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Time management
By hui | August 30, 2008
I combined June July and August’s newletter for a simple reason, I was running out of time. Facing this embarrasing fact, I did some research on time management tips. Following is a list that I like to share with anyone who want to take control of their own time.
- 80/20 rule: concentrade on results, not on being busy. We always get “need to be done yesterday” tasks. If we tackle all of them, we complete nothing. You can break all tasks into four categories, A:urgent and with value, B:urgent but without value, C:not urgent but with value, D: not urgent and without value. Learn to differentiate them and and prioritize them.
- Prioritize your tasks: Given the 80/20 rule we now know that we have to focus our energy/time on things that really matter, that really generate value to your life and work. Spend your primary time on those tasks and learn to say no to things that not matter.
- Make planning a habit: Set up your goals then break them down into small ones.
- Take a break: When you are tired or stressed, your productivity drops. Take a break when you see you are not working “right”. It is waste of time when you only achieve half of your efficiency. Take the time you needed to do a quality job. But why spend longer time to achieve less?
- Last but not least: Implementation, implementation, implementation. All these knowledge and tips means nothing unless we use them. Things I listed above are not entirely new to me but I still sometimes find myself overwhelmed by the number of tasks that I want to do vs what I really get them done. After a good conversation with one of my associates, also my mentor, I decided that I am going to seriously work on my time management.I have set my goals and made my plan. In three months, I am going come back and report what have changed.
Topics: Hardly Working, Working Hard |