doing at any point in the day. I do not care if you were watching TV for two hours or went out with your girlfriend. What is important is that you keep track of what you did. And then, accordingly plan for the next day. 
It helps you keep control over your life.

But you need to do it regularly if you want positive results.

Best of luck!