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Time Management Quiz 
by Brian Hazell 

If you feel that you do not have enough hours in the day and that you cannot give enough time to those things that are really important to you, then you need to stop and take a long hard look at yourself and your life.

Spending the right amount of time at work and at home and at social events is critical to living stress free - and tired. This situation arises because people often have too many competing priorities and have not decided what for them is the correct balance in their life - at that time. The key is good time management.

Life changes and our priorities change - sometimes we have to give more attention to things that we would prefer not to be doing at that time. To put it another way: immediate priorities compete with more endurable goals.

What we can do is recognise this and plan a route to a changed situation. Even if we cannot change what we must give most attention to, the mere fact that we re-assess and confirm this (maybe only to ourselves) and then establish a timescale for future change will usually have a positive effect upon our morale.

If this is you, then stop, find half an hour and sit calmly - if appropriate with your spouse or partner - and address the following questions:

How much time do you spend on different activities? What do you value most - are you doing as much as you would like doing that?

How much time do you spend on "relaxation" activities, and then afterwards only feel like you have "passed the time" and wish you had done something else?

If when watching TV you sit and channel hop, then later you will probably feel that the time has been largely wasted. Do you do this at all?

Could you simply readjust your schedule to avoid spending time doing things you would not otherwise do? For example could you avoid traffic jams, or idling time whilst you simply wait for others?

Could you persuade others to adjust their schedule so that you can more easily align your schedule to avoid "dead" time?

Could you do chores differently, or at a different time, or with another person, or with some other distraction, so that they would feel a little more "fresh"? Could others help you - if you have children are they old enough to help you and would they benefit from taking some responsibility?

Could you rearrange jobs in order to do two things together?

Could you be better organised so that you save time - is your home well ordered or somewhat disorganised?

Do you delay starting some tasks because you do not like doing them . If so can you share that task with someone else, or could you do it whilst doing something else?

Do you feel that you have too little time to start and finish tasks, so do not even attempt to start? - typical signs of procrastination that can be overcome.

Are you in good physical condition? Getting sufficient exercise, sleep and a well balanced diet will improve your physical condition, which in turn will improve your general feeling of well-being.

Making individually minor changes to our day-to-day routines can significantly improve our situation. The examples I have provided are suggestons only. You should exanmine and tailor this to your own circumstances.

If this has struck a chord with you, don't just read and dismiss it. Commit to making some changes. A good start is to make an open declaration of intent - do it now!. 



With a UK Masters Degree in Internal Audit and Management, Brian Hazell audited strategic & business planning within a large UK Government Department and has managed successful businesses within UK legal & financial sectors. His book Time and Tasks Management provides detailed practical steps for radically improved time management for small businesses, team managers & individuals. For a FREE preview visit: => http://www.timeandtasks.com

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