TIME MANAGEMENT

It seems to me that to be successful, you have to learn to save a lot, and not just money but also health and time. This is because it is in good health and with enough time that you can appropriately spend your saved money. I'm probably not the best person to discuss about this but definitely not the worst. For example, I can spend a lot of time watching television instead of reading but when I need to get work done, I get down to it. I read a book (101 ways to make every second count-time management by Robert W. Bly) on time management and not to brag, but I realised I already did some of the stuff in it but not religiously. I also felt people ought to know some little tricks to help them manage their time more effectively and make them more productive.

#Stolen from my brother, Royce "Time is all I fear.... so I just keep running." Everyday already looks like it's not enough, like we need it to be up to 25 hours in a day. Like the book said, "time is a non-renewable resource that's consumed at a constant and relentless rate". You never get it back when it's gone. Have you heard the adage "time is money?" it's very true, so learn to save a lot of it.

Time is Money!

I will be by giving you you a brief content of what is in the book, just a tip of the iceberg. To get the whole gist, get your copy now.
1) Start by creating work habits that speed you up;

• Make "to do lists" - daily ones, project ones and ones for long term.
• Determine your priorities, first things first.
• Overcome procrastination, it is the biggest killer of opportunity.
• Eliminate bad habits that waste time e.g. going back to sleep after waking up, watching television to late at night, midnight calls e.t.c.
• Avoid distractions, any unscheduled activity that interrupts a task you are currently working on like taking all your calls. You can solve this by putting your phone on silent while you work and scheduling an hour or two to return all calls you missed.
• Use the 80/20 rule which states that 80% of your accomplishments come from only 20% of your effort. The author of this book says to start by keeping a record of your daily activities for about 2 weeks, locate the time wasters and try to solve them.
• Make use of standard operating procedures, turn all your routine activities into an operating system by using the method of mass production instead of repeating same steps of a task everytime you need to do it.
• Adjust your schedules to your energy levels, this should be the time of the day when you are most alert and perform best. For me this is late at night when everyone else is asleep especially when I've had my siesta. Finally! some peace and quiet. Try to schedule and handle mentally tasking jobs during this periods.
• Maintain peak energy during the day. Increased productivity is associated with enthusiasm and the opposite with boredom. Do what you love.
• Design a productive workspace where you have all you need within easy reach.

Next is increasing your productiveness

• Set your goals high
• Enjoy your work
• Value your time and money
• Avoid burnout which stems from boredom, overworked, underworked. You become time conscious, have difficulty concentrating, low self esteem e.t.c Try doing something new or take a vacation.
• Increase energy output by 

1. taking cool drinks during the day (a 70kg adult need up to 3litres of water/fluid in a day).
2. eat breakfast no matter how little.This I had a big problem with but now I make sure to had breakfast at 9 everyday.
3. eat little amounts of food during the day as eating too much food draws blood flow away from your vital organs like the brain and heart to the stomach and intestines to aid digestion making you feel sleepy.
4. Take fruits and veggies, like they say "an apple a day keep the doctor away" even as a doctor, I don't like to take medicines neither do I like to prescribe them as every drug is a potential poison and has its side effects.
5. don't take alcohol during work hours and if possible during the work days as it reduces mental alertness.
6. Exercise regularly even short walks or aerobics will do.

• Delegate duties
• Use technology that saves time
• Get organized

10 TIPS TO HELP YOU WORK BETTER AND FASTER

• Use a computer
• Don't be a perfectionist
• Free yourself from the pressure of being an innovator
• Switch back and forth between different tasks
• Don't waste time working on projects you don't have
• Make deadlines firm but adequate
• Stay focused
• Set a production goal
• Do work that you enjoy e.t.c.

Like I said, this is just a tip of the iceberg as I can't possibly upload the whole book on this blog. There are more chapters with illustrated examples on how to save your time and make you more productive. This book is a must have! 

Goodluck saving more time for more important things like Family! Cheers!!!