Harvey Mackay: Managing your time a key to success
By HARVEY MACKAY United Feature Syndicate on Aug 25, 2013, at 2:34 AM Updated on 8/25/13 at 4:42 AM
Column - Harvey MacKay
No one ever accused Larry Winget of mincing words. Larry, who is often referred to as the Pitbull of Personal Development, wouldn't take kindly to it anyway.
I WILL GO to the ends of the earth to find ways to improve communication and salesmanship, so I was delighted to be invited to Israel in July to be briefed by the creme-de-la-creme of Israel's intelligence community.
We all start out in life with one thing in common - the same number of minutes and hours in each day. That remains constant whether we live 50 years or 100 years. So why is it that some people accomplish so much and others very little?
The reason may be that you're wasting your time, because you haven't figured out how to use it well. Here are some ideas to get time on your side:
Begin your day with a plan. If you have no plan on how to tackle your workload, you'll end up battered by competing demands. Manage your time better by doing the right things well, not by doing the wrong things faster. At the end of your day, make a to-do list for the next day.
Prioritize, don't procrastinate. Many people like doing the easy things first and saving the harder things for the end. Your plan should be prioritized by order of importance, even if it means tackling the hard jobs first.
Take on what you can reasonably handle. Sometimes it's hard to say "no," but be careful not to let your work pile up, causing you to miss deadlines.
Tidy up your workspace. Studies show the average American worker is a disorganized mess. A minute here and there spent looking for stuff can add up fast. Organize and get rid of the clutter.
Focus. People lack productivity because they can't stay focused or they are continuously distracted and interrupted. If you are able to maintain your concentration, you will be amazed at the amount of work you can accomplish.
Get adequate sleep. Lack of sleep increases your stress level. It will also be hard to focus on the task at hand, which leads to a major time-waster: having to redo projects.
Mackay's Moral: Killing time isn't murder. It's suicide.
Harvey Mackay is the author of the New York Times best-seller "Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive." To send him a question or comment, go to
tulsaworld.com/mackayfeedback.
Original Print Headline: Manage time to be successful
Column - Harvey MacKay
No one ever accused Larry Winget of mincing words. Larry, who is often referred to as the Pitbull of Personal Development, wouldn't take kindly to it anyway.
I WILL GO to the ends of the earth to find ways to improve communication and salesmanship, so I was delighted to be invited to Israel in July to be briefed by the creme-de-la-creme of Israel's intelligence community.
