There are many distractions in today’s world of business technology that few people manage their time effectively. Mobile phones, PDA’s, email, RSS News feeds, the Internet, online meetings, software updates, the telephone, conference calling, and online bill paying, all created to make our work more productive, can make our time much less manageable if not used wisely .
As people try to get more and more activities crammed into their lives and more business accomplished, scheduling, managing, and prioritising tasks has become even more critical.
There is a broad difference between quantity and quality when it comes to managing the use of our time. Imagine the feeling at the end of the day, knowing you accomplished everything you set out to do and made the best use of your time.
Every day people are heard saying I wish I had more time. They run through from task to task and event to event at light speed, trying to find ways to do and accomplish more.
Some people seem to accomplish far more than others in their day, week, and lifetime. For instance Benjamin Franklin was a successful author, politician, scientist, philosopher, printer, inventor, activist and diplomat. His accomplishments are astounding. He was a scientist known for his theories and discoveries and gained the recognition of fellow scientists and intellectuals. He was a political writer and activist, he served as a diplomat during the American Revolution. He was a newspaper editor, self published author, Post Master General and started the first American library. His credits go on and on.
Benjamin Franklin is even credited for the statement; ‘Time is money.’ How did he find the time?
The good news is there is no more time! But how can that be good news I hear you ask? Well, the playing field is level.
- Everyone gets the same twenty-four hours in a day.
- Your competition doesn’t have any more hours in a day than you.
- The richest man cannot buy even one more minute of time in a day!
- You can only manage yourself and your activities more effectively.
In a typical forty-hour workweek, it’s estimated that the average person spends around 1.7 hours looking for things – 1.0 hour rescheduling appointments and tasks – 1.4 hours wasted because of rescheduled appointments and tasks – 2.2 hours wasted because of disorganisation and lack of priority. This is a total of more than 6 hours wasted due to poor planning and a lack of organisation.
When people are asked why they are not organised, the number one reason given is:
‘I don’t have the time.’
The fact is, people choose to be disorganised. Most people could save this wasted time by spending just two hours a week organising and planning. In just two hours of planning, you could free an additional three to four hours every week of prime time.
Our Effective Time Management training course is all about behavioural change. Learning how to spend more time acting instead of reacting. The skills you will learn will help you become better organised and manage your time more effectively, which will increase productivity, but only if you adapt the behavioural changes you learn. If you don’t implement what you learn then nothing will change.
You will learn that you cannot manage time, only what you choose to do with the time you have.
Find out more at www.creedencetraining.co.uk and call me to talk about booking a course for you and/or your team.
Maggie Currie
Creedence Training Academy & Consultancy
