Quick Tips - 5

Time…Do you have enough?

There are only 24 hours in a day. That's all you've got - no more and no less. We have conducted hundreds of self-management seminars for our consulting clients and have been asked, "What is the best way to manage time."
There are only three things you can do in a day- work, play, and sleep. Some people's work is other people's play and vice-versa. If you divide your day into manageable units of work, play, and sleep you will have a good chance for successful self-management.
Divide up the day into terms of how much sleep you need, how much play you need, and how much work there needs to be accomplished. Then use a subtraction process to see what time is left to manage or prioritize.
Subtracting from 24 hours of the prioritized activities, meetings, sleep, or play is the way to manage your day- not simply using addition by adding up all the things you need to get done. Franklin Field once said, "The great dividing line between success and failure can be expressed in five words, "I did not have time."

Your Ego…Maintain a Healthy Balance

Do you have a healthy ego? Or is it too strong or too weak? I believe you should have a healthy amount of ego. Some people give up their entire life for everyone and everything else. They have no self-worth or self-love. You can't love anybody until you love yourself. You can't take care of anyone else until you make sure some of your needs and goals are met. People with no ego are what I have termed in my latest book as "pleasaholics". They constantly try to please others. However, there is another side to this coin.
While a healthy ego is absolutely necessary, there are also people who are only interested in themselves. As Fredrick L. Collins quotes, "There are 2 types of people in the world: Those who come into a room and say, "Here I am!" and those who come in and say, "Ah, there you are!" People who are egotistical use way too many I, me, and my statements. They seem to need attention so they create it.
If you're to maintain a healthy balance and have others perceive it as such, you must practice using the correct words and expressions. For a true team involvement effort, try using the words "we" or "our". These words get everyone, including yourself, involved. It can be a struggle to carve out your place in life, but don't give up and don't take too much more than your spot.

Your Word

Do you trust what others say? As I was growing up, a person's word was as good as gold. If you said you would do something, you stuck to your word. Most people were taught this same principle. While this principle still holds true today, I've found a growing sense of mistrust. Some people go back on their word.
Our society has become complicated with contracts, written arguments, and law suits. We have people out looking for someone or something to sue. Is it still possible to deal in our society where a person's work is good? We believe it is!
While it is necessary to put some things in writing and clarify all points, we've been able to conduct business deals with a mutual exchange of our word and a handshake. Trust comes in living the golden rule on a daily basis. If you conduct your business, social, and family affairs in an honest manner, you will find others doing the same. If you spend your time trying to pinpoint all the details of where someone could be "getting to you", you will not make many successful interactions. Take necessary risks to operate some basis of trust if you plan on getting ahead.