Tips for Stress free life > Expert Zone > Time Management
Time Management Tips by experts
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Tips for Stress free life > Expert Zone > Time Management Time Management Tips by experts |
|
|
|
|
Sharpen The Saw
Sometime ago, my lovely wife woke me up in the middle of the night and said, 'Dayo, you know what? I feel neglected.' I was speechless. She then went on to say that for sometime now I have been spending more time on my work to the detriment of the family. She further explained that I put all my energies into a high drive for achievement and career success. To be honest she was right. One of the problems of modern day top professionals and peak performers is how to balance personal and professional life effectively. The demand of a highflying job with parenthood, spiritual, physical and intellectual growth is almost impossible these days. The truth is that true success requires a balance of personal and professional life. This is a problem I have been battling with since I became an IT trainer, a motivational speaker and the publisher of a music and movie magazine (M & M magazine). Sometime ago, I cultivated a bad habit. I retire to bed with my wife and as soon as she falls asleep, I crawl out of bed and return to the computer to continue my work. On one occasion I had a long telephone meeting with Kunle Adejumo, one of the Directors of M & M magazine from 1.00am to 4.00am and then went back to bed at 5.00am. I woke up at 7.00am and called him back again at 8.30am. Whilst I was on the telephone, my wife overheard our conversation and discovered that I was on the phone with him till 4.00am. She was stunned. At that stage it dawned on me that I needed to seek for help on how to balance my professional and personal life. I turned to one of my mentors, Professor Pat Utomi, one of Africa's top-flight strategy scholars, for help. He is a genius in this area. Professor Pat Utomi is a political economist and management consultant. He sits on the board of 36 blue chip companies (16 of them as Chairman). He was a Special Adviser to the President of Nigeria before he was 30. He is also a well-sought public speaker. On the other hand, I am on the board of 6 companies (2 of them as Chairman) and still struggling with how to balance my personal and professional life. Pat Utomi has had a strong positive impact on my life since 1991. My meeting with him turned my life around and helped me put my life in proper perspective. I explained my predicament and how I needed counsel on how to balance my family and professional life. His response to me was, "Dayo what you need to do is to Sharpen You Personal Saw." That made the difference and turned my life around. Sharpen the Saw was coined by Dr Stephen R. Covey in 1989 in his groundbreakingbook: 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.' Its message is that true success requires a balance of personal and professional effectiveness. To that end, it offers 7 strategies or '7 Habits' for performing better in both areas through a life of self-knowledge, control and responsibility. And the seventh habit is to 'Sharpen the Saw.' The seventh habit that makes the other six last is sharpening the saw. This powerful idea can only be described by Covey's word-picture: "Suppose you were to come upon someone in the woods working feverishly to saw down a tree. 'What are you doing?' You ask. 'Can't you see?' Comes the impatient reply. 'I'm sawing down this tree.' 'You look exhausted!' You exclaimed. 'How long have you been at it?' 'Over five hours,' he returns, 'and I'm beat! This is hard work.' 'Well why don't you take a break for few minutes and sharpen that saw?' you inquire. 'I'm sure it would go a lot faster.' 'I don't have time to sharpen the saw,' the man says emphatically. 'I'm too busy sawing!'" Sharpening the saw is about renewing yourself physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. It gives you time to recreate yourself and boost your confidence and be able to spend more time with your family. Sharpening the saw means continually keeping yourself physically, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually fit. It means finding time out of your busy schedule to recreate yourself by spending more time with your family, continually learning new things, relaxing, going on vacation, praying, and meditating. Practising this habit has a tremendous influence on me as a person. Looking good and being in shape affects my performance when I deal with people. It gives me confidence and makes me believe in myself. Some people don't even pay attention to going on vacation and/or relaxing, they think it's a waste of time; but the truth is completely different. Relaxing would give me a great chance to put things in order and re-prioritise my plans. So, adopting the habit of 'Sharpening the saw' had great impact on my behaviour. Now I have been able to strike a balance and I have been able to create more time for my wife and children. I cannot forget the smile on the faces of my children when we went to Marriot Renaissance Hotel in Central London for the New Year break. They were on top on the world throughout the night and having family breakfast on New Year's Day gave me so much fulfilment. Children have a great need to communicate with their parents; but they will onlydo this if they feel their parents are open to them and interested in hearing what they have to say. For this reason, I am now spending more time with my children. According to Steven R. Covey in his new book: 'The 8th Habit: From Effectives to Greatness', he stated clearly that: "Parenthood is the most important leadership responsibility in life and will provide the greatest level of happiness and joy." I have developed the habit of making time for my family everyday. I now spend less time on my computer and my mobile phone. The greatest regret people have at the end of their lives is that they did not spend quality time with their children when they were young or with their spouses. At the end of the day your family is the reason why you live. What will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, but loses his family? That is the reason I sharpen my personal saw. Thank you Professor Utomi for this priceless advice. Dayo Olomu is a UK-based Motivational Speaker, Writer, Business/Life Coach, Trainer, Media Entrepreneur and Competent Toastmaster. His core belief is that we are all endowed with seeds of greatness, and his mission is to help individuals and organisations achieve their full potentials. He is the author of best selling "4 Indispensable Strategies for Success" and the President of Croydon Communicators Toastmasters. Get his FREE monthly Rise to the Top ezine by sending a blank email to subscribe@dayoolomu.com or visit his website at: www.dayoolomu.com
MORE RESOURCES: See the complete list of Articles on Time Management here Have a look at Best Selling Books on Time Management
See also : Other articles on
Depression,
Grief Loss,
Happiness,
Humor,
Inspirational,
Motivation,
Why not be an expert yourself ? If you can write on
any of the above topic, you are welcome to submit your Submit
your article here |
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Time Management - Working Smarter at Work Let's look at your time management skills. Most of us have to work, and the more you can do in the least amount of time, the better. Avoid 7 Time and Life-Robbing Mistakes and See Your Productivity Soar 41 practical and quick ways to get on top of that mountain of work and free up time for the important things that really matterBy Dr Bill Robb, PhD, DEdWe are all required to do more and more with less and less. This is taking its toll on our productivity, our health and unfortunately on family life. 5 Days to A Simpler Life! Of all the Attraction Principles, the most popular class I teach is "Simplify Your Life - Yes, You CAN!" Based on class attendance, articles in the press, and requests from clients, it's clear there is tremendous desire to live more simply, be more productive, and have greater peace of mind. While the details are different for each of us, the central theme is: "I want less stress, more time and more integrity, and I haven't been able to get it!"The core of this article is that in the next 5 days you can dramatically simplify your life without avoiding your responsibilities or reducing your output. Use Your Time Wisely! When I was small, I have never considered the importance of time.I would just laze around, watch TV, lie in bed, and play videogames. Time is on Your Side - Manage it Wisely How do you manage your time? Or is the more appropriate question do you wish you had better time management skills? I have clients and friends who rely on everything from legal pads to brightly colored sticky notepads to manage their time and appointments - practically everything in their life. I don't understand why some folks place so little importance on something as important as time management!As a professional Virtual Assistant, I have numerous clients and tasks I must complete every day. How To Pack 48 Hours Into Your Day Too much to do, too little time, constant stress. Most of us have been there. Just Remind Yourself This is one more article on "Organizing and Enjoying Your Life". Much has already been written about this in magazines, books and on Internet. Time Management: A Non-Renewable Resource Benjamin Franklin wrote: "If you want to enjoy one of the greatest luxuries in life, the luxury of having enough time, time to rest, time to think things through, time to get things done and know you have done them to the best of your ability, remember, there is only one way. Take enough time to think and plan things in the order of their importance. Tips to Manage Your Time Time and money are both very important in business. Yet, like me, many business people tend to give a lot more specific thought as to how to spend their money. Boost Your Productivity with 10 Minutes at the End of Your Day Once you have completed your day you can boost your efforts for tomorrow with an investment of only 10 minutes. Apply these strategies at the end of your work day and you will definitely increase your productivity. Have You Got a Minute? Such an innocuous little phrase, yet when you are hard at work, really focused and engrossed in what you are doing this seemingly harmless request can be a nightmare distraction."The average American has 50 interruptions a day, of which 70% have nothing to do with work" W. Could you use a "Stop Doing" list? One of the tried and true organization and time-management tools is the trusty old "to do" list. I was trained to diligently put one together at the end of the day for the following day, and whatever tasks I failed to complete, to carry it forward. Oh, My Goodness! Where Has the Time Gone? It's 6:00 a.m. Time: Do You Spend it or Invest it? Time is our greatest and most precious asset. Time is the great equalizer of all us human beings. Making the Most of Your Time "The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot. Handling Procrastination "TIME CANNOT BE 'MANAGED.' THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF TIME MANAGEMENT IS A BIT OBSCURE. The WIT to WIN What are the most important things you should accomplish today? Go ahead. Make a list of your priorities and put them in order of their importance. Procrastination: Why We Do It and How to Change PROCRASTINATION: You've known about it since high school or college, when everybody boasted about it. Everyone put off papers for a basketball game or a night on the town. What Are You Thinking? What would be your reaction if someone said to you "In the next 24 hours you will be given $10,000 for every chair you sell like the one you are sitting on right now?"How many time management issues will you have? How hard will it be to set priorities for your day? How long would you wait before contacting your first prospect? How much time would you waist chatting on the phone or exchanging emails with friends? Probably will not take the time to be staring out the window or watching the grass grow!Seriously, in that situation would time management be an issue for you? How much of your 24 hour time frame would you spend sitting on that chair instead of talking to people about it? The excitement of getting lots of $10,000 checks would probably motivate you to see as many people as humanly possible in the next 24 hours, right? Most, if not all, of your time management problems would be resolved immediately!Think about this little example, and you will discover the key to success in many areas of your life -- time management, selling, managing, self motivation. One single ingredient determines the success or failure of just about anything you pursue in life. When is the Best Time to Plan Your Day? When is the best time to plan your day? Well, everyone is different. Let's take a quick look at some of the different possible times:1) Early morning before you go to work.
|
|
You are here |
|
| Time-management Tips Home | Time-management Tips- Complete list | |
|
| Main Home | | Meditation Corner | |
|
|
| Recommend us | |
|
[About
us] [Contact] [Privacy
Policy]
Copyright 2006, Meditation
is Easy.com, All
rights reserved
