Golden Arabic Pieces 2010 1 Time Management Tips 1. Write things down A common time management mistake is to try to use your memory to keep track of too many details leading to information overload. Using a to-do list to write things down is a great way to take control of your projects and tasks and keep yourself organized. 2. Prioritize your list Prioritizing your to-do list helps you focus and spend more of your time on the things that really matter to you. Rate your tasks into categories using the ABCD prioritization system described in the time management course. 3. Plan your week Spend some time at the beginning of each week to plan your schedule. Taking the extra time to do this will help increase your productivity and balance your important long-term projects with your more urgent tasks. All you need is fifteen to thirty minutes each week for your planning session. 4. Carry a notebook You never know when you are going to have a great idea or brilliant insight. Carry a small notebook with you wherever you go so you can capture your thoughts. If you wait too long to write them down you could forget. Another option is to use a digital recorder. 5. Learn to say no Many people become overloaded with too much work because they overcommit; they say yes when they really should be saying no. Learn to say no to low priority requests and you will free up time to spend on things that are more important. 6. Think before acting How many times have you said yes to something you later regretted? Before committing to a new task, stop to think about it before you give your answer. This will prevent you from taking on too much work. 7. Continuously improve yourself Make time in your schedule to learn new things and develop your natural talents and abilities. For example, you could take a class, attend a training program, or read a book. Continuously improving your knowledge and skills increases your marketability, can help boost your career, and is the most reliable path to financial independence. 8. Think about what you are giving up to do your regular activities It is a good idea to evaluate regularly how you are spending your time. In some cases, the best thing you can do is to stop doing an activity that is no longer serving you so you can spend the time doing something more valuable. Consider what you are giving up in order to maintain your current activities. Golden Arabic Pieces 2010 2 9. Use a time management system Using a time management system can help you keep track of everything that you need to do, organize and prioritize your work, and develop sound plans to complete it. An integrated system is like glue that holds all the best time management practices together. 10. Identify bad habits Make a list of bad habits that are stealing your time, sabotaging your goals, and blocking your success. After you do, work on them one at a time and systematically eliminate them from your life. Remember that the easiest way to eliminate a bad habit, it to replace it with a better habit. 11. Don’t do other people’s work Are you in the habit of doing other people’s work because or a ‘hero’ mentality? Doing this takes up time that you may not have. Instead, focus on your own projects and goals, learn to delegate effectively, and teach others how to do their own work. 12. Keep a goal journal Schedule time to set and evaluate your goals. Start a journal and write down your progress for each goal. Go through your goal journal each week to make sure you are on the right track. Keeping a journal on your computer has never been easier! 13. Don’t be a perfectionist Some tasks don’t require your best effort. Sending a short email to a colleague, for example, shouldn’t take any more than a few minutes. Learn to distinguish between tasks that deserve to be done excellently and tasks that just need to be done. 14. Beware of “filler” tasks When you have a to-do list filled with important tasks, be careful not to get distracted by “filler” tasks. Things such as organizing your bookcase or filing papers can wait until you tackle the items that have the highest priority. 15. Avoid “efficiency traps” Being efficient doesn’t necessarily mean that you are being productive. Avoid taking on tasks that you can do with efficiency that don’t need to be done at all. Just because you are busy and getting things done doesn’t mean you are actually accomplishing anything significant. Golden Arabic Pieces 2010 3 Myths about Stress and Time Management Myth #1: All stress is bad. No, there's good and bad stress. Good stress is excitement, thrills, etc. The goal is to recognize personal signs of bad stress and deal with them. Myth #2: Planning my time just takes more time. Actually, research shows the opposite. Myth #3: I get more done in more time when I wisely use caffeine or sugar. Wrong! Research shows that the body always has to "come down" and when it does, you can't always be very effective then after the boost. Myth #4: A time management problem means that there's not enough time to get done what needs to get done. No, a time management problem is not using your time to your fullest advantage, to get done what you want done. Myth #5: The busier I am, the better I'm using my time. Look out! You may only be doing what's urgent, and not what's important. Myth #6: I feel very harried, busy, so I must have a time management problem. Not necessarily. You should verify that you have a time management problem. This requires knowing what you really want to get done and if it is getting done or not. Myth #7: I feel OK, so I must not be stressed. In reality, many adults don't even know when they're really stressed out until their bodies tell them so. They miss the early warning signs from their body, for example, headaches, still backs, twitches, etc. Biggest Time Wasters 1. Interruptions. There will always be interruptions. It's how they're handled that wastes time. 2. Hopelessness. People "give in", "numb out" and "march through the day". 3. Poor delegation skills. This involves not sharing work with others. Golden Arabic Pieces 2010 4 Simple Techniques to Manage Time 1. Managing time takes practice. Practice asking yourself this question throughout the day: "Is this what I want or need to be doing right now?" If yes, then keep doing it. 2. Find some way to realistically and practically analyze your time. Logging your time for a week in 15-minute intervals is not that hard and does not take up that much time. Do it for a week and review your results. 3. Do a "todo" list for your day. Do it at the end of the previous day. Mark items as "A" and "B" in priority. Set aside two hours right away each day to do the important "A" items and then do the "B" items in the afternoon. 4. At the end of your day, spend five minutes cleaning up your space. Use this time, too, to organize your home. That'll give you a clean start for the next day. 5. Learn the difference between "Where can I help?" and "Where am I really needed?" mothers learn that the last question is much more important than the former. 6. Learn the difference between "Do I need to do this now?" and "Do I need to do this at all?" mothers learn how to quickly answer this question when faced with a new task. 7. Have a place for everything and put everything in its place. That way, you'll know where to find it when you need it. 8. Best suggestion for saving time -schedule 10 minutes to do nothing. That time can be used to just sit and clear your mind. You'll end up thinking more clearly, resulting in more time in your day. The best outcome of this practice is that it reminds you that you're not a slave to a clock -and that if you take 10 minutes out of your day, you and your family won't fall apart. Golden Arabic Pieces 2010 5 ﺔَ ﻤﻴِدَﻘﻝا سِﺒَﻼَ ﻤﻝا مِدْﺨَﺘْﺴَﻨ َفْﻴَﻜ Golden Arabic Pieces 2010 6 ﻊَﻨ ْﺼَﻨ َفْﻴَﻜ دﻴِدَﺠ حﺎَﺒْﺼِﻤ