Succeed with Time Management

The Treasury in Petra, Jordan
“Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection” ~Mark Twain
Succeed with Time Management


The goal of all education is to prepare individuals for success in life and moreover success is a journey, not a destination. Since the beginning of human history we have been living under certain universal laws that have operated our daily lives whether we are aware of them or not. One of such laws is the law of correspondence, which tells that your outer world is a mirror of the inner world. In simple words, your outer world corresponds to your inner world. What’s going on around you is a reflection of what’s going on inside you. One of the greatest responsibilities you have to yourself is to keep yourself thinking like a winner all day long. Certainly one will come across inevitable setbacks and disappointments of daily life and one wins upon the following situations if he/she thinks like a winner. True measure of your character is decided by your thought on what you want and what you do not want? We generally become upset, angry and lost control of ourselves when things go wrong. This is a natural tendency of most of the people, but people who have success in their life always have a winner’s attitude and mentality. They continue to think about wining and success even under the most difficult or adverse circumstances. Those who think about success and achievement all day long are basically the successful people. As per the law of the attraction, each human being is a living magnet, that we radiate thought energy and that we invariably attract into our lives the people and circumstances that harmonize with our dominate thoughts. When people think out positive and happy things, they automatically attract positive and happy people and circumstances into their lives and vice-versa. The choice is always up to you. One of the greatest key to positive thinking is the ability to look for good in every situation. Sooner or later, those who win are those who think they can. Time management is an essential success skill. Managing your time effectively will help you to;
l Be more productive

l Reduce your stress level

l Improve your self esteem

l Establish an important career skill

l Reach your goal

l Balance and successful life

What is success?

The meaning of success comes in many forms, and many definitions. It all depends on what you are searching for in life. Athletes may have one definition of success, and a stay at home mom may have another. A musician may see success as a number one hit, and a doctor may see success as a surgery that went well. It basically depends on the prospective of life you have. Let’s differentiate between accomplishment, success and true success.

Accomplishment

It is related to the task or action that you have attempted, and the desired results obtained. It is based on what was expected, and what results were done. People accomplish things all day long, but really achieve no success in those actions.

Success

Ongoing string of accomplishments when put together, add up to a major obtainment in life is known as success. It is an ongoing realization and obtainment of worthy results, concerning actions, life wealth, or a worthy deal. It is not just accomplishment, it is beyond that. It is basically measured by the number of achievements you make. But the route which you follow to reach your goals is what actually matters.

True success

True success is simply the realization and obtainment of a worthy ideal or result that your heart is deeply connected to it. It is what people die for it. It is a success that soaked with emotion, powered by passion, driven by destiny, and forged with the fire of the heart. That is why that, many athletes have long career. Basically their heart is attached to their success.

Success is based on what you have done with the opportunities you have been given. Success is not created in wealth or fame; it is created in the sincere attempt to reach a goal. It is destination that we must be continually striving to get to. When anyone accomplishes a goal, they have temporary success. You should set multiple smaller goals for yourself in order to reach the final desired destination. To remain successful, you must remain in motion because success never stays with you and it moves constantly. Success is a long hard road often includes many failures and trails before you reach the end.

Spend 10–15 minutes to create a one or two sentence phrase that will sum up your very own definition of success. As an example if my key success words were;

1. Freedom

2. Money

3. Peace

4. Flexibility

5. Time for time

6. Making for a difference

7. Leaving a legacy, etc.

Analyze the meaning of success from the phrase written against the words. This will indicate the next course of action to be drawn so as to reach the success point.

Success can be based under the following;

I. Target

II. Focus

III. Hard work

IV. Faith/believe

V. Dedication, and

VI. Prayer

If you want to be a teacher, that’s a target and it should be with you to be successful in life. You must focus on the things/requirements that qualify you to be a teacher. So you must focus in that area to attend those qualities for you to be successful in life. There is no short cut route to success, only it can be achieved through sheer hard work. The top of the ladder is never crowded, but only can be reached through the steps and it is the steps of hard works. You must believe in yourself, you must say to yourself down from your heart, that you can make it, that you can pass through the turns of been a teacher. You must be dedicated in what you have determined to do in life so as to attain success in life. Dedication is the spirit to duty. Prayer is the key to all success in life. It gives you the strength to be focused, to work hard and to be dedicated. If followed properly in our daily life and affairs, then sky is ours.

What is time management?

Practically speaking, time is constant; 60 seconds per minute, 60 minutes per hour, 24 hours per day and 7 days a week (24/7). It can neither be reversed nor forwarded, and moreover can not be stored. However, the usage of time differs among each individual. Some might give time the capacity to control their lives, and others find themselves a slave of time. Some might have no time at all to relax and create a stress-free life style. But one should not make time an enemy.

Time is one of the most important resources for everyone, and sometimes most valuable. In a few case timing is everything. A sense of time can motivate, focus efforts, and get more done per hour. Time is important due the following reasons;

l It is wisely said that if you value life, value what life is made of. Your time is your life, use it or enjoy it.

l Time is a major function of your career. Time plays an important role in your progress and prosperity, know how to use it and you can achieve much more quickly.

l Time is a major resource, because time itself is a raw material and knowledge of or a system of using it. If managed properly, will give rise to the optimum result as required.

There are several differences between time and other resources;

1. Time is obtained free of charge, just like the air we breath. Each morning 24 hours worth time is given to us.

2. One can never have more time than anyone else. But it is clear that some people achieve infinitely more than others in the same period.

3. Time can not be saved and used at a later date.

4. There no substitute for time in the way that there are substitutes for other resources.

5. Every activity, no matter how small or large, requires use of commodity called time.

6. You can make better use of your own time, others can not do so, and neither can they steal it from you.

Proper use of time is a problem for many people. An excellent solution to this is to get organized through time management. Some common misconceptions about time management are;

l Time management is common sense and does not require much effort.

l I work better under pressure, so time management will be counter productive.

l I do not have time for time management techniques.

l Time management is too serious and does not leave room for fun in life.

But the truth is time management is key to life and career success. Time management helps to learn more and exert greater control over your activities and life. Getting control of your time is the key to accomplishing what you want in life. Successful time management is important in all areas of life. If you can become the master of your time then you will reap the reward in both your professional and personal life. We are guilty of wasting time and putting things of till tomorrow, but the more you can effectively manage your time then the happier you will become.

Instead of controlling, suppressing, or constricting your freedom, time management enables you to achieve the things you really want and frees up time to enjoy life. Every one is allotted the same amount of time in life, that is, 24 hours in each day. You can save or steal time. You should learn how to invest it wisely. As one anonymous author said, “Time and tide wait for no one”. Remember to;

l Start with yourself and analyze how you waste valuable time.

l Decide to change poor working habits by replacing them with effective tasks.

l Set yearly, monthly, weekly and daily goals and then develop strategies to reach these goals.

l Write to-do list with 80/20 rule in mind, do the most significant things first (80/20 rule is also known as Pareto rule. It is named after Vilfredo Pareto, Italian economist of 19th century. This rule states that 80 percent of all that happens at work is really the result of 20 percent effort. Most people spend 80 percent of their time trying to complete 20 percent of their tasks).

Time is your most valuable resource. Unless time is managed, nothing else can be managed. If time gets away from us, every other part of our life will get away from us, too. Time management is self management. Spend both time and money wisely so you will have plenty of each.

Some of the common time wasters

1. Problem

Feeling so over whelmed and anxious about your workload that you “freeze” put things off and does not get anything done.

Solution

1. Set priorities

2. Get started

2. Problem

Procrastination: Spending time on irrelevant tasks when you know you should be studying. Procrastination is the thief of time.

Solution

1. Dividing seemingly complex tasks into smaller parts.

2. Setting up a time scale and deadline for achieving each part of a task.

3. Dealing with unpleasant task first, so that they are out of the way.

4. Action plan and prioritize your activities and tasks on a weekly basis.

3. Problem

Putting off starting a task because, it feels so overwhelming or difficult that you can not face it.

Solution

Break up the work load into small chunks.

4. Problem

Daydreaming or “drifting off”

Solution

Check your energy level and concentration. Take a short break or a little exercise every hour.

5. Problem

Feeling that you can not begin because, you won’t be able to produce a perfect result.

Solution

Rather than aiming for a masterpiece each time, aim at reasonable results.

6. Problem

Poor planning

Solution

Planning is a way of saving time for errors. Mistakes usually happen because of unexpected and unforeseen factors such as a wrong estimate of resources or new problems. With the proper plan and preparation, these unforeseen circumstances can be minimized.

7. Problem

Interruptions - telephone.

Solution

Instead of being at the whim of callers, make the phone work for you.

8. Problem

Socializing, idle conversation

Solution

Effective conversation as per the situation demand should be adopted and followed.

9. Problem

Un-clear objectives and priorities

Solution

Set priorities as per the goal you want to achieve and the objective is to be clearly defined at the beginning of performing the task.

10. Problem

Stress

Solution

Some suitable method should be followed to reduce stress of any kind. Stress is highly objectionable during performing effective tasks and hence needs special care and attention.

11. Problem

Inability to say “No” Solution

Decide what you want to do and realistically can do and then say “no” to everything else. It is often accepted much more easily than you think.

12. Problem

E-mail and instant messenger interruptions

Solution

Reading and answering e-mails can consume a big portion of your day. Make sure you only allow a certain amount of time for checking the mail, and then ensure that you stick to that schedule.

13. Problem

Leaving tasks unfinished, jumping from one task to another

Solution

Complete the first task first and then move to the next task. Incase of urgency try to reschedule the time instead of jumping to the new task before the completion of first task.

14. Problem

Playing cards, games, watching television, etc. frequently

Solution

Perform the above activities only during the time slot allotted for them.

15. Problem

Lack of self-discipline, not carrying through plan

Solution

One should control himself as per set of rules and regulations either prepared by you or laid down by the system. Stick to the plan as far as possible unless some very urgent task comes into picture.

16. Problem

Constantly switching priorities

Solution

Follow strictly to the priorities prepared to achieve the goal.

Effective time management for achieving success

The main benefit of effective time management is that, it can drastically improve the quality of your life. Following are the hints to effective time management;

Ø Personal survey or analyze your present use of time

Ø Prepare an event calendar

Ø Prepare a chart of fixed commitment

Ø Schedule high priority activities for peak energy times

Ø Schedule most difficult activities for peak times and do them first

Ø Make weekly schedule

Ø Establish a regular study schedule

Ø Change study subjects frequently

Ø Take breaks

Ø Use odd hours for study

Ø Study with a partner

Ø Choose study area carefully

Ø List and prioritize daily goals

Ø Get enough sleep

Ø Make a daily check list

Ø Prepare a quarterly planning grid

Conclusion

The idea of the time management has been in existence for more than 100 years. It is an art itself. It is very easy to understand but difficult to follow. To effectively manage your time, you need to follow certain values and be disciplined in all activities. It is basically a process. Keeping track of how you spend your time is not time management. Time management is about making changes to the way you spend your time. The carpenter’s rule of “measure twice, cut once” equally holds good for every one of us to succeed in life. Plan your work. Take a few minutes to write out your goal and then list the steps to achieve them. Make sure to distinguish the goals that are truly important from those that may seem urgent but are really not important. If you have never managed your time before, it will take a little bit time to learn how and to do it. But just like anything else, the more you do it, the better you get. It is advised to stick with it for approximately 30 days so as to evaluate its effectiveness

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Kalam lays out 7-pt oath for OU students

Hyderabad, Feb.1: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam outsmarted students at the Osmania University’s 77th convocation on Thursday.

Dr Kalam asked whether the students would like to listen to his entire address spanning 20 minutes or a summary comprising a seven-point oath.
The students were clearly in favour of the summary. The President then administered an oath to the students, but after that presented his full address.
The seven points of Dr Kalam’s oath were:

(1). I realize that I have to set a goal in my life and to achieve the goal I will acquire knowledge and work hard so that when a problem occurs I will defeat it and succeed.

(2). As a youth of my nation, I will work and work with courage to achieve success in all my tasks and enjoy the success of others.

(3). I shall always keep myself, my surroundings, neighbourhood and environment tidy.

(4). I realize that righteousness is in the heart and righteousness in heart leads to beauty, which again leads to character, which in turn leads to harmony at home, and harmony in home leads to order in the nation will lead to peace in the world.

(5). I will lead an honest life, free from all corruption and set an example for others to adapt righteous way of life even if difficulties come.

(6). I will light the lamp of knowledge in the nation and ensure it remains lit for ever.

(7). I realize that whatever work I do, if I do it best I am contributing towards the vision of a developed India by 2020


(source: Deccan Chronicle)