How Do You Manage to Manage Your Time? by Jim Rohrbach

Which Rolling Stones song do YOU wake up singing every morning?

"Time is on my side, yes it is!"

OR

"Time waits for no one, and it won't wait for me."

With apologies to Mick Jagger & Keith Richards, your answer to this question reveals your mindset about time management. It's just like Henry Ford's famous quote -- "If you think you can, or if you think you can't, you're right!" Successful time management, like every other aspect of success, is first of all a mindset. Then there are some simple guidelines that, if followed consistently, will lead to you become a master of your time rather than a slave to it.

"I don't have time!" Let's take a look at how your mind is programmed about time. The majority of people are convinced they don't have enough time, and walk around constantly saying, "I don't have time! I don't have time!" to themselves, almost as their mantra. And they also talk to others about how busy and stressed out they are, as if this was some badge of honor. Yet if I were to stop and ask them, "Can you think of someone who's more successful that you?" the response would be, "Of course!" Then I'd ask if they had the same 24 hours in a day, to which I usually get a dumbfounded look and, "Well, yeah, I guess so ..." So the real issue is not having enough time, it's how they are managing (or, in most cases, NOT managing) their time.

A simple time management formula. The truth is, most people don't manage their time at all ... they let other people and situations manage them -- and that's called "normal." These just happen to be the same people who don't have a mission statement and don't write down their goals. (Interesting coincidence, isn't it?) So here's a simple formula for you to begin to take control of your time:

1. Create a Mission Statement for your career. A mission statement is a paragraph that describes who you are and where you're going. In my definition, a mission statement also describes your major goals and a deadline, typically one year out. To easily create a mission statement, click here.

2. Write down your yearly goals based upon your Mission Statement in all areas of your life: mental, physical, emotional & spiritual. Mental goals relate to your career and your financial well-being. Physical goals are for the shape of your body and what you put in it. Emotional goals are for your relationships in life, both personal & professional. And spiritual goals are for the things you do to get you more in touch with your spirit, whatever that means to you.

3. Divide out your goals in these four areas. First, divide by 4 to get your quarterly goals. Then divide by 3 to get your monthly goals. Finally divide by 4 again to get your weekly goals. For example, if your mission statement goal was to make $120,000 in commissions and bonus by December 31, 2004, you would know your quarterly goal is $30,000, your monthly goal is $10,000 and your weekly goal is $2,500.

As a producer, you may not be able to attain this weekly or even monthly amount. BUT -- you may know that your average commission for one new client is $15,000. So you would need 8 new clients per year, 2 per quarter, one every 6 weeks. Then you would calculate how many face-to-face sales meetings it takes for you to add a new client (let's say 12), and then you know you'd need to schedule 96 appointments per year, 32 per quarter, 8 per month and 2 per week. (This ain't rocket science, folks ...)

4. Get out your weekly planner and write in the exact time you will be engaging in these goals. From the example above, if you needed 2 face-to-face meetings you'd schedule in time for prospecting calls to get these on the books. You should view ALL the items you've written as APPOINTMENTS, so you don't get off track by the various inconsequential interruptions that happen throughout the course of a day. This usually means you will have to serve notice to others, "Do Not Disturb."

5. As a habit, review your goals and planner DAILY to insure you stay on track.
When is the best time to engage in this goal planning for time management? I share with my clients a technique I call "The most important appointment of the week." It happens on the weekend, and it's with YOU. So you can pick a Saturday or Sunday morning right after coffee or a workout, or perhaps Sunday evening just before the coming work week. After letting your spouse & kids know you need some "space," you sit down and set up your weekly schedule just as described above. I suggest you enter this weekend appointment in your planner initially to get the discipline of doing your scheduling. I guarantee you'll sleep better knowing your upcoming week is on track with your monthly, quarterly and yearly goals.

Just say NO! God Bless Nancy Reagan -- she was really on to something here. This not only applies to drugs, it applies to other people in your life who want to make THEIR agenda YOUR agenda. And most of the time, most people agree that this is OK. WHY? The answer lies in what has been called "The Approval-Seeking Syndrome" -- we are afraid of other people's disapproval if we were to do what we really wanted to do, say what we really wanted to say.

How does this come about? Easy -- when we were little kids, we learned quickly that we wanted mommy & daddy to smile and nod at our actions, not frown and yell at us, so we became very compliant early in the game of life -- we learned to become good little approval seekers. (And this is totally appropriate growing up.)

The problem is we generalize this behavior to our teachers in school, our powerful-appearing peers and then our bosses, without ever getting good at asking ourselves, "Wait a minute -- what do I want in life for myself??? Most people go through life without ever giving serious thought to this question. The ones who do are the most successful, and manage to manage their time.
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Success Skills Coach Jim Rohrbach, "The Personal Fitness Trainer for Your Business," coaches business owners, entrepreneurs and sales professionals on growing their clientele. He has helped hundreds of individuals to achieve their goals since he developed his first coaching program in 1982. You can visit Jim on the web at www.SuccessSkills.com.

How To Ensure You Achieve Your Goals by Phil Newton

Goal setting is an important tool for anybody who wants to improve themselves. However, goal achieving is often a neglected part of the personal development process. Plenty of people set goals (just look at New Year’s Eve), but few of these goals ever come to fruition. Why is that?

Why goals fail...

Let’s face it, we’re often full of enthusiasm when we’re dreaming about what we want to achieve, but gradually the feeling fades and we’re left back at the start – dreaming.

Goals fail because not enough thought and effort goes into achieving them. Setting the goal is only part of the journey, you must put in a conscious and consistent effort into burning the goal into your mind.

Thankfully, there’s plenty you can do to improve your chances of turning your dreams into reality.

Set excellent goals...

Many factors go into creating an effective goal, and it’s something I’ll be writing about in more depth in the future. Here are a few key points:

* Be specific - The more specific the goal, the better. “Exercise more” is not specific, but “Exercise every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning before work for twenty minutes” is much better. Doesn’t that sound less like a dream and more like a plan?

* Set a date - As plenty of people have said, “a goal without a deadline is just a dream”. Giving yourself a reasonable deadline can help stop the “I’ll start it tomorrow” syndrome that can creep up on you. A deadline promotes action, and helps you prioritise your tasks. Would your boss ever give you a big project to be completed “whenever”? Didn’t think so.

* Commit to paper - It sounds simple, but it’s a step some people can miss. Write your goals down. This not acts as a form of commitment, but it stops you from forgetting them too!

Plan how you’ll achieve them...

Once you’ve got your goals, you need to plan how you’ll achieve them. This process is really down to personal preference, but a good start is to write down the first concrete action you can take toward achieving your goal. If you like to think further ahead, you can write down the next three steps, or a more detailed plan for anything complex. It’s really a case of finding out what works best for you. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different methods until you find something that works.

Mind-mapping can be a great help at the planning stage, and it’s often beneficial to write down as many ideas as you can at this stage. Always go for quantity, and never throw out an idea when you’re mind mapping. The important part is to create a safe environment for your creativity, so you don’t want to stifle it by throwing out ideas at an early stage. Some ideas that sound bad may even turn out to be useful once you’ve had time to think about them. Once you’ve got all your ideas, you can start to review them and put them into a coherent plan.

As an example, if I had a goal of increasing traffic to my blog I’d want to get as many ideas as possible, and then create an easy to follow plan in small steps that I could complete every day. This might include posting on certain days, contributing to relevant forums on a daily basis etc.

If you’re stuck at this part, don’t worry. Solutions have a habit of appearing when you’re least expecting them, so as long as you’re constantly reviewing your goal (as covered in the next section), you’ll do fine. Just make sure you have some paper handy for when the answer arrives!

Review your goals regularly...

Once your goals are committed to paper and planned out, you need to make sure you review them on a regular basis. Reading and re-writing your goals helps to galvanise them, and creates the drive and momentum that will push you to achieving them. Read your goals every morning and every night, and review them every week.

Do what works for you. Write your goals on an index card and carry them around, record them to a tape and play it whilst driving to work, write them on a huge poster and stick it to the ceiling above your bed! The important thing is to really hammer them into your brain. Goals that get forgotten don’t get achieved, so make sure you’re regularly topping yourself up.

Don’t be afraid to tweak things if they’re not going as well as you’d like. Modify plans as regularly as you need to, because even if things are going well, you will almost certainly learn new things that will help you achieve your goals even faster.

Summary:

To summarise – if you want to achieve your goals, use the following methods:

* Set Excellent Goals - Write down your goals, and make them as specific as possible. Give yourself a deadline to help you prioritise your actions.

* Plan how you’ll achieve them - Once you’ve written your goals down, make a plan as to how you’ll achieve them.

* Review your goals regularly - Review your goals and plans as regularly as required. Burn them into your subconscious!
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Phil Newton is a software developer from Nottingham, England. When he's not creating software, he writes about productivity, time management and other personal development topics. Visit him at www.PhilNewton.net.

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Go for the Gold: How to Set and Achieve Your Goals By Kathleen Barton

How do successful people achieve results? They are intentional about what they do. They know what they want and they go after it. Successful people set goals and develop plans to achieve their goals. How can you go about setting goals?

Before setting goals, revisit your Personal Mission statement if you have one. Your mission statement expresses your personal sense of meaning and purpose. It helps clarify what’s truly important to you, and provides focus and direction. Connect with your purpose and values. Visualize yourself actually living your mission.

Review the significant areas of your life – career, family, health, spiritual, relationships, financial, personal development, and fun & enjoyment. How satisfied are you with each area of your life? Identify three to four areas that you would like to work on this coming year.

Now you’re ready to determine your goals. Set a goal for each of these significant areas in your life. A goal is a desired end result. Write your goal using an action verb followed by an end result. Be specific in what you want to accomplish. For example, in the area of “career”: “Attain a project management position by the end of the year” or “Increase my client base by 20% in the next six months”.

Your goal should also be measurable. Answer the question, “How will I know if I’m successful?” If your goal is to improve your relationship with your spouse, how will you measure that? Will you spend more quality time together? How much time? Will you communicate better? Do you expect better communication to result in fewer misunderstandings?

Finally, your goal should be time-specific. Give a deadline or end date by which you expect to achieve your goal. Identify a specific date or timeframe (i.e., by yearend, June 30th, or on a monthly basis). Make sure that the timeframe is realistic for you.

Now you’re ready to determine action steps. What will it take to accomplish each goal? For each goal, identify action steps and dates.

For example:
Goal: Lose 15 pounds by June 15th

Action Steps:

* Exercise for an hour 5 days a week
* Write down everything I eat – 6 days a week
* Track calories 6 days a week – limit to 1500 calories a day

Once you have your plan in place, you’re ready to take action. Start your day by visualizing achievement of your goals. What would success look like? What would you be doing? How would you feel? Studies show that those who visualize success are more likely to achieve success.

Write your action steps in your planner or on your calendar. Then follow through with your action steps. Monitor your progress as you go. Finally, be sure to reward yourself for your success! Choose a reward when you write your action plan. Your reward will give you even greater incentive to reach your goals. For example, not only will you look and feel great when you lose 15 pounds, but you’ll also be able to buy that new dress that you’ve wanted.

Get started today! I challenge you to set 3-4 goals in the next week. When you plan to make your dreams come true, they do!
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Kathleen Barton (MBA) is a keynote speaker, author, and coach who heads her own firm, The Success Connection, specializing in purpose/passion, maximizing potential, career success, and work/life balance. Kathleen can be reached at The-Success-Connection.com.

Attaining Goals in Simple Steps By Ronald Shepard

It’s Not The Big Goals That Count Most

In my opinion, the biggest problem in attaining goals is setting too many or setting those that are WAY out of reach (i.e., buying a $650,000. house on an annual earning of $50,000.) However, I do believe even those seemingly unreachable goals can be often accomplished when we break down our process into smaller goals.

It is the smaller goals that can be achieved more reasonably and effectively; it is the smaller goals that lead us on the path toward our eventual rendezvous with the larger goal. Reaching the summit of a mountain is not accomplished by a “single step.” Primary to reaching any goal is breaking it down into simple, attainable steps. Buying that $650,000. house is attainable when setting smaller goals that lead you toward that dream.

Believing We Can Do It

When I truly believe I can do something, I work everything I can to make it happen! Sometimes it takes several tries, a great deal of exasperation, sweat, and sometimes even tears to accomplish a major goal, but the core of the work must come from a place of strong, personal belief in ourselves. Without a strong belief in our own abilities, we can accomplish very little. There are many times when self-doubt creeps in and tries to consume us.

If we stop believing in ourselves, we set ourselves up for defeat. And unless we have a truly supportive mentor, we MUST believe in ourselves because many times family and friends (even when they express well-intended concerns) can foil our best intentions in a flash. That’s not to say our best allies, mentors, and advisors can’t be family and friends, but our personal power of believing in ourselves is critical in reaching any goal we desire to attain.

Setting Goals Consistent With Your Values

Have you ever set goals for yourself that were really someone else’s goals for you? Many of us have been in that position. That’s not an easy place to be. In fact, it can be detrimental to self-growth. Defining our personal values is important when defining long-range goals.

There’s nothing more disappointing than reaching a goal that runs contrary to our values. It’s like climbing a huge mountain and suddenly realizing when you reach the summit that you’ve climbed the wrong mountain. Define your values and design your destiny around them. Ask the question, “How will my personal values be enhanced by the goals I choose?”

How Do We Avoid Setting Goals That Run Contrary to Our Personal Beliefs and Values?

Setting and accomplishing goals happens every day in everyone’s life; however, due to an often face-paced life, we can easily fail to recognize the goals we have accomplished. As well, we can often become consumed by our “busy-ness” that we fail to set meaningful goals and our lives become directed by “other things.”

When we get too busy with life, we can easily get off-track with our value system. We start living too much into the future and fail to find the importance of living in the moment. Therefore, it is beneficial for us to be more consciously aware of living our lives in the moment and creating goals in the following areas: family and home life, financial and career aspirations, spiritual and ethical standards, physical and health issues, social and cultural activities, as well as stimulating ourselves mentally and educationally. Setting goals in each of these specific areas is critical to living a balanced, fulfilling life. When we use a value-based process, we are better able to achieve our goals with integrity.

Family and Home Life...

What values do you want to impart to your children and how you will raise them with those values? Do you have a goal to invest in better parenting skills? In what ways would you like to see your family spending more “together time”? As a couple, do you have a need to increase your communication skills?

Financial and Career...

Are you on the right career track? Do you need to reach a new level within your career? Have your financial needs changed, creating a need to reevaluate your career choice? What is most important in your work environment? How would you define success? What would people say are your strengths?

What career would make you happy, if not the one you’re in? These are all questions that those of us in business need to ask ourselves as our views on our lives begin to change. For many men and women, our career satisfaction takes a shift and we stay with what we know out of comfort. We also need to envision where our lives are going into the future, to secure our retirement or, in some case, a "rewirement" of how we "work" into the future.

Physical and Health Issues...

Do you maintain good health? Are you physically well? Do you have a goal of losing 10, 20, or more lbs.? Do you need to set goals for more exercise? Are you making good food choices to maintain a healthy body and mind? Do you need to make an appointment for an annual physical? Our physical well-being is something we take care of today, not tomorrow.

In our retirement age, we will pay for how we treat our bodies today. I've seen too many people reach retirement only to settle into the "easy chair" and live out 15 years of misery because their health wasn't the best. We don't buy house insurance on the day (God forbid) our house is burning; we insure our future physical well-being with good health practices today.

Social and Cultural Activities...

What one problem in the world would you solve if you could? Is there a civic organization you want to invest your time in? Do you want a better community for your existence? If so, how would you bring it about? Do you want to get involved in the art community? Hospice? Habitat for humanity? Local events? Is there a downtown revitalization project you’d like to get involved with? All of these activities help get us involved with our community, known for our tenacity to get things done, and provide a window into our business practices. We make friends, acquaintances, and long-term relationships in other ways through our civic involvement.

Mental and Educational Stimulation...

How are you sharpening your mental acuity? Do you want to make time to read a few good books? Do you want to advance your education? Will a career advancement give you the mental edge you need to stay sharp and alive? Which unhelpful habit would you eliminate? What stops you from knowing what to do next?

Keeping our minds sharp and focused now has shown promise in diminishing the chance or the effects of dementia in our older years. As with our body, our mind needs new information unless it becomes stagnant; it requires a steady diet of stimulating ideas to keep our creativity juices flowing.

Spiritual and Ethical Standards...

Do you desire a greater connection to your higher power? What is meaningful to you? What do you think is your purpose in life? In what areas do you feel you want growth? What do you see as your most developed strengths? Our spiritual health is vital; it is often neglected and people find themselves aimlessly walking through life without a healthy spiritual connection. I'm talking not so much about religion (which for many is a great source of spiritual nourishment), I'm talking about connecting with something greater than your self, refueling the energy of your soul.

How Do YOU Best Reach YOUR Goals?

Every good athlete understands the benefit of practice. Most of us have heard the phrase, “Practice makes perfect!” Even when you are doing well, practicing and honing your personal skills is very important. We can all benefit from an ongoing practice of self-improvement. All of this requires efforts and investment of our time. We need to see the benefit of self-improvement and the importance of investing in “ourselves.”

It is important to be clear on your goals and create opportunity for daily motivation. Having a clear vision of what you want to focus on and what you want to aim for is critical for accomplishing any goal. You need to see our final destination, if you will, so you can create the right map to get there. Bridging daily goals with your weekly and monthly goals will move you forward in reaching the larger goal.

Remember, it’s a journey, not a sprint to the goal line; it‘s about building skills and honing them. Enjoy the journey so you can better appreciate the “arriving.”
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