NOTE DOWN

Noting down the things that you have to do is one good way to remind yourself about the important things to accomplish. You can have a planner for you to be able to note down the tasks that need to be accomplished for the day.

PRIORITIZE

It is very important that you know how to prioritize the tasks that you have noted down. Keep in mind that you cannot do them all at the same time. You need to choose to the those that need to be accomplished first. Learn to prioritize on the tasks given to you so that you will be able to accomplish the most important ones first.

WORK AND FOCUS

Try to start in doing the tasks one at a time. Do the things that you have to do according to the priority set for them. Make sure that you have the focus on the task that you do at one moment. This will help you accomplish the things that you need to do more efficiently.

HAVE A BREAK

It is very important that you also know how to relax yourself when you are doing a lot of things. Try to make sure that you incorporate breaks in between so that you will not get tired easily. Have something to eat or drink in between tasks so that you will feel relaxed.

There are some things that you have to keep in mind for you to be able to do the things that you have to do. Time management is a skill that you need to learn. There are some basic facts and information that you have to remember for you to be able to do them efficiently.

1. Identify activities that are stealing your valuable time!

This step is one of the most important things to consider in order to apply time management effectively. Nevertheless, it is necessary to be absolutely honest so that even activities that have become comfortable habits will be scrutinized. I recommend you to grab yourself a notepad and track down all of these activities within a week or so, inclusively the amount of time you spend for it.

2. Start to eliminate time consumptive actions!

After identifying habits, activities and recreational pursuits that are stealing your time you can begin to eliminate these. In order to ease this part of the time management process you should definitely evaluate the time consumptive actions and concentrate on those that would save a lot of time when eliminated. I am very well aware that the elimination process is not going to be easy, therefore I suggest to reduce the time you spend with time consumptive activities until they are completely eliminated.

3. Schedule your business day!

The method of time management that I’m going to describe in the following is a simple, yet very effective time management tactic. It only necessitates five to ten minutes spend on evaluating the upcoming tasks of the business day. You can classify your tasks into “Top”, “Middle” and “Low” priority. The most important point of this technique is that it allows you to focus on top-priority task during your personal peak energy times. This helps to avoid slips of the pan due to concentration problems and gets your most important tasks done in a fast and effective way. Once you finished your entire top-priority task you can focus on the second category and so on.

4. Apply power sessions to get your work done!

A power session is a defined amount of time you take to focus on a specific task. Make sure not to be interrupted during such a power session, neither by email, telephone nor by the internet. The importance of such a session will drastically increase if you are able to only focus on your task, while not being distracted by any means. This will enable you to get more work done faster than before. You can feel free to choose the duration of such a power session from 30 minutes up to one and a half hour.

5. Schedule your leisure time!

I know this might sound odd, you might even ask yourself: “Why should I schedule my leisure time?”. The very fact of this is that it helps to save time. Once you have a defined schedule for the recreational pursuits you will notice that you no longer lose time by exaggerating specific activities like watching television.

Time management has got a very important effect on being able to achieve the goals you have set yourself, yet it requires honesty, discipline and the willingness to make priorities. It will be often necessary to choose between pleasurable and time consumptive activities and your tasks. It is the choice between wasting time and managing time intelligent in order to spend this time with your family, friends and for yourself.

So often we want to “just look up one thing” on our computers, or “just play one game”. Our cell phones ring through dinner and we “will just be a minute”.? It’s a casual friend, or work calling, or?relatives needing?to ask?us for a favor.? This scenario plays over and over again, while our families wait to be with us.

Are you disciplined in this area? Do you shut your computer down to have family time? Do you stop texting, or turn off the phone during dinner? If you are out and about with your children, do you answer every incoming call and text?

Examine your responses to the sound of your ringing phone, and monitor your time on your computer, and give yourself an honest evaluation. If you already know you have an addiction to one of these, start working on it immediately. Turning off the computer and the phone make it less tempting when more important things need your attention.

This is an area of discipline that offers tremendous benefits. Families that eat together and spend time together bond so much more. Don’t make your children and spouse feel like they are the second priority all the time–and that your work place, friends, and “me time” are above them.

If procrastination were a separate nation, it might be the largest nation on earth, but we’d never know because no one would get around to counting the people. Let me share a few quotes I looked up when I should have been doing something else (these are from stopprocrastinatinginfo.com):

Mark Twain said, “Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.”

Joe Ryan said: “There’s nothing to match curling up with a good book when there’s a repair job to be done around the house.”

Author Unknown also had several comments on procrastination:

“You know you are getting old when it takes too much effort to procrastinate.” “I do my work at the same time each day-the last minute.” “Only Robinson Crusoe had everything done by Friday.”

Some might be surprised that I am admitting to having a problem with procrastination. You see, my work for the last 30 years has been nothing but deadlines, and I’ve done my best and pushed myself, and I’ve met more than 99 percent of those deadlines.

But the problem is, I have found YOU CAN’T DO EVERYTHING! So, I know I have put off and neglected many important things, even while meeting small deadlines. So what I’m trying to learn is how to know when to procrastinate, and when not to. More accurately:

What things can we procrastinate about, and what should we never put off?

I’ve found that in time management, it’s all about priorities.

1. Our first priority is to set priorities.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ laid out the basics of the Christian way of life. In Matthew 6 He gave a number of examples to show where our priorities should be. He also lets us know what is worth worrying about, and I know that many of us procrastinators also have a problem with worry. We worry so much about how to do something that we don’t do it, and then we worry about the consequences of our procrastination! But Jesus Christ gives us the antidote to worry and the key to the most effective use of our time.

Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

So the things of God must have first priority in our lives! Things like prayer and Bible study and loving and caring for our families, serving our brethren and the widows, writing cards to the sick and the shut-ins, helping with Church activities, and… Whoa! Even these things have to be prioritized! We can become overwhelmed with and become weary with doing good!

So we also have to remember other good things that are part of God’s way of life, like getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, getting exercise, keeping up with the most important international news, continuing our education, being a good employee, keeping our home in good condition and so on.

So, after all these priorities, where does that leave hobbies and entertainment? When they are uplifting and positive and we can fit them in, these diversions are great! God wants us to enjoy life and be balanced. But you’ll probably find that after putting all the priorities in first, there is less time for any questionable entertainment, and there definitely is no time for time wasters and degrading entertainment.

So, as we make a prioritized list of priorities, it can help us with the next point of decision making. When someone comes to you with an invitation or an opportunity comes up to get involved in something, what do you do? We have to consider where it fits in our priority list. We have to add up the hours in our day. We have to count the cost and make a decision.

2. Don’t overcommit.

In Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 Solomon is making a point about a vow to God. That is a very important commitment that we should uphold to the fullest. But in the New Testament we are told to swear not at all, but that our “yes” should have the same truthful force as if we had vowed. So let’s consider how to apply Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 in our promises and commitments:

“When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; for He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed-better not to vow than to vow and not pay.”

Better to say no than to say yes but not follow through. After all these years, I hope I’m learning to a little bit when to say no, when not to commit to something. I would love to pick up every visitor who comes to the airport. I would love to help with every move. I would love to help with every activity. But sometimes, when other priorities like family are being neglected, you have to say no.

But enough about “no.” Christ also said, let your “yes” be “yes.” And my third point is:

3. Do the things you prioritize and promise to do.

Doing is the antidote to analysis paralysis and procrastination. In one of His parables, Jesus contrasts two servants. One servant figured his master was delayed, so there was no urgency in doing his job. In fact, he just decided to party and act as if he had all the time in the world.

But the other servant is the one we want to be like. Luke 12:42-43 says: “And the Lord said, ‘Who then is that faithful and wise steward, who his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.”

Let me end with a few more inspirational quotes:

Gerald Vaughan said, “Procrastination is something best put off until tomorrow.” George Claude Lorimer said, “Putting off an easy thing makes it hard. Putting off a hard thing makes it impossible.” And Author Unknown, in all his wisdom, said, “The best way to get something done is to begin.”

So let’s work this week on focusing on priorities and fighting procrastination, and becoming more like our Father in heaven.

As Anne Frank said, “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world”!

For a deeper look at procrastination and priorities, see Are You Putting Off Your Salvation?

Time. Wish we all had more. The vacation draws to a close for many. Time to creep into everyday life, which seems endless. Right up to Christmas. You can squeeze in a weekend trip in between. We all have the same amount of time.

However, many has a hard time living in the present. They go around dwelling of the past. “It’s not like it used to be,” they say, and wallowing in the bad memories that keep them there. Others are always in the future. Next week then… Now, it’s just a few days left until…

They cling to a future event and forget completely to enjoy where they are. In the present. In the moment. Just take the example of work. It’s just a long wait for Christmas. And people complain that they do not have time! They just ruled out six months!

Lack of time may also be that they have too much to do. They never have time to do the important things, that makes the difference.

Working with time is a gift. Imagine that each day you work for yourself. You give yourself the knowledge, money and the right kind of people to surround you with. The job requires more of you and the reward is much greater.

Time is about doing what feels right for you and give you satisfaction in areas such as health, family, money, wisdom and social responsibility.

The biggest challenge is the change to start working on yourself. It requires energy! Where can I find it, you ask?

The driving force is within you through the goals and dreams you have in life. Make sure they set you on fire, then you’ll find it. Feed yourself with good books and hang out with friends who lift you. Do you want new ones? Just ask!

There are places on earth that feels timeless. Key West, Florida is one of them, where you can feel the clock falling off your wrist and pace lowered to turtle speed. Time is money and none of them really exist. You can buy time by starting to train yourself in the various techniques. The clock is ticking…tick…tick. You will find techniques here: http://www.larsconspiracy.com

1. Great conditioning allows you to impose your will. If you outlast someone you are almost guaranteed victory.
2. As MMA knowledge proliferates, it becomes more necessary for every fighter to be properly conditioned and trained.
3. With poor conditioning comes poor everything.

1. The first point here is one of the most important things to remember. If your conditioning cannot last for the whole match, then you can only hope to win by the end of it. Victory is practically out of the hands of the poorly conditioned athlete once he starts to gas. Sure you may be able to finish the fight quickly in any given match; however, that is not something to be counted on. Vitor Belfort spent under three minutes in the octagon for his first 3 fights. Then he lost to Randy Couture, in UFC 15 the first time he had a match over 2 minutes. He was absolutely gassed when he lost. Many other fighters face similar fates. Conditioning is the backbone to a fight/fighter. You cannot compete if you are tired and your opponent is not. You might win by accident, but honestly no one wants to win like that anyway.

Conversely, by outlasting someone you can pass easier, submit easier, not to mention that their strikes will be less effective, etc. That is a position you can put yourself in.

2. There was a time when MMA was not even an organized sport. It was just Ken Shamrock, Royce Gracie, and Dan Severn among others, fighting in an octagonal cage. They fought a whole tournament in one day! That would not work anymore. There has been a huge shift in the popularity of MMA, and with this has come more understanding, more money, and so more development of MMA training and the science that goes into it. This means that the bar has been raised in order to be competitive. Fortunately, this also means that knowledge of proper MMA conditioning and conditioning programs is much more available. Be sure to check out videos on Youtube.

3. As was mentioned in the first reason, once a fighter becomes ‘gassed’, everything starts to go. The same goes for getting hit hard in the head, being rocked, but that is something you will naturally be avoiding through your training and in your matches. Conditioning is about enabling your muscles to work at a certain capacity. In MMA conditioning you are of course training your muscles and body to work better and longer for intense grappling, striking, bjj, etc. That means that once your body starts to get tired, especially if your competitor is not, then your wrestling abilities, your striking, even your ability to do submissions is dramatically reduced. Right behind balanced varied martial arts techniques, conditioning is the most important component of MMA. In the past a fighter could get by with certain skills, and from time to time a master in a martial art, judo for example, can really surprise someone else; however, you need to have a certain level of skills to even bother competing. The deal breaker then, given that you train on technique, can be how well you are conditioned.

Then he caught himself as he noticed his heart pounding. He took in a deep breath and cleared his mind as he exhaled. He turned his attention inward and began breath meditation. After a few minutes of focusing on his breath, his heart rate slowed, his anger melted. He relaxed. Later Dan said, “Breath meditation is one of the most important things I learned after my heart attack. My doctor actually prescribed it.”

Breath meditation is a simple and easy way to gain greater self-awareness, peace, and health. It’s easy to learn and costs you nothing but a few minutes of your time. With breath meditation, you focus your attention on your breath, following its rhythmic movement as you inhale (breathe in air) and exhale (breathe out air).

Many major medical centers now consider meditation a valuable component of health management. You can use it to relax and gain mental clarity. You can use it to help relieve pain. You can use it during a painful or frightening procedure or an anxiety-provoking situation like public speaking or being stuck in traffic. You can use it to energize your body when you feel tired.

Here are two easy-to-do forms of breath meditation.

Breath Meditation

Start by dedicating about 5 minutes of uninterrupted time to your meditation. Always be kind and gentle with yourself. If your mind wanders, just bring your awareness back to your breath.
Sit relaxed with your back straight (not stiff) in a place that is comfortable for you. It can be on a chair with both feet on the floor or sitting with your legs folded up as in a modified lotus position (yoga style).Close you eyes or leave them partially open but unfocused.While breathing through your nose, bring your full awareness to your breath….not changing it in any way, just noticing it.

Form 1: Counting Breaths

As you focus on your breath, being aware of its sensation as it moves in and out of your body, simply count each breath in and each breath out.
Breathe in “one;” Breathe out “one.”Breathe in “two;” Breathe out “two.”And so on to ten.Continue repeating the counting breaths cycle (from 1 to 10) as often as you like.

Form 2: Counting Breaths Variation
Breathe in, bringing full awareness to the sensation of breathing. Feel the air as it moves through your nose and into your lungs. Feel the gentle rise of your abdomen. Breathe out, silently saying a word with deep meaning to you like “peace,” relax,” “joy,” “gratitude,” or another word that affirms you.Repeat ten times.Continue as often as you like.

When finished, take a few minutes to notice the effects of breath meditation. Did you notice more energy, peace, or relaxation?

Don’t worry if you got distracted or had difficulty concentrating. It’s expected in the beginning. Even those experienced in meditation get distracted some times. Meditation is a discipline. It takes practice and time to learn.

You can use breath meditation anytime and anywhere. Before meals, it helps you focus more on your eating. When focused on your eating, you enjoy food more, eat slower, and often eat less. Doing breath meditation before sleep releases your mind from the busyness of the day.

You may want to support your learning with a CD that provides instructions with peaceful music.

Breath meditation is a great way to begin meditating. It’s wonderful to become more aware of your breathing and its connection to the miracle of life. It costs you nothing. It is always with you, and helps you gain greater self-awareness, peace, and health. Enjoy breath meditation!

Know where you are going

David Campbell wrote a book called “If You Don’t Know Where You’re Going, You’ll Probably End Up Somewhere Else” and he is right. Where do you want your life to go? Do you have clarity over your important goals and the purpose they inject into your life? Do you start your workday by asking yourself ‘What do I need to accomplish today that is important?’

‘Need to be done’ are often daily activities like responding to emails, returning calls, finishing reports etc. They might be necessary but often they are not really that important in the bigger picture.

‘Important things to accomplish’ is the thinking that will help us take steps towards establishing and meeting long-term goals, improving relationships or creating and implementing new ideas.

Set your priorities right

The key to being effective and efficient is understanding the relative importance of the things we do and spend time on. Creating a ‘To Do’ list is only the start of such endeavour, next you need to prioritize. Ask yourself ‘What is important and urgent right now?’ Those things need to be completed first. Next are the items on the list which are either important but not urgent, or they are urgent, but not important.

Look at the reasons why you might be avoiding certain tasks: Is it because it is something you really don’t enjoy? Or because you don’t know enough about how to do it, you feel inadequate or not qualified enough to meet the requirements of the task? Or maybe it’s just because it is something that bores you. Some of those things might need to be outsourced to someone who is better suited for the task. By continuously avoiding things they eat up your valuable energy to do the things you DO enjoy and which are truly important and build the road to your ultimate goal.

Clarity over activity

The most precious resource that we possess is not money, it is time. We all are given 24 hours each day. How much of that time you spend on things that are important to you? What are you most profitable and valuable activities that have the biggest payoff on your investment of time and energy? Once you’ve made a list of those activities organise your day to spend 60 to 80 % on doing them. This still leaves you 20 – 40 % to deal with the rest.

Have an agenda

If you want to stay focused, you need an agenda. It tells you what you want to achieve both in the present and in the future. This brings us back to the first point in this article. So, do you know now where you’re going?