Years ago clients would tell me they could not identify their priorities. Now I hear them saying 'I know what my priorities are?I just can't get to them'.
But effectively organizing yourself and managing your time takes an investment in time. Time to identify both long and short-term goals, time to set up workable systems and time to practice the processes these systems support. This investment leads to the actions that help us identify and remain focused on our priorities. But of course during this same time we experience increased workloads, unexpected deadlines, meetings, distractions and emergencies.
Master the basics
Setting up effective organizing systems is what gives us the tool to handle all the things we need to handle on a day-to-day basis. For many of us this is a formidable juggling act. But as master juggler Dan Thurmon says, "It is a pattern or system that allows us to handle more objects at the same time without dropping them."
Systems always have processes connected to them. But the processes, just like the systems, need to be refined on an ongoing basis because organizing is a dynamic state?not a static one. It means being clear on your goals and priorities and re-visiting them, if just mentally, several times a day.
Keep sight of your values
Values lie at the core of identifying both our goals and priorities. We make choices and decisions about our actions based on these two things. Choices that impact our professional and personal lives as we seek more balance and greater satisfaction. When we veer off the road from our goals and priorities, we essentially take a step backwards in achieving our hopes, dreams and aspirations.
Your organizing and time management system requires an investment in time. Remind yourself each chance you get about 'what matters most' in your life and take the next action step to getting there. Remember?thoughts lead to actions which develop to habits that develop character which determines destiny. If you are mindful. If you are conscious. If you live without hesitancy. You live your dreams. You live life.
Copyright 2001 Cynthia Kyriazis. All rights reserved.
Cynthia Kyriazis is an organizing and time management consultant, trainer, speaker, coach and author with over 20 years management experience in multi-unit corporations. Organize it, a division of Productivity Partners, Inc. is an organizational training firm she founded in 1995 and has been serving Fortune 500 clients ever since. Cynthia works with business and their employees to help improve performance and realize productivity gains.
Cynthia has appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Kansas City Star and the Legal Intelligencer. She currently serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), member of the National Speakers Association (NSA), member of the Kansas City of the International Society for Performance Improvement ? (ISPI-KC) and consultant to the American Coaching Association.
In working with and coaching people across the country, one... Read More
You can use the Power of 90 Seconds to transform... Read More
My husband and I recently returned from a trip to... Read More
We all get overwhelmed from time to time, and sometimes... Read More
Show me, O Lord, my life's end and the number... Read More
Most of us know how to manage our time. It... Read More
One of the most common complaints that small business owners... Read More
"How do you DO it?!" If I had a dime... Read More
How you spend the first sixty minutes of your day... Read More
How do you manage your time? Or is the more... Read More
Recently I was working with a new client who had... Read More
Whenever you have projects that can't be done in one... Read More
Too much to do, too little time, constant stress. Most... Read More
As the song goes, this is the time to relax,... Read More
Benjamin Franklin wrote: "If you want to enjoy one of... Read More
Vilfredo Pareto's Principle, or The "Pareto Principle," is more commonly... Read More
Last week I had the privilege of spending some quality... Read More
I used to think video game addictions were a joke... Read More
"TIME CANNOT BE 'MANAGED.' THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF TIME MANAGEMENT... Read More
Are you too busy to put yourself first? If a... Read More
What would you say to me if I told you... Read More
* If you were paying you to prioritise emails over... Read More
"If you control your time, you control your life" -... Read More
There is no such thing as time management. You cannot... Read More
It's amazing how many sayings there are in our culture... Read More
Time management consultant Stephen Young claims that the average time... Read More
Balancing a family's varying schedules can be near impossible. Soccer,... Read More
As each day passes, and more and more things need... Read More
"Fashionably late" is no longer in fashion. In today's heavily... Read More
Q. I have several projects going at once -- but... Read More
Perhaps it is merely semantics, but an underlying problem I... Read More
Time is wealth;Time is health; Time is power; Time is... Read More
It is not enough if you are busy. The question... Read More
The Internet is increasingly becoming a major time killer for... Read More
Many of the world's most driven and successful people sleep... Read More
"At my back I always hear time's winged chariot hurrying... Read More
In this world there is something more precious than gold.... Read More
In our time-crazed society, lots of time is what most... Read More
Most of us know how to manage our time. It... Read More
If you feel like your life moves faster than a... Read More
"There is never enough time, unless you're serving it." -Malcolm... Read More
An appointment is simply a mutual agreement to meet with... Read More
41 practical and quick ways to get on top of... Read More
Partnering with the University of Pennsylvania Law School and the... Read More
Let's look at your time management skills. Most of us... Read More
What would be your reaction if someone said to you... Read More
Here's a smart system for doubling or tripling your daily... Read More
In this fast and crazy world, we want to multi-task... Read More
Recently I've experienced a barrage of time wasters. Everything you... Read More
Today, it is hard to open an e-mail newsletter, a... Read More
We don't realize many things we do until we draw... Read More
Clarity brings accomplishmentOne of the most important things you can... Read More
As mothers we play so many different roles and most... Read More
If I had a dollar or even better a pound... Read More
In working with and coaching people across the country, one... Read More
Reflect on the rewards of kicking the procrastination habit. They... Read More
A working manager needs more than time management.That old saying,... Read More
Are you too busy to put yourself first? If a... Read More
If you have ever missed an appointment, forgotten to pick... Read More
When you decide to become self-employed, you automatically become the... Read More
How much time do you spend on Mastering Your Time?... Read More
We all know the harmful effects of overwork. People get... Read More
Frustration is when an obstacle blocks your ability to achieve... Read More
One of the issues most often raised by my clients... Read More
There are so many books on Time Management published every... Read More
Want to improve your time management?Edward W. Smith, motivational speaker,... Read More
Time Management |