[Time-Management] Arise, awake and take charge!

 

1st June 2011

 

Time is what we want most, but... what we use worst. 

 

~Willaim Penn

I was thinking what it means to manage our life successfully. To write my book The Gift of Time, I interviewed over five hundred people who have succeeded in some way or other in their chosen fields. I would like to summarise the key points of what it means to `manage' time effectively:

 

  1. Actually there is no such thing as `managing time', since managing presupposes control and we have no control on time. What we mean by `time management' is managing the output per unit of time and not time itself.
  2. There is no such thing as `no time', since all of us have equal amount of this rare and scarce resource, irrespective of our social, racial or economic status. We can only say `I have no time for this activity'.
  3. Available time is different from productive time. Successful people make productive use of all available time, by carefully designing their appointments.
  4. Mission is different from goal; goal is different from task; task is different from activity and activity is different from time.
  5. Time frame means fixing a start time and end time for an activity and sticking to this time discipline.
  6. Time zone means having a fixed activity in a fixed span of time and avoiding interruptions.
  7. Setting correct priorities means knowing what is important and what is urgent. An important activity is related to goals, and an urgent activity is linked with time.
  8. An urgent activity will become more important with passage of time.
  9. We should apply the 80:20 rule to succeed in life. We should know that 80% of the result can be achieved by doing 20% of the activities. We should intelligently choose this 20% activity.
  10. We should identify and eliminate time wasters and fight procrastination. Procrastination is a thief of time.
  11. We should identify at least two breakthrough tasks in a year and concentrate on the same in addition to doing our daily routine activities.
  12. In order to focus on our important priorities, we should practice isolation and insulation.

 Make a checklist of the above and how many you practice and you would have mastered your time!

 

N C Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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[Time-Management] arise, awake and take charge!

 

31st  May 2011

 

Working safely is like breathing - if you don't, you die. 

 

~Author Unknown

 

Health and safety – whose responsibility?

 

I was standing near a construction site where a worker was cutting a granite slab. I could not stand the sound. I was about twenty feet away and I moved out. I noticed that that the worker was not wearing an ear plug. I checked with the website and I came to know that a chain saw will make a noise of 100 decibels and that if a worker is allowed to spend more than 30 minutes per day at about 100 decibels, it will cause hearing impairment. This worker spends about seven hours cutting granite slabs!

 

The other day, I was noticing a motorbike rider without wearing his helmet. Of course, he did have a helmet – safely placed in front of him on the petrol tank! On the top of it, he was talking over his mobile phone with his telephone instrument held between his left shoulders and ears! I am sure he will be very proud about his time management skills of using his travel time effectively! I am also sure that he should have been practicing this skill for a very long time, since he was driving his bile pretty fast!

 

I am sure you would have noticed car drivers without wearing seat belt and the co passengers equally not comfortable with wearing a seat belt unless they are forced by law and punishment. It is also common sight in some places to see very young children driving a two wheelers which they are not allowed to do so under law, not to talk about children driving a car!

 

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine was very proud that he `managed' to go see his friend in the critical care unit of a hospital by tipping the staff there. He was very proud that he was the only person to have gone and seen his friend, since the hospital is known for its strictness in not allowing anyone into the critical care unit!

 

All these made me to think why these people do what they do? Does it occur to them that health and safety cannot be enforced by others and that it is the personal responsibility of each and every one?

 

Next time when you are about to break any safety and health regulation, think about this article? Will you?

 

N C Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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[Time-Management] Arise, awake and take charge!

 

30th May 2011

 

To be successful you have to be selfish, or else you never achieve. And once you get to your highest level, then you have to be unselfish. Stay reachable. Stay in touch.

Don't isolate.
Michael Jordan

 

In my time management seminars, I make a very controversial statement: be selfish and forget about others! When I make this statement first time, normally people do not object or argue. But I purposely repeat this statement several times when the participants start question this virtue. Many will start arguing that we should not be selfish.

 

Just think: what's wrong if we focus on ourselves?  

Of course, we have to help others. But do you think if others will take your advice of you have not succeeded in the first place? For example, if you want to help others to succeed, should you not succeed in the first place? If you want to advice someone to give up smoking, should you not give up smoking in the first place, if you are also a smoker? If you want to advice others on how to remain healthy, should you not be healthy in the first place?

 

You have to be a role model if you want people to take your advice seriously. If you want to be a role model, you have to be special in some area. If you want to be special in some area, you have to focus on something and concentrate. You have to invest all your mind and efforts on this area. You have to make it as your priority. When you do this, you have to say `no' to others' demands on your time.

 

In fact, by remaining selfish, you are actually helping others! If Michael Jordan had not remained selfish, do you think he would have achieved what he had achieved in life. If he had not achieved something in life, do you think others will take his advice seriously.

 

Once you have reached your goals, of course, you should help others. Have you observed what you are told in an aircraft? They advice you that in case of drop in oxygen pressure you should put on your oxygen mask before helping your others, including your own child!

 

N C Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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[Time-Management] 'IGNITE' A Life Tranforming Experience!

 

`IGNITE' – A Life Transforming Experience

Dear readers,

I have been receiving a lot of response for the one day programme `IGNITE' to be held in Chennai around the third week of June. Many want to know what the programme is about. I thought I should send this mail:

·         All of us have the same biological brain which is identical in terms of parts and function. Across the human race there is no difference in the brain function.

·         If we accept that the brain determines our actions, then why are we different in terms of our ambitions and energy level?

·         The answer to the above question lies in how we use our mind! Empowerment is a mind process and not a brain process.

·         NLP is about how to `program' the mind so that the optimum capacity of the brain can be fully used.

The one day proframme `IGNITE' will inform us how to use NLP skills to exploit our hidden potential by programming our mind. Of course, the programme will also cover issues such as time management, setting correct priorities, avoiding time traps and time wasters.

This life transforming experience will be useful for anyone who wants to make a difference in their life. Your investment is Rs.2,000/- which includes the course fee, lunch, tea and course material.

The entire proceeds of this programme is donated to "Vaaname Ellai' which is a registered charitable trust in the field of education and parental training.

Please send your enquiries to thetimefoundation@gmail.com

Thanks

N C Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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[Time-Management] "IGNITE" A Life Transforming Experience

 

Dear Readers,

I noticed some errors in my last e mail and I regret for the same. The following is the communication after the correction:

Dear readers,

Sub: "IGNITE" – A Life Transforming One Day Programme on Managing Our Life Using NLP

I do hope that you find my e mail newsletters useful and interesting. I have been conducting a self empowerment programme called "IGNITE" in various organisations for the past nearly 25 years. I have been receiving my NLP training from United States during the last 15 years from world class trainers. NLP is the latest state of the art technology to integrate the mind and the brain to tap into our full potential. NLP skills will teach you on how to achieve your peak performance by communicating with your mind.

Of late I have been receiving a lot of requests from various people to conduct this programme as an open event so that anyone interested in exploring his full potential can participate.

I am happy to announce that from the month of June 2011, I will be conducting one open programme in the third week in Chennai. The exact venue and timing will be announced.

The purpose of this mail is to inform you about this event. If you want to make use of this, please inform us on the following e mail id:

thetimefoundation@gmail.com

 

We will have no more than 50 seats which will be filled up on first come first served basis.

Thanks

N C Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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[Time-Management] 'IGNITE' - A Life Transforming Experience

 

Dear readers,

Sub: "IGNITE" – A Life Transforming One Day Programme on Managing Our Life Using NLP

I do hope that you find my e mail newsletters useful and interesting. I have been conducting a self empowerment programme called "IGNITE" in various organisations for the past nearly thirty 25 years. I have been receiving my NLP training from United States during the last 15 years from world class trainers. NLP is the latest state of the art technology to integrate the mind and the brain to tap into our full potential. NLP skills will teach you on how to achieve your peak performance my communicating with your mind.

Of late I have been receiving a lot of requests from various people to conduct this programme as an open event so that anyone interested in exploring his full potential can participate.

I am happy to announce that from the month of June 2011, I will be conducting one open programme in the third week in Chennai. The exact venue and timing will be announced.

The purpose of this mail is to inform you about this event. If you want to make use of this, please inform us on the following e mail id:

thetimefoundation@gmail.com

 

We will have no more than 50 seats which will be filled up on first come first served basis.

Thanks

N C Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

000

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[Time-Management] Arise, awake and take charge!

 

27th May 2011

The getting notice portfolio!

Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing, but nobody else does.

– Stuart Henderson Britt

An organization may have the best product conforming to highest quality standards. It can be the priced very competitively. But it may not be sold as much as the competitor's product. The objective of any organization is to ensure that ultimately the product reaches the doorsteps of a customer. So, organizations have a marketing department which will take all the steps to place the product in the market to attract prospective customers.

In my time management seminars, some participants complain that their hard work is not recognized and valued by their superior officers. I tell that that their job does not end with just working hard. They have to take efforts to get noticed, especially by their immediate superior officer. We can call them as internal customer.

You are aware that every organization has a system of performance appraisal and every employee is evaluated at the end of the year. Depending on the value a person adds to the objectives of the organization, he is rewarded. In some organization, the bosses encourage their subordinates to do a self-appraisal. I have come across some employees who want to be humble and not wanting to project their contribution. They think that it may amount to boasting. If this is true, can we say that every media advertisement is a boasting?

There is a saying that justice should not only be done, but seen to be done. So is our performance. Unless and until we tell others what we have done, there is least chances of our good work being noticed. We have to `showcase' our talent and performance. Others should know what we have done.

We should take responsibility to our `getting noticed' portfolio, since the person who is most interested in us is ourselves!

N C Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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[Time-Management] Arise, awake and take charge!

 

26th May 2011

Your point of focus will decide your energy level!

`To accomplish more, redirect your mental energy by continuously reminding yourself of all the good things you do right'

Brian Koslow

I was speaking to a group of young executives of a leading automobile company. There was one interesting question which came up for discussion. The question was: what decides our energy level? Sometimes we are at the peak of our energy and at some other time our energy is at the lowest ebb. But in terms of our biology, we are the same. Our body chemicals does not alter so drastically from our to our. But our stamina and energy level keep changing. What is that factor which decides our energy level?

I explained to them the point of our focus will decide our energy level. Supposing we are handling a difficult project which demands all our resources. There are two things we can focus. One is the end result excitement and the other is the painful process which we go through as we work towards our ambitious project. If we visualize how things will look like and how we feel like, we will not be bothered about the painful effort level and the process. On the other hand, if our mind is too much occupied by the painful process, our mind cannot visualize the end result excitement.

When I talk to people who have achieved great results, I was stunned at their ability to mentally live the future even before the future has really arrived. In NLP we call it as `AS IF' frame. In this mindset we do a time progression and arrive at our future and typically live our dream. The more the detail of the dream, the more will be our energy level.

There is one tool you can try to realize what this dreaming means. Think about you very difficult project which is far beyond your present resource level. Visualize as though you have achieved it. Let it run as a picture in your mind's eye. Now take a piece of paper and draw a collage of your dream project. Use as many colours as possible. Make it as large as possible. Use all your creativity. Explain this collage to all your friends and relatives and notice how you feel. Keep this picture somewhere in front of you. In all your free time focus only on this and vivify this scene.

Do this honestly and see what happens to your energy level!

N C Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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[Time-Management] Arise, awake and take charge!

 

25th May 2011

Do you know what you already have?

`Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference'

Winston Churchill

We always want something new. We yearn for things we don't have. But we should know the value of what we already have. If we know how valuable are the things we already have, our attitude to those things will be different.

Every day I spend some time in plucking flowers from my garden and offering the same to the God in my prayer room. In my house there are two very old trees called `Nagalingam' and the botanical name is couroupita-guianensis.  It is also called cannon-ball-tree. It's not only a beautiful flower, but also a very rare one. It is considered as very sacred by the Hindus who worship Lord Shiva. Every day I get over a hundred flowers. I have seen this flower in my house for the past fifty years.

I did not realize how valuable is this flower until I browsed the website. I saw a lot of comments on how scarce is this flower. When I went to the flower market I noticed that each of this flower is sold at Rs 10/- ! Not only that. The flower merchant said that since the flower is very rare, unless you order for the same you will not get it. You can log on to the website and know more about this flower.

Next day when I went to the same tree in my house to pluck the flower, my attitude to the flower was completely different! I was more careful in plucking the flowers. When I carried the flower in the basket I felt more proud! I had not felt this way all these years.

Same flowers, same tree, but different feeling! The only difference was in my mind. Nothing changed outside me, but the change was internal.

Next time when you drive your car, think of those who don't have one and you will maintain your car well. Next time when you talk to your parents, think of those who don't have their parents living, and you will respect your parents more. Next time when your children `disturb' you when you are very busy, think of those who don't have children and you will start enjoying such pleasant disturbances!

Remember, unless you value what you have, you will not enjoy its presence!

N C Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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[Time-Management] Arise, awake and take charge!

 

24th May 2011

The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.

Vincent Lombardi

Conscious consent….

This morning I was watching a TV Channel and a person was using the phrase conscious consent and the phrase attracted my attention. He was talking about the broader aspects of yoga. He was mentioning that the ultimate end of yoga is to make us conscious about what and why we are doing the various actions.

For doing any action, we need the consent of our mind. I have been repeatedly saying that our mind is the master and our brain is a very obedient servant to the mind. I will even say that the brain is a slave since it cannot do anything on its own. The brain has independent will. It is something like a computer in which there is no software. Or the software is malfunctioning due to a virus which has affected all the segments.

All of us set our goals and all of us also sincerely want to achieve the same. But not all of us achieve our goals the same way. The achievement is a result of the quality and intensity of our commitment to the goal. In most organizations there is a system of target setting and evaluation. People are assigned various targets and they are asked to execute the same with the resources allotted to them. Most of the people will also accept the same. But many do not achieve. There is a gap between what they promised to do and what they deliver. It is not as though they are not capable of delivering what they have promised. If you analyze their lives, in some other portfolio of their lives the same person will be totally involved and committed to what he promised.

Take for example the various suggestion schemes and task forces that are there in any organization. There will be people who will not take part in any of these discussions. It is not as though they cannot be creative or they cannot think in a  different way. If you go and observe them in their personal life, they will be highly creative and energetic. But they don't bring this attitude to their work place. The opposite may also be true. There are some people who are so much involved in their organizational roles. But they will be completely detached in their personal life.

The reason for this incongruity is that they don't consent to what they should be doing consciously. May be their mind is not in that. May be they don't see a compelling reason to commit to the task whole heartedly.

Next time when you commit to do anything, check if your mind is consenting consciously!

N C Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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