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The absolute BIGGEST challenge that entrepreneurs, artists, authors and other creative geniuses that come to me for help is productivity. Some know they need help with time management techniques. Others are struggling but they haven’t discovered that poor time management is the source of their frustration.By asking a few questions, I zero in on the source of their misery, and evaluate whether they can benefit from the special time management techniques I teach. I just look for certain things they have in common.4 Things All Entrepreneurs, Authors and Other Creative Geniuses That Need Time Management Help Have in Common:- They are amazingly creative yet they feel like underachievers because even though they generate brilliant ideas with jaw-dropping ease, they struggle to act on them.- These “live-wire” geniuses are adventurous, ambitious and energetic. They’ll start a hundred projects, but then bog down because of indecision, procrastination or a feeling of overwhelm. – They search relentlessly for new time management tips and try anything to improve their time management skills regardless of past struggles, but standard, “common sense” time management techniques just don’t work.- Despite their best efforts, they’ve accumulated a never-ending To Do list (I call it their To Do “book”) and they’re frustrated with time management techniques that don’t work.These thrill-seeking rebels share another characteristic. Each was diagnosed with ADD or ADHD as a child, has adult ADHD, or exhibits many adult ADHD traits. Their brains work differently than most people. But, as soon as they turn on to my counter-intuitive time management techniques they experience a dramatic turnaround almost overnight.See, you have to understand that your productivity depends on your mental and physical energy. Yes, you produce less when you’re tired, but your energy levels fluctuate far more than you realize. How Your Energy Levels Affect Your Productivity- At times, you have ample mental energy. You can laser-focus on anything that interests you, you’re amazingly productive, and you keep going long after other people are exhausted.- Other times, you have plenty of physical energy, but your brain is also racing. You can’t concentrate. You’re eager to move and go through short (physical) tasks with ease.- You need time to recharge. Your brain isn’t a plough-horse, plodding sedately. It’s a racehorse, capable of stunning bursts of power and speed. Like a racehorse, you must recharge between races. – You also have your own unique energy fluctuations between these that create periods when you’re better at some tasks than you are at others.Your energy fluctuations follow an identifiable pattern. When my clients track their energy level fluctuations at work and at play, within a week they have an accurate map of their daily energy levels, and the pattern repeats almost identically from week to week. As a creative genius, you’ll always have many tasks on your To Do list! You effortlessly think up cool things to do or important things you should do. But you have to commit to do those tasks at a specific time by moving them from your To Do list to your agenda. Unfortunately, the large, unstructured space of your blank agenda often leads to indecisiveness and procrastination. Think of it as writer’s block for time management. A Time Management Technique That Will Add Productive Hours to Your Day and Cut Your “To-Do” List Down to Size GuaranteedYou need a way to categorize and prioritize your tasks. Traditional time management techniques group tasks by importance. But assigning letter and number combinations to signify priority loses its effectiveness when you have 47 “A” tasks, at least six of which are important enough to be an “A1!” Instead, you should group your tasks by the energy required.Now, here’s the secret to doubling your productivity and cutting your To Do list down to size. Use the map of your energy fluctuations to match tasks from your To Do list with a time when you typically have the ideal energy level for that task. Almost effortlessly, you’ll give your productivity a huge shot in the arm. Match your activities with times when you have the ideal energy type and level for maximum productivity doing that task and you’ll tear through your To Do list like a tornado.

Focus is a key component when it comes to time management. Loss and gain can be achieved when it comes to implementing the use of time management. Many individuals have heard of the “Pareto Principle”. Perhaps you have not heard this term used? It is the same as the “80:20 Rule”. This little rule actually makes a lot of sense when it comes to time management. It states that when an individual puts forth the effort to do something, and it is not managed appropriately in the terms of “time”, 80% of that activity will only produce approximately 20% of the results intended. Then, if you flip the coin, and do something that is managed appropriately in the terms of “time”, then it will produce 80% of the results with only 20% of effort put into it. This rule clearly outlines the fact that time well managed is time that is more productive.
Many individuals fail in the area of time management simply because their perception of this concept is out of line with what is appropriate. These individuals often view time management as a restrictive set of rules that must be adhered to or less negative consequences will arise. When this type of outlook is taken, it often results in failure. While it is important to understand that there are many core essentials when it comes to time management, these are not meant to be negative, but constructive. Some of the core essentials include scheduling time as appropriate and necessary, setting goals that are relative to the outcome that you wish to achieve, creative planning, and being able to prioritize appropriately.
When it comes to being successful in time management, it is important to know and understand that certain skills are required in order to succeed. Not only are these skills important to the success of time management, but they are also important when it comes to growing as an individual. These skills include the following:
- The ability to make decisions
- A high level of emotional intelligence
- Skills in critical thinking
- Multitasking skills
If you have a good grasp on the skills mentioned above, you are more likely to succeed when it comes to time management skills.
Time management can be included in every single aspect of your life. It is important to appropriately balance both your personal and professional life when attempting to manage your time. If you make a point to do this, you will be much more effective in every area. Many do not realize that it is actually necessary to take the time to make sure that there is a delicate balance between their personal time, as well as their professional time. If you manage one, the other will simply fall into place. Just remember, the secret to managing your time does not rest in the ability to stay busy, it rests in the ability to produce results in every single aspect of your life!
There are generally six areas that personal and business coaches focus on when individuals seek professional assistance for time management development. These areas include the following:
1. The Physical
2. Social
3. Career
4. Intellectual
5. Spiritual
6. Emotional
If you are attempting to increase your time management skills, it is important that you focus on these six areas as well. By doing so, you will find that it is relatively easy to accomplish all that you set out to each and every single day.
The following details steps that you can take in order to get a better grasp on your time:
1. First, it is always important to plan in advance. At the bare minimum, it is important that you carefully outline the things that you must do each day, prior to starting your day.
2. When planning your day, it is essential that you prioritize your tasks.
3. If you must, keep a detailed list of the things that you must complete during the day in order to ensure that you do not lose track of your time.
4. Learn to say “no” to commitments that you find will hinder your productivity and time.
If you follow the tips listed here, you will soon find that managing your time is a simple task.