Procrastination: Top Time Management Skills

Posted on May 11, 2008
Filed Under Choices | Leave a Comment

Procrastination is the means of putting off a task for another day even though you have the ability and the time to obtain those goals right now.

When you procrastinate, you are actually not getting to achieve what you are capable of achieving and that can cause you to miss out on many opportunities for success in many ways. Procrastination can ruin your career because it may be the one thing that shows others that you are unable to achieve your goals.

Can you actually get around this problem, then? Begin with learning what is happening and knowing how to react when you start to procrastinate. When you realize that you are procrastinating or about to, you can recognize this, stop it and get back on track to better managing your time.

It is also vital for you to understand why people procrastinate and in doing so you will be in a better position to avoid allowing it to happen to you, over and over again.

Lastly, you must take the right steps to managing your time so that you can manage the outcomes of your time by learning how to handle procrastination. It’s a mind set that you can not afford with the limited amount of time that you actually have.

Procrastination is defined as putting off doing something that you should be putting your attention onto right now. Generally, people do this when they want to do something else that is favorable, a bit more fun or even just easier.

Is this you? Do you spend long days working hard but you are actually investing your time in accomplishing the easy tasks instead of taking on the larger, more important tasks?

A common problem here is that many people can not see the difference between priorities in tasks. For example, you have an important task to complete. You also have an urgent task to complete. Which do you go to first? You should accomplish the important task because it is just that, important!

Too many people look towards accomplish the things that they think are necessary to complete right now, forgo the important task and then have to find a way or a time to balance the ball in their favor.

Here is an example. Let’s say you are working at your desk and in walks your boss. They need you to handle an important client. The phone rings, it is another employee, struggling to accomplish his task and asks for your help. You get back to work. The other employee calls again. They need you. Which task do you do; the important client or the employee that will keep calling until you help?

The task here that you should be completing is that which is important, the one that needs your full attention and that will get you the most bang for the buck.

However, far too many people strive to accomplish that other task because that person has complained, called and got into their head and they now are the loudest voice there telling them what to do.

So, do you procrastinate? If so, it’s time to take action.

If you are going to mc a wedding you certainly cannot afford to procrastinate. If you do the wedding reception could turn into a disaster.
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The Mayonnaise Jar and Two Cups of Coffee

Posted on November 23, 2007
Filed Under Choices, Inspiration, Lifestyle | Leave a Comment

I can’t remember where I first read this story, but as we’re at that time of year for being thankful, and fast approaching Christmas with its own reminders to stop and smell the roses, I thought it would be a good time to post this….

When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous “yes.”

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

“Now,” said the professor as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things–your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions–and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else–the small stuff. “If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

“Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first–the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked.

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.” continue reading….

Why Force Employees to Wear Suits to Work?

Posted on January 23, 2007
Filed Under A to Z, Choices, Lifestyle | Leave a Comment

Here’s a topic that always stirs debate, but that debate seems mostly one-sided. Most of the discussion comes down in favor of making business formal dress the exception instead of the rule. Yet company dress codes are amazingly slow to change.

So why do these seemingly outdated rules linger? If you talk to the employees of most companies that still require suits, coat & tie, dresses, etc., you find they would much prefer switching to a business casual, if not totally casual dress code for everyday work.

It’s actually pretty hard to find anyone to speak for the nebulous “they” who are the mysterious proponents of business formal dress policies. Oh sure, you can talk to someone in HR, but they’re just spouting the company line – they don’t actually make the policy.

I came across a post by Mark Cuban on blogmaverick, where he’s ranting about this very topic. In it he makes several observations, and asks some pointed questions:… continue reading….

An Extra Thousand Dollars

Posted on December 15, 2006
Filed Under Choices, Personal Finances | Leave a Comment

I overheard part of a conversation where a guy was saying “an extra thousand dollars is what I need”. The context was that if he could somehow find this sum of money, he could pay some bills and his problems would be gone. This is by far, not an isolated desire. In fact, in one form or another, it is typical of a majority of the population. So many folks seem to think that if they could just acquire that “extra amount”, life would be good. It’s as if happiness revolves around solving this ongoing shortfall in their finances.

The reality is that this “problem” is actually incredibly easy to solve. continue reading….

Faith - It’s a Matter of Choices

Posted on January 21, 2006
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I had written earlier about how funerals of those who die unexpectedly or prematurely can often increase our awareness of living a more meaningful and deliberate life. However, that is generally the case only for those not intimately connected. For those like immediate family who are closely affected, the death of a loved one in the “prime of life” can raise more serious questions, such as “why did this have to happen?”. continue reading….

Carpe Diem - Seize the Day

Posted on January 14, 2006
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Funerals have a way of stopping you up short. I can think of few other events that have such an ability to make one pause and reflect on the important things in life. I’m not one of those who get morbid when someone dies, but I do find myself more contemplative, and more so as I get older. Of course the mere fact of getting older brings the inevitable end of life closer than it seemed when I was in the first third of life feeling very much immortal as most of us do… continue reading….

Lessons from Benjamin Franklin

Posted on December 20, 2005
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What can we learn from Benjamin Franklin? Lots, but a prime lesson is that life is about choices, and living life is best done deliberately. It’s about focusing on what’s important, making a plan, and going for it… continue reading….

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