Volume 7, 2009

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Featured Topic: Managing Yourself in Time

Inside This Issue

Habits

Think about some of your habits. Divide them into two categories: those that are getting you ahead and those that hold you back. It can be very interesting to jot down all of your habits that you can think of and then examine the list. How many fall into the hold you back list? Know this: Your habits will determine your future.

That may seem like a radical statement. Habits, after all, are just things that we do. We usually get measured by what we do, rather than what we think or intend. The world sees you and judges you through your habits.

Habits also eat time. Everyone has twenty-four hours today. We are unable to hold, save, or borrow another minute out of the day. How much is accomplished during these hours can be determined by our habits. Whatever you get done today can affect your tomorrow. Thus, your habits will determine your future.

With your list of good habits, look for opportunities to make sure you keep them working for you. The first time you choose to ignore a good habit, you’ll notice it and maybe even feel guilty about it. The second time you say no, it won’t seem like such a big deal. The third time you side-step this good habit you are in danger of losing this good habit. It is amazing that three omits can lead to losing a habit that may have taken weeks or months to build.

For instance, let’s say you go to the gym every Tuesday and Thursday. Then, a business meeting causes you to be late so you choose not to go. Avoid going to the gym three consecutive times and you’ll find you don’t even think of it anymore. That is until your energy level decreases and your weight increases. Only by then, it is so hard to get started again. It’s better to never stop. Hang onto your positive habits. Fight for them.

Now look at your negative habits. A small sampling from TLC’s clients include these in the top five:

Here are some tips for inserting positive habits to help with these negative time wasters:

Over promising – The habit to set is to under promise. If you think you can get something done in two days, tell the person it will take you four. Immediately begin working on it. If you get it done in two days you get credit for being early. If it takes twice as long, you are still on time.

Emails – Set specific times to check your emails. Check them one hour into your day (which allows you to accomplish something that was already on your list), before lunch and mid-afternoon. The world will not come to an end.

Sleep – Determine how much sleep your body needs to feel its best and then start winding down about thirty minutes before that. Wind down activities can include listening to music, reading something uplifting, or preparing for the next morning by laying out clothes, etc. Any night that you know you are getting to bed later than ideal, tell yourself, “I wake up refreshed and ready to go in the morning.”

Meetings – First, book in travel time to meetings. You cannot be in one meeting until 9:00 a.m. and then start the next meeting at 9:00. Inform people that you will need to leave at 8:50 or will arrive at 9:10. This not only gives you travel time, it affords you a bio break and allows you to mentally close one train of thought and open the next one.

Long hours – Everyone pulls a long day from time to time. Know that the longer you go without breaks, the less efficient you become. You may be spending 12 body hours and only 7 mental hours. Take breaks and get some physical movement. Select at least one day a week that you will go home early to be with family, friends, or the pet.

As you progress through your list, hopefully you will notice that the list of habits that move you forward will grow longer while the negative habit list will shrink. Remember, they are your habits. You determine which ones to use. Once chosen, they will determine your future.

What Our Clients Are Saying

I enjoyed Vincent's presentation and learned a lot as always!

Jackie Caruso - Cleveland, TN

Take Advantage of the “You in Time”

Vincent Ivan Phipps

Here are two examples of using time. When you accomplish 10 things in one hour, 60 minutes will have passed. If you accomplish nothing in that same hour, 60 minutes have still passed. In each example, 60 minutes passed. The only thing that changed was the level of productivity.

This abbreviated example proves that time is unmanageable since it is continuous. What we can control is how effectively we are using our time. Instead of time management, let’s call it, the “You in Time” we manage.

Time is the ultimate neutralizer. Regardless of education, income, gender, race, or age, we all have the same 24 hours in a single day. No matter what you do, the day will come and go. What separates the good from the great is the ability to take advantage of your actions in time. Follow these five steps to maximize the “You in Time.”

Step one: Identify your time peaks and valleys.

Learn when you are most productive. Some work very effectively in the mornings. Let’s call them Dawners. They are up as soon as the sun comes up! Dawners have their feet moving before their bodies hit the ground! Dawners are more effective in the mornings than in the evenings. Dawners can accomplish as much by 11 a.m. as others in an entire day. Then other types are people who are more productive in the late mornings and afternoons. Let’s call them Shiners. Shiners perk up between 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. when the sun is at it highest. Shiners can reach their peak of mental awareness long after the Dawners have checked out for the day. Depending on the time of day you are most effective, schedule your meetings and important decisions accordingly.

Step two: Recognize distractions.

Distractions can be immense time killers in the “You in Time.” Instead of the frustration of eliminating them, just control them. The following are examples of time distractions: checking emails, reading the newspaper, talking on your mobile phone, searching the internet, etc. Newness can be a welcomed distraction. It can be exciting to get a phone call or email. Websites and newspaper articles are designed to grab your attention in only a few words. Learn what areas distract you from being effective. These must be identified before step three.

Step three: Schedule distractions.

Put your mobile phone on vibrate or silent. Allow your voice mail to pick up messages. Designate a time to check all messages and emails. Maybe three times daily at 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Resist the urge to check your emails five times an hour! Most of the time there are no new messages. Turn off your message indicators and check them only during a specific time. Block in focus time. Let others know the best time to call or speak with you in person.

Step four: Give deadlines and checkpoints.

Instead of telling yourself, “I will call them back next week,” be more specific to manage the “You in Time.” Say, I will call them on August 10 at 10 a.m. Although the person you want to call might not expect your call at that time, giving yourself a specific date and time will hold you more accountable to yourself.

Step five: Request assistance from others.

Think of the person in your life who is always on time or early for everything. Chances are, this is one of the more responsible people you know. This is the type of person who gives few excuses and gets results. This is also the perfect person you want to hold you accountable. Ask them to follow up with you to ensure you are remaining focused. This will help you manage the “Time in You” simply if you are more efficient because you don’t want to have to answer to them.

These five steps will take time. But, time is what we are talking about! The more you incorporate these steps with what you are already doing, the more time you will have!

Happy Birthday

TLC wishes a Happy Birthday to clients celebrating

In August:

And in September:

Featured Service: TLC Time Management Coaching

Therese Padgett

The Exchange theme for this and the next two issues of the TLC newsletter is “efficiency.” This month we are discussing managing yourself in time. Time is impervious to management. However, you and I are capable of being affected by our habits and patterns of behavior. In other words, we can manage ourselves. A little help can go a long way!

In a catalog of reasons to manage oneself, purpose heads the list. Unless we know what our goals are and what our priorities are, we never get moving very effectively. Someone else can tell us what their goals are for us, but unless we buy into their idea, we will not make much progress. At TLC we have seen this on occasion when a customer refers to us a client that is not performing at peak capability. Until that client sees value in making a change in his or her communicative behavior s/he will not make the effort required for positive and permanent change. Our TLC communication coaches are excellent in helping clients set meaningful goals.

A goal can seem daunting unless it is attainable with a carefully designed action plan that incorporates a looped system for periodic progress evaluation. A good coach helps you see both progress and digression from your plan of action, sometimes helping you see where you may need to change a goal and redirect efforts, even if only temporarily. I liken this to diagramming a sentence: with all its supporting clauses and phrases, you still need a subject and a verb for it to be a complete sentence. A good coach helps you connect your goals with your actions.

Repeated actions set habits, good or bad. The habit can be procrastination, as discussed in the CEO Corner this month. Good habits can be lost through omission. On the other hand, good habits can be established through repeated and correct usage. Practice is a key component in making permanent and positive changes in any endeavor. We have all experienced this as we learned to play a musical instrument, perform on stage, make a presentation, write an article, etc. We just do it until we do it right and do it right repeatedly! A good coach will even help you learn to laugh at your mistakes and encourage you to try, try again.

To manage yourself in time, use the techniques suggested in this issue of The Exchange. If your purpose is to increase business, set goals and make an action plan. Then work the plan! If you need more help, remember that the excellent coaches at TLC are here to help. Give us a call at 1-888-232-2873, BECAUSE you always communicate!

CEO Corner

Beverly Inman-Ebel

Chief Executive’s Opinion

“I Love Ya, Tomorrow”

I love musicals. Each time I go to NYC on business, I strive to go to a Broadway musical. One of my favorites is Annie. I especially like the song, “Tomorrow”. The lyrics read: “Tomorrow. Tomorrow. I love you, Tomorrow. You’re only a day away!” I am drawn to this song because I am a hopeless optimist, always thinking that tomorrow will be even better than today. There was a time when that song was my theme song for another reason.

I thought unpleasant tasks were best dealt with tomorrow. I was very persuasive, convincing myself that putting it off would be a good idea. I was also a fast worker, so most of the time I got the dreaded deed done by deadline. I wasn’t getting caught, so why change my behavior?

Two reasons come to mind: peace and quality. Procrastinating creates a lot of pressure even on the present moment. Although we may not actively be working on the task, thoughts of it sneak in and rob us of our present. So my first reason was to change my habit of procrastination in order to have peace of mind. It worked! I felt much better about myself and was free of the nagging thoughts.

Another interesting by-product of getting it done early is that I had time to sit on it for a while and make minor improvements. I was getting away with last minute rush jobs, but now I could focus on quality. Sometimes I amazed myself with what I could accomplish.

We tend to put off doing something we don’t want to do in the first place. Before it becomes urgent (high time requirement), consider the importance (value) of the task. If it is important, break it down into pieces and just get started. Usually after you begin, you will find some satisfaction in the task that keeps you going.

What have you been procrastinating about? Important items that do not have a particular due date especially fall into the pit of procrastination. Pick one, just one, and do something about it. Don’t even wait until tomorrow. Start today.

Breaking the debilitating habit of procrastination will have you singing my favorite song for the right reason. Tomorrow can be a great day, especially when you have taken care of tasks today. Stop procrastinating. Start doing. Now. Anticipate tomorrow. Live your dreams!

TLC establishes long-term relationships with our clients. If we have helped you or if you believe our approach to change would work for someone you know, please request a proposal or phone 1-888-232-2873. We work with individuals and groups on the following subject areas: attitude, listening, body language, voice, leadership, compliments and corrections, behavioral style, teamwork, effective meetings, public speaking, accent reduction and much more!.

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