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.

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

When it comes to your life, would you categorize yourself as…

a. A highly effective person?
b. A moderately effective person?
c. A poorly effective person?

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

Granted, this very truth brings up the million-dollar question: how? The answer is 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 skills to new heights.

The Big Reveal

In life, there are those individuals who are goal-setters and those who are goal-getters. A goal-setter is someone who either likes the idea of or is very good at setting goals, but doesn’t put the necessary actions behind them; as such, the goals never come to life and remain well-meaning (but worthless) words on paper. 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 wrote about 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.”

A-ha! Much of what comes into your day – emails, text messages, phone calls, meetings, snail mail, conversations – they are just vehicles for other people’s priorities in your life. If you always schedule in all that “stuff” first, then there is no room for your own priorities, goals, and dreams.

The Ins & Outs

This is the very reason why you should trust your priorities to help you make decisions, infuse your priorities into your daily routines, and stick to your priorities, no matter what challenges you face. In the end, doing so is the best way to avoid common time-sinks like lack of focus and procrastination.

Here are three guidelines to defining your priorities and 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. For example, maybe you are motivated by faith, family, excellence, independence, love, power, honesty, wealth – or maybe a mixture of. 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. Next, break this wish list down into projects and tasks.

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

REMEMBER: act as the gatekeeper for your time. Before putting anything on your schedule, ask if it will support your priorities – fully, partially, or not at all. While there will be surprises and unavoidable hiccups here and there, stick to your schedule as much as possible.

The Bottom Line

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/her values to guide every step, including how and where to spend time. Here’s how you can learn more and get started today!

So…how can you stop letting other people’s priorities hijack your calendar, and ultimately your goals? 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™.

The word cobbler comes from a bygone era and quickly conjures up visions of Charles Dickens and not so much modern times. But the fact of the matter is, despite living in the 21st century, you may suffer from Cobbler’s Children Syndrome all the same.

Simply put, Cobbler’s Children Syndrome describes a situation where a cobbler spends so much time repairing shoes for all the villagers, that he has neither the time nor inclination to do the same for himself or his own family. As a result, he and his children have the worse shoes of all the villagers.

Now, I doubt you are a cobbler in the strictest sense of the word, but the irony of this syndrome can play out in many situations.

However, let’s focus on just one of these situations, which happens to be the severest of all – when you give and give to other people and causes, until you have nothing left to give to you.

Maybe you have a big heart. Maybe you have a hard time saying “no.” Maybe you feel you have to live up to a set of expectations. No matter the reason, if you have a tendency to take on too many things, it won’t be long before you start to become overwhelmed, exhausted, frustrated, and resentful.

And there’s only one way out of this downward spiral: become a gatekeeper for your schedule. And not an I’ll-let-anyone-or-anything-through gatekeeper but an I’ll-kick-your-butt-if-you-even-try-to-get-past-me gatekeeper.

You and you alone control how you use your time, with a few exceptions, of course. But if you don’t guard your time and use of it, then who will? You have to have high standards for how you manage your time … or else it – and all those extra, non-essential commitments – will manage (or should I say manhandle?) you.

© 2012 | Carmen Coker International | All Rights Reserved

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