simplistic thoughts

You have many other things that you would like to accomplish, but just can’t find any extra time in the day. How can you take on something else when you schedule is already packed. It may even be something fun, but you just can’t manage it. The good news is that you can learn to be more efficient and also learn where you are wasting time. Most people don’t even realize that they do.

One of the biggest problems is that people believe if start earlier and work later that you are a good worker. Everyone trying to stay at the office just a little later than the next person to make it look like they are working just a little harder than everyone else. It is really bad here in Japan, where many people will stay at work log after hours even if they have nothing to do.

Below I have listed a few things you can do to cut down on the time it takes to complete jobs and how to find extra time in your schedule. For a great book on time management, I highly recommend “The Four Hour Work Week” by Timothy Ferris. It is all about how to spend less time at work and more time doing the things you enjoy. And if work is what you enjoy, you will learn how to be even more successful.

1. Group tasks- Do all of one kind of task at a certain time. For instance, if you need to make phone calls. Do them all in the morning or afternoon rather then here and there scattered through out the day. Not only will you get better by doing this way, but you can do it faster because your mind is only doing one type of task

2. Do one task at a time- Multi-tasking is not efficient. People like to think that they are very talented because they can multi-task, but it is slower and you usually won’t do the job as good.

3. Learn the 80/20 rule and use it- It is likely that 80% of your results come from about 20% of your work. Or otherwise that 2 of the 10 things you do are responsible for most of your results. Find out what they are and do them better. Figure out they rest and see what you can eliminate. You must work effective and on the right things.

4. Learn to say no- People are constantly trying to get you to do things that aren’t important to your job or maybe don’t need to be done at all. Learn to tactfully say “no”.

5. Don’t let colleagues bother you at work. In order to work effectively, you must be able to concentrate. People constantly bothering you with questions, comments, or just wanting to talk distracts you and slows down your pace. When people come to you, tell them “hi “person’s name”, I am very busy right now, how can I help you”. If they starts rambling on, repeat again that you are very busy and ask them to send you an e-mail. you an then deal with this e-mail when you deal with all your e-mails together. Another trick, and one recommended by Timothy Ferris in the 4 Hour Work Week, is to wear headphones like you are listening to music. People are much less likely to bother you. Especially when you look very busy.

6. Avoid meetings whenever possible. It’s true that there are times for meetings, but many times it is just people getting together because they want to talk or waste time. If someone wants to have a meeting, always find out why and what the point it is. Many times it is something that can be answered over the phone.

7. Work hard, but do take small breaks every once in a while to refresh. However, be sure not to take a bathroom or smoking break every 20 minutes.

8. Set up a schedule for your tasks. maybe a couple times a day, for checking and replying to e-mail, phones calls, and other things you might do. This would also include things like using the internet at home or the TV.

9. Limit your time on the internet or TV. We seem to have forgotten that there is more to life than TV and internet. When you cut back on things like movies you will be shocked how much free time you have. Try this as a test: On a day when you get home from work at a normal time, don’t do anything. Just sit and look out the window. No TV, no internet, no worrying about the kids, anything, just sit. You will realize there is a lot of time, but we just fill it with a lot of meaningless stuff.

10. Take some days to just relax. You can’t work efficient and effective if you are over working all the time. Take time to rest and relax without worrying about all the other stuff. You will be surprised how much you can accomplish when you are rested up.

We all want to become financially secure in our futures and one of the best ways is to limit the amount of money that we spend. However, this should mean that we can’t enjoy life. The key is to find ways to have fun without using a lot of money; something that has gotten harder to do with the raise in gas prices and just about everything else. But here is a list of 10 things you can do that doesn’t cost much. But don’t limit yourself to this list. Get creative, you’ll be surprised at the simple things you can do that don’t cost money.

1. A day at the park-by yourself, with your family, or with friends. If it’s a large group, make it a potluck.

2. Create a day of activities at home. From playing video games, listening to music, board games, or even hide and seek or dodge ball. These kinds of games aren’t just for kids. You will be surprised how much fun you can have with them. Somethings we never get to old for.

3. Take a walk though your neighborhood (this may not be a good choice depending on where you live). You can choose a destination or a direction. I prefer the latter as getting lost and seeing new places is half of the fun.

4. Go to the river or lake. Not only is it fun, but it saves on the electricity you would be using at home.

5. Study something new. You can do this online or go to the library. A new language, a new skill, cooking, or something you have always wanted to do. There are tons of free courses and books on all kinds of stuff and the benefit of accomplishing something new will make you feel great.

6. Read a book. This can be combined with going to the park or other places, but even sitting in a chair out side or in a hammock and reading a good book allows you to really relax and let your mind wonder.

7. Volunteer to help around your community, at schools, or even a friend working on their house. It may seem like work, but you can have a lot of fun doing it.

8. Go camping. Find a place that’s pretty close (so you don’t use to much gas). You don’t even have to go to a campsite. Someplace off the beaten path is even better. If there is no place like that you can even camp in your back yard. If you have kids they will think it is great. Create the right story for them and camping in the back yard can be an adventure. The secret is to refrain from using the house too much. I did this as a kid during the summer and loved it.

9. Spend a day getting a hold of old friends. You will learn all kinds of new stuff and they will be touched that you thought to contact them.

10. Do some of the above in “slow motion”. This one may seem a little weird and is actually really difficult, but can really be enjoyable. As you go through the day, take time to enjoy each sound, smell, and sight. We spend so much time rushing though our lives we never get to enjoy much of it at all. Don’t create any plan for the day (don’t sit watching tv either), but just have a general idea of what you might want to do and slowly work towards it. Don’t feel like you have to do anything or accomplish anything. Just try to live in the moment. This is really difficult, but it can be a quite unique experience. This one may be bear to impossible with kids. Just try to do as much as you can.

How many of us have given up on something that we love because we didn’t think we didn’t think it was possible. We got caught up in “real life” and decided that our dreams were nothing more than that. If you really love something then there is always a way. This man with no arms plays better than many I have seen with them.