How will your week go this week?

Will it be fun or constructive or profitable or pleasurable?  How do you know?

Everyone knows that no two weeks are identical.  Some pleasures and some problems may exist through several weeks or months but the results of each week are quite different.  We just never know what is lurking in the next minute, hour or day – it’s a big surprise every single day we awaken and begin living the day.

Are we puppets?

To some extent we are.  There really is no way to predict what will happen to us during any particular 24 hours no matter how organized we are, no matter what great time management system we use and no matter how we “think” we control what happens in our world.

Why?

Because we simply cannot control everything in the world.  We can’t control other people.  People and events unfold in their own time and space.  Some people feel they can control people and events and their power is omnipotent.  Actually, it’s very limited.  They create a tiny sphere in which they have the illusion that they are “in charge”.  They are not.  No matter how long someone has been “in charge”, it’s finite and limited.

How can you make your week the best it can be?

Control what you can.  Calm down, smile and relax.

Watching the Masters this week-end, one young player seemed as though he was just having a game with his buddies during the four days of the competition.  On the last day, when the pressure was the most intense to win, the “wheels fell off” as they so often do in sports.  A sure thing can turn sour very easily.

The minute that tension is uncontrolled, it’ll “get you”!  Things you wouldn’t normally say or do, you say and do.  Like this young man, his weakness showed up as his mind let go of all it had learned and practiced during the weeks and months prior to the Masters.  A tendency towards directing a particular stroke showed up.  A massive lead disintigrated in minutes.  Once the negative mind takes over, the game is lost.

4 things you can practice every day, all day long to keep you on top of your game:

a)  take 3 deep breaths several times a day – don’t let tension build up. Put a recurring event in your electronic calendar to remind you every half hour.

b)  exercise every minute you can – take the stairs instead of the elevator, take your coffee “for a walk”, walk for 10 minutes at lunch

c)  have a picture on your desktop or on your wall or both which reminds you of relaxation – a beach you love, a mountain you hike all the time, your boat, a tent or campfire, etc.  Change the pictures often so you don’t stop “seeing them”.  Our mind gets used to something and we don’t notice it anymore.

d)  control the thing you can control – your mind.  Check your thoughts several times a day – how?  By what you’re feeling.  If you’re feeling dark and somber, your thoughts are negative.  If you’re feeling light and airy, your thoughts are positive.  Stay on the positive side – you can see so much more clearly from that vantage point!

Relaxation takes practice.  Tension no so much.

Little things you do consistently throughout the day, every day, will help you make your week the best it can be no matter what happens.

Lorraine Arams

http://www.wizetime.com

Here are three key components to effective learning which will, in the long run, save you time, money and energy.

1.  If you can’t understand the instructor, quit or change instructors.

I know that’s not always possible but it is so critical to your learning and absorbing the information as quickly as possible.  Often teachers know their material really well and they may even be famous for their work.  However, they just can’t explain it to others in such a way that others can learn from them.  It’s no one’s fault.  It can be a matter of style, language, temperament – a whole host of factors.

If you have no alternative than to remain in the course, then find someone quickly to teach you in such a way you can understand.   It can be a classmate, a friend, or someone else who has previously taken the course and passed.  If you don’t know anyone, advertise for a tutor.  If you can’t pay the fee, barter.  It’s imperative to get the right instruction otherwise the struggle to learn new material will be enormous.

2.  Apply the knowledge immediately.

If you can’t apply it to a job or a process immediately, then find someone who is willing to ask you questions.  Answering the questions out loud will tell you immediately if you have understood the concept or not.  The words will either flow out of your mouth easily and effortlessly or you’ll stumble through the explanation.

3.  Take care of yourself. Take care of your brain and body with the right amount of sleep, good food, lots of water and exercise.  The dividends from these three components will for a life time.

It’s true that sometimes you have a job with many overtime hours just to keep afloat or your study load is intense or you’re  an intern in medical school working several shifts in a row or in the military where you have manoeuvres for several days and nights in a row.  Obviously, there are “insane” periods of time in many people’s lives.  During those times, learning can be difficult.

For instance, would-be doctors must learn to work under intense pressure, under less than ideal conditions and still maintain the ability to think, reason and apply the medical knowledge they have garnered to help people in distress.

It’s especially critical at times like these to stay focused on yourself. Focus on sleep, eating properly, drinking a lot of water and exercise – even 5 minutes of stretching will re-energize and a 20-minute nap will refresh the brain and body,   the water will keep everything hydrated.  I know it may sound silly to be so self-focused under such extreme conditions.  It is the only way. Your brain and body are not computer components – they are human bodies which need the right kind of attention especially when trying to learn something new or applying what you have learned.

These three components will:

a) Save you time – you won’t have to study extra hours because you don’t understand the instructor.  You won’t need to re-learn material several times over if you apply it immediately and by taking care of yourself, you likely will remain healthy.  You know how being ill can set you back in your studies.

b)  Save you money – you won’t have to repeat the course and pay for the course a second time if you make a change immediately when you can’t understand the person teaching the course.  If you stay healthy, you won’t need to buy medications to help overcome an illness. And by applying the knowledge, you learn it well – you won’t have to buy additional books or pay for additional resources later.

c)  Save you energy – The right teaching will save a lot of energy because you won’t have to struggle so hard to understand the concept.  Applying the material as soon as possible is obviously a more efficient way to learn anything thus you’ll expend less energy.  And, of course, when you take care of yourself, you will have the energy you need to do the necessary learning – so much time is wasted “dragging” your body and brain around – take care of them as best you can.

Manage these three components well and you’ll see learning will be much easier and more efficient in the long run.  There is no question that these three components are critical to the human machine during the learning process.

Learn lots!

Lorraine Arams

http://www.wizetime.com

Three Tips on How to Learn Better and More Efficiently

As a lifelong learner, I’ve had to “squeeze” my education into some fairly tight time constraints at times.  I’ve learned some very efficient ways to learn and I’m sharing them with you in the hope that they will save you time and energy.

1.  As you read through, even your first reading, start jotting down notes and questions.  These questions will eventually become a list of good questions with which to study – some you’ll eliminate, some you’ll expand upon and some you’ll keep just as they are.  Throughout the course, pull these questions out at lunch time or during coffee break or riding the bus and answer them in your head.  It’ll keep the material fresh in your mind.

2.  For any new concept, write out 60 words explaining the concept – ONLY 60 WORDS. If you can explain any concept completely in 60 words, then you really understand it and it will stick your mind.  This does take several revisions of what you write the first time.  Your first attempt may result in 1500 or more words.  Keep cutting it down until you get to 60 words.  You’ll be amazed how effective this method is!

3.  Focus when you study - no music in the background, no email or Facebook or Twitter, no games, etc. – just you in a quiet environment focusing. Focus for periods of one hour at a time and then go for a walk for 20 minutes to let your brain process what you have just studied.  Study for another hour and take another walk for 20 minutes and process that bit. You’ll get more out of these two hours than you will  studying with distractions or sounds competing for your attention – your brain can only process one thought at a time.  You’ll be amazed how well you learn.  It’s not a good idea to study for more than 3 hours at a time.  With this method, a lot of time is saved and more information is absorbed in less time.

Hope these tips help you to learn better – they will certainly help your efficiency!

Lorraine Arams

http://www.wizetime.com

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Can you reduce your stress level with time management?

It depends.

If the level of stress is still manageable, then, yes, time management techniques can help.  However, when stress levels are acute, time management can, if not used properly, actually increase stress levels.

When I was in acute stress, I wanted a quick fix – I wanted relief from the intense pressure of stress NOW!  Of course, that’s not really possible unless a person is knocked unconscious or takes a sedative, neither of which address the stress issue.

However, even in acute levels of stress, it is possible, if you are willing, to give yourself some liberation from the intensity of what you are feeling.   If you are willing, then let’s start simply.

Here’s how:

1.  Get yourself a cup of tea or coffee, a pen, a big piece of paper, you date book . . . . and give yourself a break! That’s a good start since you likely don’t feel you can really take a break right now – that’s your first step into good, sound time management – taking care of yourself first!

2.  On the piece of paper, make five columns along the width of the paper:

• Things on my To Do List
• Is it necessary for me to do
• I can delegate it to
• Date & Time to be completed
• Schedule
  

3.  In the first column number and list every single thing you think you need to get done.

4.  Now comes the analysis part in the next 4 columns:

• Is it necessary for me to do – sometimes we feel we need to do everything but actual fact we don’t.  Be honest with yourself – do you really need to do it?  Why?
• I can delegate it to – when we’re stressed out, we don’t think clearly.  And we think it’s faster for us to do it all rather than get people to help.  It’s not!! That’s a story our minds make up because for every single thing that comes off your list that someone else at work or at home can do, gives you that time back. It could be that you think the housework has to get done.  It does – we have all have  it to do.  If you have an intense job and longer hours, then hire someone to do your housework for you.  A person concentrating on cleaning can get a lot done in 3 hours that might take you a lot longer!  Delegate chores to family members if you have a family and at work, delegate tasks to members of your team and your colleagues.
• Date and Time to be completed – your list now should be a lot shorter.  Put and date and time on each one when each one needs to be completed.
• Schedule - in your day book, enter the items to which you have assigned a date and time.
  

Okay, can you feel the pressure coming off a bit?  Likely especially if you have given yourself permission to delegate some of those tasks to other people – yes, other people can do things as well as we can or perhaps even better and we don’t have micro-manage them either! For someone under acute stress, this is one of the most difficult things to do!

Delegation means:  clearly defining the end results we want the person to achieve, giving them the tools they need, providing them with a deadline date and time and letting them accomplish the task the way they want.

For the next couple of weeks, I will be covering more stress and time management issues so stay tuned!

A site you might interested in reading is:

http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-management-topic-overview

http://marenda.biz/2010/01/how-to-cure-stress-3-ways-to-cure-your-stress/

Lorraine Arams
One place to start reducing the stress,
is to know what you want – start with goals
a complimentary system at http://www.wizetime.com

Whoever you are this is a must have time management video!

There are time management tips here for everyone – personally and professionally.  These are practical, respectful and based on the one key important time management principle – values!

It’s good for everyone to take at least one or two of these tips – it will help you save you at least some time somewhere in your life.

It’s over an hour long but worth every second. Think about how long it takes to read a book – and you won’t get this much out of any one book.

I have no doubt that you will get something out of this video – very valuable information!

Lorraine Arams

http://www.wizetime.com

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