| |
| |
|
Go Back | About | Contact | Web Design News | |
|
|
|
Focus on One Thing at a Time to Get the Job Done
All too often we can feel overwhelmed by the amount of work that we have to do and it is easy to get caught in the trap of trying to accomplish too many things at once and never completing any to your own satisfaction. Often there is a push to accomplish more and more, especially if you are focussed on your career and want to impress. However, if you want to be really productive, and actually get more done the answer is to actually do one thing at a time. This can sound counter-intuitive and there has been a push over the past few years for people to take on more and more and to fill the 'empty' periods of their day so that they are constantly doing something. In reality 'do more' is not the same as 'accomplish more' and top performers the world over aim to do one thing at a time. For those of you who remember him Daley Thompson (perhaps the worlds top decathlon athlete) was interviewed on how he became so successful, his answer was to focus totally on the current event and to complete that, the other events just didn't exist in his mind during that time. People who perform well in business follow the same strategy. Focus on one task at a time, concentrate and complete that one thing and then move on. This doesn't mean that their waiting time is 'wasted', if they are waiting for something to happen with a particular piece of work they concentrate all of their energy on 'optioning' and 'optimising'. On those occasions where they do move on to something else while they wait for a resolution they do several things: (a) Take a Break - The take a physical break from their desk. They get up, go for a 5 minute walk, get a coffee, anything that will take their mind off the previous task. (b) Put it in their Schedule - They plan in time in their schedule for the new task and set this time aside. If the first task comes back to them they finish the new task (or work on it for their allotted time) and only then do they return to the first task. They always go through (a) to change their current mental state. (c) Schedule a re-visit - They put into their schedule a time when they will re-visit the first task. They never jump from task to task, everything is planned and measured. They plan to 'accomplish' rather than to 'work' on a task and the top performers never feel 'overwhelmed' or as if they are 'drowning' and they consistently achieve more than those around them by doing one thing at a time. Give each task your total, complete and utmost focus and watch your productivity fly. More information regarding Organisational Change, Coaching and Performance Development can be found at http://www.achievinggreatness.co.uk 2005 © Achieving Greatness Ltd. All rights reserved. ---- PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box and live web site link. L Stuart Avery is the Managing Director of Achieving Greatness Ltd, an organisation dedicated to raising awareness around personal and management behaviours. Achieving Greatness specialises in offering advice and support to organisations going through change intitiatives and looking to enhance the performance of their staff. It provides training courses, facilitiation services and coaching to business leaders on Leadership, Management and Strategy. Stuart has over 20 years of experience across a wide range of industries including Government, Charities, Retail, Travel, Insurance, IT Services and Logistics. For more information visit http://www.achievinggreatness.co.uk
MORE RESOURCES:
Time-Management - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Laundry Has Never Been More Fun Or The Pitfalls To Working At Home As a home-based, self-employed woman, mundane tasks can be as compelling to me as chocolate. Laundry. Time Management - Working Smarter at Work Let's look at your time management skills. Most of us have to work, and the more you can do in the least amount of time, the better. Time Mastery vs. Time Management - Knowing the Difference How much time do you spend on Mastering Your Time? I don't mean managing time. There is quite a difference between managing and mastering your use of time. Taking Time Out to Play - Summertime and the Living is Easy As the song goes, this is the time to relax, rest, rejuvenate and reward yourself for all the hard work you've been doing. As they say, all work and no play makes Jack & Jill a very dull boy & girl. Measure Your Time Against Active Inactivity We don't realize many things we do until we draw our attention to them.Active inactivity doesn't occur only now, it can occur later unless you catch yourself doing it. It's Not The Same Old Routine We are constantly inundated with routine (often boring!) tasks around the house. This can cause major frustration because many of us don't do them efficiently, and most of us fail to complete our entire list of chores! You may take comfort in comment from a commiserating colleague: "A creative mind always has more ideas than the physical body is able to carry out. The Kaizen of Goal Setting There is an old way of goal setting and a new way of goal setting!The old way of goal-setting involved setting yor goals, preparing a list of sub-goals, and then carefully checking them off one after another (as and when they were being accomplished). Am I trying o pour cold water on the goal setting method many of us grw up on?Not necessarilyWhile I am not saying the step-by-step approach does not work, I am advocating a flexible-goal setting approach. Making More Efficient Use of Your Time You can lose, damage or waste some things in life, and then, get them repaired or buy them again. With time, you cannot do that. 5 Result-Getting Time Management Tips How often have you tried to manage your time in more productive ways, and found the process to be difficult and confusing? Perhaps you simply gave up on the idea. As one friend said, "Time management takes too much time!"These tips will simplify time management with five important steps that can bring remarkable changes. Balancing Your Work, Family and Social Life Balancing Your Work, Family and Social LifeBy Gene Griessman, PhD Many of us have an image of personal balance as a set of scales in perfect balance every day. But that's an unrealistic goal. Boost Your Productivity with 10 Minutes at the End of Your Day Once you have completed your day you can boost your efforts for tomorrow with an investment of only 10 minutes. Apply these strategies at the end of your work day and you will definitely increase your productivity. Making the Most of Your Time "The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot. Top Ten Motivators Setting goals is the easy part -- but sticking with them over the long run can be a major challenge! Some people think that motivation requires will-power and dedication. Actually, staying motivated is all about setting up an environment that is conducive to you accomplishing your goals. Creative Leadership; Inspirational Power ( Part 2 ) Time management is absolute crucial nowadays where business decisions have to be taken often at the speed of light, leaders have to find spare time to prioritize their actions.Time is the scarcest of all resources. Effective Use of Your Online Time The Internet is increasingly becoming a major time killer for many of us. Involuntarily, we started to spend more time online than we really can afford. Effective Time Management Techniques TIME MANAGEMENTWith the creation of the universe, God gave humankind a miraculous gift. A wonderful gift which cannot be seen or touched but without which there will be no meaning in life. Save Your Time - Delegate! Frustration is when an obstacle blocks your ability to achieve a goal. You know it is still possible to achieve it, but you just have no idea how. What Are You Thinking? What would be your reaction if someone said to you "In the next 24 hours you will be given $10,000 for every chair you sell like the one you are sitting on right now?"How many time management issues will you have? How hard will it be to set priorities for your day? How long would you wait before contacting your first prospect? How much time would you waist chatting on the phone or exchanging emails with friends? Probably will not take the time to be staring out the window or watching the grass grow!Seriously, in that situation would time management be an issue for you? How much of your 24 hour time frame would you spend sitting on that chair instead of talking to people about it? The excitement of getting lots of $10,000 checks would probably motivate you to see as many people as humanly possible in the next 24 hours, right? Most, if not all, of your time management problems would be resolved immediately!Think about this little example, and you will discover the key to success in many areas of your life -- time management, selling, managing, self motivation. One single ingredient determines the success or failure of just about anything you pursue in life. Your Most Important Appointment An appointment is simply a mutual agreement to meet with someone at a specific time.You set appointments with doctors, dentists, lawyers, accountants, contractors and hair stylists, just to name a few. Living Life In A Time Starved World Recently I saw an advertisement for a time management booklet: "Shorter deadlines, competing priorities, endless meetings, interruptions and even higher quality expectations are just some of today's time challenges. And yet the number of hours in the day remains the same.
|
ChicagoAnimation's Acquisitions: Market Polls - 1pennyStock.com
Sponsors: Paving | VTL's | Religious Statues
