Time Management

Author:
Flexibility

Your time plan

will be most successful if you remember that it is not

written in stone. You are subject to all the same diseases, disasters and distractions

as the rest of the population, so cultivate the sensitivity to know when you're

being productive and when you're beating your

head agains

t the wall, and take appropriate action. Don't stop writing your essay in the

middle of a great idea because you only scheduled an hour for it. Learn to

recognize when

putting a task off and doing something else is an intelligent, conscious decision

and when it is just procrastinating. Sometimes, walking away for a project

for a few minutes can be the best thing to bringing a new

perspective to a problem or to returning your focus. Be gentle with yourself

if you fall short of your expectations, but monitor any negative patterns that

emerge

and analyze their source. By expecting the unexpected and building flexibility

into your time plan, you'll have a better chance of achieving your goals.

Awareness

To be

successful at time management, it is necessary to be strategic. This involves

several steps. First, you plan - in this instance how you will use your time.

Second, you monitor - is this working? Am I achieving

what I planned

to do? How am I enjoying this? How difficult is it? Thi

rd, you analyze - why did or didn't this plan work? If it did work, you look

at where or how else effective strategies can be used. If the plan didn't

work, you develop

new strategies and try them out. The common denominator

of all these steps is awareness of the importance of time managem....[MORE]