Monday, April 30, 2007

How To Multi-Task While Asleep

Always wishing there were more hours in the day? Tired of sacrificing your sleep for chores? Laundry piling up? Here are five things you can do while off in dream land:

Snooze Tip #1: Wash a load of clothes while you're getting ready for bed. Then, throw a load into the dryer while you doze off. The repetitive noise may actually lull you to sleep.

Snooze Tip #2: While the thought of falling asleep with anything on the burner is nerve wrecking, rice cookers and crock pots (also known as slow cookers) essentially operate themselves. Add ingredients and spices and take that well-deserved nap. Once the food is done, the cooker shuts itself off. Voila: You awaken to a hearty meal. No fires. No fuss.

Snooze Tip #3: Exfoliate and moisturize. If you don't have time to relax at the spa or hours to spend pampering yourself at home, try beauty products that exfoliate and moisturize your skin overnight. There are products specifically made for this purpose.

Snooze Tip #4: Style your hair. We all remember seeing older women with rollers and that beloved hair net. Well, we're gonna steal their idea, but cheating just a bit. Put heated rollers in the sections of your hair where you want extra body before bed (or a nap). Once you rise, take out the rollers and roll on out the door.

Snooze Tip #5: Run the dishwasher at night. This seems like a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised how quickly dishes pile up in a busy household. Make it a point to throw dishes into the dishwasher immediately. Buy a dishwasher cleanser that doesn't require you to rinse the dishes first. Then, right before you slide off to bed, flip the on switch.

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Saturday, April 28, 2007

Why We Need A Business Time Management Guidelines

To a businessman, the important answer to make business success is to have an effective business time management plan. Busy people can find their day all in a mess. Busy people cannot seem to accomplish much is due to the reason that they like to spend too much time staying frenzy.

For many businessmen and entrepreneurs out there, they have to realize and aware that they do not just need good management skills, but also effective business time management techniques to help them.

Many businessmen who run their own enterprises often find themselves handling different job scope during the single course of the day. In fact, these time management techniques will aid you to increase the productivity. Some great tips to start with to keep your head cool.

Can businessmen keep track of their business activities

Many business people have to realize that no matter how much they have organized the day, there is always going to be 24 hours a day. Time answers to no one. There is only 1 single thing that we can manage is ourselves and our time. Many of us will find we are wasting time when we could be utilizing our time much more wisely.

Make sure you make a list and figure out where you are wasting your time at. This list can show us how we can be more productive throughout our business day. You got to know what is actually interferring you is very crucial throughout our day. Tracking activities is not just business time management; it is good business sense as well.

Changing your behavior with the way you work is the one of the best way to manage business time management. In fact, you are not really changing the time. The first thing you do is eliminate those areas where you found time being wasted. Set goals that you will not do that waste time on your activities for the entire week. With that in mind, you have to set specific goals on how you could wish to replace those time wasting activities.

You can simple make decide the best plan to set up for your day once you have establish your goals. You have to be very discipline and work through the plan. This will definitely help you you with your business time management. It will free up those wasted moments and give you time to work hard on tasks in need of completion.

You will see your productivity levels increasing and can have good working habits. With good business time management, your boss or your trading dealings will see a huge enhancement in your work as well, which could get you up the ladder of success.

As explained above are the very basic business time management techniques used in business today. You can find other tips that are equally as useful to you as well. The main steps are explained as followed, first, you must find at where your time is being lost. Then you need to eliminate the waste. Once this is established, you can set specific goals to remain as it is for yourself. This course will absolutely increase your efficiency and help you establish your goals.

The business time management has to be appreciated in order to see results in your business.

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Friday, April 27, 2007

Managing Time - Something is Better Than Nothing

This time management technique is called "something is better than nothing." Suppose you say that you really want to read this interesting book, but you don't seem to have the time. Well, guess what - reading 2 pages per day, which on average takes about 7-9 minutes, is much better than not reading that book at all, and it will get you through the book.

Some people complain that they don't have time to exercise. But did you know that most people can run a mile in much less than 10 minutes and get a great work out out of that run which is much, much better than not working out at all?

Some people dream about writing a book, but never get to it, because writing a book is such a time consuming project. But the few people who allocate 30 minutes per day to writing, eventually finish their book and enjoy the satisfaction of sticking to their plan and completing a significant life project.

I am sure you get the idea by now. If you face time management related issue and have a difficulty prioritizing your tasks, keep one important fact in mind: doing something - doing one, little part of your project (whatever it might be) is much better than not doing anything, and it will always bring you closer to the goal that you are after if you stick to it - no matter how small your steps are, because small steps are much better than no steps at all.

Arkady Itkin


http://practicalhappiness.com


Revolution in Dating & Personal Growth Advice

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Thursday, April 26, 2007

Time Management - 10 Tips To Time Management

1. Purchase a Franklin, Day timer, or a 3 ring-notebook. Keep everything inside one binder! List ALL of your "Things To Do" on one master list.

2. Touch each piece of paper only once! When sorting through the mail stand over the wastebasket and immediately throw away junk mail. Next, sit down at your desk and open each piece of mail and take care of it. If it is a bill – pay it. If it needs to be filed – file it.

3. Take your monthly calendar and write down ALL committed dates: Birthday's, Family reunions, vacation, standing monthly appointments, etc. Next, choose your "planning time". This is a 1-2 hour time you set aside each week to map out the week's activities. Mark the day and time on your monthly calendar and keep your "planning" appointment as you would any other commitment.

4. Stick to your weekly plan. Unless it is an emergency, keep your daily schedule in front of you focusing on your "Things To Do List". Unnecessary interruptions take up a lot of ones time. Tell yourself, when others infringe on your time, "A lack of planning on your part does not create an emergency on mine".

5. Schedule reoccurring appointments once a year or twice a year. If you get your haircut every four weeks the next time you go to the hairdresser take your calendar and schedule the next 11 monthly appointments. Do the same with your dental and doctor check-ups. If you have already written down your work and family related activities on your calendar then you already know the dates you have available.

6. Food/Meals. Make a weekly menu and shop once a week. Mark "shopping day" on your calendar, as well. Let the family know in advance when "shopping day" is. Never cook just one meal. ALWAYS double your recipe and, when possible, put the additional meal in the freezer. Most main dishes and desserts keep well in the freezer. Just think, you cook two meals and only had once mess to clean up!

7. ALWAYS lay out tomorrow's clothes and work material the night before. Especially if you have small children.

8. Read while you wait. Carry a small tote bag that holds any material you want to read. I read several great books last year only because I carried them with me. It's amazing how much reading you can do in those small segments of time.

9. Limit unnecessary television, Internet time, and phone calls. Forwarding emails and idle chit-chat can literally eat away the day. If you must spend time watching television be productive by watching your favorite shows while you prepare the week's meals.

10. Learn to graciously say no to activities that are not going to get you closer to your goals. Many times we commit to projects that take up a huge amount of our time because we over commit. Learn to say no.

Remember… life is short! And time is our most valuable resource so use it wisely by making the most of it.

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Wednesday, April 25, 2007

What Is Time Management?

Time is such a valuable resource, we can not store or recycle it, and once it is gone it is gone. As a small business owner, time is our most valuable resource. It will determine
(depending on its usage) our successes and failures. There is so much to do within our daily time frame: family obligations, cooking, cleaning, driving, reading, exercising, school, watching our favorite TV programs, contacting clients/customers, marketing, talking to friends, etc. How do you spend your time?

We all are responsible for managing our own time but what is Time Management?

According to the Webster's II New Riverside Dictionary, time is defined as continuous measurable quantity in which events occur in apparently irreversible order. Management is defined as a practice or process of managing. Therefore, Time Management is the management of quantified events that are irreversible.

Irreversible! (Now, that's deep)

But, can you really manage time? Are you able to say, "Time wait here and accomplish this project until I get back" or "Time can you work for an additional 2 hours today? Okay, I am being a bit facetious, but you get the point. We cannot manage time; we can only manage ourselves around the 24 hours we are given daily. You can waste it or use it to your advantage, but whatever you decide; it will continue to move with or without any actions on your part. And as the above definition states, your actions are irreversible.

Don't start thinking about any time wasted in the past, start today to use your time wisely.
Successful people don't waste time because they have discovered as Internet Marketer Alexanderia Brown stated, "Time Is The New Currency".

© 2007 Bridgette Boudreaux

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Tuesday, April 24, 2007

How To Break Project Down Into Many Pieces

This kind of management skills are commonly known as project time management to project managers when they are trying to handle short and long term projects.

There are tons of time management tips that can be incorporated into project time management that absorb making better use of your time, your goods, your helpers, and any other factors that aid you and help you in getting the project done for conditions and in the time period that has been given to you.

As you marches on, you will find out more and more hurdles and those blockages will become more tough to counter as time passes. These challenges include various assignments that you will end up needing assistance on and end up wanting to manage properly in order to get them finished when they are usually to be completed. The case with this is, of course, standard time management and how to implement those time management tricks is an essential skill to automatically master.

What type of experience can I derived here

This project time management includes good management skills to manage a certain group of people tasked to you, good effective resources management and completing the milestones of a task according to schedule.

Therefore, again are all educated skills that you can teach yourself and practice frequently to properly integrate them into your daily live and work system. Your strategy should include various time management matters so that you can try to balance your work daily schedule. It is crucial to guess time properly. Make easy guesses so as to how long certain pieces of a particular project will take and form your overall scope of the project around those estimates.

Working know-how is the vital solution over here as it is the understanding that many things are generally gear to take in extra time than expected, so to be safe give every item some more time. Distribute responsibility to the capable people and to be certain that they perform as a group and that they achieve their work on schedule and with correct work principles as well.

This is crucial to the success of your project time management plot as it will make obvious your leadership and organization skills to those that are watching.

Finally, ensure that those you are work with understand your objectives and are clear with your project's objectives. Make sure that you have team players working for you and that they understand the meanings of time management, teamwork, and hard work as much as you understand.

Losing a team member is something you do not want to go through in the last minute, so be selective in this selection process and find the good adults for the right jobs before it is too late. Project time management takes a lot of effort to work properly and effectively, but the rewards are definitely worth it.

Enhancing project progress is simply very easy in using this simple and effective tool.

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Thursday, April 19, 2007

How to Make Time Work for You

Is time your biggest enemy? Do you feel like there is never enough time in a day for you to accomplish what you would like to? Here are some tips and ideas on how to make time work for you and to help you in taking advantage of the time you do have.

1. Never multi-task unless you are watching TV, listening to music or some other passive activity. Multi-tasking takes away your concentration from your primary activity and makes it harder for you to be productive.

2. Never just sit in front of the TV. If you are watching TV, take advantage of the time to write letters, clean your house, organize your things, read your email, cook dinner or do other things where you can still watch but get more than one thing done at a time.

3. Take time out for you. Everyone needs 15-30 minutes per day to meditate, relax or exercise and take time to breathe and release your stress.

4. Plan your day and week in advance. Use a day timer or planner and write out a week in advance what you will do each day. Include any appointments and obligations. Take another 10 minutes each night and go over your plans and actions for the following day.

5. Avoid time wasters and robbers such as talking on the phone for too long, reading your email every few minutes, surfing the web, and watching TV.

6. Realize that everyone has exactly the same amount of time per day that you do and if you take advantage of your time then you will get more done.

7. Never be caught waiting at a doctor's office, stuck in a traffic jam, or anywhere else where you have to wait without a book to read or something to do. Plan ahead and be sure you will never be bored while waiting.

8. Make a master list of everything you would eventually like to do or accomplish and then when you have some extra time set a goal to do one of these things.

9. Realize that depending upon your current schedule and obligations certain things may not be possible for you right now. Accept this and move on.

10. Consistently evaluate your progress and make goals to improve wherever you can.

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Tuesday, April 17, 2007

When Every Second Counts - Don't Waste Seconds

In many activities hesitation or procrastination means failure or death. When every second counts, you should not waste seconds. On the football field or any sport where you race against time the clock is your friend or your worst enemy. If you are racing the Boston Marathon and you are going for your personal best record or perhaps you are an outstanding athlete and going for the record then you know every single stride must be perfect and the most efficient.

Some people believe that if you get too far behind that you can make up the time. Although this makes sense it isn't really true. Currently in this realm or this dimension that we live in once the time is gone you cannot go back, call it a time trap if you want, nevertheless you must respect the time you have during your life experience. Although life is not a race the analogy still fits.

If you are in a marathon and you stop to tie your shoe then you will lose 10 seconds and you might believe that you can make up this 10 seconds in the race, but in fact if you can make up the 10 seconds you should already be 10 seconds ahead. You cannot make up time when every second counts. In a footrace every second and every minute counts.

It amazes me the excuses people will make when they procrastinate or when they hesitate and they just say I'll make it up later. That's fine they probably will make it up only they will make it up on their personal time or on company time, but in the end it doesn't matter if it's personal or company time because it is still time and if you waste time you lose it forever. I wish people would consider time so they don't waste. Maybe it's time that you thought about time instead of putting it off.

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Monday, April 16, 2007

Make Money Fast In 7 Easy Steps

I grew up with 1 major goal in mind… Make money fast.

So, I did what most aspiring money makers do, I went to college. Then one day, walking down the halls, I noticed a large group of professors and students forming a crowd in the middle of the hall.

My curiosity got the best of me and I made my way as close to the center of the action as possible. Standing in the center answering question after question about what sounded like sage advice was a tall slender man wearing thick glasses.

I nudged the student to my right and asked who this guy was; he didn't even look at me and said "Professor James Bradley"

I didn't recognize the name so I walked off and completely forgot about the encounter as a few weeks went by.

Until I got a phone call from my best friend…

He didn't even give me a chance to speak, he just kept going on and on about making money fast, and then that name "Professor James Bradley."

Now, I don't usually listen to anyone who even says the words "Make Money Fast" but, my friend is usually dead on when it comes to things like this so I listened.

He told me he bought a book by Professor Bradley and used the techniques in it to make $10,000 in 2 weeks.

I asked him to give me a quick rundown of what he learned….

This is what I can remember off the top of my head:


Principal for making money fast #1: You are the narrator of your money story.

If you think you are not able to make money fast then you can't. And vice versa, if you think, that you have what it takes to make money fast, then you do. You are in complete control of our story, you are the narrator.


Principal for making money fast #2: If you have a big problem, then you are just being small.

Usually when you want to make money fast, you feel the size of the problem and compare it to yourself and call it a BIG problem. In reality, you are downgrading your on size. You are bigger than ANY challenge you will ever encounter, especially making money fast. You simply need to remember that the problem is tiny, minute, almost non-existent, and you are the force to be reckoned with.


Principal for making money fast #3: A leader ALWAYS makes twice as much as a follower.

When you are in an office, the person doing the hard work, getting the job done, always makes a lot less than the guy who casually oversees the work. This is true no matter what your profession. If you want to make money fast you have to be the leader or 'manager' and you will always make at least twice as much as any follower or 'employee.' Sometimes, a leader makes as much as ten times what the followers are making. Always be in a leadership position.


Principal for making money fast #4: Respect other people who make money fast, don't think negatively about them for one second.

If you see someone invent the next huge toy and loathe them for making money fast, subconsciously, you are telling yourself that this is a result you do not like. And since your mind doesn't know that this is exactly what you REALLY want for yourself, you will self-destruct when you approach the same results. You must respect and admire people who make money fast.


Principal for making money fast #5: Concentrate on solutions, not problems.

When you have a situation standing in the way of you making money fast and you need an immediate solution you can do two things. First you can mope about and complain about having the problem in the first place, and that is natural. But, the productive thing to do is to focus on the solution.


Principal for making money fast #6: Think big.

This is not to be confused with DO big. Thinking big is simply not limiting your thoughts to just you, or just your area of expertise. You can only think on one plane at a time, but leave room for nature to input suggestions you never thought of. Don't block anything out.


Principal for making money fast #7: Know what you want before you go after it.

Most people live by the motto: Ready, Fire, Aim. This is evident by all the people in college who have no idea as to what they want to do or even what their major is. TO make money fast you need to take time to just sit and consider what it is you REALLY want, and then begin to go after it.

3 months ago my friend and I went in on an investment that netted us $75,000 each. We are considering dropping out of college and going into business full time using Professor James Bradley's internet millionaire system.

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Saturday, April 14, 2007

Planning Your Time With Purpose

If you're like most people, there's a gap between how you spend your time and what's deeply important to you. Often, people are surprised at how little time they spend doing the things that mean the most to them.

If you the time the to examine your life, your motives, and your "first things," you can come up with a plan that is inclusive of all your desires, giving you more time for the things that you have to do, while at the same time fitting in time for the important things that you want to do.

Time is the most valuable asset that you have. So, in order to maximize your time you must discipline yourself to plan and prioritize every week. This means taking the steps necessary to put together a plan with purpose.

The first step in planning and prioritizing is for you to connect with your mission or your passion. What's your overall purpose in life? What's most important to you? What are the principles that you'd like to use as criteria to evaluate your goals?

The second step is to review your roles. What are your roles? Everyone has several. For example, some of yours might be as a spouse, friend, parent, child, boss, salesperson, manager, club or team member, and the list goes on. These are the areas of your life in which you need to focus your activities and your energy.

What are some of your roles? List some of them, I recommend no more than seven. Now, think of one of your roles. What's the most important thing you want to accomplish in that role in the coming week? Think of the next role, and come up with the most important thing in the next week for that role. Repeat the process with all of them.

The third step in planning and prioritizing is to create a schedule. Look at the coming week and see where you can best allocate and maximize your time to fill all of the roles you listed in step two.

Obviously, it's impossible to follow a schedule to the letter. As you follow your weekly list, you should be aware of other people and their needs. You must always remember that people are more important than schedules. So with that being said; what about the unplanned priorities that inevitably arise?

So, the next step is having a self-dialogue with yourself where you plan moment-by-moment, hour-by-hour and ask yourself some important core questions such as, "Is what I'm doing on target? What's most important here? Is this next? What really counts?

At the end of each week you need to ask yourself important questions to summarize how well the week has gone. Some of the questions you should be asking are, "What did I learn from this past week? Did I focus on the most important items? Look at the unexpected problems and difficulties you faced and ask yourself, "What do I think life is trying to teach me?

If you continue to plan and prioritize your life every week, you'll be amazed at not only how much time you've been able to save at the end of the year but also how much you will have accomplished. There will be a significant difference in the quality of both your personal and professional lives.

Another way to save time, plan and get in touch with the important things in your life is to start your own personal mission journal. This can be a little notebook or a file on your computer, something you carry with you. Keep it with you regularly, and you'll have someplace to record little moments of insight and interesting experiences.

Keeping this journal will change the way you think about life and how you spend your time. It will help you perfect your vision. Having a vision is being able to see your future it's the act of beginning a project with the end in mind. You have a mental picture of it. This mental picture is what guides every decision that you make every day.

When you combine vision with principles, you have the foundation for a mission statement. This is where your journal comes in. Set a date with yourself, block it out in your weekly planning session, to look over some of those recorded insights and thoughts, digest them, and start coming up with your first draft of a personal mission statement.

Here are three things that a good mission statement must have:

• It must represent the deepest and best within you.

• It must fulfill your own unique gifts.

• It must transcend, in other words, it is larger than life, larger than you.

A good mission statement should be based on the principles that produce quality-of-life results. It should have the kind of vision in it that you can actually see in your mind's eye. It should deal with all of the significant roles in your life. It should be written to inspire you, to lift you, to bring the very best out from inside you.

When you begin to set up your personal mission statement and just keep following it, it will become ingrained more deeply within you. As you understand it more fully, it will become part of everything you do. When unexpected setbacks and problems take you off course your mission statement will pull you back on track and you'll end up right where you want to be.

You may be off course most of your life, but so what? Continue planning your time so that you can get the important things done; keep your vision and principles in sight, and keep going back to them. When you discipline yourself do this on a weekly basis you'll achieve more in a few years than most people achieve in a lifetime.

Copyright©2007 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Friday, April 13, 2007

Self Motivation - Building The Techniques

Fear and reward are two most commonly used methods to build motivation in someone. But, these methods are temporary. The only lasting thing is self motivation. Motivation actually is the enthusiasm of doing something. It refers to inner feeling, strong desires, and expectation about something. You may sometimes loose the necessary level of the inner drive to get something done. Self motivation is what you need to boost the level of your inner drive to achieve your goals.

Self motivation is a form of self encouragement. You will say to yourself that you have the capacity to do better and eventually get whatever you want in your life. This inner enthusiasm will push you forward until you achieve your set goals. You may not even be aware of any reward in the beginning but you keep working on it. You work on it because your inner strength says that you can attain your goals. This is your will power - the driving force behind your self motivation. Self motivation is a combination of will power, goals and ability to continue attaining the highest level of your success.

You need self motivation to accomplish tasks you have now. Along the way, you may be facing with situations that are discouraging and can bring down your motivational level. You need to keep yourself really focused on your objectives to maintain the level of your self motivation. Here are techniques you can adopt to start acquiring higher motivational level and achieve greater success.

Writing Your Plan

Success does not come easy without any proper plan. Failing to plan is actually planning to fail. Therefore, you must give a greater emphasis on having well prepared plan to achieve your goals. You simply need to have your plan written on a piece of paper. Having your plan clearly written gives you more psychological inner drive to work toward achieving your goals. You create more enthusiasm and can see more clearly how you want to achieve your goals. Thus, your commitments will be much stronger.

When writing down your goals, state very specific terms. For example, if you want to accumulate certain amount of money, state exactly how much you want. You must also set a specific date to fulfill your goals and specific rewards for achieving your goals. Writing is not enough if you do not follow up with some reading. You have to make a point to read your written plan at least twice a day. Once in the morning before you start your day; and one at night just before you go to bed. This simple routine will keep you stay motivated.

Be realistic, things happen in life. Unforeseen circumstances may sometimes require you to make adjustments in your plan. Go ahead and make the necessary adjustments. But, try to maintain realistic limits. Do not make it too easy or too hard for you to achieve. Set it just right to maintain your motivation level.

Visualizing Your Goals

You need to simply make your goals as visual as possible to maintain your motivation at the highest level possible. If your goal is to own an apartment, find pictures of your desired apartment keep them in front of your eyes. Visualizing your goals creates a positive impact on your mind and keeps your motivation surging. When you feel very down, visuals will help you provide the necessary boost to surge your motivation level.

Like the written plan, you have to make a point to see the visuals at least twice a day. The images you see of yourself achieving the goals you desire will instill strong impact in your mind, which will control your actions to maintain your level of motivation.

Controlling Your Feeling

This one is not quite straight forward action. It has to do with your feeling in your mind. You need to control what you feel. Your feeling will reflect your mental attitude and moods. If you feel upset and depressed, you will feel as if everything crashes on you. This feeling reflects on your physical self. You will lose concentration and everything you do will be full of mistakes. You have to learn to start controlling your feeling.

The simplest way will be to start your day with a smile. No doubt this can be fake at times due to things that happen around you, but you have got to master this simple task to ensure that things around you will be pleasant and enjoyable for the rest of the day. You can feel the enthusiasm and energy level soaring. You will be able to stay motivated and spread positive energy around you.

Your mental and physical attitudes work closely. Hence, to stay motivated, learn to develop cheerful and confident characters by simply walking with your face up and smile on it. You will realize that your confidence and self motivation developing. It is probably kind of hard to maintain the action, but with time, once it naturally becomes your way of life, you are able to motivate yourself even during difficult times.

Giving Your Effort A Reward

You need to give yourself a reward for what you have achieved. This one simply acts as an appreciation to yourself in achieving your goals. You have to credit yourself for what you have gone through, your determination and your hard work in ensuring your success.

Earlier I said reward is a temporary method to motivate someone. In this case, a reward is not what keeps you motivated. It is just an element to add flavor to your self motivation exercise. You may want to think of a simple reward that sounds reasonable with what you have achieved. Do not get over excited about this. Meaning, the reward has to be at par with your level of achievement. Take this positively to further enhance your level of self motivation.

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Thursday, April 12, 2007

How To Stop Thieving Your Time - Use These Tips For Better Time Management

There are a number of factors contributing to poor time management but the reality is, procrastination is just about the "grand daddy" of them all. But procrastination alone isn't responsible in fact, there are are few things which people do that have a lot to do with the big "P" setting in.

We'll examine ways of eliminating procrastination during this time management article.

No More Time Management Articles!

Time management articles are a great source of information, tips and tricks to beat procrastination but at some stage, you need to start taking stock and putting into practice some of the advice handed out. Why? Because continually reading articles extolling the virtues of better management of your time is one thing; actually doing it is another.

I am hoping this is the last time management article you read for awhile. Make a conscious decision to turn your productivity levels around. You want to succeed but something is holding you back, right? I'm here to tell you it's possibly got more to do with the way your structuring your day.

Ever sat down to work on a big and important project and just before you start, you decide to go and get a coffee. Then as you're walking back to your desk the phone rings. An hour later, it's time to get back to work but before you start, you check your emails. There's one from an expert on making money and you start reading. It's one of those long sales letters so it's another hour later and...

Time Management Strategies

Try utilizing the following action plan for better productivity:

1. Organize a time management mentor. Peer pressure is powerful. By having someone you respect and even fear is a great way to keep tabs on how you are managing your time.

2. Identify procrastination. There are many things we hate to do but must and if these are tied into your livelihood, then it's costing you plenty in regards to your bottomline. This ties in with our first tip so organize a peer mentor right away!

3. Keep a journal of your activities. This will help you identify the important from the unimportant tasks in your current schedule. You'll be able to see at first glance where you are spending unproductive time. You'll also see at just what times of the day you are most productive!

4. Organize your schedule the day before. This is about prioritizing your day. We're not saying the least important tasks shouldn't be completed; you need to list the more urgent and important tasks first. Also, if you are working towards a major goal, then list the actions first which will carry you to your ultimate goal.

Time Management Tip

Pareto's 80/20 rule also applies to time management. Many people are spending 80 per cent of their time on 20 per cent of their problems. This is why it's important to prioritize when it comes to being time effective. Learn to say no if the problem is not life threatening!

Setting Rewards For Yourself

We've covered some important ground in this time management article. Two more things to remember, don't be afraid to set yourself small rewards along the way and don't over commit.

Setting a reward gives you something to work towards during the day. In fact, setting rewards every hour during my writing schedule works perfectly for me. It can be anything you want but within reason and not too time consuming.

Over committing is a bad habit which can be easily "nipped in the bud." Overcommittal leads to stress and eventually procrastination. Don't do it!

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Saturday, April 07, 2007

Unique Individuals

We come across so many people in our lives daily … our interaction with the people whom we come across every day makes us form an opinion about them and in turn it eventually leads us to forming an opinion about ourselves as well. I would like to share a small story, which always reminds me to appreciate all the different people I come across in my life … because each one of them is unique !! A water bearer in ancient India had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the House, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of it's own imperfection. And miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you. I have been able to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw. So I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house?

Moral: Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them. "Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape"

Remember to appreciate all the different people in your life.

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Better Life Secret - A Key To Fulfil Your Dreams In Life

Do you have dreams of a better life but can't ever seem to attain them? Well it's time to start making those dreams come to pass. There is a simple key that all people who have reached their dreams have used to unlock the door of success.

Sydney Smith once said, 'A great deal of talent is lost to the world for want of a little courage. Every day sends to their graves obscure men whose timidity prevented them from making a first effort.' Is this true of you? The first step to reach your dreams in life is often times the hardest. It takes courage to see your dreams come to fruition.

Don't be timid when it comes to your dreams and a better life. You only have one shot at this life so make it as great as you possibly can. Don't end up regretting that you didn't even try to reach your dreams. Make a decision to be known as a person of courage. Someone who wasn't afraid to do whatever it took to make their dreams come to pass.

Be an inspiration to people around you by showing them that it's good to be courageous. Let them know that only the courageous reach the highest peaks of success. Let those that come after you know that they too can have a better life.

So what's stopping you? Look it right in the face and take it head on. Don't let anything stop you from living a better life and reaching your dreams. Go ahead and make that first effort and if you don't succeed the first time just try it again and again until you are living the life of your dreams.

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Ohrdruf Was an Offense

Recently I read that the schools in Britain are not going to teach the Holocaust anymore because they might offend sensibilities. All I want to know is, what has happened to common sense? I'm offended at many things going on in the world today, but it will do me little good to stop everyone else's presses.

From earlier posts my readers know how I feel about this subject. In light of this latest offensive assault on humanity, I am sharing with you this bit of history about Ohrdruf, one of many Nazi labor camps. I had the privilege of working with one of the liberators of this camp, Dr. E. Earl Joiner, so I know that it happened! There is too much evidence about this 20th century atrocity, and sweeping it under the rug of political correctness is an abomination.

Earl served in the Third Army Infantry, and he was a part of General George Patton s Third Army that took part in helping liberate Ohrdruf. From working with Earl and attending seminars with him, I am convinced that this experience as a very young man colored the remainder of his life. He joined the many liberators who have voiced their grief and shed their tears over the horrors they witnessed when going into these notorious chambers of unspeakable torture.

Following is a history of the camp:

Ohrdruf, a Nazi labor camp, was a established as a satellite camp of Buchenwald near the German towns of Gotha and Ohrdruf in late 1944. As many as 10,000 men provided slave labor digging caverns for Nazi underground headquarters and transportation facilities in the nearby towns.

Ohrdruf camp was discovered by accident on April 5, 1945 by members of the 4th Armored Division of the Third Army who discovered the gate to the camp over a small hill while exploring after the capture of the towns. Liberator Bruce Nickols, a member of the 89th Infantry Division of the Third Army, describes the camp thus: "From the outside, the camp was unremarkable. It was surrounded by a high barbed wire fence and had a wooden sign which read, "Arbeit Macht Frei." The swinging gate was open, and a young soldier, probably an SS guard, lay dead diagonally across the entrance."

Just before its liberation, SS guards marched prisoners away to other camps or killed them. Robert H. Abzug, in his book, Inside the Vicious Heart: Americans and the Liberation of Nazi Concentration Camps, described what the 4th Armored Division saw: …"a pile of dead prisoners, all in striped uniforms. The corpses were fleshless, and at the back of each skull a bullet hole." Inside the camp, next to the parade ground, was a shed with corpses stacked like lumber. On the edge of the camp was a large pit where bodies were burned.

Ohrdruf was the first camp in Germany liberated by Western allies. It was also the first camp where corpses and living prisoners, who had hidden from the SS during the last days of the camp, were first discovered in one place.

On April 12, 1945, Ohrdruf was visited by Generals Eisenhower, Bradley and Patton. The Generals viewed piles of bodies, implements of torture, and a butcher's block used to smash gold fillings from teeth, among other sights. Patton became ill and reportedly refused to visit the punishment shed. As the tour progressed, Eisenhower's mood turned increasingly grim. As recounted by Abzug, Patton's aide Charles Codman described an encounter between Eisenhower and a G.I., when the soldier accidentally bumped into a Nazi ex-guard and giggled nervously: "General Eisenhower fixed him with a cold eye, and when he spoke, each word was like the drop off an icicle. 'Still having trouble hating them,' he said."

After the visit, Eisenhower ordered every nearby unit not on the front lines to visit Ohrdruf, saying, "We are told the American soldier does not know what he is fighting for. Now, at least, he will know what he is fighting against."

Monday, April 02, 2007

Life is Now Exponential in Size and Travels at Warp Speed

Recently I received a PowerPoint presentation that questioned what we know as individuals. This was quite powerful because one of the tools that I use with my business coaching clients is the Law of Process that explains what we do not know or our incompetencies.

Have you ever heard that you are "one in a million?" Maybe your husband or significant other said that to you or maybe you said that to your child. Today that means there are another 1,300 people just like you if you lived in China.

During the course of one minute to read this short article, 7 babies will be born in the United States, 30 babies will be born in China and 44 babies will be born in India. Now multiply that by 1440 minutes and the world's population for just 3 countries will increase by 117,360 individuals in just one day.

We all know that the world is changing at incredible rates. The change we experience in one year exceeds the change that our grandparents experienced in their entire lifetimes.

Young people today according to the U.S. Department of Labor will have 10-14 jobs by the age of 38. And what is even more incredible is that the anticipated top jobs in 2010 did not exist in 2004. What this means is that we are attempting to prepare young people for jobs that do not even exist and we are still using an 19th century agrian school model to create 21st century jobs. Not to mention that these future jobs are trying to solve problems that are unknown as well.

Did you know that 3,000 books are being published each and every day? Imagine over 500 years ago and how long it took to print just one book on the Gutenberg press?

Life has reached exponential proportions where size does matter. However, do not forget that even the largest of the large can be brought down with the smallest of the small. And that my friends is what we all must remember as we enter this new era of incredible size and enormous speed.