Your Personal Best

Personal Development – 10 Tips on How to Get Started

Are you totally happy with your life? It wouldn’t surprise me if your initial response was to ask the question “Is anyone totally happy with their life?” Fair comment. So let me rephrase the question. “Is there any area of your life right now that you are not happy with?” Is that a better question?

You may be one of the fortunate ones who can say they are happy in every area of their life. However, I bet you are like most people in our society, who are probably unhappy with one or more areas of their lives. If that is the case, let me talk to you about personal development.

Before I move on it may be useful to offer a definition of personal development. I decided to do some research on the internet and Google the term personal development. I was surprised to find that there were not really that many sites that offered a definition, although there were many adverts promoting personal development. I shouldn’t be surprised because Marketdata a research firm has estimated that the personal development industry is set to grow at a rate of 11.4 yearly through to 2010, to a value of .9 billion.

“Personal development is the deliberate growth or development of a particular individual to bring out their potential and capabilities making them more aware of their inner feelings, belief systems to become a more conscious, whole or healthy human being”.

I know that probably seems like a mouthful but it seemed to encompass my own thoughts about what personal development is. I decided to ask my partner to offer a definition:

“Strategies that enable me to enhance my life in all areas”

Now I do like this definition because it says what it is, simply and succinctly. The thing about personal development, is that it means different things to different people. When someone embarks on the journey of personal development, it maybe that they have chosen to improve their health, relationships, career prospects, finances etc. Sometime people talk about the mind, body and spirit, or physical, emotional and spiritual.

So how do you get started on the road to personal development? Well, first of all become aware of what you already have in your life and what you are grateful for and then think about what is missing, what do you want, I mean really want. Awareness has to come first, because without an awareness there can be no conscious decision to take action. Becoming aware also means asking yourself different questions and then seeking out the answers. So if your question is “There must be more to life than this?” your mind is already making an assumption that there is more to life and as if by magic you start to see things around you that maybe you did not notice before.

Below I have put together my top 10 strategies that I use regularly to keep myself motivated. As a bonus I contacted some of my friends within the personal development field and asked them to give me their top 3 personal development books and created a top 10 list. I hope this helps you to get started.

1. Take time everyday to do something for yourself. This is so fundamental. Many people go through their day giving of themselves to other people, their job etc. and don’t have time for themselves. Even if you give yourself 15 minutes, that is time with yourself to reflect and focus on the most important person in your life, YOU.

2. Read or listen to personal development material. You must find time to learn about personal development to read or listen to positive and inspirational messages. You could use the 15 minutes put by for yourself to read a chapter of a book. If you drive, put in a tape or CD, this is making use of net (no extra time) time.

3. Decide what you really want to do and do it. Often we think about what we want to do and make excuses as to why we can’t do it. The reality is that the time we have taken to think up excuses as to why we can’t do something, we could have done it. What have you been putting off doing? Take this opportunity to do it, clear out the clutter. Once you have done it there is space in your mind to think about other things.

4. Do not be afraid of making a mistake. You will only achieve success from doing. In history many brilliant ideas have come about because of a mistake. Don’t let fear of failure stop you from doing what you want.

5. Do not put off making a decision because you are afraid it may be the wrong one. Nothing is gained by sitting on the fence. So the sooner you make a decision, even if it is the wrong one, the sooner you can make the right one. Practise being decisive.

6. Keep a journal recording your thoughts, ideas, feelings and personal growth. Keeping a journal is a great way of measuring your progress. Looking back at your journey. It is also a great source of material for any projects you hope to do in the future. If one of your dreams is to write a book, why not start with jotting down ideas in a journal.

7. Be flexible and willing to change your approach if things are not working. Sometimes when you set your mind to do something, with a set plan, things don’t always go smoothly. Remember that as long as you are clear about your destination, you can always change your route, it may take you longer, but as long as you get there in the end.

8. Visualise your goals on a daily basis. Better still put up pictures of your goals so that you can see them on waking up and going to bed. Our minds respond better to pictures than words.

9. Get yourself and elastic band and put it around your wrist. Make sure it fits loosely. Every time you find yourself thinking a negative thought pull the elastic band and let go so that it snaps back onto your wrist. Yes, it will hurt. That is the whole idea. Keep this up for the next 30 days and notice what happens.

10. Celebrate your achievements. Award yourself for any progress that you make because you deserve it.

Sonia is a Personal Development and Success Consultant. She has been involved in the personal development industry for over 20 years primarily in the public sector. When you visit her website be sure to download the free Confidence Building ecourse and sign up for her success strategies and tools newsletter.

Sonia Harris © 2007
Personal Development and Success Coach

5 Vital Aspects Of Time Management – 5 Great Benefits For Students

Skills that will make work easier for them should be acquired by the students to enable them to face these tough challenges. These skills will make sure that the students are not exposed to defeat when things get tough. Time management is a prime skill that they must learn.

The capabiltiy of a student to manage his time efficiently is referred to as time management. This includes goal setting, proper choosing, prioritiztion, organizing skill and many such skills. The concept of managing time is quite difficult as it demands good adjustment and preparation.

Proper and effective management of time by students yields great benefits. These benefits yielded from proper time managing skill are listed below

1. Students who practice efficent and proper management of time tend to get more quality time. There are many things that students neglect just to make most of the time they get.

But they do not realise the importance of these activities. eg. Eating;

Eating is an important part of every individual. People have to eat on time and also properly to keep them going. This is a portion of the total time they spend. With the acquirement of time managing skills, one can learn effective time organization in order to enjoy his meal at the right time.

2. No task setting for the future. The things that were left undone by the individual or those should have been done tends to give him a burden as a result of subconscious guilt. Building effective time management skills guides the individual through the art of denying procastination and also teaches the individual to prioritize activities.

The individual feels more comfortable when he comes to know that there are no unfinshed activities that will burden him when he is doing other activities. Work becomes more efficient when the individual’ s conscience is devoid of worrying thoughts.

3. Students with proper and effective time management skills tend to have lesser frustrations. Proper plannning and good organization are assets of managing time. This makes sure that the individual does not face any frustrations in future. The act of overcoming one’ s frustration makes it easy to unleash the complete flair of productivity and creativity of an individual.

4. Time management tends to increase an individual’ s energy levels. Undone things will likely circulate in an individual’ s mind. These things tentatively strike the individual when he is doing other activities. The skill of managing time effectively and properly teaches the individual to live in an organized manner and also to release his mind from the thoughts of the unfinshed business. As a result one can procure and experience the higher enrgy level that was never experienced.

5. The skill of good time management can also help the individual to to acqiure a sense of achievement and peace of mind. If the individual is not sure as to where he is proceeding, he will begin to sense dissatisfaction and anxiety. An important feature of time managing skills is smart goal setting. This technique helps the individual realise the most suited path of progress.

The results of time management could be felt only by practising it first. Listed below are the most important things that would lead an individual to these results.

1. Goal settting. One must be really clear about his goals. These should be realistic and achievable.

2. Realising one’ s most productive periods. This realisation prompts the individual to perform more and apply more efforts.

3. Avoiding procastination. Effective and wise usage of time is crucial.

4. Organizing skills. A clear idea on organizing things properly helps the individual to achieve the goals at the planned time.

5. Knowledge on proritizing. This aspect is really important. It is the key to acquire managing skills.

Apart from this, the student should be dedicated in the art of effective time management.

5 Tips to Choosing Personal Empowerment For More Fulfillment

Striving for a life that is empowering and fulfilling is, for many of us difficult to achieve. With questions such as where to start, or what priorities you set, it may seem like just a dream. It’s not, and attaining the life you long for and deserve is definitely attainable.

Personal empowerment is absolutely attainable. With these 5 steps you begin your path towards actually attaining the fulfillment you are searching for.

#1 Modify your way of thinking. By eliminating, or at least reducing the negative self-talk we tend to engage in from time to time, you are taking one of the most powerful steps to leading a positive, fulfilling life.

Respect and embrace yourself as the beautiful and unique you, with all your strength and weaknesses. Combined with positive self-talk, this is the beginning of your new empowered and fulfilling life.

#2 Consider and understand the fact that you are a complete being. Physical, mental and emotional health, even spiritual health are all woven as intricately as a web to create one whole being – you. Any part of this web that becomes out of balance can result in your entire being becoming off balance. For example your health is affected if you are suffering from some sort of depression. If you are stressed about something, it will affect both your emotional and physical health. When you find yourself lacking in faith and confidence in your spiritual being, this too can affect both your emotional and physical health.

Strive for balance in all areas of your being in order to achieve fulfillment. To live a complete and balanced life you need to work towards good physical and emotional or mental health, as well as seek spiritual guidance for spiritual health.

#3 Remember to practice personal care. When establishing your to do list you should be putting yourself first. This is not a selfish act, it happens to be quite selfless. The people around you will not be getting the very best from you if you are not happy and fulfilled. Begin choosing a little time every day to care for yourself so you can be happy and fulfilled, for both yourself and others.

Take part in some sort of physical exercise, eat healthy, meditate, laugh and pray if that is something that brings you some form of spiritual contentment. Read a good book, relax in a bubble bath, or even go for a massage. Your personal empowerment and fulfillment will benefit from these small bits of self care.

#4 Try something different. You probably have a list of things you have always wanted to do, or have thought about trying. Maybe it’s something on the extreme side, like skydiving or rock climbing, or a little more on the safe side such as needle crafts, cooking or even financial management. When you become engaged in life and its many exciting options, self empowerment is right around the corner.

#5 Discover and achieve your goals. When you achieve something from your goal’s list, the feeling inside can be almost magical. You become filled with confidence and pride, and set on the path toward more success in the future. By setting goals that are achievable yet challenging is the key to finding success. Take for example the person who wants to start their own business. By setting smaller goals, you will gradually be growing alongside your new business. Once you achieve any small goal you will find another right behind it, guiding you towards that one single long term goal of a successful small business.

Personal empowerment begins by choosing the path and pursuing it. Once that choice is made, each small step you take will change the approach you have on life, and will become the largest impact on your way to personal fulfillment.

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Excellent Time Management Articles – How To Find Them Online

The most common and most important thing that binds people in this wide oval world with one another regardless of their country of origin, age, gender, social and economic status or political backgrougnd is the need to manage time in the right and most beneficial way and to also be able to generate maximum value of the time spent . Time management is the most common major concern for everyone; especially when even the wealthiest cannot buy it no matter how much money or power they use. Lot of people in earlier days had this misconception that they would control time but ended up in vain as it’s one of the many factors which are not under human control.

Presently we all live in an Internet age, due to this people are stuck to their computers to obtain all sorts of information. It will not be surprising to find how best to manage time articles are being searched on all major search engines. Indeed, management of time has become a major and a global issue and not finding any information about it is impossible.

Internet is loaded with articles on time management which are not only written by professionals and agencies which deal and cope with time management programs but have also been written by people who in their lives at some point of time have experienced and learnt to handle time. Nothing can be better in learning about strategies of time management than the articles that speak in volumes about another person’s real life experience.

Articles of time management still exist in books and magazines and will always continue to be a valuable aid. However, since almost all of us are online these days, time management writers should take the responsibility of writing, real, comprehensive and noteworthy information regarding time management.

One fact most commonly pointed out by almost all the articles these days is that time is something one cannot control, we can only try to utilize it in the best possible manner by making best use of it and also enjoy it at the same time. Without our interference or intervention, time will keep moving on and on, whether we’re able to cope with it or not.

Most articles say that there are many ways to manage time. But no single method can be employed to manage time to achieve maximum benefit as it depends from person to person and how they evaluated the benefit they would derive by adopting a certain approach for managing time. Each attempt at managing time and going through the experience is unique.

Search on the Google search engine or Yahoo search engine flash lots of articles that deal with time management and you just only have to refer them to see what you trying to find. On any condition don’t get carried away with the search, as you may find so many results that you may feel overwhelmed and which may again leave you stressed out. Take things easy, internet will not go anywhere and will always be there to fulfill your article needs, so you don’t have to be in a great rush and take prints of all the possible articles available.

In case you want more specific, easy to understand and technical time management articles, look for Web sites where professionals are there to solve your concerns. Don’t waste your time elsewhere and beside, you’ll have most of the information that you need at one place. This way, you are saved from clicking on many websites unnecessarly and may end up with information that is basically found in most of the other articles. Time wasting is one of the most identified stressors around.

In all, how you search through the net and how much information about management of time is needed. Remember, when you start your search, everything you find on the Net is not 100 % reliable and accurate. Therefore, if you want the best information to help yourself in a better way, go for the professional Web sites only, don’t spend time with the wrong people who would not be able to help you in anyway.

Do Self Hypnosis Cds Work – It Really Works

Do Self Hypnosis Cds Work

Hypnotism is the process a person undergoes when he or she experiences an altered state of mind, which primarily changes his or her actions, thoughts and focus on certain topics. In hypnotism, a person is being commanded by a stimulus that might as well motivate the mind to follow every command bestowed on him. Hypnotism is not as bad as black magic as the superstitious people might think. Back in the ancient times, hypnotism has been widely used for many purposes, be it for medical treatments, psychological therapies, stress relievers, enhancement of well-being and most especially self-improvement self therapy hypnotism. Many people were driven to undergo hypnosis mainly due to stress. Overall, people would turn to hypnosis due to the desire to improve their lives.

Sessions on hypnosis can be very expensive with just the fee you have to pay your therapist. However, self therapy self hypnosis has the same results as those sessions. It is just a matter of studying and researching how to carry out the procedures to hypnotize one’s self. Self therapy self hypnosis is a self-help method that poses as an alternative to costly sessions with your therapist. You can significantly improve yourself and the way you look at life with self therapy self hypnosis. Sources for self-help procedures and manuals are available in the form of instructional videos, articles, self-help books, audio materials, and recorded instructional voices. Do Self Hypnosis Cds Work

But if you are still that reluctant to do self-improvement self-therapy hypnosis, try to think about your expectations. Try to command yourself with something productive that you can do with your life. If you feel annoyed with the way you live life today, think of affirmative ways to make your life more meaningful instead of putting yourself down. Think of means or activities you can do to broaden your horizons. Command yourself to try something new and something different. Get out of that lazy life and motivate yourself to be more positive each day. If you think you are not beautiful physically, try to convince yourself to be more confident about the way you look. In the first place, the beauty of a person resides inside. A beautiful inside reflects the glow of your physical aura. A confident outlook in life makes self therapy self hypnosis ever more improving. The quality of life you aim for can be attained with self therapy self hypnosis. It does really work for those who are open to the idea that there is a so-called “auto change,” which literally refers to driving your own self to change for the better. Self therapy self hypnosis is indeed a powerful and motivating transformation of ideals, aspirations and the way one lives life in general. Do Self Hypnosis Cds Work

The Importance of Goal Setting For Kids

As parents, we want our children to get the best out of life and be ready to face any challenge that life throws at them. Nobody wants their child to be a weak and indecisive individual who is incapable of performing the various tasks that are integral for success. So, is there a way in which parents can prepare their children for the tough road ahead and ensure that they emerge as winners? After all, it is not enough that you wish for something, you also have to work towards it.

An extremely effective way of enhancing your child’s personality and achieving the above mentioned aims is to dabble with goal setting for kids. Generally, goal setting deals with two main facets-namely the controlling of emotions and enhancement of problem solving skills. If your kids are armed with these abilities, they can overcome practically any difficulty that hampers their progress.

There are certain things you need to take into account when goal setting for kids. Do not be carried away by your own idea and set impossible goals that are not suitable for the age group that your child belongs to. Many parents are perfectionists who want to transform their child into a genius and they look upon goal setting as a tool to do so. Such distorted motives may backfire in a big way and your child will end up withdrawing into his or her own shell as they are overwhelmed by parental expectations.

It is important that parents understand the true significance of goal setting for kids before starting with the entire exercise. You need to be a guide for your child and prompt him in the right direction rather than manipulate him into the person you think he should become with goal setting. So, start will small goals for younger children and as they grow into adolescents you can increase the difficulty and complexity of the goals.

Just as setting extremely difficult goals is not recommended, you should also not set very simple goals for your child. This may lead the child to assume that he will get everything he desires from life with minimal effort. Simplistic goals also lower the excitement levels associated with normal goal setting for kids. Ideally, you should set goals that challenge your child without robbing him of his confidence.

Analyzing the emotional state of your child is crucial before you set goals for him. If your child is feeling low and tired, you should set relatively easy goals whereas if he is in a pepped up and energetic mood, setting difficult goals will also not be too much of a problem. In other words, goal setting for kids is directly proportional to the child’s readiness for it.

When goal setting for kids, a lot of emphasis should be laid on the right way of solving problems. You need to tell your child that life may surprise him with unexpected obstacles but he should always be ready for it. Knowing the correct ways to combat the problem is not necessary. What he needs is a positive attitude and willingness to tackle the problem in a competent and smart manner. The motto is to keep looking for solutions until he finds the right answer.

In the course of our everyday lives, we find a lot of people who are defeated even before they begin grappling with the problems they encounter. Most of these people believe that prior to dealing with the problem or obstacle; they need to be aware of the different steps that will help in solving it. These people are paranoid about failure or making mistakes and so would rather not attempt the task. Goal setting for kids teaches them the valuable lesson that there is no need to obsess over mistakes and failure to the point that it leads to inaction. Ignorance on how to tackle a challenge does not imply that you do not make a decent attempt. When working on a problem, inspiration and solutions will come naturally during the working process. All you need to do is to alert your mind to the various possibilities of the situation.

The second integral aspect of goal setting for kids is teaching them the proper control of their emotions. Impulsive actions and lack of self-control can be a huge factor in limiting an individual’s potential for growth. Self-control cannot be learned easily as an adult but if the seeds are sowed in the initial stages of childhood, it requires very little effort to implement this on a daily basis. This is the reason that controlling emotions occupies such a central place in goal setting.

Self-control is a habit that can be inculcated into your child from an early stage. Most kids find it difficult to exert control over their selves as the natural impulse is the instant gratification of desires. However, if you regularly set small tasks for your child, this ability can be mastered by your child. For example, giving pocket money on a weekly basis and asking your child to save it for a couple of months so that he can buy something that he really wants rather than spending it immediately on some small item is a good way of teaching self-control. If your child is not interested in doing homework and wishes to go to the playground after school, you could tell him that by postponing playtime to finish homework first he will be getting an extra hour to play. These are small ways of goal setting for kids that will teach them to restrain their impulses and adopt a practical attitude towards life.

When engaging in goal setting for kids, it is vital that you provide feedback on a regular basis. This helps in raising the confidence levels of your child and he will have a realistic idea about himself. After each goal has been achieved, you can discuss the tactics employed and the things that you approve about the way your child set out to realize his goal. Always be honest with your feedback and never indulge in empty praises as a means of bolstering your child’s self-image. If you praise your child for something that he does not deserve, he will not be able to form a realistic impression about himself and this can lead to a lot of problems later.

The whole objective of goal setting for kids is the enhancement of their personality and mentally preparing them to face life in a positive spirit. This being the case, the focus should not be on winning or losing but learning from each experience. Ultimately, you as a parent should devise the goals in such a way that your child thoroughly enjoys himself and does not feel pressured at any stage of the activities. If you succeed in this, goal setting for kids can be a fantastic tool for learning.

Time Management – Basic Facts Revealed

Time is the most cherished thing that mankind has. Every second that passes counts and we hold the complete responsibility to make sure; to use every passing second to our maximum benefit. People use their time and energy for time management and gather information and tips in order to effectively manage time.

Managing Time is not all that hard when you look at it at a deeper level. Time can be managed easily by sorting out things that are important and giving them priority in order of importance .In this way you would know your direction before making any plans and would not waste time and energy unnecessarily.

Now to know, what is time management? How to go about managing time and what type of information is needed to do so. Time management relates to the set principles of a person and system of decision making based on their conscious about their daily tasks that occupies their time.

Having set goals is the most important thing in time management and without this it’s like walking blindly in a dark room and trying to locate the door for help.

Time management demands a set schedule that works best for you and in this way you will be able to prioritize your tasks based on the importance and pressing need to finish them in order of priority you set for them. In this way you will not waste your time in beating around the bush.

Lot of people are suffering from this common misconception that doing everything at one time would reap them more rewards .But these people who do multitasking at the same time usually end up doing less or nothing than what their capabilities are and the results their potential would have yielded if only they had planned well ahead of doing the task and managed their time well.

All of us live in a high paced world today and there are lots of things we get done in a short span of time where as earlier this was not possible .What we have to look into is ,are we getting the maximum benefit out of it or is it just finishing a task for the sake of finishing it.

We often try to tell ourselves that at least something is done instead of celebrating that something has been done and it has been accomplished well.

The aim of t time management is to teach us feeling a sense of satisfaction after the task has been done and not merely a task has been completed. So it’s important to enjoy what you do rather than just do without putting your heart into it.

Divide your time equally wile doing your work and do not leave any room for procrastination. Do not underestimate your ability or over estimate your potential to do a task, observe how much time is required to finish it in time.
Philosopher’s say that man’s main aim in this world is to search happiness, so our time management should also be based on this factor. Ultimately it’s the feeling of sense of fulfillment we are looking for only to make us happy and give us the sense of being after finishing every task.

We are with very limited time in this world and we have to do every thing at the right time and do not postpone unnecessary for later if we want a life of fulfillment .It is not possible to do everything in this life but at least we can do most of it by managing our time the right way and do justice to the distance of sixty seconds.

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Time Management Defined – What It Really Means

Time management is described as the approach or technique engaged by availing of practices and implements to organize and expend time in an extremely useful way, in order to produce the utmost value for each second that is expended.
Time management is indispensable whether in the corporate corridors or personal domain. The reason is that whenever we execute something in our lives, time goes by. Even the apparently simple action of transferring our eyesight from the computer screen to the person seated close by already takes up a couple of seconds of our valuable time.
Therefore, many of us attempt to locate ways to spend the time granted to us in the most useful manner. Successful time management methods generally have the following 3 things representing their common values – setting goals and management, the drawing up of a checklist list, and laying down priorities. The meaning of time management covers these three things.
Even though a few opponents and detractors of programs on time management claim that devising plans and establishing check lists too, consume time and therefore should not be taken up. Rather, they state that people should carry on with their daily activities, since life does not last forever for one to devise plans. However, making a preference list and attempting to find out the direction in which are lives are going, assists in making sure that we do not fritter away aimlessly the remaining days of our lives. Certainly, we may take some time drawing up a plan, yet it is a negligible amount to expend for a lucid and organized life.
The Pareto principle of time management states that we can produce about eighty percent of value even though we spend just twenty percent of our time doing a particular thing. On the other hand, there also exists the danger of obtaining just twenty percent from a pursuit on which we spent eighty percent of our time as well as effort. Now, when we consider this principle, there is one single thing that strikes our mind – We should look for and decide the order of importance of the pursuits and undertakings that make available to us eighty percent of benefits at twenty percent of time spent.
Now, this is not very hard to determine if we adhere to a correct time management program. Besides, time management enables us to recognize which pursuits and tasks actually count, thus generating a sensible life plan and permitting us to prepare an agenda to arrive at a particular goal or purpose.
Time management’s chief objective is to attain a specific goal. Hence, to make it possible for us to enjoy the benefits of a program on time management that we attend, we, primarily, should have an unambiguous goal set down, and ensure it is truly, what we wish to attain. Participating in any kind of time management strategy actually would not count for anything in case we land up with something, which we are actually not interested in, finally.
Therefore, to respond to the disapproval against this technique, we must admit that the process connected with time management takes up a lot of time. However, the catchword here is “takes up” not squanders. For the reason that the only way a person can squander time is by doing something, which holds extremely little or absolutely no value. Utilizing some time in order to run one’s life is certainly not a misuse of time. In fact, it is a good deed done for oneself, since every person ought to take pleasure in the little time granted to him in this world.
Now, our very own transience is that which induces us to search for better ways to make use of our time. Can you think of a better way to ensure that we receive the finest that is owed us than designing a lifetime time plan?

Counter-Intuitive Time Management Techniques to Tame Your Never-Ending To Do List

The absolute BIGGEST challenge that entrepreneurs, artists, authors and other creative geniuses that come to me for help is productivity. Some know they need help with time management techniques. Others are struggling but they haven’t discovered that poor time management is the source of their frustration.

By asking a few questions, I zero in on the source of their misery, and evaluate whether they can benefit from the special time management techniques I teach. I just look for certain things they have in common.

4 Things All Entrepreneurs, Authors and Other Creative Geniuses That Need Time Management Help Have in Common:

- They are amazingly creative yet they feel like underachievers because even though they generate brilliant ideas with jaw-dropping ease, they struggle to act on them.
- These “live-wire” geniuses are adventurous, ambitious and energetic. They’ll start a hundred projects, but then bog down because of indecision, procrastination or a feeling of overwhelm.
- They search relentlessly for new time management tips and try anything to improve their time management skills regardless of past struggles, but standard, “common sense” time management techniques just don’t work.
- Despite their best efforts, they’ve accumulated a never-ending To Do list (I call it their To Do “book”) and they’re frustrated with time management techniques that don’t work.

These thrill-seeking rebels share another characteristic. Each was diagnosed with ADD or ADHD as a child, has adult ADHD, or exhibits many adult ADHD traits. Their brains work differently than most people. But, as soon as they turn on to my counter-intuitive time management techniques they experience a dramatic turnaround almost overnight.

See, you have to understand that your productivity depends on your mental and physical energy. Yes, you produce less when you’re tired, but your energy levels fluctuate far more than you realize.

How Your Energy Levels Affect Your Productivity

- At times, you have ample mental energy. You can laser-focus on anything that interests you, you’re amazingly productive, and you keep going long after other people are exhausted.
- Other times, you have plenty of physical energy, but your brain is also racing. You can’t concentrate. You’re eager to move and go through short (physical) tasks with ease.
- You need time to recharge. Your brain isn’t a plough-horse, plodding sedately. It’s a racehorse, capable of stunning bursts of power and speed. Like a racehorse, you must recharge between races.
- You also have your own unique energy fluctuations between these that create periods when you’re better at some tasks than you are at others.

Your energy fluctuations follow an identifiable pattern. When my clients track their energy level fluctuations at work and at play, within a week they have an accurate map of their daily energy levels, and the pattern repeats almost identically from week to week.

As a creative genius, you’ll always have many tasks on your To Do list! You effortlessly think up cool things to do or important things you should do. But you have to commit to do those tasks at a specific time by moving them from your To Do list to your agenda. Unfortunately, the large, unstructured space of your blank agenda often leads to indecisiveness and procrastination. Think of it as writer’s block for time management.

A Time Management Technique That Will Add Productive Hours to Your Day and Cut Your “To-Do” List Down to Size Guaranteed

You need a way to categorize and prioritize your tasks. Traditional time management techniques group tasks by importance. But assigning letter and number combinations to signify priority loses its effectiveness when you have 47 “A” tasks, at least six of which are important enough to be an “A1!” Instead, you should group your tasks by the energy required.

Now, here’s the secret to doubling your productivity and cutting your To Do list down to size. Use the map of your energy fluctuations to match tasks from your To Do list with a time when you typically have the ideal energy level for that task. Almost effortlessly, you’ll give your productivity a huge shot in the arm. Match your activities with times when you have the ideal energy type and level for maximum productivity doing that task and you’ll tear through your To Do list like a tornado.