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How to Master the Art of Doing it Now and Eliminate the Dread of Procrastination

Wouldn't it be nice if life came with an instruction book that told us how to overcome this problem? Well - guess what? It does and you are looking at the solution in this innovative online course.

The Procrastinator's Online Course

Start where ever you want – blast away procrastination, or learn strategies for the workplace or conquer your clutter or enjoy the section of lists (you will love them) or there even is a bonus section to help you if you have children who procrastinate

Work at your own pace

You can listen to audios or view video clips.

Read the text based on the best selling book, The Procrastinator’s Handbook

Write your thoughts and goals in confidential secured areas that will be kept on file for you -- or print out the lessons and keep them in a notebook for reading & writing

Check it out now at the website

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File it to find it – create a filing system that works for you

Someone asks for a copy of that document. Where is it?

You know you have the information for that presentation somewhere.

Or maybe you are fighting a losing battle to make sure the bills are paid on time, or your children go to the right performance on the right day. Can you find that information? Can you keep control of what has to be done when?

If we are to stay in control, then "Find" is the key word here.

And if we are to be able to find what we need when we need it, our filing systems have to match our finding needs. My needs are not your needs and your needs are not the same as someone else's, so the system has to be designed to suit you - not me, or someone else and certainly not the person who held the job before you.

Where to start

The best way to start is to look at all of your finding needs. You will discover that these can be grouped according to all the areas where you have goals. List those areas and then create a place for the material that relates to each. Think about the size of the material to be filed - its shape and the quantity. Define how often you will access it, where and when. These will all help you to define the container, its size and where you store it. Be sure to label the containers, on multiple sides, if necessary.

These containers may range from tiny boxes and manila or drop down folders right through to a compactus, but choose what suits you and the nature of the material you will file.

What to file

Basically you need to file those things that provide you with motivation, reassurance and information for current projects and that allow you to predict future needs or trends. You will also need information that allows you to manage things like finances.

Sorting

Your system will be your own, customized to your finding or retrieval needs, but some possibilities include

? By client and then by "current" or "past"

? By project and then by chronology or client

? Financial

? By subject,then subheadings, or client or project

? Alphabetical by, for example, name or code

? Sequential by, for example, invoice number or code

You may have separate areas for separate categories and you might use colour coding.

But do label everything and name it very specifically. It is very easy to forget what is in a particular container over time, especially if you only access it infrequently, so labelling is vital

In the end, the whole system must suit you. Your finding needs must determine your filing system.

(c) Bronwyn Ritchie is a speaker, writer, librarian and trainer and she manages Pivotal Points - resources for the times in your life when you pivot - change direction - towards a better you, a better life. For more tips and articles on organising and improving yourself and your life, visit http://www.pivotalpersonalbest.com

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Maximizing the Space in Your Office

How should my office be organized so I can be the most effective? Two main ideas to consider when answering this question are: what is your vision for the space and what is the function of the space? What do you want the office to look like? What purpose are you using the office for? If it is an office, then theoretically the function should be business related.

Next, go through all the items in your office and determine if they are consistent with the vision and the function of the space. For example, should children toys be in the office? Should off-season clothing be stored here? Some offices serve multiple functions. In this case, try to divide your office into zones. Keep the bill paying portion in one section and the scrapbooking section in another section. Any item that is not consistent with your vision and function needs to be evicted to other areas of the house, the trash, or donated.

Once you have evicted all items that don't belong, take a look at what is left. Then keep this rule in mind, "location, location, location". Items you use often should be within reach (desk top or desk drawers). Items you use once a week or less should be further away (lower desk drawers or file cabinet). Items you reference once a month or less should be even further away (file cabinet or book shelves or closet storage).

When you are deciding on new homes for items, remember to keep like items together. Notepad and pens and pencils near the phone. Mailing envelopes, stamps, packing tape grouped together in a mailing center. All active files in one location. Reference book in another location.

At this point, when you grouped your items together, decide if you need any organizing supplies to keep everything corralled. I hesitate to advise clients to purchase any supplies until they have purged and sorted their items and looked at the various storage containers they may already have in their home. Repurpose your items before you purchase new. Also, before you purchase supplies, measure! There is nothing as frustrating as purchasing containers that do not fit in the space.

Finally, decide on a system to maintain your office. I advocate stopping in the doorway on your way out of the office, turning around, and looking back. If your office does not look the way you want it to, go back, put files away, and then leave.

The above ideas should help you maximize your office space. You probably have more space than you realize.

Lisa Crilley Mallis the owner of SystemSavvy Consulting and the creator of the College Success Initiative. She has assisted many students, solopreneurs, and busy moms, increase productivity and decrease clutter. Visit http://www.SystemSavvyConsulting.com for more helpful tips.

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How to Set Priorities and Improve Your Time Management Skills

Time management tips about how to set priorities by time management expert, Peter Turla. Time tips and techniques on how to be more effective, how to better manage time, improve your time management skills, set priorities, and overcome procrastination

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World's best productivity strategy

We are all staring down the barrel of the same reality-- the clock is ticking and no matter how you look at it, we are approaching the home stretch of 2011.

You must consider the remaining 100 days of this year as a now or never opportunity to finish the year strong, to exceed expectations, and for some use it as a final chance at redemption.

Let's cut right to the chase, by looking at the results of your actions year to date, that REALITY tells you if you have been successful or not in achieving the goals you set earlier this year.

As it relates to your goals, your demonstrated actions have allowed you to be in one of three positions.

You have either:

1. Exceeded your expectations of what you thought you could achieve.

2. Met expectations of what you set out to accomplish.

3. Fallen below your desired expectations of what you wanted to accomplish.

Unfortunately, in today's economy, far too many people find themselves struggling and well below where they would like to be.

The GOOD NEWS is that regardless of the position you are currently in, you CAN finish the year strong, however you must do a few things in the manner presented in the next few paragraphs.

As someone who participates in or leads more than fifty strategy sessions per year, I'm well aware that we all began this year with great hope and determination.

I'm also well aware that many goals and plans fall far from being realized.

THE SOLUTION

So what specifically can you do in order to capture the brass ring? Work harder? Longer?

You don't stand a chance of succeeding with that strategy, yet that is exactly what the majority of people will do.

Why not do something entirely different, why not focus on saying NO!

Consisting of two letters and one syllable, the word "No"
can be considered to be one of the most powerful words in your vocabulary.

It's the easiest word for setting a limit, holding firm to boundaries, and being clear about what you will or will not do. It is a word of pure power that is both inner and out directed.

You will be a lot more productive once you recognize that:

1. "No" is not a dirty word, negative word, nor is it
a selfish word. Learning to say "No" is liberating as it frees up your time to focus on your key priorities.

2. You are in complete control of how you spend your
time and your life. Saying "No" allows you more time and energy to pursue your goals and wildest ambitions.

3. Saying, "No," increases the value of the things you
say, "Yes" to. Your success over the next 100 days requires a short "Yes" list, and a long "No" list.

The key is an awareness and prioritization of your "Yes"
list, and firm boundaries around your "No" list as QUICKLY as possible.

Saying "NO" is the most strategic decision you can make. You improve yourself, your family, and your organization's effectiveness--IMMEDIATELY!

"No" is empowering because it simplifies. You will succeed on the basis of what, where and how you say "no". And "NO"
allows you to get more control over your daily life and activities--IMMEDIATELY!

We need to say "NO", but we're not very good at it. In business we give it another name. "prioritization" or "strategic planning.

But then we get back to day-to-day activities and we quickly forget what we prioritized and planned. We end up letting the "no's" creep back in.

For these remaining 100 days of the year, you must resolve to give "NO" the strategic resolve it deserves and in the second part of this post, I'll share FIFTEEN simple, effective and empowering strategies (personal and professional) that you can use to get results--IMMEDIATELY!

In the meantime, you are invited to pass this note along to your friends and colleagues. Also, be sure to get your FRE*E Goal Setting Toolkit by going to:
http://bit.ly/rsoaWB

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A schedule that works – not just some days but every day.

Time Traps

by Todd Duncan

Productivity. It has been a buzz word in the business world for years. But despite our best attempts and countless self-help books, we still fall behind, work late, juggle our schedules, and become swamped.  Time Traps addresses the most common misconceptions we have about time and our use of that time in the marketplace. Duncan has proven remedies for universal time troubles, and he shows readers how to set a schedule that works-not just some days but every day. => http://bit.ly/eciXtd

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20 Surefire Ways to Organize Your Life [this year]

Ah, organization. It’s one of those states/traits/qualities we all strive for, but can sometimes be quite elusive – or even an exercise in frustration. But you know what? It doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, once you get your life organized in a way that works for you, it will be easy to keep it up, and in fact, you’ll find that you waste less time and stress a little less.

So what, really, are the best ways to get your life organized and keep it organized? Check out these 20 surefire ways to organize even the most hectic lifestyle. Implement them today and save your sanity tomorrow:

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Today's tip: the first of "10 Easy steps to blitz the paper problem"

Are you having difficulty finding documents when you need them? Are the stacks of paper getting out of hand? Do you find yourself apologising for your untidy desk?

Then it’s time to cut through the paper – blitz the problem. Too busy, you say, to even think about it? Let me reassure you that the time we save by not attending to it right now is being wasted in looking for that document, shifting stacks of paper to make room for more and in explaining or maybe justifying, why things got out of hand.

So let’s start with the first of ten easy steps

1. Visualise the rewards
• Time saved
• Feeling of wellbeing when we look at the tidy desk, shelves and cupboards
• No more lost documents
• The reassurance that accounts will be paid on time
• Always being in the right place for appointments and meetings

and you have your motivation!! Hold onto those images, they will support you as you go through the processes of decluttering.

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Productivity Engineering

Before I reveal the secret to becoming a consistently productive person, I have to debunk a myth about productivity. It's a myth that's so often repeated that many people still cling to it-even though it's rarely if ever effective.

You see, a lot of books and information products are packed with productivity techniques . . . as if the techniques, by themselves, could transform you into a top producer. But this simply isn't true. The fact is . . .

Techniques Alone Are Not Enough to Unlock Your Full "Productivity Potential"
Sure, techniques can help. But they're really not addressing the underlying issues.

The trick is not to fill your head with more techniques — it's to reprogram your mind so that work is no longer "hard" . . . but interesting and easy. So that you have fun getting things done. So that you stop causing self-induced stress . . . and begin working smoothly in the "flow" state.

The bottom line is, you must get rid of the limiting attitudes and beliefs you have stored in your subconscious mind and replace them with productive thoughts and habits.

This is why you cannot rely on traditional productivity techniques alone. You might make some progress, but you won't experience rapid transformation.

You don't need a new technique; you need a total "productivity makeover" to quickly transform you into the productive person you want to be. You need a shortcut.

So what's the secret to unlocking the most productive years of your life? I'll tell you . . .

The Secret Is to Eliminate Subconscious Blocks,
Create New Thought Patterns, and Harmonize
Your Conscious and Subconscious Mind
If all this sounds complicated, don't worry. It's actually far easier than you may think.

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The Secrets To E-Mail Nirvana

You crank up your computer every morning, click to your e-mail and--whap!--a slew of messages demands attention.

E-mail can be a great tool, but many misuse it, turning what should be quick, easy communication into a laborious, time-consuming management chore.

"Many people use the inbox as a to-do list, calendar and filing system," says Mark Hurst president and founder of Creative Good, a consulting firm in New York. "File some messages and delete most of them, but without a doubt, don't let anything stay in your inbox permanently."

Hurst says effective e-mail management is built on filters, filing and ruthless use of the delete key.

http://bit.ly/dapIXy