Our Internal clocks

The Secrets of Our Body Clocks by Susan Perry and Jim Dawson, discusses
biological rhythms. Everyone's clock is unique, and some may peak at 11 a.m. instead of 12 noon, but even extreme morning people and extreme night people are no greater than 2 hours apart with their circadian cycles. Some of the conclusions of the book may help us manage our time more effectively.

1. Most of us reach our peak of alertness around noon. So perhaps delaying lunch until 12:30 or 1:00 p.m. might capitalize on our most productive period.

2. There's a sudden drop in the early afternoon that lasts until about 3:00 p.m., at which time our mental alertness once again begins to rise. Schedule the mundane, low-energy tasks for that part of the day.

3. Short-term memory is best during the morning hours, so studying for a test that morning or reviewing notes of a meeting would be a good idea. But long-term memory is best in the afternoon, so that's the time to study material for the following week - or for that training session for the new employee. How well you remember things depends on when you learn them, not when you recall them.

4. Mornings are a great time for creative sessions or meetings where tough decisions must be made. But don't let them run into the early afternoon doldrums.

5. Just because you’re a morning person, don't expect everyone else to be the same way. Biological rhythms are innate, and we should organize our lives so as to work with them, not against them.

In general, morning people should do all their heavy thinking and creative work in the morning and reserve the late afternoons for the routine. Night people, although similarly alert at 11 a.m., do not experience the same late afternoon sag.

 

TAKE A TECHNOLOGY BREAK

TAKE A TECHNOLOGY BREAK

 

What would happen if you didn't use your computer, fax machine, cell phone, e-mail or electronic gadgets for a full day? Well, the recent power failure indicated we would take time to actually speak to one another, be helpful, exhibit creativity and make the most of a bad situation. If the blackout had been planned, would it have relieved stress as well? It makes you think that a periodic break from technology might not be a bad idea.

 

IDENTIFY YOUR PRIORITIES

 

If money were no object, 43% of the respondents would travel and 29% would spend time with family and friends. It usually doesn't take much money to spend time with family and friends. Have you identified what's important to you? And if so, are those priorities reflected in your planner?

 

BEING KIND COULD BE A TIME SAVER

 

Studies have shown that helpful people live 2 ½ times longer than ungiving people. That figure seems extreme, but even a small extension of lifespan is a significant gift of time.

 

TIME FOR EXERCISE

 

If you don't have time for that daily walk, suggests the following: Drive your car to the far end of the office parking lot and walk, use the stairs instead of the elevator, and bring your lunch to work and use the extra

time to take a walk.

 

WHEN VACATIONING, TAKE YOUR MIND ALONG

 

When you take a vacation, leave your office work behind. It makes no sense to get away from it all and then take it all with you.

 

PLAN IN THE EVENING

PLAN IN THE EVENING

 

Spend at least 15 or 20 minutes at the end of each day to plan for tomorrow. If you leave it until the morning you may walk into a crisis and never plan at all. If you plan the evening before, you will be reserving your prime time for action, not reflection.

 

THE POSITIVE APPROACH TO TIME MANAGEMENT

 

Your prime purpose at work should not be to avoid wasting time, but to achieve significant results. The former

Mindset encourages you to keep busy; the latter encourages you to be productive.

 

E-MAIL ETIQUETTE

 

Every e-mail should have a salutation and closing. Don't  assume your e-mail address will identify you.

 

DISTRACTED DRIVERS

 

30 percent of the drivers used cell phones while driving, 97 percent leaned over to reach for something and 91 percent fiddled with radio controls. Swerving was most likely to occur while reaching, eating, using cell phones or tending to infants.

 

PERFECTIONISM IS UNHEALTHY

 

Perfectionists are 75% more likely to get sick than other people.

 

THE FIGHT AGAINST SPAM

 

25 percent of all e-mail is Spam. That's reason enough to investigate Spam-fighting software.

 

PERSONAL E-MAIL CONSUMES TIME

 

One-quarter of employees are receiving 5 to 10 non work-related e-mails at the office every day.

 

LONG HOURS MEAN SHORT RESULTS

LONG HOURS MEAN SHORT RESULTS

 

Performance declines 25% after a 60-hour workweek. The fatigue factor tends to reduce both concentration and productivity.

 

PROCRASTINATION IS BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH

 

Procrastination is physically harmful. College students who procrastinate have higher levels of drinking, smoking, insomnia, stomach problems, cold and flu.

 

DISORGANIZATION AND SELF-ESTEEM

 

A disorganized home or office can be frustrating but it doesn't make you a bad person. Separate yourself from the condition. Being disorganized does not make you inferior. Don't feel guilty. Simply decide now to get organized and work at it gradually.

 

SPAM ON THE INCREASE

 

Nearly 76 billion Spam e-mails were delivered over the Internet this year. Can you imagine the time consumed simply deleting them?

 

DON'T SEND E-MAIL ON MONDAY MORNING

 

Most people have overflowing in-boxes on Monday morning and have itchy tigger fingers as they delete as many messages as possible. Yours stands a greater chance of being deleted.

 

WEEK AT A GLANCE PLANNERS ARE BEST

WEEK AT A GLANCE PLANNERS ARE BEST

Robert M. Hochheiser, in his book Time Management (Barrons, 1998), claims that with day-by-day calendars you would have to turn pages four times to go from the beginning to the end of the week. He further suggests that monthly calendars usually don’t have sufficient space to allow for detailed action plans.

CONTROLLING TELEPHONE TIME

Keep telephone calls brief by directing the caller to the business at the beginning. For example, “Hi Bill, What can I do for you?” or “Good Morning Sally. How can I help you?” If you make the call, get right to the reason for the call. “Jim, I have two quick questions for you concerning the new hiring policy.”

STRESS CAN BE DEVASTATING

Everyone has heard about the traditional diseases that can be brought on by excessive stress, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and ulcers etc. but according to Woman’s Day Magazine (11/18/97, Is Stress Making You Sick? By Stephanie Wood) other illnesses aggravated by stress include: Acne, asthma, colds, diabetes, diarrhea, flu, hives, infertility, PMS, psoriasis and stomachaches.

HIGH COST OF DISORGANIZATION

Statistics reported in the May 1993 issue of Inc. Magazine revealed that 7.5 percent of documents get lost completely and 3 percent of the remainder gets misfiled. $120 in labor is spent finding a misfiled document and $250 in labor is spent recreating a lost document.

UNCLUTTER THE HOME

If you can’t bear to part with all those infrequently used possessions, rent some storage space. It’s cheaper than a bigger home or apartment. If you haven’t missed anything after one year, get rid of the stuff permanently.
 

EARLY RISERS

 

Only a few men live to old age, and fewer still become successful who are not early risers.

 

ORGANIZE MEETINGS BY E-MAIL

 

The average time it takes to arrange a meeting by phone is ten minutes compared to three minutes by e-mail.

 

THE PAUSE THAT REFOCUSES

THE PAUSE THAT REFOCUSES

 

I read that a pigeon's eyes can't focus as it moves, accounting for it's strange walk. The bird has to pause between steps In order to refocus. It reminds me that we should frequently pause to refocus as well. If we proceed at a frantic pace without pausing, we could easily lose sight of our mission. Periodically review your goals and make sure your motion is moving you towards your mission.

 

PUT A STOP TO POP-UPS

 

It takes time to close those ads that pop-up unannounced when you're connected to the Internet. If you have that problem, you might consider downloading the free Pop-up Stopper software from www.download.com.

 

COLLEGE STUDENTS PRONE TO PROCRASTINATION

 

70 percent of college students report problems with overdue papers and delayed studying.

 

MULTITASKING

 

Your computer is great at multitasking. You can write articles while performing downloads or scan for viruses as you send e-mail. But your brain is not programmed that way. So beware of trying to do two things at once, especially if they are complex or require your undivided attention. Studies indicate a drop in efficiency between 30 percent and 50 percent on the individual tasks performed while multitasking.

 

DO IT NOW

 

It's more important to do something than to do it well. Never delay something that could cause problems later simply because you're not good at it. You learn by doing, not by delaying.

 

FINISH WHAT YOU START

 

There's a limit to how many projects you can juggle at the same time. Don't start another project if the incomplete ones are already consuming most of your time. Getting the Best of Yourself, when you begin multiple projects, you usually end up with multiple incompletions.

 

WHEN IDEAS DON'T WORK

WHEN IDEAS DON'T WORK

 

If you make changes only to find that you slip back into your original time wasting habits, it could be that you have not bought into the idea. Changing your behavior without changing your mind seldom results in permanent behavior change.

 

DEFINITION

 

Ineffectiveness: Doing perfectly that which is unnecessary.

 

STICKY PAD

 

If you use your car dashboard to house sunglasses, cell phone or wallet while driving, you could be wasting time retrieving the items from the floor or under the seat after the trip. You can stop these items from sliding every time you turn a corner or come to a sudden stop by applying the new Sticky Pad. Sticky Pad is only a few inches in diameter, conforms to any dashboard, is removable, washable, reusable, and believe it or not, works!

 

BE IN THE MOMENT

 

Our mind is always working in the future or the past and that we should slow down and dwell on the present as it happens. Otherwise we will miss much of what life has to offer.

 

STAY SEATED

 

Once you commit yourself to work on a task for an hour or so, you should stay seated until the time is up. Resist the urge to interrupt yourself, even to get a coffee. Self-discipline is the key to personal productivity.

 

EASY ACCESS MORE IMPORTANT

 

We have been trained to focus on neatness at the expense of accessibility. Make sure your materials are accessible first, then consider neatness as a secondary factor.

 

E-MAIL OBSESSION

 

Unless both parties can type faster that they speak, it's usually more time effective to schedule a phone call or a meeting rather than carry on lengthy discussions by e-mail.