Q: There are so many time management tips, apps, and tools. Where do I start? How can I uncomplicate time management?

A: The answer is simpler than you think. Better yet, the effects are immediate. Even better still, it will take your time management and productivity to new heights.

When it comes to time management and getting things done, would you say that you are:

• Rarely productive?
• Sometimes productive? Or
• Always productive?

Now, here is the cold, hard truth about your answer, no matter which it may be: You can be BETTER.

But how?

In today’s hectic world, demands on your time fly about you like mosquitoes on a hot Southern summer night. It’s too bad that there’s not a to-do-repellent, bottled up and ready for purchase at your nearest Container Store!

But while there may not be a “protective spray” for busyness, there is a solution – and it’s simpler than you think.

Better yet, the effects are immediate.

Even better still, it is a rinse-and-repeat system that will take your time management and productivity to new heights. I promise!

The Biggest Time Management Mistake You Are Making Right Now

In life, there are those individuals who are goal-setters and those who are goal-getters.

A goal-setter is someone who likes the idea of setting goals, but doesn’t put the necessary actions behind them. On the other hand, a goal-getter doesn’t just set and believe in goals, but also has the follow-through to achieve them.

Dr. Stephen R. Covey described the secret of goal-getters in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: “The key is not to prioritize your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”

Aha! Much of what comes into your day – emails, text messages, phone calls, meetings, snail mail, conversations, interruptions – they are all just vehicles for other people’s priorities in your life.

If you always schedule in “all that stuff” first, then there will always be little to no room for your own values, priorities, goals, and dreams.

This is the very reason why you should:

• Trust your priorities to help you make decisions about how to use your time wisely,
• Infuse your priorities into your daily routines so that you focus on what’s important, and
• Stick to your priorities, no matter what.

Sounds good, right? Yeah, but it’s often really hard to do.

That’s why time management and productivity are such hot topics. It can be challenging to say “no,” which is what sticking to your priorities makes you do – a lot.

How To Manage Time Like A Highly Productive Person

So let’s set you up for success by making time management easier for you. Here are three guidelines to becoming a goal-getter who is the envy of everyone around you:

1. Deep down, you are driven by a set of core values and principles like faith, family, or independence.

   From the get-go, decide what these values are.

   They will set the tone for your goal-getting success.

2. Brainstorm the wish list of objectives that you would like to accomplish, either in the short-term or long-term.

   Then, break this wish list down into manageable projects and tasks.

   What is a good measuring stick for manageable? Take your original list and cut it in half – most people overestimate what is realistic.

3. Calendar out the projects and tasks in order of importance and also set a date for project completion.

   Don’t skip that last part!

   Setting deadlines is a proven productivity tactic to keep you moving toward your ultimate goal(s).

Next: Rinse and repeat! The more you use this three-step time management system, the more you declutter your time and fine tune your schedule.

The bottom line is that your priorities act as your internal compass, helping you to stay focused, make clear decisions, and feel balanced and fulfilled. A highly productive person uses his or her values to guide every step, including how and where to spend time.

The One Time Management Tip To Always Remember If You Want To Save (Lots Of) Time

When organizing your time, act as the gatekeeper. Before putting anything on your schedule, ask if it will support your values and priorities fully, partially, or not at all.

• If the answer is “fully,” then you’ve got a green light to add it to your calendar.
• If the answer is “partially,” then it’s a yellow light, and you should only add it to your calendar after thoughtful consideration.
• If the answer is “not at all,” then it’s a red light, and you should not let it near your calendar.

While there will be surprises and unavoidable hiccups here and there – that’s life – stick to your priorities as much as possible.

If you truly want to start finding more time in your life for the things that really matter, download The FREE Ultimate Productivity Planner™, and save 90 minutes (or more) every day simply by using this 3-minute trick…even if you think time management is a myth.

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Generally speaking, a list is a good thing because …

When you write a list, it helps you focus. When you follow a list, it keeps you on track and moving toward list completion. And when you cross off list items, you feel productive.

And yet, despite proven results and positive qualities, lists don’t always work for everyone, every time because …

When you have to make a list, it means you have lots to accomplish. When you have lots to accomplish, you suddenly don’t want to do anything but sit on your couch, watch TV, and eat ice cream.

In other words, making a list is making you procrastinate. At this point, you’ve entered into a mind-game between your lazy self and your productive self, and your lazy self is winning!

If you find yourself in a similar situation, I encourage you to fight back by creating a NOT To-Do List to help you get organized.

The NOT To-Do List is exactly as the name implies – a list of things you do not want to do.

For example …

The Not To-Do List for Housekeeping

• Throw shoes by the front door
• Let mail pile up on the kitchen counter
• Forget to file bills at the end of month

The NOT To-Do List for Time Management

• Hit the “snooze” button on the alarm more than once
• Check email more than 2 times per day
• Turn on TV while getting ready for work

With the NOT To-Do List, you’re giving your lazy self permission to be lazy while, at the same time, giving your productive self permission to get things done.

© 2007-15 | Carmen Coker International | All Rights Reserved

Carmen Coker is a former US Air Force officer turned professional organizer. Thousands of busy people have benefited from her expertise featured by CBS, NBC, and Real Simple magazine – now it’s your turn! If you want to get organized and calm the chaos in your life, go to CarmenCoker.com for her free video how-to called the Secrets of the Super Organized™.

You can be an encouragement to others – share this on Facebook or share this on Twitter with your family and friends!

Riddle me this: What is something that is no-cost to do, but if not done, is very costly? Hint: the answer has to do with time management, goal setting, and being productive in your home, work, and life.

The Big Reveal

If you answered “plan,” then you are close. If you answered “planning,” then you are spot-on! While the former is important, it shouldn’t be confused with or used in lieu of the latter.

Reason being, plans are pretty. Plans make us feel productive. Plans are what people should have. Life plan – check! Career plan – check! Weekend plan – check!

The problem is this: a plan easily becomes stagnant and outdated. More often than not, as soon as a plan is created, it is in need of revision, even though it may be just days (or hours) old and even though a lot of time and effort likely went into the making of.

Planning, on the other hand, is dynamic. It is the action to a plan’s inaction, and it always moves you and your life forward.

This is a vital distinction that successful people have been making for years. Case in point: Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was one of only five U.S. Army officers to ever wear five stars (and, oh yeah, who was also the 34th U.S. President), once explained: “In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.”

The Ins & Outs

In any endeavor, not just in battle, Eisenhower’s words ring true. Planning is a powerful tool to improve your life – and it’s free. There’s no reason not to do it.

But, hold up! Who has time to throw in a bit of planning in between breakfast and morning meetings…diapers and dinner…Scandal and bedtime?

In the day-to-day of life, planning becomes one of the first things to fall to the bottom of the to-do list. And, if we’re totally honest here, sometimes it falls off the to-do list completely!

However, if you consider that a SINGLE hour of planning saves TEN hours of doing, then the avoidance of planning altogether drains more time than the actual planning itself. Phew! It seems you really do have time for planning after all.

Now that you’ve solved this productivity riddle, here are five ways to become a power-planner:

1 – Make it real.

Allow for a planning morning or afternoon at least once a quarter, and in advance, schedule these as non-negotiable appointments on your calendar. (Yeah, you “know it.” But…do you “do it”?) This step not only sets a positive intention, but it also turns planning from a nice thought into a new reality.

2 – Own it – loud and proud.

When you keep something to yourself, it’s easy to get away with…doing nothing. Tell someone – your spouse, your best friend, or your personal assistant – that the planning process is now a top priority for you. Saying so aloud to this person should keep you honest.

3 – Take inspired action.

If you doubt its potential, then the planning process won’t ever seriously happen or create fruitful results for you. Read the autobiography of any influential person you admire – no doubt, planning will be part of their recipe for success. Let their example, in turn, reframe how you look at planning and what it can do for your personal growth.

4 – Bring in the heavy weights.

Planning on your own can have low impact. Ask mentors or trusted friends to get involved and mastermind the planning process with you. They will not only introduce new ideas but also challenge you to reach higher than, if left to your own devices, you would ever dare.

5 – Filter, filter, filter.

Infuse your personal priorities into the planning process. Put up a list of your top priorities for everyone to see, and filter all planning concepts through this list. Trusting your priorities is the way to avoid chasing poor-fit opportunities and getting off-track – and wasting time and productivity as a result.

The Bottom Line

Never underestimate the power of planning. A highly productive person uses planning as a secret weapon to save time, exceed goals, and “get stuff done”!

So…how can you leverage planning to improve your home and life?

© 2007-15 | Carmen Coker International | All Rights Reserved

Carmen Coker is a former US Air Force officer turned professional organizer. She invites you to register for her free webinar “Get Totally Organized” and learn how to say goodbye to clutter and create the home and life you desire (and deserve)! For details, go here http://bit.ly/GetTotallyOrganized now.

You can be an encouragement to others – share this on Facebook or share this on Twitter with your family and friends!

Thomas Jefferson: an American Founding Father, author of the Declaration of Independence, and the third President of the United States. Although it would be difficult for any mere mortal to compete with his resume, wouldn’t you like to know how President Jefferson accomplished so much?

Even if you had just a fraction of his success secret, imagine how much more you could achieve each day, week, month, and year! The compound effect in all areas of your life and work would create out-of-this-world results – more fulfillment and meaning, more wealth, and more free time.

The Big Reveal

Lucky for us, Thomas Jefferson was more than happy to share the key to his success. He explained: “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on Earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.”

Human beings have a strong mind-body connection, and as such, your thoughts channel real power to help you win – or fail – at the game of life. Consequently, when you are plagued by negative thoughts, you often produce negative results, and when you focus on positive energy and beliefs, you often produce positive outcomes.

This effect touches every decision you make, whether it’s something small like how you answer an email or something large like how you plan and complete a project.

The Ins & Outs

Positive thinking doesn’t mean that you should assume an exaggerated Pollyanna mentality or ignore uncomfortable situations that may come your way. It simply means that you make conscious choices to face your realities in a more optimistic and productive manner.

Here are five popular ways to adjust your mindset for success – without stopping your day:

1 – Visioning
Visioning requires that, when thinking about outcomes, you set a positive intention. It’s crucial to make the visualization a total body experience, imagining each scenario with all five senses.

2 – Conditioning
Conditioning involves training your mind to focus on the good, better, best. Build up your think-positive muscles with Focus@Will, which uses neuroscience to boost your attention span up to 400%.

3 – Reframing
Reframing permits you to view a particular situation through a different lens in order to create a new result. After all, you deserve a better story.

4 – Editing
Editing bleeps out the Debby Downers around you, whether that is a source (news alert), a person (co-worker), or a thing (desk clutter). Get a regular dose of Daily Good to balance your yin-yang energies.

5 – Meditating
Meditating calms your mind and allows your body to relax. Too woo-woo for you? Consider this: The Seattle Seahawks leveraged daily mediation in their training into a Super Bowl win.

The Bottom Line

Your thoughts set the tone for each project you do and decision you make. A highly productive person recognizes that thinking positively can be the difference between making things happen and making things halt.

So…how can you change your attitude today, and directly impact your productivity and ability to “get stuff done”? I’d love to find out! Please share your thoughts, experiences, ideas, and other comments below.

Carmen Coker is a former US Air Force officer turned professional organizer. Thousands of busy people have benefited from her expertise featured by CBS, NBC, and Real Simple magazine – now it’s your turn! If you want to get organized and calm the chaos in your life, go to CarmenCoker.com for her free video how-to called the Secrets of the Super Organized™.

Having trouble finding extra minutes in your day? These simple things could be costing you precious time. Here’s how to stop ’em!

1. You can never say “no.”

Being a yes-man or yes-woman stems from a longing to feel important/needed or from a fear of hurting/disappointing someone. As a result, you are continually over-committed and over-scheduled.

[FIX] When you always say “yes” to others, inevitably, you will end up saying “no” to many of your life priorities. Having an honest response ready will help you feel confident in sending your regrets. Something as simple as this will do the trick: “Thank you for thinking of me! I’d love to support you, but I am unable to right now due to other personal obligations.”

2. You are good at being busy but not productive.

From the outside looking in, you appear like one heck of a busy bee. But from an insider’s perspective, you tend to do something just to do it, even though it may not be the highest priority task at the time.

[FIX] Henry David Thoreau said it best: “It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?” Practice mindful productivity (instead of mindless productivity) by only giving thought, time, and effort to the truly significant.

3. You rely on memory alone.

You have 60,000 to 80,000 thoughts a day, and yet only five to nine items stay in your short-term memory at any given time. The odds are against you! Leaving stuff in your head means leaving stuff forgotten.

[FIX] Here’s one theory of Albert Einstein’s that isn’t taught in school: “Why remember my phone number when it’s in the phone book?” Believe it or not, witnesses claim he did not rely on memory alone to recall his number – and there is pure genius in its simplicity! Find or create your own system to track important information.

Remember:

There is such a thing as PRODUCTIVITY KARMA. If you don’t value your time (or the time of others), then your time will not value you, and … it will slip away.

How could you (or do you) use these ideas to save time? Please let me know your thoughts, experiences, ideas, and other comments below.

Carmen Coker is a former US Air Force officer turned professional organizer. If you want to get organized and calm the chaos in your life, go to CarmenCoker.com for her free video how-to called the Secrets of the Super Organized™.

There’s likely not a day that goes by where you, or someone around you, comments on how time flies or time is money. It’s a given that you know how important time is, but … how do you make the most of it?

Traditional productivity strategies tend to emphasize “getting things done” through managing lists, goals, priorities, plans, and calendars. Indeed, all those facets of productivity are important and should not be discounted.

But there are multiple components to productivity – physical, mental, emotional – and these traditional productivity strategies often overlook something, without which, your productivity will remain low … unsatisfactory … broken.

And that something is: ENERGY MANAGEMENT.

If you are unable to manage your energy, the hard truth is that all the productivity strategies in the world will not help you. Maintaining high to moderately high energy levels isn’t difficult, you simply must find the best ways in which your body responds. For example:

1) EATwise
Garbage in, garbage out. It’s no secret that what you ingest into your body has a direct correlation to your drive and output. So, step away from the chips and soda …

2) SLEEPwise
Your energy levels today start the night before. Make sure you go to bed early enough to get the right amount of ZZZ’s you need.

3) BREAKwise
It is believed that Einstein conceived the theory of relativity while riding his bicycle. Research backs up this example – skipping break time actually decreases your productivity and creativity.

4) MINDwise
Safeguard what gets into your head because that will influence your attitude. As much as possible, avoid negative people, vibes, or news, and surround yourself with positive people and environments.

5) SPACEwise
Clutter zaps your energy on a subconscious level, whether you realize it or not. Keeping a tidy space will free up the energy once consumed by clutter for other more important things.

REMEMBER: don’t be deceived by the simplicity of the above suggestions. When used in combination with traditional productivity strategies like list-making and prioritizing, you will reach productivity superstardom!

How can you (or do you) exercise energy management in your life? Please let me know your thoughts, experiences, ideas, and other comments below.

Carmen Coker is a former US Air Force officer turned professional organizer. If you want to get organized and calm the chaos in your life, go to CarmenCoker.com for her free video how-to called the Secrets of the Super Organized™.