Manage Your Mind to Manage Your Time
28 Tips For Working Smarter, Not Harder
Bill Cole, MS, MA
Founder and CEO
Procoach Systems
Silicon Valley, California
Are you working longer hours but getting less
done? Are you being asked to do more in less time? Beginning to
feel like a hostage at work? Productivity problems can make you
feel incredibly stressed--and then you're just spinning your wheels.
But there is help. You can use your mind. You can soon be winning
the mental game of personal productivity. Peak-performing sales
professionals work smarter, not harder. They want to achieve to
the maximum in business and then go play. Here's how you can do
that too.
1. Start the day being very clear about what you want to accomplish--both
personally and professionally.
2. Once a quarter, perform a time analysis on your entire week--both
at home and at work.
3. Make a list of the things you should completely avoid doing today--and
then don't do them.
4. Don't strive for perfection in everything, as perfection doesn't
matter with all tasks.
5. Sweep your mind clear of clutter before you engage your brain
on a project.
6. Set boundaries and limits for yourself so you position yourself
for balanced time management.
7. Schedule "real-life" personal appointments in your appointment
tools in advance, and adhere to them.
8. Ask yourself, "Am I managing my time well enough to allow me
freedom to enjoy life after work?"
9. At the end of the day review what you have accomplished, and
compliment and reward yourself for good tasks completed.
10. Motivate yourself for good work by promising yourself exercise
or a break reward once you achieve a level of excellence in a task.
11. Stay conscious of your time management choices during the day.
12. Compartmentalize your tasks so you focus on one task at a time.
13. Build up mental momentum with each successful task completed
so you proudly gain energy as you go through your day.
14. Build variety into your schedule so you have interesting activities
to look forward to during less exciting tasks.
15. Create positive tension and an urgency to get things done faster
by having more to do than you can actually achieve--but keep your
focus in the here and now.
16. Don't classify too many things as priorities or as urgent--be
selective.
17. Know what to say no to and hold to your decisions.
18. Continually ask yourself, "Is this the best use of my time?"
19. Visualize yourself succeeding before every task.
20. Don't be continually reactive to your electronic tools--don't
reflexively retrieve them when they come in--collect voicemail and
email at specified times to maintain uninterrupted focus.
21. Plan quiet time for thinking, planning and analyzing.
22. Create your own custom "best time management program"--don't
use someone else's.
23. Ask yourself, "Is what I am doing right now really making a
difference?"
24. Do things today that will give you leveraged advancements in
your work weeks from now.
25. Systematize regular, repetitious tasks by setting up smarter
processes.
26. Build in delegation and support from associates, friends and
family to take pressure off yourself.
27. Lower your expectations of perfection and don't expect 100%
completion of your to-do list each day--carry some over for another
day.
28. Review your values every quarter so you know what is important
to you, and how to plan your time.
Winning the mental game of personal productivity is all about being
intentional in the planning and execution of your day. It's about
using the superior powers of mind you possess to creatively solve
the daily challenges you face so you maximize your value every moment.
Master the mental strategies on this list and watch your productivity
soar.
Copyright © 2005 Bill Cole, MS, MA. All rights reserved.
Bill Cole, MS, MA, a leading authority
on peak performance, mental toughness and coaching, is founder and
CEO of Procoach Systems, a consulting firm that helps organizations
and professionals achieve more success in business, life and sports.
He is a Wall Of Fame Honoree, an award-winning scholar-athlete,
published book author and articles author, and has coached at the
highest levels of major-league pro sports, big-time college athletics
and corporate America. For a free, extensive article archive, or
for questions and comments visit him at www.MentalGameCoach.com.
You can call Procoach Systems toll free at 888-445-0291.