by Dr. JL Knight | Nov 9, 2019 | Setting Goals, Take Action, Time Management
by Jacqueline Knight
Do you rush from one task to the next without feeling like you’ve accomplished much by the end of the day? Taking control of how you spend your time could make you more productive and reduce your stress.
You can start by evaluating where you are now and identifying simple changes that will keep you one step ahead. Check each statement that currently applies to you.
Planning and Organizing:
- I clarify my priorities.
- I set challenging and realistic goals.
- I keep a to-do list of tasks and projects.
- I evaluate my progress regularly.
- I take refreshing breaks during work.
- I track my time. I can accurately estimate how long it takes me to do most things.
- I batch similar tasks together, so I can complete them more efficiently.
- I design my workspace for maximum productivity. I keep files and objects I use frequently within reach. I minimize clutter.
Dealing with Distractions:
- I turn off my phone during meals, serious conversations, and similar situations.
- I let my family and coworkers know when I need do-not-disturb time.
- I work on one task at a time.
- I close unnecessary browser tabs.
- I check phone and email messages at designated times.
- I strengthen my powers of concentration through meditation and other exercises.
Overcoming Procrastination:
- I break up projects into small and manageable steps.
- I tell others about my goals to increase my sense of accountability.
- I create interim deadlines and rewards for long-term projects.
- I quit trying to be perfect. I value learning from experience. I can laugh at myself when I do something foolish.
- I motivate myself to get started by imagining how I’ll feel when I complete the tasks that I have been putting off.
Copyright © 2019 The Business Transformation Coach
by Dr. JL Knight | Jul 9, 2019 | Decision Making, Discipline, Setting Goals, Staying Disciplined, Take Action
Written by: Dr. Jacqueline L. Knight
The Business Transformation Coach, LLC
Copyright © 2019
Time management is an essential skill, and hour blocking is an easy and powerful way to master this skill. You can use it to block off hours in your schedule and get more things finished. It enables you to take control of the minutes in each day.
Follow this process to take advantage of this valuable technique:
- Start with planning. Make a list of all of your important tasks for the week. Then, narrow this list down to three to five essential tasks.
- Be realistic about your planning. Avoid thinking that you can do a million tasks in one day or week.
- Block your hours. After you have a short list of tasks, block the hours on your schedule. This is called time blocking and essentially requires you to take each hour and assign a task or item to it.
- Clump related tasks together and add them to specific blocks of time.
- Remember to schedule lunches and breaks. Taking time to rest your mind and body is important! Your breaks allow you to get back to your tasks with renewed energy.
- Reduce distractions. Hour blocking demands that you eliminate distractions, so you don’t lose focus.
- Figure out what your main distractions are. Do you waste time on social media or constantly check your phone? Do you spend hours in your email inbox and respond to every message instantly?
- Eliminate or reduce these distractions. You may want to set aside a specific chunk of time each day to handle your social media, email inbox, and other tasks that distract you from your more essential actions.
- Also, when you’re working, let others know that you’re busy so they can limit their interruptions.
- Keep the time blocks flexible. Unless you know the exact amount of time each task will take, it’s important to keep the time blocks flexible. This will also enable you to take care of other important things that come up with a minimum amount of stress or changes to your schedule.
- Review your time blocks regularly. Make adjustments as needed. If your tasks change, or you find that they take more or less time than you thought, modify your time blocks to take the new information into account.
- Reviewing your time blocks will also give you the chance to see when you’re most productive. If you do your best work in the morning, schedule more important tasks during these hours. Reviews will help you evaluate your productivity levels and decide which parts need attention.
- Another advantage of doing reviews is that it gives you the chance to see if your reminders are working or if they need to be changed. Use alerts on your phone or computer, sticky notes, or traditional alarms to remind you that it’s time to move to the next task. The key is to find something that works for you.
Effective time management can help you finish more tasks each day and feel more accomplished. Hour blocking is a useful method for anyone who is interested in greater productivity, either at home or at work.
You Can Do It!
by Dr. JL Knight | Jan 1, 2019 | Decision Making, Mindset, Personal Transformation, Setting Goals
The New Year is the perfect time to start fresh. If there’s
any aspect of your life that you’d like to improve, set some clear and
attainable goals for yourself that will help you get there.
Take It Slow
Work towards your goal one piece at a time.
It’s important to take it slow and not take on too much at once. The main
reason that some people fail when it comes to their New Year’s goals is because
they fail to plan out a realistic path.
Follow Through With a Plan
It’s easy to say: “I
want to lose 50 pounds” or “I
want to learn a musical instrument.” Keep in mind that big goals like
these will take some time and effort. Diets are hard to start because you may
feel unmotivated or hungry. Musical instruments require time to master, and you
may start with weeks of just learning notes before getting to any fun melodies.
Remember that the beginning is tough. Muster up the courage and enthusiasm to
continue with your efforts. Remember that most people give up,
but you’re not most people, are you?
You’re different because, unlike most people, you’re going
to create a clear and realistic plan to take you right to success. If you’re
going to lose 50 pounds, define how you’re going to lose those pounds. Are you
starting an exercise routine? Are you going to join Weight Watchers or count
calories?
You know that you won’t lose the weight quickly; it’s a
steady loss that brings success. Even if you’re short a couple of pounds on one
of your short-term goals, you can revise your plan and kick up the pace, or
just continue on your path because you’ll reach your 50 pound goal before the
year is out. That’s what you’ll be able to accomplish with a solid plan in place.
Be Real
You have to stay realistic when it comes to your New Year’s
goals. The holidays are a joyful time, and often times you’ll feel motivated to
achieve something big. Know that you can
achieve big things, but there are also only 24 hours in a day.
Avoid making goals that would take more than a year to
complete. If you want to make a long-term goal like this, break it up into
parts and give yourself a realistic plan for your first year goal.
Visualize the Outcome
When you run into snags in the road, as you’re bound to in
life from time to time, it will help to visualize yourself reaching your
end goal. Visualizing it makes it feel real and motivates you to
continue to work hard to make it happen.
The Right Attitude
If you’re practicing the right attitude, you can go far.
It’s true that all you need to do is believe in yourself. You’ve
probably realized that if you don’t believe that you can accomplish something,
you simply won’t. How can you expect to achieve great things if you don’t
believe in yourself?
An optimistic attitude is critical to your success. Think
about how you felt when you first set your New Year’s goal. Chances are that
you had an excellent attitude, so try to maintain that mindset throughout your journey
to success with your goal.
Once you’ve determined a realistic goal and divided it up into short, achievable tasks, you’re bound for success as long as you take action to complete each step. Go ahead and make that New Year’s resolution, knowing that this year is going to be your most successful yet!
By Dr. Jacqueline L.Knight
Copyright © 2018 The Business Transformation Coach, LLC
By Dr. Jacqueline L.Knight
Copyright © 2018 The Business Transformation Coach, LLC
