A gold mine of info and tips and quotes on managing time!

I came across this great website

http://www.back2college.com/library/gettingstarted.htm

It is a veritable GOLDMINE of links and resources! Take the time to explore the site- it will have something useful to you! Maybe even something motivational, enlightening or inspirational!

This website also has a really wonderful math prep for the college entry exam at the bottom of the page, for free-

http://www.teachingcenter.ufl.edu/test_prep.html

I'm going to print the first few pages tonight and get started on it! Which brings me to....

Update on my Back to School progress-

 I have not made the time to sit down and study ONE page of math yet! And I need to do it on my own as all Prep classes offered nearby are during work hours (wow- isn't THAT conveniant for us workers??)

I feel like I havent really had ANY time to just sit still for an hour- my days are a blur

... minimal sleep, work and upheaval at work, cooking, rushing out the door to the gym, leisure classes, walking the dog, cleaning the house, grocery shopping, de-stressing in the bathtub or squeezing in an hour here and there with my man when HE isnt at school! Most days it is hard to just find the time to get THAT done what to speak of algebra...So for the benefit of me (and maybe you too!) here is a helpful list of ways to find more time in the day! Ideally I'd be rich enough to cut back on work hours but this will have to do for now...!

1. Manage Yourself


Manage yourself by changing your perception. It is less about managing time and more about managing yourself - a far more empowering proposition. Everyday at any given moment you have a choice to make. Things you can exercise control over include interruptions, time wasters,(for me-this would be relaxing by watching TV/going online- less 'relax' time and more study is needed!!) procrastination, and perfectionism. (for me- I need to realize that I dont need to alot whole hour long chunks of time to study- 15 minutes here or there will do if that is really all the time I have!!) More on these below. Manage your choices well and you will have more time.



2. Prioritize

This cannot be emphasized enough. In his book, "The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People," Stephen Covey makes the distinction between what is important and urgent versus what is important and not urgent. "Important and Urgent" specifies what you have to do today. Immediately. "Important and Not Urgent" falls into the category of longer term planning. In a third category he describes what is "Urgent and Not Important." It is here where some of your biggest time wasters hang out. A ringing phone is typically urgent and important only if you are a receptionist or switchboard operator. This leads us to the next tip.



3. Make Friends with Your Phone and Email

Manage interruptions. Do not answer the phone. Really, unless answering the phone is in your job description. Pinpoint several times during the day when you will check voice mail and email. Inform colleagues, friends, and family about your new system. Establish a plan for urgent or time sensitive communications.



4. Develop a Tracking System - And Use It

Don't carry your "to do" list around in your head. Write it down and carry over what you did not get done to the next day. Use a calendar or other type of tracking system. I like electronic systems that allow you to transfer information easily. Pen and paper work too.



5. Keep a Strategic To-Do List

Become a strategic planner and establish your "Important and Not Urgent" to do's. These are the plans that usually fall prey to those loud and pesky "Urgent and Not Important" distractions. Break down these future-driven intentions into short-term and "mini" short-term plans. Schedule those milestones as well. A spreadsheet is an excellent tool for this.



6. Lose the Perfectionism

One of the biggest time eaters, perfectionism can cause you to stay too long on a project that does not really warrant that kind of attention. Or maybe it causes you to do everything yourself rather than delegate or ask for help. Concerns of something not being done perfectly can also lead to another time waster -- procrastination. While a job well done is very satisfying, if you find yourself burning the midnight oil, having no life, or ignoring certain projects, ask yourself this: "Considering the criteria of this project, is this good enough, could I delegate this, am I avoiding something?"



7. Ask for Input

Sometimes you simply need help prioritizing. Too many projects, too little time? Ask your supervisor or a colleague for assistance here. Do not carry the burden of this one alone.



8. Say "No" - Politely

Still overwhelmed? Have way too much to do? Learn to say no -- politely. Or if your schedule permits, offer alternatives. "I would like to help you and this is what I am currently working on for this week. I will be in a better place to help you next week -- will that work?" -- for example. Gain respect from colleagues and friends by appropriately communicating your limits.



9. Leave Early

Leave ten minutes early for appointments. This means resisting making that last minute phone call or sending that non-time sensitive email that inevitably takes more time than you think. When you give yourself this wiggle room, you eliminate rushing and arrive with time to orient yourself to the task at hand.



10. Play the Waiting Game

Waiting in the reception room? Standing in line? Use this time to your advantage. Make a phone call, read the newspaper or even take a few moments to breathe and reflect upon your day.


In summary-
Time management can be accomplished by planning, prioritizing, and organizing your activities.

I will commit to actually carrying out the above! I still dont feel like there are enough hours in the day to get everything done that needs to be done but hopefully by consciously paying attention to my time management I get more out of my day!

What are my priorites?

Health (working out and cooking light!), my man and puppy (spending time with them both), my future (Education- starting with my math book to get past the college admission test!)

Plan- fit as much of these three things into each evening as possible!

For a start- tonight's plan- ( I know, I know..not exactly interesting reading but its going to help me out)

WAS going to go see John Legend give a talk- buuut I dont have time- so -

5-6- Commute home from work - perhaps manage to stop and grab some much needed groceries?

6-7:30 - Cook dinner, lunch for tomorrow and clean

7:30-8- Get to the gym

8:00-9:00 Work out

9:30-10:0- Actually crack open a text book on Math, have a look, maybe even solve a problem :)

10:00 - My man gets home from his exam! Spend time with him and get ready for bed by 11 so I can get up at 6:30am...

Inspirational Time Quotes-

Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.


William Penn

Time = life; therefore, waste your time and waste of your life, or master your time and master your life.




Alan Lakein

Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any. It is wonderful how much can be done if we are always doing.


Thomas Jefferson
 
Make use of time, let not advantage slip.


William Shakespeare
 
Once you have mastered time, you will understand how true it is that most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year – and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade!


Anthony Robbins
 
Check your priorities




If you want to make good use of your time, you’ve got to know what’s most important and then give it all you’ve got.

Lee Iacocca



It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?

Henry David Thoreau



Small things matter



Take care of the minutes and the hours will take care of themselves.

Lord Chesterfield



You’re writing the story of your life one moment at a time.

Doc Childre and Howard Martin



Do only a few things



To do two things at once is to do neither.

Publius Syrus



One cannot manage too many affairs: like pumpkins in the water, one pops up while you try to hold down the other.

Chinese Proverb

The time for action is now. It’s never too late to do something.


Carl Sandburg
 
Time is really the only capital that any human being has, and the only thing he can’t afford to lose.


Thomas Edison
 
One worthwhile task carried to a successful conclusion is worth half-a-hundred half-finished tasks.


Malcolm S. Forbes
 
Don’t excuse, you are in control




You will never “find” time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.

Charles Bruxton



Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein. (WOW- good point!!)

H. Jackson Brown



The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.

Michael Altshuler



Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.

Carl Sandburg



I am definitely going to take a course on time management… just as soon as I can work it into my schedule.

Louis E. Boone



In truth, people can generally make time for what they choose to do; it is not really the time but the will that is lacking.

Sir John Lubbock



Those who make the worse use of their time are the first to complain of its shortness.

Jean De La Bruyere



The great dividing line between success and failure can be expressed in five words: “I did not have time.”

Franklin Field