Thoughts about Time Management:

• It's not how hard you work, but how smart you work. What good is it to work extremely hard when it accomplishes little? Working smarter means working on what you can do, and delegating things others can do.
• We either organize or we agonize. If we can learn to organize then we can become more efficient in getting things done. This in turn will save us a lot of time and frustration.
• We choose or we lose. If you don't evaluate, you will stagnate. Looking at where we stand is very important. To move to the next level of leadership we must evaluate our current situation.
• This issue is not "Will my calendar be full?" but "What will fill my calendar?" Success in planning is about scheduling your priorities, not prioritizing your schedule.
• Will my day be filled by my priorities or by the requests of others? As a leader there are certain things you can do that others cannot. When you fill your day with completing the requests of others you may not be able to get done the tasks that only you can do.
• Will I lead or will I react? When we lose control we are no longer acting as a leader, but instead reacting to the immediate. When we are determined to lead, reacting is not good enough. We need to be proactive and lead.

Making the Most of Your Time:

• Make "to do" lists: Write out what you want to accomplish.
• Set your priorities: After you make a list, find the most important things in that list and put them at the top.
• Avoid perfectionism: Don't aim to do something perfectly if it ties up too much time and paralyzes you from progress. Do things with excellence, but perfectionism may be an extreme you need to avoid.
• Question everything: Don't allow any "sacred cows" to keep you from eliminating items from your calendar and "to do" lists. If it doesn't work, get rid of it.
• Welcome tension: Stressing out about something doesn't' get you any closer to completing your goal. Have the understanding that tension is a part of life. Many times however, tension can actually improve your focus and enable you to complete the job more effectively.
• Avoid clutter: Clutter will just get in the way of what you are doing. Try not to waste time in searching for things. Have a place for everything, and everything in its place.
• Avoid procrastination: Don't just do what is fun first, get what needs to be done first, done first!
• Control interruptions and distractions and minimize the amount of time that people take you away from your main objective. Block out time to get away and pursue your priorities.
• Learn to read faster and selectively: Reading quickly as well as understanding what to read will give you more time to accomplish your goal.
• Use a calendar: Organizing your days and weeks will save you time, and help you organize your priorities.

How to Determine Priorities:

Below are three Rs. They will help you start to find out where your focus should be. Knowing your priorities then will help you schedule your time better. Ask yourself these questions and see if they help you.

• Requirement: What is required of me? When you feel overwhelmed by obligations, stop and sort out your "must dos" from your "choose to dos" Our obligations in life are the biggest priorities we have, but more often than not, you will find that you really do not have to do many things; you choose to do them. Simply ask: what must I do? What is required of me here?
• Results: What gives the greatest return? When sorting our priorities, ask the question: What brings the greatest results when I do it? You should spend most of your time working in the area of your greatest strength. He is a wise man who wastes no energy on pursuits for which he is not fitted; and he is wiser still who from among the things he can do well, chooses and follows the best. Find your gift and capitalize your time using it.
• Reward: What gives me the greatest joy? Finally, as you sort through your personal priorities, look of the element of personal fulfillment. There is deep satisfaction in doing what you are gifted, and perhaps even "called" to do. There is nothing easier than not finding time to do the things you don't want to do.

Checklist for making decisions

• Is this consistent with my priorities?
• Is this within my area of competence?
• Can someone else do it better?
• What do my trusted friends say?