Nearly everyone has at least one project they have been meaning to get done, but just can't seem to finish. Think about the week that has just passed. Did you accomplish anything toward goals you have been wanting to achieve? If so, take some time to celebrate yourself and your achievements. If not, what is holding you back?
The top excuse for people not working on their goals is lack of time. It's true, time is limited and schedules are busy. But there are ways to squeak more out of it.
One way is to make lists of things you want to accomplish. Prioritize the list from easiest to hardest. Complete the easy, fast jobs first to get them out of the way. This will leave you feeling free and energized to work on the bigger projects at the end of the list. You also get a great feeling as you cross those nagging items off one by one.
Second, make a schedule...and stick to it! This really works. Get a daily planner book and write down all your appointments. Reserve blocks of time for goals you want to work on. Schedule future appointments around those blocks of time. This not only assures you of having the time necessary for the job, it also prepares you mentally to tackle it on the given day. Make sure you block off enough time to complete your project!
Third, enlist support from people around you. Tell people close to you that you have been wanting to accomplish some goals, but are feeling stressed about time. Ask for temporary help from family members to perform routine household duties in order to allow you more time for bigger tasks. Ask friends to understand if you are not able to see or talk to them as usual because you are working on something important. People are generally willing to help if you communicate with them.
Fourth, TURN OFF THE TV. Nothing wastes your time like television will. Many people simply have the TV on all the time. This is a bad habit, because you are invariably going to see something that attracts your attention at some point. Once you stop to watch you are hooked for a wasted hour. If you need background noise in your life, try a music station on the radio.
Lastly, clean out your "time closet." Assess what is currently taking up your time and determine if you really need to do it or if there is a more efficient way to do it. Can some of your current tasks be hired out? For instance, if you are not meeting your goals because your time is taken with household chores, consider hiring someone to cut the grass, have your groceries delivered or have a cleaning person come in. A handyman will take care of these services on a temporary basis.
So, what's stopping you now? Get going and work on those goals that have been bugging you. You will feel great when you're done. Oh, don't forget to schedule a few minutes to celebrate yourself and your new accomplishments!
Related Articles
Raise the Bar
By: Diana Long | 31/01/2008 | Self Improvement
Achieve Your Goals Easily and Effectively
Top 3 Time Management Tips
By: Wendy Hearn | 04/02/2008 | Business
There are many ways you can approach effective time management, and the best one for you will depend on your particular needs. However, I have found that there are certain actions that everyone can take that will help them spend their time more effectively so they get things done.
Time Management Techniques: 2 Powerful Steps
By: Wendy Hearn | 05/02/2008 | Business
Developing the right time management techniques can take just a little time and effort, but it is well worth it when you see the results. Although these time management techniques can be taught by a personal coach or a time management expert, you can effectively learn these techniques yourself if you wish to.
Effective Time Management: Eliminate These Enemies of Effective Time Management
By: Wendy Hearn | 06/02/2008 | Business
Effective time management is a goal that all of us need to strive for, and it is a perfectly attainable goal. However, every day there are forces at work that threaten to thwart our best efforts, and we must be on the constant look out for these time wasters.
The Importance of Time Management
By: Wendy Hearn | 12/02/2008 | Business
Not many people realize the importance of time management, but it can change your life and business forever. Time management isn't just about keeping a well organized diary and making sure you are on time for meetings. No, it is much more than that.
Coaching - A Sign Of Success
By: Jessica McGregor Johnson | 14/04/2008 | Careers
An article explaining how coaching is useful for everyone, no matter where they are in life, their age, their occupation or how successful they are. All the top performers, no matter what arena they play in, know that coaching is part of their success.
Time Management Tips: 5 Tips for Making Time Work Better for you – Read Here to Find Out
By: Wendy Hearn | 15/02/2008 | Business
Do you want to get more done and make better use of the hours that you have in each day? If so, these powerful tips will help you.
Get Control of Time With Mindmapping
By: Avezah | 03/10/2007 | Time Management
Time management lies at the root of any successful endeavor. You have to know to balance your time efficiently. The time worn techniques of ‘To Do List’, ‘Action Plan’, may help in the immediate term, but Mindmapping provides a comprehensiveness and purpose to our action, when combined with goal setting. Mindmapping has enormous potential and scope.
Latest Time Management Articles
Personal Time Management Tips for Success
By: Michael Porteous | 15/05/2008
There is no doubt about it, we are all busier than we have ever been before with the pace of modern life speeding up as technology and demands on ourselves become almost unbearable with work, study, family, socializing, love and everything in-between. More than ever we cannot afford to waste time lest we start sacrificing the things we want and need and piling increasing pressure and stress on your mind.
Efficient, Effective Time Management to Counter Procrastination
By: Michael Porteous | 15/05/2008
Procrastination can be the traitor in your mind that blocks success and brings you down by sucking up the most valuable resource a person has ... time! Efficient, effective time management is not just about organizing your time but has a lot to do with your attitude towards how you approach your time, what you want to achieve and what sort of personality you have.
Student Time Management Tips
By: Michael Porteous | 15/05/2008
With the distractions of this modern life, studying can become a nightmare as assignments pile, perhaps you miss a class or two and then you are behind everyone and it all looks so hard! You need some student time management tips to help you sort out this mess and still live a full life!
Time Management Tips for Students
By: Michael Porteous | 15/05/2008
In today's fast paced society there are more distractions than there ever have been. A liberal free society gives us prosperity but along with that comes consumerism, media and so many choices young minds are inundated with information, decisions and distractions by the bucket load.
Life Skills - Time Management Beats Procrastination
By: Michael Porteous | 15/05/2008
Procrastination is an insidious thing that can creep into all parts of you life if it goes unchecked. Low motivation, self esteem, a fear of failure and poor time management can lead to high levels of procrastination that sap your energy and preordain failure. Life skills such as time management really help to cut down on procrastination by cutting out the fuzzy periods in your current poorly managed time that lead to wasted efforts on things that are unimportant.
Learning Time Management Skills for Your Personality
By: Michael Porteous | 15/05/2008
While there are many common aspects when learning time management skills most people do not take into account their personality type when deciding on their methods. Who you are and how you deal with your problems is essential in planning for good time management so here are a few common types of personalities, how they waste time and how they can manage time better.
How to Stop Procrastinating
By: Michael Porteous | 15/05/2008
People procrastinate over so many things from the mundane like doing the dishes to the life changing like changing career. In the end we put things off waiting for a better moment to come along or hoping somehow the task will get done on its own though we know deep down it won't. So how to stop procrastinating becomes a question that needs to be asked if we want to change our lives on all levels.
How to Avoid Procrastination
By: Michael Porteous | 15/05/2008
Avoiding procrastination can be like procrastinating about procrastination! When we procrastinate we avoid doing something for a variety of reasons from the mundane to the extreme in the end the task is put of till another time that may never come.
Self Improvement 
