Subscribe to our newsletter
|
October News  This month's topic is Effective Use of Time.
Time is a great leveler, it doesn't matter who you are or what you do there are still only 24 hours in a day, however, some people manage to pack a lot of good stuff into their days while others who seem to be really, really busy have nothing to show for it. As well as being a great leveler, time is also a little spooky, sometimes it seems to pass really quickly or really slowly but when we are really enjoying ourselves we don't really notice time passing at all. So, if we all have the same amount of time to play with what is the secret to using that time effectively and having more fun in the process? As usual, please let me know how useful the article is for you and which points make the most difference. Featured Topic: Effective Use of Time
Below are ten simple ideas written by Elisabeth Goodman and myself for getting to grips with the time you have.Why not take half an hour of your time right now and think about the tip or tips that might just make the most difference for you. You might find it helpful to print this article out and read it away from your desk.
Top 10 Tips 1. Stop using the word 'busy'
Busy is a funny word it doesn't describe what you are doing just the way you are doing it. If we believe we are always busy we will always feel rushed and our heads will be buzzy!
Try finding a different word to describe your day instead of busy and notice how different you feel. Perhaps 'I am going to have an effective day today' or 'I am having a focused day' or 'I'm going to be very productive this morning'. Notice how much calmer those words sound and make you feel.
2. Achieve more by doing less
The 80:20 rule is a great principle but do you apply it? There has been a lot of research behind this rule (also called the Pareto Principle) and it reminds us to focus on the 20 percent that matters. Of the things you do during your day, only 20 percent of your effort really makes a difference. 20 percent of your effort produces 80 percent of your results.
Is it really worth spending that extra hour on something that is almost perfect, or that isn't really necessary?
3. Make time for the things that matter
Make sure you also spend enough of your energy on things that are important to you in your life and your business as these will make you feel energised and focused. There will never be enough hours in the day to achieve everything on your 'to do' list so make sure it's the less important stuff that drops off the end. Taking a little time out at the start of the week to plan for your important tasks saves you a lot of time later. It will also give you a true sense of your capacity which will help you with tip 4!
4. Learn to say 'no', or 'not at the moment'
If you are going to spend your time on the more important things in life and work something is going to have to give. Learning to say 'no' to ourselves is almost as hard as learning to say 'no' to other people. Try giving yourself permission to not do a few of the less important things and notice what happens.
5. Make a start
Procrastination can creep up on all of us and before we know it a couple of hours have passed and we've achieved little of real value. Often once we start something it is not as hard or tricky as we thought it was going to be. We can also make a start in a simple or rough way: it doesn't have to be perfect straight-off. What can you start that you've been putting off for ages? How can you make it less challenging?
6. Finish things and notice how good it feels
Completing important things make us feel good giving us a wonderful mixture of relief and pride. Sometimes to get to the end we need to push through our 'distraction barrier' and focus on how good we'll feel at the end. Have you ever noticed how fantastic you feel when you finally completed that thing that has been playing on your mind for ages?
7. Make the most of your energy We all have energy cycles during the day. Some of us are morning people whilst others start to really get going after lunch. If you know this, you can save the difficult stuff for when you have the energy. What is your most productive time of day? 8. Take a break and re-fuel Just like a high performance car we are only as good as the fuel that we are filled with, but sometimes we expect ourselves to make the most of our time when we are running on empty. If we treat our brains and bodies with care our concentration levels improve and we are move creative. Drinking water and eating sensibly and regularly is really important as is taking regular breaks. Just a five minute stand and stretch can provide your brain with the oxygen it needs to re-energise. How can you remind yourself to take a break and re-fuel? 9. Give yourself permission to make a mistake If we are going to achieve more in the time we have then we are going to have to work differently and we may make a mistake and miss something that's important to someone else. I believe that getting something wrong or missing something is a key part of learning to prioritise more effectively. What will you say to yourself next time you get something wrong? 10. Ask for help The final tip for more effectively using your time is to ask for help! I know it sounds so easy but when we are at our most frantic it seems to be the hardest thing to do. There might be friends or colleagues who would not only be keen to help you, but might benefit by doing so. Who can help you with your most difficult task at the moment? We provide coaching and workshops on the area of Personal Effectiveness so if you'd like to explore any of the tips in more detail please contact us.
Highlights last month Coaching Supervision I am now a Coaching Supervisor and Assessor for the Association for Coaching and offer supervision for new and experienced Coaches. Contact me to learn more. New associate I'm delighted to announce that we have a new associate working with Pelican Coaching & Development. Andy Watkin has a wealth of experience in training and development and has particular expertise in the area of Emotional Intelligence. He has developed some innovative Leadership Development approaches that incorporate emotional intelligence. Personal Effectiveness workshop Andy and I delivered our first workshop together focused on Personal Effectiveness. The workshop pulled together themes from Resilience and Emotional Intelligence techniques to explore how individuals can become more energised, focused and effective. Coaching forum
I delivered our two hour 'What is Coaching?' workshop to 40 people across 4 sites via Video Conference (with the help of four wonderful facilitators from the organisation). During the workshop we explored the role of coaching in developing empowerment and practised using coaching models with non-business scenarios. If you think this might be useful in your organisation or would just like to know more, please contact us.
What is coming next month? I've started work on my next 'picture book' more on this next month when the Featured Topic will be 'Effective Meetings'. If you enjoy this newsletter do please feel free to forward it onto a friend or colleague. If you've just received this newsletter from a friend or colleague and would like to subscribe please click here to be taken to our website home page. Warm wishes Helen. Leadership Coach & Consultant Pelican Coaching & Development
www.pelicancoaching.com
|