Self Help Product Reviews Blog

I think you can tell by now, I've been on a bit of a time management kick. Hey, it's the New Year! What better time than now?

Anyway, I ran across some fun tips for getting SOMETHING done this month. From Real Simple. They called it 31 Ideas for 31 days, but I seriously doubt you could get all this done in one month - but scheduling one of these tasks per week will really make you feel like you got something accomplished. They also claim that each of these little tasks can be done in 15 minutes - I beg to differ on a few of them.

The website itself was slow to load and they chopped up the list to 4 pages, each one taking forever to load. Why? I suppose so they could get 4 times more advertising in on the extra pages. So I'll just give you a short list of MY favorites. You'll have to go to website to get the rest of the list.

1. Empty Your E-Mail inbox. 15 minutes?? I doubt it, but they suggest focusing on only a short time frame (like a week or a month's worth) at a time.

2. Take digital photos of all the valuables in one room for insurance purposes. Haven't you been meaning to do that forever?

3. Program 5 essential numbers into your cell phone. Duh! What a brilliant idea! How about that take-out place you call once a month and have to keep searching the junk drawer for?  

4. Restack the nesting bowls and Tupperware. Seriously, how irritating is it to NEVER find the right lid to right piece of Tupperware?     

5. Tighten those loose screws. You know, the drawer handle that wobbles, the pot lid handle that's loose. Just annoying, aren't they?

And my personal favorite:

6. Create a list of parties you think would be fun to throw this year. Then pick one and make it happen!

Those were my favorites - go find yours at Real Simple.

Okay, I'm off my Martha Stewart kick — seriously.

We all know that having a passion in life is what it takes to really succeed, don't we?

But it takes more than just having a passion - it takes action. And it takes goal setting.

I found a great site that measures different areas of your goal setting, time management skills, and your attitudes. It's really quite enlightening - and it's free!

This company (ThinkTQ.com) has developed a new training system that helps people achieve their goals sooner (personally and professionally) — by giving you the tools to immediately produce better results.  Their starter package costs nothing but 2 minutes of your time.

They are the ONLY people in the world who can show you…

   * What you are doing RIGHT — so you can do MORE of that…
   * What you are doing WRONG — so you can do LESS of that…
   * Exactly what you need to do DIFFERENT to accelerate your success.

To introduce their new product line, they are giving away 10 million audio CD training programs covering different areas of your performance: setting goals, making plans, team-building, organization, time management, your attitude, etc. 

You should get one before they run out! There's no obligation to purchase anything.

The idea is to simply choose one area of your performance, either a major strength… and make it stronger… or a limiting weakness… and eliminate it. Either way, this program focuses on personal improvement in a whole new way.

They have all kinds of simple on-line tests, assessments, workshops and a Daily Lessons in Excellence email training program that really works! I highly recommend it.

I went ahead and signed up for the free gift. You'll get to take the test, download several PDF books and worksheets and planners, and you'll get to try one of the audio CD programs (I think you have to pay shipping). It's quite an impressive list of freebies to try, plus the daily email is quite extensive. See a sample article on the left of this blog post.

I do think you'll want to check this out!

Think TQ

Is Time Management on the top of your New Year's Resolution List?
EVERY YEAR?

I'm constantly scouring for ways to be more productive, be more organized and manage my time better.

I've just come across a new FREE e-book that addresses my problem that makes sense to me. It's called

Time Management For Creative People by Mark McGuinness.

He really hit the nail on the head when he described a typical day filled with interruptions and distractions. And of course, we'll have to put "checking email" at the top of the list, don't we?

Although the book was written for creative types in mind, it really applies to anyone. Besides, which part of your job is not being creative - really?

I found this book well written and entertaining as well. He has taken the best of the best from various sources, including

Do It Tomorrow and Other Secrets of Time Management  

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity by David Allen

He also recommends some free software, one of which I'm definitely going to try.

If you're stressing out from not getting stuff done, definitely check out this great resource.

Here's an entertaining video from David Allen about time management:

GiGi