Do it first thing in the morning, maybe as you are enjoying a cup of coffee or sitting at your desk and mentally preparing for your day. Get a notebook and pen ready. Do not get distracted by email or phone. Prepare to donate five minutes or less of your time to yourself. Go ahead, you are worth it.
Some people prefer to do this exercise at the end of each day and that is not a problem. I suggest doing this at the very beginning of each day because it sets the tone for the rest of your day. It is more effective to feel rushed by the desire to get started on your activities than to feel rushed by the distractions of what is really on your mind at the end of the day.
Your List of Things to Do Tomorrow
Many people find it effective to make a daily list of things to do today. It can be helpful in keeping track of important activities, meetings or chores that need to be completed. It also creates a feeling of accomplishment as items get checked off the list one by one. It is always nice to see progress.
Starting today, we are going to kick progress into the next gear. We are going to start thinking about what we need to accomplish tomorrow.
As you start each new day you will already have a list of things that you need to do today because you made it yesterday. You already have a jump start on your projects and your competition because you were already thinking about what you will do today. Furthermore, your mind had a chance to sort out some of the details on how you will accomplish your goals because you had time to think about them the day before.
As you make your list for tomorrow, you will be able to reflect on how your decisions and actions today will contribute to your activities and goals for tomorrow. If you are planning to complete some paperwork, presentation, or interaction tomorrow then you may be able to do some of the preliminary research, analysis or preparation today. Planning for tomorrow will change the way that you think about your priorities and how you invest the quiet moments of today.
Another important advantage of planning based on your list of things to do tomorrow is that many activities require collaboration with other individuals. By planning in advance, you can communicate and coordinate with other resources so those people can also plan and prepare accordingly.
Urgent or Important?
What is the difference between urgent and important? The urgent things are those milestones that must be complete by a scheduled deadline. The deadline may be today, tomorrow or several days in the future. Important things are milestones that have significant meaning. Important milestones may have an impact on business decisions, results or future activities. You know which items are urgent to complete and which ones are important to you, but do you allocate your time accordingly?
Review your list of 'Things to do Tomorrow' and annotate the items that are urgent or important. If something has an urgent deadline then write down the date and time that it must be completed next to the item on the list. If something is important then give it a rating. Some people use a rating scale of 1, 2 or 3. Some people prefer to use an asterisk or a star to identify an important task, adding more stars as the significance increases. The list and the rating belong to you, so mark it in the manner that has meaning to you.
Keep It in View
One common mistake of making a priority list is putting it out of the way once it is done. Some people will take the time to make a list and then close up the notebook or fold up the piece of paper and put it out of the way. Out of sight is out of mind.
Once you have started this process, you should have two lists at your fingertips every day. One is your list of things to do today, and the other is your list of things to do tomorrow. The most effective way to manage your lists is to keep them in a notebook or daily calendar and place it prominently on your desktop. The list contains the items that are urgent and important to you, so it should be in plain sight as a constant reminder and for easy reference.
Celebrate Accomplishment
How do you celebrate accomplishment? Check off each one of the milestone tasks as you get them done. Do you feel the sense of satisfaction? How can you reward yourself for keeping commitments that you have made on your list? Some people celebrate by taking a short walk from the desk to get some fresh air. Some people celebrate with a cup of coffee or a snack from the vending machine. Some important accomplishments deserve to be rewarded by a nice lunch or fancy dinner. Treat yourself with something special when you complete a commitment that you have made to yourself. Go on, don't be shy, you are worth it.
Another Way of Looking at It
Another way of looking at it is a style that combines the list of things to do today with the list of things to do tomorrow into one list for easy reference.
TODAY
To Do ________________________________ Urgent? ______ Important? ______
To Do ________________________________ Urgent? ______ Important? ______
To Do ________________________________ Urgent? ______ Important? ______
To Do ________________________________ Urgent? ______ Important? ______
TOMORROW
To Do ________________________________ Urgent? ______ Important? ______
To Do ________________________________ Urgent? ______ Important? ______
To Do ________________________________ Urgent? ______ Important? ______
To Do ________________________________ Urgent? ______ Important? ______
Give this a try for a week or two. When someone introduces the "issue de jour" because the sky is falling, and you are asked to jump though flaming hoops in three directions at once, then pause to reflect on your structured schedule of urgent and important milestones for today and tomorrow. How does the new issue of the day compare to the previously scheduled commitments? There is no need to panic. Simply prioritize your list of urgent and important activities, discuss your availability and schedule with those other individuals who may contribute or be affected by it.
"A schedule defends from chaos and whim." - Annie Dillard
"One of the simple but genuine pleasures in life is getting up in the morning and hurrying to a mousetrap you set the night before." - Kin Hubbard
"'Good Faith' implies mutual trust and commitment. Without mutual commitment, 'Good Faith' is really nothing more than 'Blind Faith'. Wander around blindly long enough and eventually you will step in something." - John Mehrmann
"There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full." - Henry Kissinger
About the Author: John Mehrmann is a freelance writer and President of Executive Blueprints Inc., an organization devoted to improving business practices and developing human capital
Maintaining a good academic performance takes a lot of work to do. You have to juggle different requirements ? the quizzes, exams, projects, etc. There are also extra-curricular activities and out-of-school activities plus your personal life and social life. So how will you maintain that excellent academic performance? It is said that it takes a lot of skills to have a better academic performance. These are note-taking skills, listening skills, studying skills and time management skills.
Time management skill is one of the predictors of better academic performance and some study supported it. A study shows that effective time management strategies increase academic performance and achievement especially for college students. Furthermore, another study is conducted to determine which of the two ? time management or leisure activities- is effective in lowering the academic stress. The result shows that time management had a greater effect in lowering academic stress than leisure activities. Because of this, students are encouraged to attend seminars about time management and to be provided with a lot of information and training on time management.
Time management can also be applied to all areas of your academic life, in studying, in planning, in making your requirements and in your everyday life as a student.
How you will manage your time in studying for an examination? Here's how. Avoid cramming. If your exams are in two weeks time, set a schedule for each subject to study, don't study all subject in just one day. Your brain can't process all the information in such a rapid rate and you may have difficulty retaining all the information in your memory. Other suggestions in managing your study time are: Study first the subjects which you like least, study during your best time of the day: If you can process more during night, then study during that time. But you have to make sure that you study in a place where there is no distraction or noise.
In accomplishing all the requirements which are usually projects, don't procrastinate! Procrastinating is waiting to do the task until the last minute. If you have a lot of projects to do, finish first the project with the nearest deadline. Plan and make a schedule on your projects so that they will not pile up.
Also don't forget that time management includes the fun part. There should have a balance between work and fun. If you are already tired of studying or making projects have a little time off to stretch and reward yourself for what you've done. Say for example after finishing an examination, plan with your friends to have an outing! This is a great way to relieve stress and the good thing is that you don't sacrifice any of your study time because you already planned it. But remember to also say no if someone asks you for fun and you know that it will greatly affect your study time. There is an appropriate time for studying and fun!
Time management shouldn't be considered a task; take one areas of your school life like studying and apply time management. You don't have to impose it in yourself in just an instant. This is best effective if it is gradual.
By ensuring that you allotted time for the different aspects of your school life you will surely have a better academic performance. This will also make your school life fun and not a burden because you will be free from stress and pressures.
Both John Mehrmann & Jesslyn Reinecke are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
John Mehrmann has sinced written about articles on various topics from Finances, Tax and Software. John Mehrmann is an author, speaker and industry expert with Executive Blueprints Inc. . John Mehrmann's top article generates over 49500 views. to your Favourites.
Jesslyn Reinecke has sinced written about articles on various topics from Time Management Skills. Jesslyn Reinecke is an avid fan of Time Management Techniques, and runs a resource center on . To learn more about managing your time, visit www.TimeMaster. Jesslyn Reinecke's top article generates over 49500 views. to your Favourites.