| Taking charge of your time is easier than you | | | | Many women interpret the instruction to take |
| think. If you put any of these ten easy, but | | | | time for themselves as a hint that they should |
| powerful, time management tips into action, you'll | | | | spend that time exercising at the gym, or doing |
| see an improvement in your productivity. And in | | | | something else "worthwhile".Nonsense. Spend it |
| your peace of mind.=> One: Revamp your | | | | eating chocolate if you want. Life's short, so |
| self-image: see it and believe itWhat's your image | | | | enjoy.=> Five: Give the day a mental run-through |
| of yourself? If it's of someone who's terminally | | | | before you get out of bed in the morningWhen |
| frazzled, that image will affect what you | | | | you wake up in the morning, think about the day |
| experience throughout the day. To take control | | | | ahead. Imagine everything going smoothly and |
| of your time, your self image needs to be of | | | | well. Know that if anything unforeseen comes up, |
| someone who is relaxed and calm and getting | | | | you will handle it. A mental rehearsal sets your |
| everything done.Close your eyes for a moment. | | | | attitude for the day. See yourself getting |
| Picture yourself at your best. You're calm and you | | | | compliments and kudos, so you can start the day |
| effortlessly handle whatever challenges come up | | | | with a smile.=> Six: Before you start your day, |
| for you during the day.You may feel some | | | | get excitedEnthusiasm is infectious, and so is |
| resistance to this image of yourself. If you do, | | | | gloom. Tell yourself you're excited about the day |
| you need to revise your self-talk. Self-talk is the | | | | ahead. This might be the day you get a raise: |
| internal chatter we all carry on within ourselves. | | | | anything could happen. Be determined that |
| Silently say "Let go" to yourself, or "Relax".The | | | | something good will happen to you today and nine |
| above visualisation technique is simple, but very | | | | times out of ten, it will.=> Seven: At the end of |
| effective. Use it as often as you like during the | | | | the day, review and plan for the next dayTake |
| day.=> Two: Make listsThe most effective time | | | | five minutes to go over what you've |
| managers are the people who use lists the most. | | | | accomplished at the end of the day. Take another |
| When something is on a list, we no longer need to | | | | five minutes to rough out a plan for tomorrow.=> |
| keep it in our mind. The best way to develop the | | | | Eight: Learn to say NoMost of us hate rejecting |
| list-making habit is to carry a notebook and pen, | | | | others. However, you're not doing anyone a |
| or an electronic organiser. (See below).You have a | | | | favour if you agree to do something, and then do |
| choice of how to make your lists. You can have | | | | it resentfully. Sometimes we even get in the habit |
| one enormous list, into which you dump all your | | | | of agreeing to do tasks, and then make excuses. |
| tasks, or you can make several lists. Try out | | | | If you know you won't have the time to do a |
| both methods, and see how they feel to you.If | | | | task, don't take the task on.=> Nine: Get a |
| you keep an all-in-one list, use a legal pad rather | | | | routineDiscipline has gone out of fashion. However, |
| than a small pad, and leave a couple of lines | | | | the secret to productivity is to have a routine, |
| between each task, so that you can add notes. | | | | and to keep to it. If you know that Thursday |
| The benefits of using a large pad are that you | | | | morning is given over to doing an update on your |
| can add notes and sketches.=> Three: Carry a | | | | Web site, you can block out that time each |
| notebook and pen, or an electronic organizerCarry | | | | week.=> Ten: Don't aim for perfection: just show |
| pen and paper, or an electronic organiser, | | | | upSomeone said that 80% of job is just showing |
| whichever is easier for you. Some people prefer | | | | up. In other words, just do the job, whatever it is. |
| to use a microcassette recorder and if this is you, | | | | Unless you're doing surgery, close enough is good |
| be sure than you transcribe your notes at the | | | | enough.Turn words into money! Subscribe to |
| end of the day, or at the end of each week.Using | | | | copywriter and author Angela |
| a PDA like a Palm Pilot is effective, because you | | | | Booth's new free ezine, Write For Cash. |
| can make notes wherever you happen to be. This | | | | Discover how to turn your own words, or |
| means that you can get a head start on some of | | | | someone else's into money. The |
| your work. You can nut out the basics of a | | | | new Web boom is upon us, so content has |
| proposal to a new client over lunch; you can even | | | | never been more important, or |
| do it while the meeting is still going on.=> Four: | | | | more valuable. Each issue contains a strategy and |
| Take time out for yourself every dayThe time | | | | a product: |
| you take for yourself should be spent on doing | | | | information you can use immediately. If you |
| something solely for yourself. You can listen to | | | | want to build a global |
| music, play a sport, go for a walk, or lie down and | | | | business from the comfort of your easy chair, |
| take a nap.This is your time to indulge yourself. | | | | subscribe today. |