92 11th Avenue, Tauranga

1 Palmer Place, Te Puke

17b Commerce Street, Whakatane

Job Club Newsletter

...March 2010...

"Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there"

William Penn

Feeling distressed and / or irritable?  Tired and feeling run down?  Beginning to think that nothing you do is good enough?  Life is certainly not much fun anymore?  Putting off doing the things you know you should be doing?

The chances are you are feeling rushed.  Despite having more time-saving devices that any other group in the world, nearly 80% of Americans feel that time is moving too fast for them - and they have been saying this since 1830!

Developing effective time management techniques will not only help you feel more in control of your life, it will also pay off in your work.  Feedback from employers is consistently referring to the need for people who have the ability to meet deadlines, balance their priorities and keep on top of their workload - without getting stressed.

There are just three essential steps to effective time management: prioritising, scheduling and implementing.

Prioritising means being clear about what is urgent to get done, what is rather important; and what can wait.    Know what your short and long-term goals are, so that you can prioritise the activities that will help you realise these objectives and write them down.  You may choose to rate your priorities (A - tasks that must get done; B - tasks that are important and can get done after the A's; C's - those that you will get to later); to mark the most important tasks with an asterisk, crossing them off as they are accomplished and then marking the next set of priorities with an asterisk, or some other method that works for you.  The important thing is that you identify the best possible use of your time right now, and concentrate on that.

Scheduling involves allocating enough time to the priorities to allow you to accomplish them.  Some methods that have been successful for others is to block certain times of the day out for specific categories - studying, correspondence, exercise, etc.  Time mapping involves breaking your time down into segments and allocating a task to each segment.  Preparing a detailed 'to-do' list for the next day or three, and working systematically through the priorities is also a tried-and-true favourite.

Make sure you are realistic in your time estimates; and allow a time margin in case you need extra time.  Also, where you can, delegate.  Who says you have to do everything - remember a load shared, is a load halved.

Implementing - JUST DO IT!  Make a start, even if you have to break large tasks into smaller ones that you can chip away at one by one.  The important thing here is to focus your efforts, protect your time and space and remember to schedule personal time when you can get away from the grindstone and relax, have fun or just go completely crazy!  Take a tip from endurance racers - screen out the distractions, pace yourself and reward your accomplishments.

The Procrastinators Code

I must be perfect

Everything I do should go easily and without effort

It's safer to do nothing than to take a risk and fail

I should have no limitations

If it's not done right, it's not worth doing at all

I must avoid being challenged

If I succeed, someone will get hurt

If I do well this time, I must always do well

Following someone else's rules means I'm giving in and I'm not in control

I can't afford to let go of anything or anyone

If I expose my real self, people won't like me

There is a right answer, and I'll wait until I find it.

Burka & Yuen, 1993

10 ways to overcome procrastination

1. The knockout technique... the harder and more distasteful a task, the more quickly it would better be done.  Do it NOW!

2. The toddlers technique... small steps, one after the other.  Break the task down into tiny chunks and do one thing at a time.

3. 5-minute plan.  Take the task you have been putting off and work hard at it for 5 minutes.  Then... you can do another 5 minutes...

4. Work first approach!  Identify the most difficult part of the task and do it first.

5. "Remember Forgetting"  Whenever you remember a task you keep forgetting to do, to it - or at least part of it - immediately!

6. "Swiss Cheese" method.  Do anything at all connected to the task.  Gradually eat away at it until it becomes easier to do...

7. Self Reward.  Treat yourself when you have finished any difficult or onerous task.

8. Self Punishment.  Penalise yourself by going without or doing something you don't like until you finish the task

9. Cost-benefit analysis.  Make a list of all the benefits of finishing the task; compare it to the costs of continued procrastination.  Review the list regularly until the task completed...

10. Stimulus control.  Make as many changes in your environment as you need to - remove distractions, ensure privacy, become neater and have all your important resources on hand.

National Certificate in Business Administration and Computing (level 2).  Offered in Tauranga and Te Puke.  Learn how an office functions; accounting fundamentals, business communication and personal development.

Are you aged 16 - 18 ?

Did you miss your NCEA level one or two?

We may be able to help you complete the units you need in a friendly, fun learning environment that prepares you for work or further tertiary studies.

Phone Kevin on 577-0177 (Tauranga) or Shelly on 573-6465 (Te Puke) for more details.