By Success Expert Sharmen Lane

Have you ever thought about how people are created equal?  Did you know that there is one way and one way only that we are all exactly the same?  That way is time.  It doesn’t matter how much money you have, or what school you went to, or where you were raised… you only get 24 hours in a day.  That’s 86,400 seconds in each 24 hour period. 
The way to be most efficient and effective with your time and get the most out of your 24 hours is to follow these 5 simple steps.

1. Write-  Everything you need or want to get done in a day, write it down.  You don’t have to overcomplicate this one.  Just get a simple legal pad of paper and write Things To Do  Monday at the top.  Then start your list.  I do things to the ridiculous.  1. Wake up at 6am.  2. Go to gym by 6:30.  3. Email Mike regarding marketing. 4 Call Mary about business cards.  5. Pick up dry cleaning. 6. Drop off bracelet at jeweler. 7. Buy stamps…etc.  If you simply write down what needs to be done you will free up your mind and instantly be more focused and get more done.

2. Eliminate distractions- Distractions or interruptions are the primary cause for people to not be efficient and get what needs to be done, done.  Here you have two options.  Option A- remove the distractor.  If it’s the phone, turn it off.  If it’s email, don’t even log into your account until your project is complete.  If it’s television, don’t turn it on.  Option B. Remove yourself from the distractor.  If you work in an office where others are constantly being a distraction or interruptive, then you need to not be in that environment.  If possible work from home to complete a project.  Go to an available conference room or empty office and close the door.  If you are in a cubicle put up a sign that reads, Do NOT Disturb or Quiet time from 9-noon, no interruptions please.
 
3. Stay in the moment- Many times people do not use the present moment effectively because they are projecting in the future or dwelling on the past.  The future is not here yet, so it is most efficient and effective to get the most you can out of this moment, right now.  By writing a things to do list you will be eliminating, or a least reducing stress and random thoughts.  You will be more organized, together and know what you need to do and when you need to do it by.   If you are dwelling on the past, with all do respect you need to get over it and move on.  Here’s the thing, no matter how much you ponder and percolate on something that has already happened , it isn’t going to change what happened.  It is what it is.  Think about where you are now and what you can do in this present moment to make the best of any situation.

4. Set an alarm- If you need to get something done in a specific amount of time or if you need to dedicate minutes, hours, etc  to a project to complete it by the deadline, set an alarm. Use one on your computer, watch, cell phone, egg timer, or an actually alarm clock.  Until that alarm sounds, you stay focused and only work on that one project.  Allotting a specific amount of time will enable you to concentrate on just the matter at hand without concerning yourself with the clock or other things around you.

5. Have a reward- Nothing is better than having a little incentive when you are learning a new habit. The next time you are struggling with managing your time, give your self a reward.  Say when I have my entire things to do list complete every day for one week, I will give myself blank, as a treat.  Now you have a reason to stay focused, avoid distractions and get what needs done, done.

Those are the five basic steps for Time Management.  What are you waiting for??? Get to writing your things to do list today!
 

 By Sharmen Lane Self Improvement and Success Expert

How often do we put off until tomorrow what can be done today? You know you should clean out the closet, or study for the test or prepare your will or trust.  However, you find a gamut of other things to do instead.  There are many reasons that we as human beings procrastinate. Here are the most common.

1.            Anxiety.  Do you have anxiety about what needs to be done and that is why you are putting it off?  Typically anxiety is directly related to the beginning or the ending of a task.  That’s usually because what needs to be done, seems overwhelming or frightening.  How many times do you put off doing your taxes?  Is that because the actual process of doing your taxes is too challenging or too difficult?  Another good example is situations like having an elderly parent knowing there are certain things that need to be dealt with and you really don’t want to face it. It’s something you’d rather push back to the dark corners of your closet and not deal with it.  But rarely, does this work in our favor.

2.            Failure.  Another reason people procrastinate.  Are you not doing what you know you should do because you expect you may fail?  Is it safer and easier to say you didn’t get what you want because you didn’t try? What’s the alternative?  To say you didn’t get what you want because you did try but failed?  I believe that it’s better to have tried and failed than to never have tried at all.  Don’t you waste more mental energy thinking about doing something as opposed to just doing it?

3.             Success. Yet another reason people procrastinate. Many will not do what they are capable of doing because they know it will result in success.  Success is heavy and carries a responsibility with it.  Are you nervous or unsure about the responsibilities you will have if you reach your goal?  Is the reason you aren’t taking action?

4.             Perfectionist.  Perfectionists tend to take no action if they can’t do it perfectly.  I have seen people who have absolutely disaster-ous home improvement projects both inside and outside that haven’t been finished.  So the inside of their kitchen may be half ripped out and not functioning but they won’t do anything to fix it until they have the plans just perfect, down to every last detail.  This makes no sense to me.  Why would you rather live in complete and total chaos than make the situation decent and livable?

5.             Resistance.  Yet one more reason people put off what needs to done.  If you are being required to do something that you do not want to do or do not see the value in, you may put it off until the very last possible moment or permanently if you can get away with it. Many times with school or work you have to do things you really don’t want to do. You have to take prerequisite classes for school or you have to sit through an HR presentation at work even though you have been there for 10 + years and never had an HR problem.    You don’t want to do any of these things.   They are annoying nagging things you need to do, but you put them off because there are plenty of things you want to do that are far more appealing. 

The most common denominator here is fear.   Pushing it off or procrastinating is only going to make matters worse.  If there are consequences to something those consequences are still going to be there when you finally get around to facing them and they will likely get worse the longer you put it off.  Ask yourself, “What am I afraid of,” and then deal with it.  Many times, if not always, things are worse in our head than reality ever turns out to be.  Just be honest and admit the fear, deal with it, get past it and step up and live your life NOW!!!  If something doesn’t work out the way you want it to, it’s ok, you can now move on to something else.