The Ten Minute Manager

Time Management – Student Time Management

the_ten_minute_manager — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 11:50:40 +0000

With school starting up again, it is time to start hitting the books again. Even on the first day, it can start to be overwhelming with how much work there is to be done. The amount of homework and reading you are expected to do now seems to always be increasing. Here are some great time management tips for students that have really helped me all the way through professional school.

1. When you sit down to study, schedule everything that you will do. Don’t just sit down with books in front of you. Make a list of what you need to do…..read the full article here.

Time Management to Effective Study

the_ten_minute_manager — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 12:18:07 +0000

By Paolo Basauri

One of the most valuable skills we can learn is time management for effective studying; this is something that we frequently neglect until we are in college and see its importance.
Here you will find quality tips you can start implementing to your life if you study.

Make a plan. A periodic schedule is unbelievably helpful when it comes to studying. You should build the habit of taking note of all your tasks, this way you’ll be able to finish them in the time you have available…….read the full article here.

When Stress is a Good Thing

the_ten_minute_manager — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:33:17 +0000

Stress can be good? No way! It’s true. Sometimes stress is a powerful motivator that propels us forward to great things. Find out how stress can actually work in your favor.

Stress has always carried a negative connotation. If you are stressed it is often because of a bad situation. But, there are a few times that we are glad for the stress response.

Good instances of stress can be termed, eustress. The prefix “eu-“means “good.” It is a name given to stressful situations that bring about good results.

For instance, let’s say that you are getting ready to make an important speech. All eyes will be on you and you want to do well. The stress accompanying this task causes you to focus on the speech and nothing else. As a result, you practice until you are comfortable with the words and relax to be able to deliver it.

The same goes for a big competition. Your nervousness leads to more intense practice sessions to get you ready. Your pulse quickens but it strengthens your resolve to do your best.

Any time that stress is related to physical activity it produces endorphins. Those who are involved in practices and big sporting competitions reap the reward of good feeling endorphins from the physical exertion. The endorphins make us want more of the same to keep us in that feel good mode.

Have you heard of the fight or flight response? It is what happens when we are scared or confronted by someone who may want to hurt us. Adrenalin is released. Our senses become more acute as the body prepares to hit the ground running or stand and fight.

In those moments, our basic instincts take over and we are primed for the best response in the situation. You hear about extraordinary situations where people have lifted cars off of their loved ones who were hurt in an accident. Or, someone thinks to use their cell phone to call from the trunk of a car when they’ve been kidnapped.

People wonder how someone can think of those things but it is the fight or flight response that occurs when we are in the midst of those harrowing experiences. This response extends to people like hostage negotiators who talk a kidnapper into releasing his hostages or the doctor who is performing emergency surgery to save a person’s life.

Good stressors abound in our lives but often go unnoticed in favor of the unhealthy stress. A dose of good stress can save our lives. Cultivate good stress in your life.

Stress Tests for Your Health

the_ten_minute_manager — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:54:52 +0000

Stress is a part of our everyday lives. We already know this so why do we need a test to tell us so? Stress tests are more than a litmus test for determining if you have stress. They evaluate the body’s responses to stress. In other words, they tell you how your body is dealing with stress.

We all experience stress in some way. How do we respond to it? Some people cry, shout, scream, or just give in to the situation. There are many ways to view a stressful situation, but unfortunately they are not all good responses.

When our stress is bad enough or consistent enough, it affects our bodies in negative ways. We don’t always pay attention to what our bodies are saying to us. It’s like our heads know better than the rest of us so we just keep pushing on until our bodies have had enough and begin to retaliate.

The point of stress tests is to find out how our bodies feel before they go postal on us. Since we won’t listen, the doctors and clinical psychologists will. There are a variety of stress tests that people can take part in to determine how their body handles the stressors around them. The results of these tests can then assist in helping to deal with them in more positive ways for both our bodies and our minds.

Physical Stress Tests

These are the most common stress tests. Most involve the affects of stress on our hearts. Let’s face it. If the heart isn’t happy, we won’t be long for this world. The heart pumps blood throughout the entire body and to the lungs where our bodies exchange carbon dioxide for oxygen.

During a stress test, the participant walks on a treadmill or, in some cases, rides a stationary bike. During the test, a clinician monitors heart rate and blood pressure. This exercise stress test can indicate if you have problems with your heart that can be caused by stressful situations. People who learn how to manage their stress will usually perform better than those who have no outlet.

Other Stress Tests

Another physical stress test is the Thallium test. This involves injecting the patient with radioactive isotopes of thallium to test for blockages in the blood vessels of the heart.

A Barium test is performed to evaluate stress on the digestive system. When we are under stress, the stomach empties slowly but the colon empties faster than normal. Conducting a barium test over time will show how the digestive system is being affected by stressful situations in your life.

Mental stress tests are conducted by a psychiatrist or psychologist. Through a series of pointed questions and responses to photographs, it is determined what type of personality you have. Based on that, your profile will determine if you are more or less prone to stress and how to manage it.

Stress tests are one way to determining if stress is negatively affecting your life. Some people don’t even know that their bodies are suffering under the weight of stress until something catastrophic happens. Avoid unnecessary pain with a stress test.

Gregg Zban is a General Manager with Coca-Cola Enterprises and has created a website dedicated to better time management in business, with family, at school and more.

To learn more please visit http://www.choice-time-management.com

For freebies please visit http://www.GreggZban.com

5 Tips for Handling Conflict

the_ten_minute_manager — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:49:13 +0000

If you live long enough you will experience conflict. The chance that everyone will like us or get along with us is very minimal. Inevitably we will disagree with someone. When this happens, handling the conflict with a level head avoids stress and keeps the chance of the conflict escalating less likely.
Handling conflict does not have to be confrontational in the classic sense. When someone mentions an altercation we think of the showdown at the OK Corral. Coming into the meeting ready to fight is not the best way to handle a conflict.

Conflicts can occur at any time. You could be in a grocery store and the cashier may act rude as they ring up your groceries. We’ve all had that happen at least once, right? The first reaction is to slam the money on the counter or to snap back at them. In that instant we have taken their problems as our own and created a stressful situation that changes the tone of the rest of our day.
Here are five tips for handling conflict. They work for coworkers, family members, friends, and even strangers. You never know when the proper response to a conflict could save your life or someone else’s.

1. Think about the situation. We are quick to respond when someone says what we don’t like. Take the time to breathe before responding. In that breath replay the words spoken.

2. Make the hard decision. In many cases, the conflict that arises is not the first of its kind. Harsh or offensive words or deeds could be a recurring theme in the relationship. Decide if this affiliation is worth saving or if it is time to cut the person loose. Leaving the association could result in a lost friendship, a divorce, or changing jobs. Sometimes, for our own sake, these things are better in the long run than staying in a bad relationship.

3. Wait a day. Don’t respond right then. Give yourself time to talk over the situation with a trusted friend. Maybe you overreacted. Sometimes, a third party can see something that you missed in the heat of your anger. In these cases, apologize where necessary. If the consensus is that you were wronged, then bring the matter to the attention of the other person with a level head not a hot one.

4. Find a solution. A common conflict, especially among spouses could result from wanting to make a purchase that there isn’t enough money for. Instead of brooding, come up with favorable solutions that could get you what you want or need. Get a second job to earn the money.

5. Apologize if you were in the wrong. Just because something is true doesn’t mean that it has to be said. Telling someone that they are wearing a dress that is too small for them is not a positive way to help them lose weight. Understand how it could be offensive to them and apologize. Better yet, stop and think before you respond in situations such as these. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes before hand. Part of resolving conflicts is realizing our role in it.Facing confrontational situations is not easy. But, it is not inevitable and sometimes it has to be done. Learning conflict resolution techniques can alleviate the stress of these situations.

Gregg Zban is a General Manager with Coca-Cola Enterprises and has created a website dedicated to better time management in business, with family, at school and more.

To learn more please visit http://www.choice-time-management.com

For freebies please visit http://www.GreggZban.com

The Best Time Management Strategy

the_ten_minute_manager — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 22:34:04 +0000

By Dee M. Foster

The most precious gift or the most valuable thing we all possess is time. More valuable than all of the money in the world, time is what we all have been given equal measures of. Time is truly a gift from God. The one thing that we all have in common no matter what our station in life is the amount of time we have been given each day. The best time management strategy really starts with how we view the use of our time.

My question to you is how will you use your time. Will you spend your time or will you invest your time? When you spend your time, you merely waste your time on low value activities that don’t do anything to add value to your life our the lives of others……read the full article here.

Effective Time Management and Goal Setting For the Overwhelmed Entrepreneur

the_ten_minute_manager — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:12:07 +0000

By Dali Burgado

Time Management…

What emotions do these words evoke? How’s that phrase make you feel?

If you’re an overwhelmed entrepreneur chances are it doesn’t give you the warm fuzzies!

Whatever it is, one thing is for sure; not all of us are born effective time managers!

Most of us wish we had 25 hours, or more, a day to fit our “to do’s” in.

However, it is actually very possible to get MORE done in LESS TIME when you focus on being effective or simply prioritizing those “to do’s” instead of cramming them in this elusive thing we call “Time.”

If you think about it, and dig a little deeper, time management is a mere figment of our imagination!

Effective Time Management EQUALS Effective Goal Setting

In essence, time management for entrepreneurs is all about focusing on developing effective goal setting skills in order to make the most of the time that is available to us (just 24 hours)!

To become more effective at time management an entrepreneur must ask him or herself:

“Do I have the focus, clarity and purposefulness to know what activities I should prioritize in order to help me move forward in reaching my business and time management goals?”

If we were to:

Prioritize

Limit

FocusWe would be effective time managers.

Prioritizing, limiting, and focusing on just a few things helps us feel more accomplished and productive as well as helps us move forward in reaching our business goals.

BUT the million-dollar question then becomes…

HOW do we become effective goal setters?

How do we develop that sense of purposefulness so that we become entrepreneurs who manage our time effectively?

The answer to that is: Find YOUR PASSIONS and know your STRENGTHS!

Before setting goals, we must first ensure that we are truly following our own passions!

If you know what you’re passionate about, awesome (just skip to next subheading)!

If you don’t know what you’re passionate about, ask yourself the following questions.

1) What work/activities get me most excited?
a. Could it be serving others by marketing a particular product or service?
b. Is it a physical task like instructing others?
c. Would I like to work with others locally or globally? (Offline, Online or both!)

2) What am I best at? What skill sets are my strongest?
a. Writing
b. Public Speaking
c. Instructing or Teaching?
d. Coaching?

3) When am I MOST excited about using my talents and time effectively?

Once you know your passions and what your strengths are you can develop clear and effective goals.

Effective Goal Setting Tips

Your next step is to list the action steps it will take for you to feel fulfilled and accomplished with your goal.

Action steps could include:

Building more business relationships locally (i.e. by attending networking events).

Networking online and developing connections with others who are where you would like to be (i.e. actively participating in social networking communities).

Creating Internet Content so that others find you (i.e. articles like this one, video etc).Next, list how you would go about each of the above.

Once you have those action steps written down, focus on one or two sub-goals for the next 30 days that will help you make progress! So, while you are focusing on that one sub-goal the next 30 days, your activities will be super focused and centered on those few action steps that are going to get you closer to your larger goal – making you effective at goal setting and time management!

Does this make you feel better?!

Fellow entrepreneur, once you have that clear passion, vision, goal and focus, you can begin to concentrate on a few activities every day that will move you forward and make you feel like you are effective at goal setting and time management!

AND, in fact you WILL be!

See, “managing time” is just a figment of your imagination!

Now my entrepreneurial friend, do you feel better about the phrase, “Time Management”?

Ready to Fine Tune Your Time Mangement skills? Go to http://www.squidoo.com/timemanagementforentrepreneurs for more valuable information on becoming an effective time manager.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dali_Burgado
http://EzineArticles.com/?Effective-Time-Management-and-Goal-Setting-For-the-Overwhelmed-Entrepreneur&id=1405514

Time Management – Is Time Really Wasted?

the_ten_minute_manager — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 16:31:47 +0000

By Louise Manning

The UK Learning and Skills Council had surveyed 1600 adults and over half identified that they were wasting two to three hours a day on certain activities including “waiting for children, partners or colleagues, queuing, gossiping, being stuck in traffic jams, or shopping”.

My first question would be whether many of these activities are actually “wasting” time. Creating communities are all about supporting others. If a community or family is going to work then someone has to be the one who listens when people are in need, supporting those who maybe don’t see the impact of their actions until afterwards and who ensures that the fridge and food cupboard are full of food, laundry is done etc etc. The problem is that the people interviewed did not see the “value” of those activities rather they deemed them wasting time. Rodin said that “Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely”.

I too get stuck in traffic jams spend time waiting for children to finish their sporting activities, get stuck driving from one place to another but these are some of the things that I do to make effective use of time:

1) Identify the top 20 things I need to do today and put all the others on a back-burner – priorities may change during the day but I don’t allow others to set my priorities for me.

2) Answer emails in my own time – don’t make emails decide the day for me. I always try to recognise if someone has tried to off-load one of their responsibilities by pressing the send button.

3)Identify the work that I can take with me (lessons learned from doing a PhD – I always had an academic paper with me – work that I had to edit and did five minutes here and five minutes there. The paper got rather moth-eaten by the end of the week, but page by page I got through the work I had to do).

4) If you are in a traffic jam – get off the road – get a coffee and do some work that you have brought with you or have an hour for yourself . When you get back on the road the traffic is better and you may still get home at the same time.

5) Put some podcasts on a CD and keep it in the car; or an audio book. If you get stuck in traffic then pop in the CD – you will learn something and not feel that the time has been completely lost.

6) Don’t feel you have failed if you haven’t completed all your tasks in one day … for most tasks it doesn’t really matter. You will know the ones where it does.

Is spending time in the car talking to your children about their day really a waste of time?

Is sourcing nutritious food for your children really a waste of time?

Is sharing a problem with a colleague or partner so that they can solve it – really a waste of time?

Time is about perspective after all H. Jackson Brown said “Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein”.

http://thehumanimprint.typepad.com/the_human_imprint/2008/08/time-management.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Louise_Manning
http://EzineArticles.com/?Time-Management—Is-Time-Really-Wasted?&id=1416838

7 Self Introduction Strategies For a Successful Interview

the_ten_minute_manager — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:51:22 +0000

By Perry Jones

Fresh out of college? Recently laid off? Re-entering the work force? You can gain an advantage over those dozens of other qualified people interviewing for the same job by using these 7 Self Introduction Strategies for a Successful Interview.

In any interview you want to present yourself as a skilled and knowledgeable professional who is a great team player and enthusiastic about the company and the position for which you are interviewing. These self introduction strategies will help present you in the best light so that you stand out from other interviewees……….to read the full article click here.

http://millionaire1000.com

http://resultsbyjpnelson.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Perry_Jones
http://EzineArticles.com/?7-Self-Introduction-Strategies-For-a-Successful-Interview&id=1451388

Empowerment of Employees can Create High Performance

the_ten_minute_manager — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 14:26:39 +0000

by Christine Casey Cooper

Case Study – Many years ago an engineer was designing jet engines. His company was developing new technology and to create products that would attract attention worldwide. As was usual practice, he was assigned a bright new person. The protege happened to have a computer program ready for application in fracture mechanics, which was relatively new at the time. [This technology assumes a crack or internal defect in material, and predicts failure after so many cycles of stress.]The engineer found a good application in welded assemblies. On many occasions in the past he had been called to the x-ray lab to review films showing internal defects. The usual recommendation was to grind out the defect and re-weld, a laborious process. Using the new method introduced by his protégé, they were able to justify proceeding without laborious rework of welds, a great cost savings. The engineer encouraged making this part of the analytical package; the boss agreed. The protege was also instrumental in translating complicated mission profiles into usable simplifications that were valid.

This got the attention of an important customer, The US Air Force. They started applying it to aerodynamic structures. This advancement would not have happened without employee empowerment to apply new and creative solutions.

Levels of Empowerment – Employee empowerment starts with encouragement. Employees are coached to play a more active role in their work. Employees should develop into active rather than passive players, showing more initiative. Next, newly empowered employees take responsibility for doing things in increasingly better ways. Process improvements can be introduced to streamline the product or services. Then empowered employees are enabled to make more and bigger decisions without seeking approval from the manager. Start with small steps and encourage bigger steps as experience grows. In time benefits will accrue: getting closer to the customer; improving service delivery; innovating continually; increasing productivity; and gaining the competitive edge.

Encourage stepping out into new areas – World class companies are characterized by managers who cheer their talented workers into higher levels of performance and inspire them to great achievements, which can’t be accomplished without employee empowerment. If empowering the employee requires procuring new hardware and software, then the manager should facilitate the change. In this way dreams are transformed to reality, and progress can be made towards high performance products produced at lower cost. One example is inertia welding, which has been applied to metal and plastic parts, too. Fasteners are eliminated, and parts take on a smooth modern appearance. This important improvement was made possible by an empowered employee who was allowed to be creative.

An empowered work force is an informed work force – Your team must be informed of company goals and plans on a regular basis. ‘Left in the dark’ is not a term used by the empowered employee. In like manner, the individual will continually inform his team mates and management what he is doing and what he is expecting from certain developments. This may trigger helpful suggestions from team mates. One employee that is having trouble with a specific detail may find the answer from a team mate. Many project execution tools can inform team mates and uncover and identify problems. Even more basic is a dated progress narrative that shows accomplishments, problem areas, and tentative means of solving the problems.

An employee empowerment system can be expressed with the following steps:

1.Provide an inspiring vision and launch a crusade.

2.Help people connect their personal goals to business goals.

3.Create an environment where continuous innovation is part of the culture.

4.Encourage entrepreneurial creativity and experimentation.

5.Involve everyone, empower and trust employees.

6.Coach and train your people to greatness.

7. Encourage teams and build teamwork, use the leverage of diversity of experience.

8. Motivate, inspire, energize people, and recognize achievements.

9. Encourage risk taking.

10. Make business fun.

About the Author

Christine Casey-Cooper is a leadership coach an author of the satirical book The Crass Captain’s Quick Guide to Management Dysfunction. Visit http://www.CrassCaptain.com for leadership and management advice, and some bad boss advice from the Crass Captain.