From the course: Creating a Career Plan
Manage your time efficiently
- Time is a scare resource that all of us need to learn to manage. Prioritizing your time and using it efficiently are essential if you're going to successfully complete the projects that will lay the foundation for the career success you're after. An excellent way to become aware of how you use or waste your time, is to keep a written journal for just one week, noting in half-hour increments exactly how you spend that time. This time budget will give you a clear picture of your routine, after which you can make the necessary adjustments so you can increase efficiencies. In a way, you become your own efficiency expert. With your career goals in mind, you can now determine how to best use your time in order to accomplish those goals. As you adjust your time budget, allocate the bulk of your working day to the things that maintain forward progress. If it doesn't advance your career, devote less time to it, and avoid any behaviors or bad habits that get in the way of your commitments. When you get cold, your extremities feel it first. They're protecting your vital organs. If you think of your career as a sort of vital organ, it's the same process when you're prioritizing your time. Look at every activity you perform, and then decide whether it supports your career goals, or distracts you from achieving them. The real motivation behind managing time effectively and efficiency is this. You were given talents to share with the world. They are not yours to waste. They're to be nurtured, so that other people can benefit from what it is you have to offer. In fact, you have the potential to change lives. I worked with a college student who, after he analyzed how he spent his time, was somewhat embarrassed to realize how much of it he wasted on playing video games. It was literally hours every day. He told me, "I'm up to bigger things in my life "than wasting time on this stuff. "I need to grow up." He began focusing on his school work, and eventually graduated with honors. By becoming and staying conscious about how you handle time, you will develop new and very healthy habits. You are training yourself to become a marketing machine, doing everything you can at all times to deliver your talents and skills to the world.
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