Frog eating made easy

Time starvation erodes your productivity.
Ever felt completely drained of energy?
John Zenoni called it “stripped clean as a sapling”.
Most of your “to do” list not been touched?
Here are three tips to help you manage the muddle.
1. Just close your door.
Put a sign on it: “I’m busy. Come back later.”
Lock the door to keep the Time Bandits out.
Don’t let these jerks steal your day.
Work at home? Tell the kids you’ll be busy.
“Draw me a picture, honey, or write me a story.
“Give me an hour, then we’ll go shopping.”
2. Put everything in your in-box.
Nothing gets lost that way. Quit hunting.
Just sort the in-box and you’ll find it.
In fact, prioritize the in-box.
Put the really important stuff on top.
That way, you get to it at the start of the day.
3. Tackle the big frogs first.
Mark Twain advised swallowing a frog each morning.
If you’ve got two, swallow the bigger one first.
Mark meant tackle the big payoff projects first.
That's when you’re fresh and ready to work.
Don’t let the little stuff bog you down.
To share a time saver, click on “comment”.
For more time savers, email me.
My address is JerryBellune@yahoo.com

More time for yourself

Time starvation is one of life's great frustrations.
Top CEOs may have lots of executive assistance.
But even they don't have enough time for everything.
Working women have it worse than men.
They have to meet the needs of jobs, families, homes.
They shop, pay the bills, do the house and yard work.
They chauffeur kids to soccer practice, music lessons
Then they prepare dinner. They're exhausted by bed time.
Here are three solutions:
1. Make a written list of your priorities each day.
Many people suffer because they have no plan to follow.
Without a written plan, you're flying blind.
Nobody's memory is that good.
2. Schedule more time for each project.
Most people load up their list and then are frustrated.
They just can't get it all done.
Everything takes more time that you think it will.
If you figure it will take 15 minutes, make it 30.
Then if you finish early, take a 5-minute coffee break.
3. Learn to say no.
Most of us have more requests than we can handle.
It's OK to say "Sorry, but I just don't have time right now."
It takes discipline to do it.
It takes high self-regard to do it without feeling guilty.
If it's easier for you, say, "Let me think about it."
Often you won't be asked again.
After you've said "no" a few times, it gets easier.
Just do it.
To share a time saver, click on "comment".