Do you feel like everyone controls your time except you? If you want to make time choices that work for you without alienating others, read on.
Finding Time is all-important. But taking charge of the time you find can seem difficult, when you are faced with so many demands. If you respond yes to the questions that follow, you will be pleased by how much time you can ADD to your day by using the tips in this article.
Proactive Question #1: Do you feel like you spend most of your time putting out fires?
Proactive Question #2: Do you respond to other people's priorities, leaving your own on the shelf?
Stop for a second. Think about ways that you are being reactive in your decisions about your time.
Reactive Time Choices - the 3 D's
Bottom line, if your choices around time are reactive it will always be hard for you to create a plan and stick to it. You are being reactive if you lose your own priorities and get snagged by other people's 3 D's:
* Demands,
* Desires, and
* Difficulties
Be Proactive - ADD to Your Time
What can you do when faced with the 3 D's? First, do not let someone else's tone or urgency automatically overrule your own priorities. Stop and ADD it up for yourself.
1) Assess,
2) Decide, and then
3) DO!
Do not confuse being proactive with being rigid; and definitely do not confuse being reactive with being flexible!
To become proactive while remaining responsive, look within to decide what time choices work the best for you. Your first challenge is to avoid being put on the spot.
Practical tips to help you be more proactive:
Tip #1: Weigh what you may hear others say, but allow yourself all the time you need before answering.
Tip #2: Take the responsibility to gage how significant or urgent the issue truly is.
Tip #3: Do not be overwhelmed by individuals who are highly verbal, have strong personalities, or may just be crisis junkies.
Tip #4: Try saying, "I'll think about it and get back to you."
Tip #5: Reserve the right to set a boundary for yourself.
Try This on for Size:
Maybe you work for someone who thrives on last-minute adrenalin rushes. After lunch, you are approached by your employer with an "urgent" job. You could say:
* I can see that you feel (X) is very important.
* I just want to let you know that if I do (X) now, I probably will not have time to do (Y) by the end of the day.
* Which of the two do you prefer I do first?
In this way, you:
* Acknowledge the request but do not react,
* Convey the consequences of not setting priorities, and
* Give your boss the opportunity to make a choice.
The way you spend your time is the way you live your life
People make time choices differently, depending on their values. To be more proactive, start by setting some reasonable boundaries for yourself. Experiment a little and learn from others' examples. Over time, you'll acquire the self-reference and skill sets to make naturally proactive time choices.
Time Management Tips - For Foolproof Priorities Use The 3-3-3 Exercise
Time management tips are really brain building exercises in disguise. Using them strengthens your decisiveness. Each time you establish powerful priorities and follow through, you establish inner direction and self-trust. You gain confidence. In short, you become more of who you've wanted to be all along.
Time Management Tips - How To Sharpen Scheduling Skills Using 5 Intuitive Tools
Time management tips that are heart-based never turn you into a drone. Quite the contrary - you function at peak productivity when vital and proactive. Heart-based time management helps you build capacity by going deep. Start by exploring 5 tips to sharpen your scheduling skills with intuition.
Time Management Tips - Boost Your Intuitive Productivity Using 5 Creative Questions
Time management tips create peak effectiveness - but only if you generate intuitive priorities. Use 5 key questions to stand in your power, aligning your time choices with your priorities each and every day!
