Time Management: How to Squeeze the Most Out of Your Time

By Brian Tracy

How do you start your day? Years ago I started planning mine by writing everything down I would have to do, the night before. I found that drawing up your list the night before prompts your subconscious to work on your plans and goals while you sleep. When you wake up, you feel ready to tackle your challenges.

When prioritizing and planning your time, consider the following points:

- Key questions.
What is the highest value-added action I can do? What can I and only I do that I've done well before to make a difference? Why am I on the payroll?
The answers to these questions help identify all that needs to be done and in what order. That, in turn, will bolster personal productivity.

- Values.
Decide what's important to you, and in what order. Make sure your values don't conflict with work. Energy spent worrying diminishes your abilities.

- Consequences.
Every action has consequences - good and bad. Consider what rewards you'd reap by completing a task. Then, compare those rewards with the consequences of putting it aside. This process makes it easier to see which goals have a higher value.

- The Pareto Principle.
Vilfredo Pareto, a 19th-century engineer, argued that 20% of what you do accounts for 80% of the value. When considering the importance of a task, ask yourself whether it's among the 20% that creates the most value.

- Urgency vs. Importance.
An unexpected phone call or a drop-in visitor may be urgent, but the consequences of dealing with either may not be important in the long run.The urgent is other-oriented, it's caused by someone else. Important things are self-directed and have the greatest value for you.

- The Limiting Step.
Standing between you and what you want to achieve is the limiting step.That's the bottleneck that determines how quickly you can reach your goal.It's important to identify that step and focus single-mindedly on getting that one thing done.

- A Written Plan.
Lists of goals, tasks and objectives are of no help unless they're written. Putting your plans on paper makes a seemingly elusive goal more concrete. There's a connection that takes place between the brain and the hand. When you don't write it down, it's fuzzy, but as you write it andrevise it, it becomes clear.

- Visualization.
See yourself doing what you need to get done. Visualization trains the subconscious to focus on completing tasks. Say, for example, that you want to begin each morning by exercising. Visualizing yourself doing sit-ups and push-ups the night before conditions the mind to do those the next day. When you prime you mind, it wakes you up even before the alarm clock goes off.

Remember you are a winner and preparation goes a long way in helping youachieve all your goals.

About the Author:To receive more information about Brian Tracy and his books, audios andseminars including the Psychology of Achievement, The Psychology ofSelling and the Success Mastery Academy and save 20-40%, go tohttp://www.tkqlhce.com/click-585400-6647396 and click Other Authors

Successful habit: Go For Your Goal

Author: John G. Johnson

HAVE YOU EVER focused your mind to achieve an outcome, only to fall short, or a long way from it? Every year around New Years Day most people attempt to fixate their mind and attitude towards the goal or goals they wish to achieve for the year - and probably beyond. Some engage in this behavior even earlier. Either way you look at it, orienting your mind to achieving your desired outcome is something that can be done - anytime - not just at the beginning of a calendar year.

WHAT IS interesting is that a significant amount of these "goal setters" fail to get what they want, allowing their dream or dreams to fall by the wayside or just forgetting them, perhaps blaming environment and circumstance(s) for their failure(s). I've heard it often said, "show me an excuse, I'll show you a failure."


THE MOST EFFECTIVE way you can look at this thing called "failure" is by separating your feelings from the information. We call this information "feedback." Looking at your unintended result from this vantage point allows you to ask yourself one of many well-defined questions, allowing you to find the "missing link(s)" that will assist you to get your goal(d).

COULD IT BE that the missing link is a critical persuasive factor, or factors, that are possibly causing you to fall - just arms length of your life's ambition? Successfully attaining your goal requires various persuasive ingredients. But, for our purposes I am going to let you in on three often overlooked secrets to success.

FIRST, must be stated in the positive and be specific. This makes perfect sense because our minds are direction-oriented. For example, let's say your goal is simply to buy a car. Constantly saying, "I don't want a truck, I don't want a van, etc." is counterproductive, a waste of your personal persuasive abilities. Instead, it would be easier and more persuasively productive to state your intent in the positive. "I want to buy a car," OR something that is positively directionally oriented to what you - specifically - want. The clearer you make your language match the image you have of what you want, the better off you will be. To continue with the car example, saying you want a car is not specific enough. WHAT type of car do you want? "I want a Jaguar XJS!" And even more specific, "I want an ebony black Jaguar XJS, etc.! Get the point, yes? Have you ever heard the axiom, "watch your words?"

SECOND, make sure your goal is sensory based. You and I know that human beings have five senses. (Yes, an argument can be made that there are more. But that is for another discussion). Your goal must be represented in at least three of the five senses, (Seeing, Hearing, Feeling, Tasting and Smelling) Again, seeing that our minds are forward seeking, imbuing your senses and your 'other than conscious mind' with what you want - engages all your inner resources to seamlessly drive you in the appropriate direction.

Let's take the car example again, or should I say "the ebony black Jaguar XJS." What will you see, hear and feel? What does the ebony black Jaguar XJS look like? How do the sun's rays glint off its chrome features? Can you see yourself in an open top or a closed roof of the ebony black Jaguar XJS? How does your dream car's engine purr as you ignite and tease its engine alive? How do you react to the smell of the interior, the fragrance of a new car? How does the Italian leather bucket driver seat the feel as you float down securely and comfortably into it? How do your hands feel as you wrap your fingers around the steering wheel? How does this ebony black Jaguar XJS handle corners as you take it for a drive? ENGAGE YOUR SENSES. Fill your mind, your senses in your dream!

THIRD, you must set your goal and the behavior necessary to obtain it with the ability to maintain it yourself. Far too often people depend on some external factor, or factors, to make their dream come alive. ("Oh, so and so 'might' do this for me," "I'll 'hope' that these things fall into place soon," "I'll 'wait' for inspiration," blah blah blah…)Yes, there could be circumstances that calls for such things, but those are not of what I am speaking of. Ask yourself this; "to get my goal what resources do I need and are they under my control?" Let's take the car scenario we have been using so far.

The person wanting this ebony black Jaguar XJS can get a job, allowing him/her to save money towards purchasing this car. This person has the ability to seek out dealerships that will offer the best price, etc. If this person wanting this ebony black Jaguar XJS said, "I'll sit and 'just hope to' win the lottery," or "I'll wait' until my rich relative passes on, or what have you, then the probability that he/she will get this car goes way, way and way down.

Simply put - Take action; take charge of what goals you desire and "Go For It!" There is no need to wait on hopeful factors that are not under your control! Be the Master and Commander of your dreams so they can come blazingly alive for you; let your healthy ambitions resonate through every fiber of your being! Utilize all your resources!

These are some of the distinctions, the ingredients that make the difference between getting your bronze, silver or gold! The choice is always yours!

Go For Your Goal!

© John G. Johnson 2005 - All rights reserved!

Walk away with the personal power to firmly set and achieve your goals! John Johnson and Bob Hatem will be having a one-day Goal-Setting Workshop:WHEN: Saturday, June 18th WHERE: New York City. If you are in the neighborhood - take advantage of this opportunity. Visit: WWW.PERSUASION101.COM for additional details! "Go For Your Goal(d)!"

Perseverance : The Toddler's Guide to Perseverance

By Maria E. Andreu,Life Coach


My two-year-old daughter asks me for ice cream about one hundred times aday. You think I'm exaggerating for effect, but I am really not. Shestarts when she first gets up in the morning, requesting it as herbreakfast. (I say no). She asks mid-morning, several times. She asks forit as an appetizer to her lunch, asks for it when my mother is caring forher (I'm blissfully not privy to that, as I am in the world of grown-ups,coaching!), asks at snack, dinner, and about 70 other times during theday. Sometimes she employs tactics of terror, kicking and screaming until our very nerves tremble. Sometimes she flashes the sweetest smile.

And of the hundred times she asks per day (I made it a nice round number,but I suspect it's probably higher than that) she gets ice cream may be once every two or three days. Sometimes she wears me down once a day for afew days. Now, before you start thinking this is an article on parenting techniques (as in, what NOT to do), I'm actually using this head strong toddler as an example. An example of what TO do. Yes, an example for evenyou to follow.

Because what is her success rate? On a good day, it is one percent. ONE PERCENT. She FAILS 99 percent of the time. She tries a variety of approaches, and finds that 99 times out of 100, they do not work. And yet,she gets a bit of what she wants just about every day.

Why? Let's examine.

First,
she makes it very clear what she wants. She tells me color, flavor, in detail, in her request. She starts early in themorning and doesn't let up until nighttime. She actually hits up her father more than she does me, knowing he's more of a softy, so she knows the proper venue for her request.

Lesson to be learned:
Be REALLY clear on what you want. It's hard to expect the world to give you what you're looking for if you don't quite know what it is. Define the color and flavor of what you want.

Second,
failure is not any kind of deterrent for her. She is the embodiment of the old adage, "'No' just means try again later." She puts no negative spin to herself for the 99 times she fails to get what she wants. She doesn't say to herself, "Oh, I've failed. Maybe I'm not meant to have ice cream. Maybe I should just learn to like this broccoli stuff.

Why - oh why - do I never get what I want?" She just asks time number 83.And 84. And 85...

Lesson:
Failure simply means TRY AGAIN. It does not mean anything about you, that you are not worthy or not special or not meant to have what you want. You just have to keep trying.

Third,
she learns from her mistakes. I notice she's refined her request time to times when she considers me most vulnerable. She gets me when I'm tired or otherwise occupied, or when there is someone else around and I'm not as likely to stand firm.

Lesson:
Learn from your failures. You'll eventually be able to cut them down if you learn what NOT to do.

Fourth,
she's flexible. At times when she sees I'm steadfast in my refusal to provide her drug of choice (ice cream, before you go off to summon the proper authorities), she starts to negotiate for an alternative. Lollipop?Gum? Chocolate? Raisin? She usually gets me with the raisin.

Lesson: Be flexible! Maybe you can't get EXACTLY what you want, but you can get an approximation. Ask for raisins!

Fifth, she eats like a pro. She eats broccoli, seafood, any crazy healthfood I decide to feed her. It makes me more likely to give her ice cream when I see she's "paid her dues" and eaten all the good stuff I want her to.

Lesson:
Pay your dues. Life rewards the hardworking and the diligent. Eat your broccoli and you're more likely to get the ice cream.

Lastly, she loses with a big smile. Sometimes it turns into a joke and we laugh. So even when I "win" (and I don't really suspect I ever truly do),we stay friends and go on to negotiate another day.

Lesson:
Take life's bumps with a smile. You never know when life is just two requests away from giving you a great big ice cream cone.

Well, there you have it, the toddler's philosophy to perseverance. Before you laugh and dismiss this as the ramblings of a proud mom (guilty as charged!), take a moment to reflect on how much more successful we would all be if we faced life's challenges with the a plomb of little children.Sure, they drop on the floor and wail when they don't get their way (and just imagine how cathartic THAT would be if you could do that at your next meeting!) but they get right back up and try again, unafraid and unstoppable. A pretty good way to approach life, wouldn't you say?

About the Author:
Maria E. Andreu, president of Andreu Marketing Solutions, is a businesscoach who walks the talk of building a booming professional practice. Withclients across the country and seminars all over the continent, sheunlocks the keys of explosive business growth for you. You can visit herwebsite at http://www.andreumarketingsolutions.com/