The Power Of Positive Thought

By Chief Procrastinator | February 25, 2010

I am the type of person who used to have a very negative attitude to most aspects of life. I am not alone in thinking this way as most of the people I meet seem to be constantly moaning about different things and basically feeling sorry for themselves. In this article I will be writing about the many benefits that come by way of thinking in a positive manner.

About ten years ago I decided that I needed to have a change of approach. I wanted to be a happy and care-free person and was fed up of always being stressed and worrying about the future. To achieve this I started to read many self-help, confidence type books and websites.

There was a regular message which came from this literature which was to think more positive and to believe in your ability to succeed in whatever you attempt to do.

This is easy to write or say, but in reality it is difficult to implement in practice. Of course I tried but in truth I did not really believe in the whole practice. I would go into a task thinking, I can do this, but it would still end up in failure.

For whatever reason I was unable to work out where I was going wrong - it was time to return to the books in a quest to educate myself further. There was a new and even more important message which I had missed the first time around. What I had to do was to take a positive out of whatever happens to me, even if this is learning from my failings.

I am not personally involved within this industry; I am in fact working on various projects to do with providing Tesco voucher codes , offering a DVD duplication service as well as a medical negligence claims service.

As an example of taking a positive from whatever happens in life, is something which happened in my family recently. My nan has recently passed away, she was eighty-eight. I would go to see her at least four times a month; she lived in sheltered accomodation. She was the most lovely, caring and warm person who always spoke her mind with honesty. Around two months before she died she told me that she was very tired and that she no longer wanted to be on this planet.

I was quite shocked by her admission and asked her what was wrong. She stated that she had nothing to look forward to and that she did not want to reach a point where she could no longer bath herself etc. She continued that she hoped that I would not grieve for to long when she did die and that she wanted me to be happy for her.

This was quite upsetting for me to hear but at least she was being honest of course. Around seven to eight weeks later I received a telephone call from my father. He was rather distraught and stated that my nan, his mother, had died during the night.

Despite what my nan had said I did become quite down and the realisation that I would never see her again was something that hurt big time. I then thought about what she had said and looked up to the sky and gave my nan a smile and a message, I love you.

I thought positive about the whole event and was actually happy for her. I hope that one day we will meet again.

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How to Build a Strong Self Image?

By Chief Procrastinator | February 23, 2010

Signs of Low Self Esteem

Building self esteem is a gradual process. Start with the smallest changes today and you will have a better image tomorrow and keep doing this everyday.
There is no quick pill to better self image. You need to recondition the existing picture you have of yourself and replace it with a brighter and happy self. It is as simple as that.
Here are a few tried and tested techniques to Develop your Self Esteem.

A: Visualize yourself brimming with confidence.

Practice makes you a perfect man. Seeing yourself succeed is a very important step toward building a better self image. Almost all top athletes mentally see themselves succeeding much before their grand success in the out side world.

B. Identify and Build on your Existing Strength

If you have a hobby or a sport that you enjoy, relish the moments you spend in that sport. Sitting on your couch and watching TV is not a Hobby or a sport that can help you much. You need to do something physical. See and feel the enjoyment all over your body and mind. The more you enjoy yourself, the better for you.

C: Pay attention to Self Talk

Self talk is nothing but the chatter that happens within your mind. This usually happens when you are making a decision or when your brain is distracted. Some people engage in self talk immediately after taking a decision. In all cases, we start by beomcing aware of your self talk. Surprisingly most people beat themselves up in the self talk. Can you Imagine why they feel their Self Esteem is low? Well its simple. When you are not willing to be the best and encouraging friend for yourself, how can you accept others to be so?
Identify everytime you have a negative thought and when you do, stop dead on your track and change that thought. This is difficult and takes some time but gives you very good results and thus worth the hardship.

Instead of telling yourself  “You screwed up that last test”, try telling “you could have done better in that test and here is how….”
Here is the funny part… it does not matter what you put after the here is how… This works and works wonders because instead of ending the conversation on a negative note you are redirecting your brain to search for ways to improve. Can you imagine what message you’re sending to your unconscious mind by doing this?

There are many methods and techniques to build you self esteem. The most important factor in your success however is not the technique that you use but the attitude with which you approach the idea of Developing a powerful Self Image. Recognition of the problem is all but the first step what you do next is what will determine how successful you will be in your life. If you put it away for a better time you are sending a message that you are worthy of all that attention.
It Does not matter which technique you choose to build your self esteem, It is important that you start today and keep on giving some small measure of change to the process.

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Abundance And Celebrities

By Chief Procrastinator | February 23, 2010

Abundance in this life is what gives us feelings of happiness and joy; and not just about the physical possessions you own or your financial net worth. True abundance and true joy comes from having valued relationships, doing the things you love, good health, and a life that lets you live according to your values and beliefs.

True abundance is never an accident. It may seem as though some individuals are especially fortunate, however, true abundance is never an accident. Whether you do it unconsciously or by harnessing the laws of the universe to experience your abundance is not important. Anyone can make the changes required for attracting abundance into their lives.

Change is a process and the results are progressive. As a person changes, their life will also change. A thankful and optimistic person will attract abundance far more easily than someone who is struggling with negative emotions. These changes won’t happen overnight, however, so it’s important to be prepared to stay the course until abundance comes. As well as making the changes necessary to allow abundance to easily flow into their lives, people also need to be in a position to take hold of opportunities. In other words, preparation must meet opportunity. So, as well as changing on the inside, it’s important for people to take steps to gain the skills and education that will enable them to recognize and grab hold of new and better opportunities. No matter how hard life has been, an abundant life is still possible. By maintaining a positive, thankful focus, replacing limiting beliefs with positive ones, overcoming wrong thinking and controlling emotions, it is possible to create a more abundant life.

A gratitude journal is an excellent tool to help you develop your attitude of gratitude. Each evening, as your last action of the day, you could list a specific number of people, things, or situations you are thankful for from that day. Even if they seem like little things other people might find insignificant, write down anything that is meaningful to you.

Giving your emotional state some attention is essential for living an abundant lifestyle. Everything is energy; our emotional habits may attract certain events, individuals and occurrences that vibrate with your emotions. If you are anxious, depressed or full of fear, you attract these same experiences to yourself.

Thoughts and emotions go hand in hand, therefore when you want to attract abundance into your life, you need to pay attention to the things you think and say to yourself and aloud. Changing emotions and thoughts involves changing your belief system. It may seem challenging; however, it is beneficial and worthwhile.

Some people find one approach helpful for accomplishing changes in their beliefs and subsequently their thoughts and emotions. Others utilize a combination of methods to get results. Either way, it’s worth the time to do what works. Developing new beliefs, thought patterns, and emotions will change your life for the better. You will begin to see new opportunities coming your way to match your new outlook.

If you want to change your unhealthy thoughts and feelings and the beliefs that led to them, you could try BSFF (Be Set Free Fast), affirmations, applied kinesiology, hypnosis, self-hypnosis, or neuro-linguistic programming.

Change is a progressive process. As you change, your life will as well. Someone who is optimistic and thankful will draw abundance more quickly that someone who struggles with negative thoughts and emotions. This is not an overnight process; however, it is essential to prepare yourself for abundance.

In addition to making these changes to become receptive to abundance, you also need to get ready to grab your good fortune when it comes. You need to prepare in advance. While you change internally, it’s wise for you to learn new abilities and techniques to help you identify and embrace the great opportunities when they come to you.

Despite any difficulties in your life, you can still achieve an abundant life. Keep a grateful attitude, a positive outlook, change your limiting beliefs to positive beliefs, conquer erroneous thinking and your emotions, and you, too, can discover the power of abundance thinking.

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Improving Self Esteem Helps You Cope Better

By Chief Procrastinator | February 23, 2010

From the time we start to crawl humans start to form mental pictures of what the world is like around them and about themselves. Young children start finding what their strengths are and what their weaknesses are and as they grow the mental picture keeps changing. Time and again we all have to recollect ourselves and find ways of improving self esteem.

You create your own self image by the mental pictures you keep forming and other images are based on the kind of interactions you have with other humans and one will also build self image by the type of experiences you have encountered and when combined will account for the way you feel about yourself.

We will either have a low or high self esteem and this mainly depends on how much we feel loved, accepted and valued by our friends and family and how we accept who we are and love who we are. A person that has a high esteem always feels good about themselves and they know their full worth which will always show in their skills and accomplishments.

The non achievers are those that have a very low esteem and they are also very negative about most things and people around them. When one reaches their teen years they hit an all time low as this is a time in their lives where they have to establish who they are and where they are heading to. In order to grow one need’s to go through high and low esteem periods but just realize that this is not an illness it is stages we go through.

When your self esteem is low then try some of the following ideas. Everyone has something they love to do, go out and do what you love to do and there is always a person that needs help, try and help the person and in turn you will feel better and so will the person you helped.

Make a list of all your achievements as well as all your strong points and know that you did the very best you could do. Never allow people to make their problems your problems and if they get upset then just politely remove yourself from their company. Always make sure you entertain positive people and do not surround yourself with negative people.

If you want to improve your self esteem and make a positive change you are the only one that can delegate that change and allow other people to voice their opinions. When you experience a hiccup don’t beat up on yourself as nobody is perfect and there is always many people in the world that are seriously worse off than you are.

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Retail Systems: How to Find the Right Point of Sale (POS) Dealer

By Chief Procrastinator | February 22, 2010

Retail POS System Overview

Since retail POS systems is a vital component of your business, choosing a POS dealer is a big decision - bigger in many ways than the decisions you make about your POS software and hardware. Price can be an issue, but in many cases you get what you pay for, so it is neccessary to do your research before committing to a POS dealer. In any case, you have to make sure if your POS dealer is dedicated to and capable of supporting your business through any problems you might have.

Support

As discussed here, customer support is critical to the installtion success of your POS. Make sure you know exactly what your POS dealer provides in terms of response times, product replacements, and phone support. This is the single yet most important aspect when planning to purchase POS systems.

 

Installing POS

The quality of a POS installation can have lasting effects on your business. Qualified installers will not take a standardized approach to installation: first, they’ll analyze your needs, test your existing infrastructure, also includes the power lines, and they make sure you get a system that exactly matches your business needs. The first week or two of using a POS system will determine whether it flies or flops, that is why a well-tested installation is vital. Ask how often the POS dealer will be on site during and after your launch - only after the system is up and running, or will they pay a vist after and answer possible problems that may have arised?

 

Experiencing POS

As with any major business purchase, potential vendors’ experience in the industry is also important. But with POS systems you can go further: learn how much experience the retail vendor has in installing systems to other retail establishments same as with your business. Dry cleaners differ in needs with grocery stores, and a self-service cafeteria varies considerably from a five star sea food grill restaurant. Good POS salespeople will ask you about your business, find out what your particular needs are, then provide a solution that is appropriate for you.

 

Facilities

Visiting POS dealers’ facilities can be a great way to determine how they operate. You will be able to check out their repair shop and get a sense of how busy they are. You may want to ask for an organizational chart or a simple tour of their help desk. When it comes to your support needs, proximity may or may not be very important to you - if you’re planning to rely on phone support and shipping components back for repair, it will not matter, but if you plan to have field technicians to come to you, distance from your POS vendor can be a hassle.

 

System Demonstrations

To make sure that the system is easy to learn and operate, test it for yourself. Some vendors do on-site demos, which gives you an advantage of being able to see how the hardware looks in your location. While other vendors will invite you to try out the system in their office, which gives you that quick tour at their facilities we discussed above. Either way, an in-person demo is strongly recommended if you don’t know how to operate a POS system.

 

References

Another familiar way to investigate POS dealers that’s right for your business is to ask for references to other customers - make sure to ask for references that are in business similar to yours. Expectedly, you will be referred to the vendor’s most satisfied customers, but you can still learn a bit from them. Here are some sample questions you might want ask the references:

Don’t be afraid to ask for a reference that dislikes the dealer, as well. Every business has unsatisfied customers from time to time, and you could also learn from them.

 

Return policies

You may get a return policy but that depends on the manufacturer, not all of them issues warranties that ables to get repairs or replacements, and even returning an equipment is more difficult. Many POS dealers charge expensive restocking fees, $500 and up, for returns on complete systems; some vendors may allow you to exchange hardware for others, but some may not accept returns at all. Again, never forget to review their policies before singning any contract.

 

How to find the right retail Point of Sale (POS) system provider for your business?

Here’s a convenient way to receive multiple quotes for retail point of sale systems though the web at: Retail-POS-Solutions.com

The author of this article is a has over 20 years of experience in retail POS systems serving the needs of businesses just like yours.

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Stop Procrastination Today

By Chief Procrastinator | February 22, 2010

People who equate procrastination with laziness do not have an adequate understanding of the problem and the psychology that lies behind it. On the other hand, even those who understand that procrastination can be a manifestation of a more deeply seated problem may still consider that the perpetrator is procrastinating about finding help.

Some of those with a tendency to procrastinate may in fact be suffering from depression or even attention deficit disorder which can both be underlying causes of procrastination. While procrastination is considered a behavioral disorder, by treating other diagnosed issues it may be possible to offer an effective remedy for procrastination at the same time. It is often recommended that those people who are chronic procrastinators see a therapist or a mental health professional to determine if there are other treatable issues causing them to consistently put things off.

Therapy has been a useful process for people to change many behaviors such as phobias and, for example, the fear of flying. These types of upsets in a person’s psychological balance cannot always be treated with medication, but a therapist can offer a better understanding of why they display the particular behavior. This type of treatment can usually help a person to stop procrastination~change the procrastination habit~stop procrastinating if it is required.

Continuing With Procrastination Can Lead To Addictions

People who continually put off doing certain tasks, often focus their attention on other, sometimes solo projects. It is possible that someone who refuses to stop their procrastination will end up addicted to the computer, for example, if that is where they turn to take their focus away from whatever else they should be doing. Taking refuge behind a computer screen offers self-justification for putting off doing something, but an addiction to computer gaming or the internet may be a signal that procrastination help is required.

Attention deficit disorder, while typically associated with children, has lately become a more common diagnosis for adults who cannot remained focussed on one thing for a long time. When this leads to procrastination, seeking help for attention deficit disorder can also lead to a means of stopping the procrastination.

In the majority of cases procrastination is displayed as an avoidance behavior during which the individual will perform other tasks unrelated to the project they are ignoring. Learning new behaviors and finding out what draws their focus away from their planned project, often means a cure for procrastination can be found.

A major step towards stopping procrastination is starting to set smart goals. Understanding the concept of time is often the first step towards achieving goals and can create a breakthrough in many areas of our lives.

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How To Remote View; A Novices Guide

By Chief Procrastinator | February 22, 2010

Remote viewing is a multifaceted subject; however, it is something everyone can learn how to do. When you are remote viewing, you can view an object or person anywhere in the world without having to actually be in the area. You are not limited by space and distance, while you are taking a remote view.

There is still quite a bit of controversy on the topic of remote viewing. As of now, there is no agreement on why remote viewing works or how it does; but many studies have supported the conclusion that whatever the reason, people can learn to remote view.

It works so well in fact, that various governments the world over have used the practice for their own countries security objectives or spying purposes. However, history tells us that various government officials did become concerned about the art of remote viewing leveraged against them and then decided to terminate the government programs concerning the subject. The research documents were declassified and the idea of being able to remote view became popular with the public.

How Can You Learn To Remote View?

Like astral projection and other psychic abilities, remote viewing relies on your innate reserves of psychic energy. These abilities let your astral body be present in one place while your physical body is elsewhere.

You can watch anything you choose to see, anywhere in the universe when you remote view. Distance and even time cannot prevent you from remote viewing the past, the present and even the future in any part of the cosmos.

Every man and woman has the ability to remote view – it’s something which some people have more of a natural inclination towards than others, but anyone can develop their natural capacity for remote viewing with practice. While it does take determination and focus, it is an ability which is well worth working on.

When you are interested in experiencing your reality in a new alternative perspective, you find that learning to remote view is very beneficial to you. You can learn how to enhance your natural ability of operating at a very high level of vibrations with your thoughts when you learn and practice the art of taking a remote view.

Things You Can Do To Enhance Your Ability to Remote View

There are various means of remote viewing methods and techniques that can help you to learn how to remote view. In order to succeed in the ability you must learn how to quite your mind and focus your concentration intently on any area, individual or object that you cannot actually and physically view.

Keeping an open mind is one of the most important aspects of learning how to perfect the skills required for enhancing and developing your extra sensory perception. Learn the techniques of visualization and meditation that work best for you, whether you do them at home using any number of beneficial products or making a personal appointment with an expert in the field.

One excellent idea when you begin to learn and practice remote viewing is to keep a remote viewing journal. Doing so will allow you to keep up with your progression as your move towards your goals of being able to go anywhere you like and see those things you wish to see without actually being physically in the area or location.

One good exercise to try is to ask yourself a question before going to bed and focus your mind on this question as you go to sleep. When you wake, write down the answer which has come to you – this exercise is designed to develop the psychic centers of your mind which are responsible for remote viewing.

You should also try the following exercise: Take a photograph or other image and hold it face down – it’s important that you have not seen the image beforehand. Focus on this image and try to see it in your mind’s eye. You’re not going to be able to do this right away, so be patient and keep trying. Eventually, you’ll be able to build your remote viewing skills to the point where you can visualize the image.

Learning to remote view can take a lot of practice. Have some patience and keep practicing regularly and always refer back to your journal. This can let you identify your strengths – build on these first and then come back to the areas where you can use improvement.

When it comes to the mind, body and spirit, remote viewing is one of the finer arts. It is essential to develop your extrasensory skills and talents, continually. When you need resources that can be of aid for your success in progressing with remote viewing there is a wide variety from which you can choose, today.

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How to Improve Your Life with Time Management Skills

By Chief Procrastinator | October 22, 2009

There are 24 hours in a day, of which the average person spends eight hours at work and eight hours sleeping…

That makes 40 hours per week of free time that you can do with as you wish during the workweek plus an additional 32 hours of awake time on the weekend.

The average person actually spends twice as much time away from work than at it. So what should you do with all that free time? Over 72 hours a week in all!

First, you should realize that most successful people do not work forty hours a week. So you may start by applying at least 10 of those 72 hours towards furthering of your career.

If you have your own business, it will be easy to spend an extra eight hours of work productively. If you work for someone else you can take home extra work and show the boss you put in the extra effort that other employees don’t.

Better still, you may want to use this extra time to start a business of your own…something that fits in with your hobbies and can be fun as well as profitable, like baseball cards, or model planes.

You could start your own cleaning business, or maybe a consulting practice to sell your knowledge to large businesses or local businesses.

The possibilities are almost endless; and if you spend enough of your extra time doing them, you may well find you create another career for yourself. This is how many successful companies originated.

At least one hour a day should be spent in furthering your knowledge of your business or industry through reading, courses, and seminars. This takes another seven hours from your free time but still leaves you with just over fifty-seven free hours.

An absolute minimum of ten to fifteen minutes should be spent on planning for the next business day. Reviewing your plans for the day should be the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do when you leave work at the end of the day.

You still have over 55 hours of free time to spend as you please, but rather than continue eating into your free time, let’s take a look at how you can better use your working time.

Work Time

Many people complain of a lack of time to do all the required daily business tasks. The best way to resolve this is to plan your days in advance, in blocks of time, hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute.

By writing down how you plan to spend your time, you will instantly become far more productive. More productivity equals more money and more success.

You must use your time wisely. Time is the only thing you have to sell to your company or business. How much of the time you spend at work is really spent doing work? The truth of the matter is very a little amount of it is spent working efficiently.

Instead you are probably spending the day as most people with poor time management skills do: putting out fires that other people started, shuffling papers around, and writing memos.

Here is a simple eye-opener that will let you see just how much work you are really accomplishing. Show up at work tomorrow with a watch and write down how you spend all of your time in five-minute intervals. Keep the sheet and watch in front of you at all times.

As you start each new task, write down on the paper what that task is and start the stop watch. As you change tasks — phone calls, interruptions from co-workers, etc.– write down what the new activity is and how long you spend on it.

At the end of the day, write these four terms on a separate note pad or type it into a word document.

1) Meaningful work

2) Wasted time (this includes interruptions, unimportant phone calls, etc.)

3) Problems that need to be addressed.

4) Low priority/low return work.

List underneath each of your headings the tasks you have dealt with that day. Then add up the total time spent in each category.

Now you will have a shocking picture of just how few of the hours you spend at work are spent on high-priority, money-making, business growing, or goal-oriented tasks that help your business.

Instead, what you will probably find is that looking for information, interruptions, and wasted time are the winners in the battle for your precious time.

Create a Time-Efficient Word Space

This means to have all your tools and resources in working order and at your disposal. More of your time is lost through disorganized paper management and searching for misplaced documents and reports than through any other cause.

Make a habit of keeping all your work areas and desks free of all paper except what is needed for the task at hand. When you are finished with the work at hand, immediately remove it, mail it, file it, trash it, or do whatever action is applicable, but do not leave it on your desk.

Start Each Day With a Clear Plan

If you truly want to get the most out of every day, it is essential that you begin each with a clear plan. I usually plan the next day’s events the night before. Take a day planner and write down all those tasks you want to complete the next day.

Write each task down on paper or in excel and number them in the order of importance. Start with the most important task and stick with it until you have finished it or reached the point that you wished to reach for that day. It gives me great pleasure and satisfaction to line out each task as it is accomplished. 

After an overall list of tasks for the day, I plan the day’s specific activities in 15-30 minute intervals using a daily planner. Plan all of your phone calls and meetings. Proper daily planning has allowed me to write 20 marketing books and also manage a golf marketing company and a golf management company.

Set a time limit on meetings, especially with people who are don’t pay for your time. Stick as closely as possible to your time-lines.

If you schedule 20 minutes to talk to a car salesmen, then let them know ahead of time that is all the time you can spend with them. They will make their points faster, thus allowing you to save time.

As you come close to the end of your allotted time for a given task, give a two minute warning to yourself via a stopwatch or by using outlooks calendar function. Try to bring your business to a close quickly and efficiently.

Start Writing Things Down

Always keep a pen and pencil by your phone. I can hardly believe the number of companies I call only to be asked to hold while the employee finds a pen and paper.

A pen and paper are the world’s most vital business tools, and you should NEVER be without them. I keep my appointment calendar somewhere near my desk at all times so if I am speaking to someone I can grab it and take notes as we talk. I write down thier contact information, why they called, and how they would like to be contacted in the future. I also make plans to add them to my CRM.

In that way, I have a record of the time, date, and purpose of their call so I can refer back to it if necessary at a future date if I need it. I also always write a person’s phone number under their name. In that way, I never have to search further than my appointment book for names and addresses.

Don’t Waste Your Time

Time is not something that you have more of then the other person, so use it as the precious resource that it is. Every single person in this world starts out each day with the same amount of time in which to accomplish tasks and objectives. The only part that differs from person to person is how that time is being used.

Successful people try to squeeze every second of opportunity from the day, while those at the lower levels simply waste it away.

If you want to make 0,000 a year, you must make an hour. That is exactly .66 per minute! If you spend 20 minutes on the phone talking to your buddy down the street about Monday night’s basketball game, you have just wasted .20 of your very increasingly valuable time.

If you spend an extra half hour at lunch, you have just lost .80 of your time. Once lost, time cannot be regained.

The next time you find yourself involved in a situation that waste your time, ask yourself this question. Would I pay my buddy down the street .20 dollars in cash out of my own pocket, right now, to listen to me talk about last night’s football game?

The answer, of course, is no. Yet, that is precisely what you are doing. Wasting $13.20 of your money, which should always be committed to reaching your goals and serving your customers or business.

If you are working on a project and are interrupted by a call that takes ten minutes, it often takes another ten minutes to get back to what you were doing. Instead of being interrupted twenty times a day, schedule 30 minutes a day for returning phone calls that are not urgent.

These are calls from family members, other companies, or other people who are not actual customers. Your time at work is much too valuable to allow constant interruptions. By setting a specific time, it eliminates phone tag and keeps you from being interrupted all day.

Let’s say you wanted to make ,000 a year, to do that you must make ,000 per month. This works out to be $1,153 per week, based on a 48-hour, six-day week, which we will say is typical for most successful people.

This breaks down further to be 2 per day or per hour. You now have a powerful tool to help you reach your goals. You know exactly what you must make each and every hour that you are working in order to reach your desired income level.

Now let’s see which of your daily tasks really produce that desired figure of $24 per hour?

These are some of the tasks that really could help you produce per hour. Proper marketing will always generate leads and new business. Selling, whether it is a direct sale of one of your products or getting someone to give you an interview for a better job, always pays off.

Marketing keeps people involved in your business and brings new blood in the form of prospects, contacts and clients. Increasing your skills makes you more valuable to yourself and others, and this will pay off quickly.

Then, of course, there are the tasks that do not produce $24 per hour.

I am not suggesting that any of these things are not important to the overall success of your business. Rather, I’m suggesting that you can find someone else to do these kinds of tasks for just a few bucks an hour, allowing you to focus on the important high-return task.

The Most Powerful Word in Time Management

The simple act of saying, “NO,” will save you more time, energy, and effort than you can ever imagine. In an overexerted effort to try to please everyone, we often find ourselves taking on more and more responsibility, activities and stress.

At some point, you simply have to say, “NO, doing that would not be a good use of my time.” Try it; it’s not that hard, and the people asking get over your refusal very quickly. They are probably calling someone else right now to help them.

Set aside a certain amount of hours in your plan each week to donate your time to the charity you think is a good cause. Once that time is used up, it is gone, and there is no more.

Remember the words of Napoleon who said, “You can ask me for anything you like… except for my time.”

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How To Keep Track Of Your Time

By Chief Procrastinator | October 22, 2009

time management tips

In order to manage time effectively, you need to determine where your time actually gets spent. One helpful way of determining your actual usage of time is to track your time. This is one of the most essential part of effective time management. and is is one of the necessary time management techniques that you should put to use. The approach here is like planning a schedule, but it works in reverse. Instead of writing down the things that you are planning to do, time logging is a process of writing down the things that you have already done. Doing this is sort of a get- to-know-yourself exercise because this process will highlight many of your habits that you may unknowingly ignore currently.

For instance, some people find that every time they plan to do math homework they end up watching TV. Instead of studying for that math test, they play Internet poker. Other people just don’t seem to follow their schedule until the week before finals.

Whatever your time habits are, time tracking will help you adjust and fine-tune your time management habits. Having accurate information concerning your time usage patterns can serve as another important point of reference for self-monitoring. The following are several ways to track your time. Take a moment to do this – it will truly help you open your eyes and take control of your time.

1. Time tracking is fairly straightforward. At the end of every hour jot yourself a quick note about how you specifically spent your time for that hour. The note needn’t be long - one sentence or less should do. If the way you spend your time does not tally with an already planned activity, just enter a comment as to what you really did during that time. This way you will be able to reflect on patterns that emerge in the way you use your time and make the relevant adjustments to improve your productivity.

2. Some may find it helpful to modify the planning page to facilitate tracking time. The modifications are easy enough: make two columns on your paper for each day of the week. In one column, write down the plan you are trying to follow; in the second column, make notes on what you actually did with your time. The side-by-side comparison is very telling and is an effective way of figuring out where you’re not using time in the way you have intended.

3. Another effective way to make changes and get results from your time management strategies is to summarize your time use by time categories such as: sleep, study, work, travel, etc.

Estimate how much time you think you spend on the various activities listed and enter these in the “expected” row in the summary sheet. Feel free to include any additional categories that might be helpful. Then log your time for one week on an hour by hour basis. When the week comes to a close, summarize your time by category for each day, add up the values for all seven days of the week, and write the totals in the “actual” row of the summary sheet.

Summarizing your usage of time enables you to understand the precise amount of time you really spend in the various areas of your life. It is almost certain that you will see a significant difference between the number of hours you expected to use in certain categories and the actual number of hours you spend.

If you realize that you spend more time in one area than you intended, and less in another, the weekly summary of how you use your time clearly shows you which activities to reduce to find the extra time you want for more important areas of your life. Indeed, you will find that time tracking by activity will serve you well as one of the most helpful time management strategies that you can employ as you implement it in your daily life.

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Learn How to Overcome Procrastination and Become 10x More Productive

By Chief Procrastinator | October 22, 2009

The act of postponing and putting off tasks deliberately is known as procrastination. A lack of motivation and willpower is the cause of this and this can lead to sufferers becoming behind both in the workplace and at home. Our advice on how to overcome procrastination can help you quickly and easily gain better concentration and focus whenever you feel you need it:

Subliminal messaging can really help you learn how to overcome procrastination. It will have a positive, optimistic impact on your life forever. By sending subliminal signals to your mind you align it with the goal of stopping procrastination forever. This can be extremely effective. It will make you more driven, and simple help you to act and do your tasks as you should. View our stop procrastinating cdalbum today.

 

Topics: Goal Setting | No Comments »

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