Success Is Within Your Reach
…Are you reaching for it?

By Figen Genco

Why do some people manage to have more time to finish all their projects before the deadlines, and still have time left to have fun and enjoy the life?
Do successful people have a secret access to more time than the others?

The difference is in planning, focus, goals and managing skills, which can all be improved.

PLANNING

Planning can be as simple as having a to do list. You can use your calendar, appointment book, hand held device or whichever other tools you choose to use for your schedules of monthly activities. However; having a daily “to do list” is essential. When things are on the paper, you do not force yourself to try to remember what you need to do.

Every evening when you finish up for the day, prepare a list for tomorrow. Categorize your list according to the importance of the assignments. You can call the most important ones HP-high priority, the items of secondary importance MP- medium priority and the least important ones LP- low priority.

Go over your list when you finish writing and think about each item you put on it. In a second thought you might actually realize that something you thought high priority has lost its importance, not valid anymore or not as urgent as you think. Then you can change the order or take some things off your list, which will make your next day easier.

While going over your list, also think about the jobs you can get someone else do. Delegate. Use your secretary or spouse or kids. Talk to your partner to exchange the chores you do not like doing, maybe there is something s/he does not like but you do not mind doing. Write this person’s name near the item on the list, so your to-do will be talking to this person about performing that task.

Do not overwhelm yourself by putting too much in your list. It is better to see the check marks in your list than to see all the things waiting to be done. Make a new list everyday.
Pursue your list the next day starting from the top, with the high priority tasks.

Operating with a list will keep you away from distractions and will make it easier to remember your schedule. Having the list in front of you visually will motivate you to do things. Following the order will prevent procrastination on performing the most important tasks and going for the easy ones.

Check each item that you have completed. You might not be able to cover everything in your list, but the ones you have completed will be the most urgent ones. This way you will not waste your time on the little things which can wait. At the end of the day, you will have a concrete proof of what you have accomplished that day, which will make you feel better about yourself, and give you positive energy. At that point, make a new list for the next day, and get rid of the old one.

FOCUS

If you want to be focused, you need to get organized. If stopping in the middle of a project to look for a very necessary piece of information buried under somewhere on your desk is how you operate your business, you cannot get focused. While searching for something, you will come across with other things you have been looking for, and it will distract you.

Set your off-limits. Make your work hours clear with your co-workers and family to avoid the disruptions. Close your door, let the machine pick up the calls when you need to concentrate.

By having a system established, you will be able to be efficient. You will also have time to be effective as well. “ Efficiency” and “effectiveness” complete each other. The former means doing things in the least amount of time with little effort, whereas the latter indicates getting positive results from what you do. To be successful you need both.

GOALS

Set your goals. Specify your intentions. You should be clear on what you want to achieve by carrying out the tasks in your to do list. If you have a meeting scheduled, you should be aware of what you are expecting to gain from that meeting. Being definite about the goals will be your guide when you are making your to do list.

You can decide how important that meeting is on reaching your goals, and place it accordingly in your list. When you think it over, you might even realize that that particular event for you is a complete waste of time. Then replace it with another task, which will help you to attain your goals.

Choose reachable and doable goals, and set reasonable deadlines to reach those goals. Yearly goals should not be placed on your daily to do list. If your yearly goal is to write a book, then your daily goal might be write a sentence, or a paragraph, not write the book!

MANAGING SKILLS

Managing means being able to be in control over the things that surround us. Managing skills start with time management. Are you aware of how much the time you spend going around looking for things?

Little things such as going through the same pile of paper several times, keep shuffling the stacks of paper from one side to the other to find some workspace, piling your files then having to unstack them again can add up to more than half an hour everyday.

With a modest calculation, you can realize that by knowing where everything is, you will gain 3 hours every week. Simplify your life. Do you know how much the piles on your desk are cluttering your mind as well as your space? The more you try to remember which pile holds what papers, the more you are wasting your memory space!

Solution is getting organized. Organize your living and work area. Make your place inviting. When you have a system established, things will move faster and smoother. You will not have to struggle through clutter to get to work. Once you learn to manage your time, you will have more time to improve your other skills.

by Figen Genco, Professional Organizer
Author of Organized For Life, Genco Organizes, 215-354-0275, www.organizer4u.com

Editors and publishers are free to reprint this article as long as it's reprinted in its entirety and the signature line remains intact.

Please direct a courtesy copy to Figen or snail mail it to:
Figen Genco
Genco Organizes
PO Box 240398
Langhorne, PA 19047

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