We all strive to better our lives. Increase our productivity, stick to our resolve, maintain our focus, manage our time (life) effectively and have a meaningful life.
Last week I read a few articles, watched videos. Summary of them may be helpful for many if the timing and psychology are right.
The Psychology of Time Management
Do you know what you are aiming for? What are you trying to achieve?
One of my first professional colleagues used to reply to everything I asked, “What are you trying to achieve by this?” and it would make us think twice before we asked him anything.
According to Brian Tracy here is how you can manage your time better.
- Decide exactly what you want
- Write it down in detail
- Set a deadline to achieve it
- Make a list of everything you need to do to achieve it
- Organize the list into a plan
- Take action on plan immediately
- Do something every day to achieve it
Limiting Beliefs
We all have them. Some of us are a victim of them, some control all or some of them to a degree and some totally got rid of them.
Here are three of them which you should get rid of to thrive.
- Hopelessness
- Helplessness
- Worthlessness
We don’t need any of them. Nobody is hopeless, helpless and worthless. We are here for a reason. Look for it, search for it and live for it. Even if you are not sure, still, the journey is worth it.
Procrastination
This is something I battle all the time. Being a perfectionist makes me look for right time, place, environment etc. which all contribute to procrastinate. You can procrastinate on purpose but that is not my subject here.
Here is how to overcome procrastination.
- Set deadlines
- Create a reward system
- Refuse to rationalize
- Except for 100% responsibility to complete the task at hand
Maintaining Focus
This is another area which I and many others suffer. I have so many interests and projects, distractions which makes it very hard to focus a long time.
I find it better to work at nights or very early mornings as life seems in sleep and I feel I am alone. This psychologically makes me focus better and do more. Otherwise, my endless to-do lists keep creeping up, other personal and business distractions take me away from the task at hand. You need to be very disciplined.
Here are a few techniques to better organize your work day so that you can focus better, produce more.
- Pomodoro Technique: Work 25 min. and take 5 min break. After 4 work period take 15+ min. breaks.
- 52/17 by DeskTime: Work 52 min. and take 17 min. break.
- Pulse and Pause: This is the method endorsed by Tony Schwartz of The Energy Project. 90 min. work and rest.
Try all or one of these to see which one better suits you. If my work is very interesting and I am totally immersed in it, I can work hours without noticing anything. But, it’s not always like this. I also need to do all other work. Better to have a disciplined approach and make it a habit.
All these are suggestions and techniques discovered, developed to remedy certain conditions. You should try and find what suits you. You may even develop your own technique or method and share it with us.
Leave a Reply