Monday, August 28, 2006

Time Means Money

"Time na money" If you happen to live around this part of the world, you would have probably heard this phrase a million times, means time is money, truth is whether you like it or not its a fact.

You know, if you're ever going to take control of your life and make it grand, you'll need to start by taking control of your time. Without question, effective time management is fundamental to succeeding in any area of life. In fact, it is often the main difference between life's achievers and those who, although always busy, never get anywhere.

Most experts agree that success is the result of habit. Therefore, the first step in improving how you use your time starts with your habits (self control). And your habits start as consciously made decisions (i.e. what time you get up, what kind of books you read, etc.

Once established, good habits become second nature. In many cases, success is not so much the result of doing the unusual, but rather the result of one's ability to "master the mundane." By consistently performing all of the little rudimentary tasks that are important, over time these activities transform into huge achievements.

Here's some simple rules to follow for better time management:

Don't procrastinate. Do it now. When people put things off, it kills momentum, slows achievement of current goals and restricts future opportunity as time is clogged up. The way to tackle procrastination is to set deadlines by which goals should be achieved.

Track your activities. Memory is a poor guide when it comes to assessing how you spend your time. A better way is to record your activities throughout the day, listing everything you do. Most people will find that they have about three hours each day that can be used in a more constructive or efficient manner. Take stock of the time you spend chatting on the phone, flipping though magazines or aimlessly surfing the Web, and eliminate all that isn't necessary.

Respond quickly. For example, take care of your mail as you receive it. Don't let those bills and letters pile up on you. If you're unable to respond to a letter immediately, file it in a special place that's visible, and note on the envelope the required action and date you intend to resolve it. When possible, act on requests the same day you receive them. Don't let your computer, your desk or your mind become clogged with useless things.

Be Decisive. Learn to say no to people. Your time is important, so don't let other people impose or use you to compensate for their poor planning. Eliminate distractions as much as possible. Close your door, turn off the ringer on your phone or simply ask not to be disturbed.

By following these tips, you'll create more space to be, do and have more in your life. Best of all, you'll approach life in a more proactive and intentional manner.

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13 comments:

Margie said...

That was a great read Christabelle
Thanks hun!
I need to take a few of your tips!
I have been procrastining a bit
lately!
Need to stop that... hopefully!
I do eliminate distractions as much as posible... when I do that I am able to focus much more on
how I feel about myself, and what I need to be telling myself about
how I want to be in my life!
Take care my dear!
Huggggz!
-Margie

EKENYERENGOZI Michael Chima said...

Very timely post for me. Because I am actually having headache caused by an associate whose unreliability is making me to question her credibility.

"I will do it," she said and she never did. "
I will do it on Thursday," she promised two weeks ago. But she never did.
"I will do it now. I am waiting for your reply on what to do," she gave a good excuse. And I reminded her of how to do so for the tenth time and till now she has not done so. I am shocked by her apologies and excuses.

I was not born and bred this way. And I do have fits when I have to tolerate these kind of unreliable people.

Apologies and regrets are often lame duck excuses.

If I wait for her, I will be lagging behind. And times waits for no one.

God bless.

Anonymous said...

hello and greetings from rolli from germany. se you on my website. and have a nice day.
Rolli

LondonBuki said...

Very good and helpul post. I like :-)

Have a great week.

Anonymous said...

hello christabelle. its very nice you cam on my website.
and german language learning?
ok.
1. goord morning....guten morgen
2. i am christabelle...
ich bin christabelle
3. i write a comment to rollis blog.....ich schreibe einen kommentar in rollis blog.
greetings from rolli :-))

Chipper said...

Ok, too funny. I am sitting at my desk procrastinaing as we speak about returning home and doing work. Your post was spot on! Thanks!

Anonymous said...

nice tips on the blog...especially for a lazy person like me who puts practically everything to tomorrow!

starry said...

Thanks for sharing this christabelle. I can learn a few things on time management.

Christie's Corner said...

Margie: Thank you, I do pracrastinate too, and forget a lot, so I have learnt to write everything I need to do and put a time limit to it, that has really helped me a lot.

Osinachi: that's true, if u keep waitng for her, u'll defintely lag behind, so eithr u lay her off and get somebody else who can do the job or retain her and lag behind, simple and short. There is really no need for fits oo! huh?

Rolli: hey, good to have you here, and that German, wow! now we're gonna strike a deal on that, every morning u'll give me some words in German and tell u what b/4 u know it, i can be able to comment on ur blog in ur language, now wont that be gr8, hehehe!

Buki: thank you.

Etchen: in other words, i see u getting up to start doing what u r supposed to be doing,huh? thats my girl.

Anand: talk about lazy, I used to hv a degree on that one, hehehe! but I'm learning, oh yes I am.

Starry nites: thank you.

Anonymous said...

hello christabelle. and now....
GERMAN School..... :-))

Your blog are very nice:.....
Dein Blog gefällt mir sehr gut.

Please comment return:......
Bitte schreibe mir einen Kommentar zurück.

The city are you cam from:......
In welcher Stadt wohnst du ?

and now...see you later christabelle, Rolli

Keshi said...

Im very good at Time Mgmt.

Keshi.

DiAmOnD hawk said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DiAmOnD hawk said...

oh what a wonderful post.

i keep track of my spending but i guess i do need to keep track of my time. i procrastinate big time. I have this quote on my wall at work..."procrastination is the assassination of motivation: never leave until tomorrow what you can do today"...hmmm...i need to follow that...cuz i do unproductive things most of the time...and time sure does fly by