I am Always Late

We already know that inability to manage our time properly and being unaware of the most effective time management techniques can cause being always late and making other people disappointed with this bad habit. Sometimes we fail to do the things in the most effective way and we tend to lose our time for doing something that can be done much faster. In the worst situation, we’re spending our time and efforts on trying to get everything done as fast as possible and fail to figure out what can be the best way to get everything accomplished on time.

Below, check out the list of 5 most common ways we usually spend our time in not too very effective way, that leads to stresses, inability to succeed and achieve, lower self-esteem, and…being always late.

1. You avoid asking for help. Most of us do not like asking for help of other people in order to feel being in total control of what we are doing. If you feel that you can do everything yourself, it may have an impression that you can avoid stresses and be more powerful. However, asking for help of other people can help you not only complete your job faster, but also receive better quality results, because other people can be more experts in something. For example, asking a stranger about a place you are looking for in an unknown area can help you save hours from searching the place you need.

2. You look for ways to do a job with less efforts. Sometimes we do not feel like giving out 100 per cent  of efforts for doing some task or a job, so we start spending our time for looking for ways to procrastinate, to avoid doing the job, or doing it half-heartedly and without any enthusiasm. At the same time, it is usually possible to mobilize all the efforts and do the job in no time, but we do not see that and spend days to procrastinate. Keep this idea in mind when planning your daily tasks and thinking over your time management abilities.

3. You are convinced that this is not your job. The above mentioned idea can be applied to this situation as well. Sometimes we think that this is not our job to do what we are supposed to do, and we’re spending days for thinking over who to delegate it to, or how to avoid doing it. Do not waste your time and be sure that sometimes even unrelated jobs can be yours to handle.

4. You spend so much time for useless emotions and talks. Getting involved in useless dramatizations or explanations always takes a lot of time, and an ability to organize your work with minimum talks, emotions, delays, or preparations, will help you save a lot of priceless time.

5. You do not take time to rest. It is a common notion that a good office worker must always be busy. That is why most of office workers quickly master the technoque of “looking busy”. That is why social networking or surfing the Internet are the most common activities in the offices which are not overloaded with work. However, remember that we all need breaks in order to maximize our efficiency and productivity. That is why taking 5-10 minutes of break every 2-3 hours is absolutely useful and normal, and such kind of short breaks will help you in improving your time management skills, will assist you in avoiding wasting your time and become a good tool to achieve more success.

We already know that inability to manage our time and plan the things we must do for a certain period of time is one of the most important reasons of tardiness and being always late. Effective time management is a very important skill which can make many people happier and more successful, and some specialists believe that learning to spend our time in the best way is even more valuable than the amount of money we receive. “People often make career choices based on how much money they envision they can make now or in the future. Surprisingly little thought goes into how they will be using their time — whether they can control their time, who they will spend their time with and what activities they will spend their time on,” says one of the specialists at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Below, you can check out 5 easy steps to making your time management more effective.

1. Keep your schedules under control. In our times of extremely busy life, both for children and adults, it’s very difficult to do the things we need to do even within 24 hours of the day. It is crucial to keep control on your time, create realistic schedules and avoid constant running behind the schedule. Also, taking a couple of minutes for relaxation, transcendental meditation or breathing exercises will help you in substantially enhancing your abilities to control your time and be effective and concentrated on your daily tasks since the morning till night.

2. Be attentive to your daily activities and responsibilities. It is very important not to try doing everything at once or mindlessly trying to complete this or that assignment, but choose carefully what you are going to do during the day. First, you should do the things which must be done this very day, like paying bills or making appointments at work. Then, you should plan other important things and activities, which are less urgent. Effective planning skills are crucial!

3. Learn how to “invest” your time in the best way. Consider that your time is your most valuable asset, which you need to invest very carefully and with a lot of consideration. Many will agree that time is even more valuable than money, and you need to learn spending this precious asset in the most effective way. Make the best choices and try to invest your time only in positive and constructive experiences.

4. Plan your being happy and successful. You should anticipate good times and get ready for your being pleased with your own achievements and incomes. By imagining good times in your life, you’re going to have plenty of positive emotions and activate happiness centers in your brain.

5. Connect only with successful and happy people. It is very important not to spend your time with those, who do not care about their life and prefer lazing and going with the flow. It is impossible to be happy and successful in the environment where everyone puts each other down. Therefore, look for the ways to spend your time with strong and happy people, who are proud of their achievements and are eager for more.

Your sister asked you to babysit her child, your boyfriend calls you every night and makes you listen to his mindless jokes, your colleague regularly asks you to cover up for her or help her to finish the report as soon as possible, your best friend is looking for a job and repeatedly asks you to talk to your boss about him. Isn’t this familiar to you? “No” is such a simple word, which, however, is sometimes very difficult to say instead of “I’ll be glad to help you!” How many times you have said “yes” and agreed to do something which is not important to you? In how many situations you should have said “no” but felt responsible or polite to the others? Tell me truly, was it always the best solution, to say “yes“?

One of the first rules for those, who want to learn how to prioritize, is to get rid of enforced things and “duties”. You should learn to say “no” in those situations, when the others try to force you to do something that is not in your plans or has nothing to do with your personal goals and values. Learn to set personal boundaries and protect your own sanity, otherwise you will soon feel exhausted and overloaded with your own issues and your “obligations” to help, to be there, to listen, to look after, and so on. Be selective and choose only the battles you truly want to fight for other people. Do not go with the flow, and only in such case you will be able to achieve your personal and professional goals.

Now, you can say “Wait! You want me to say “no” to my friends and people who really need my help in order to save my time? You want me to ignore their needs and earn a fame of a hard-hearted and ill-mannered person?” And I will say – “No!“This is the last idea I would like to promote, because in our daily life we do really need to help and support our friends and close people a lot. All I want you to understand is that saying “yes“to never ending non-critical daily demands that are re-placed onto your shoulders can take your attention off your own priorities, affect your chances to achieve success and limit your personal freedom to a great extent!

Certainly, reliable people who are always ready to assist and support are of a great value in any society, however, there must be limits. Moreover, frequently your friends do not seem to appreciate your readiness to help at any time. That is why you must learn compromise. Certainly, when it is really necessary and does not ruin your plans, you can babysit your niece one day or talk to your boss about your friend as a new potential employee. This way you will demonstrate your love and concern about your close people. However, if you can not do this by some reason, do not be afraid to say “no“, politely but assertively.

Our society is stricken with “a disease to please“, that is why saying “no” is strictly connected with certain fears of breaking down the people we love by refusing to help them, as well as fears of hurting someone’s feelings or being rejected for such behavior. The only way to prevent all these negative effects of saying “no” is to deliver the message in the most effective way. There are some tips for those, who want to master this effective technique:

• Do not accompany your “no” with weak and unrealistic excuses. Ask for some time to think over the request and find the most rational and clear supportive arguments for your negative answer.
• In some situations it makes sense not to say “no” directly, but use some verbal signs to demonstrate your negative response. However, if you know that the person you are dealing with can be too very insistent and will go on bothering you all the time, it is better to say a direct and assertive “no“. Moreover, for some people only aggressive “no” will work: “Are you kidding? Me, picking your laundry on Sunday morning while you are out of town?“
• Use logical explanations for your negative answers. Make a person understand that there is something more important to you than the request. “You know, I would gladly give you a lift, but Mrs. Hauer have asked me to pick her up, and you truly hate each other, don’t you?“
• Use non-verbal signs to show the person that you do not really want to do what is requested. Speak with a firm and assertive voice and look into the person’s eyes when saying “no“. Be honest and polite. Some of the best ways to start your speech are: “I’m sorry, but I must turn down your request this time because…” or “Oh, I wish I could help you now, but…“

Do not think that a refusal to give a hand to other people with their daiy duties is something to be ashamed of or feel guilty about. Saying “no” is an honorable answer! You and only you are the master of your personal time, and nobody else has a right to trench upon your time and use it for satisfying own needs. Learn to say “no” and be ready to hear “no” from other people as well. However, the effects can be really positive: you will be valued and respected for your “yes” and for your “no“. The main idea is to make people around you understand that saying “no” does not turn a person into your enemy.