Home Work

Although there are times when taking work home with you will be necessary in order to get the job done, it is generally not a good practice. Do not make a habit of bringing work home with you. It is a sign of either poor time management at work or being a workaholic. This is inconsistent with leading a successful, well balanced life. If you find that you are consistently taking work home with you, something’s wrong. Try to delegate the work to someone else, or organize your time more efficiently so that you can get your work done during normal working hours. You need to get away from work at the end of the day, both physically and mentally. Doing office work at home tends to be counter-productive, draining you of energies and alienating your loved ones.

It is also a dangerous habit because if you can’t get something done during the day, you’ll start to believe that “there’s always tonight”… It isn’t worth it.
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Behavior

Your behavior and attitude dictate the results you will get in your life. The key to forming good productive behavior is to form good productive habits and eliminate negative, unproductive habits. A habit can be formed, or eliminated, in approximately [21] days of persistent repetitive action.

Positive reinforcement is the key, whether you are working to eliminate a bad behavior, or trying to acquire a positive behavior. Do something to reward yourself for acquisition of a behavior that will improve your life. Do something for yourself when you eliminate a bad habit. Try not to punish yourself for slipping into old habits or failing to maintain good ones. Just simply get back on track and try to maintain the behavior you wish to adopt for approximately twenty-one days.

You have to make the change first. If you always do what you always did, you’ll always get what you always got.

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Transition Time

Transition time is that period of time between when you accomplish one task and begin another. The value of this transition time is enormous. Your ability to go from task to task without wasting time will go a long way in helping you to be successful. Unfortunately, many people waste too much time in this area. Avoid the tendency to take a break between activities. Upon reaching closure to one task, immediately move to another without delay. Press on. Keep your momentum up by moving from task to task without unnecessary delay. People who usually complain about not having enough time in their day usually have poor transition times between activities.
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Commute Time

Time is irreplaceable. Time spent commuting can be utilized efficiently by listening to motivational or educational tape recordings. Listening to the radio in your car can sometimes be therapeutic. However, there may be more productive uses of this time, including getting your thoughts in order for an early morning meeting, analyzing your personnel or business opportunities, or just mentally preparing for your day. For the very skilled, you can actually complete your educational goals by studying and preparing course work during your commute. This is not recommended for the average commuter as the consequences for not paying strict attention to your driving can be severe.
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Interruptions

The world steps aside for a man / woman who knows where he / she is going. Never walk into a day that has not been planned out in advance. Use some form of daily planner, whether it be a scheduling journal or standard diary. Have your day well planned out and stick to your plan. Before starting your day, review the goals & objectives you have for that day. Block out specific times in order to accomplish your plans. Be careful not to schedule too tightly. Give yourself enough time to prepare prior to an activity, and follow up after each activity. This will tremendously decrease the opportunities for unnecessary interruptions. Good planning will not eliminate all interruptions, but you can minimize them through good time management practices. Instruct your secretary to take good phone messages. Schedule time to return your calls before noon and just before the end of the day where people are less likely to want to simply chat. Set the tone by answering the phone, “How can I help you” or “What can I do for you?” If you are working on something important, it is a good idea to control the environment, so that interruptions do not break your mental focus or slow your momentum.
Boyer Consulting