Useful Resources

Sunday, November 28, 2010

How to Find Time Management Games




Are you looking for a fun and exciting way to make better use of your time? If you regularly find yourself late for meetings or missing important deadlines, you may need to improve your time management. Although the playing of games isn’t always associated with putting your time to good use, it can be.





As great as it is to hear that time management games can help you learn how to make better use of your time, you may be curious as to what they are. Time management games are like most traditional games. The only difference is that you have a limited amount of time to finish the game. For example, a popular time management games is that of Tetris. With this game, blocks fall from the top of the screen and you must align them in the proper way until the screen fills up with blocks.





As for why you should play time management games, there are a number of reasons why. For starters, most time management games are fun to play. In fact, that is why some individuals deem them a waste of time because may say that learning how to manage your time should be work, not fun, but that doesn’t have to the be the case.





Another reason why you should play time management games is because they can help you learn how to quickly think on your feet. This can help you with a number of different situations, including emergencies. In fact, stressful and unexpected situations are where many individuals waste the most time.





If you are interested in using time management games to your advantage, you will first want to check your computer. If your computer comes preloaded with games, which many modern computers now do, you may have free time management games already installed on your computer. Just look for games that have set deadlines for you meet. Even games with trial periods are nice, as they can help you save money incase you don’t end up liking the game in question.





The internet is another great way to go about finding time management games to find and play. In fact, many time management games can be found online free of charge. With that said, there are some gaming websites that you charge you a fee, but you may first want to find free online time management games. Playing games online is nice, as there are no software programs that you have to install on your computer. These online games can easily be found with a standard internet search.





Speaking of performing a standard internet search, you may want to search with the phrase “free time management games.” You can also find online gaming websites. These are websites that list all sorts of games for you to pay. You can browse through the games yourself to find the time management games that you like the most. Finding time management games on your own can take a little bit of time, but you never know what other fun and exciting things you can find in the process.





In addition to games that you can find online or games that are already installed on your computer, you can also buy software for your own time management games. When you do so, you should receive a CD and an instruction booklet. Whether you buy these items in one of your local retail stores or online, the CD will need to be placed in your computer and then installed. Since you are buying a software program, as opposed to finding free games online, be sure to read reviews or examine trails first. This will help to make sure that your money is well spent.





Since you now know how you can go about finding time management games to play online and to buy, you should give them a try. As a reminder, there are a number of benefits to playing time management games. The best being the ability to quickly think on your feet.


Saturday, November 27, 2010

The Danger of Not Managing Your Time at the Office




Are you employed? If you are and if you work in an office setting, do you know how to make good use of your time? If not, it is vital to your success and your financial standings that you start doing so as soon as possible.





Unfortunately, many individuals do not know the many consequences that they may face if they don’t perform their best at work. Even if you have been able to slide under the radar before socializing with coworkers or surfing the internet, your time of just messing around may soon come to an end. This is because more employers realize just how much money they are truly losing with employees who don’t know how to manage their time.





As for the dangers of not properly managing your time at work, you are less likely to stay focused and on task. If you do not understand the importance of managing your time at work, you are more likely to get distracted, which may delay an important project or prevent you from meeting a deadline. This, in itself, can have a number of serious consequences. In a professional workplace, you shouldn’t miss a deadline unless you have a good reason for doing so.





Another danger of not managing your time is that you are likely to get unorganized easily. In fact, did you know that organization and time management go hand in hand? If you do not know how to properly manage your time, you likely rush to complete simple tasks, such as putting away important files. This will likely result in errors. However, when you later go to find those important files or documents, they may not be where you thought. This may result in you wasting time searching for them.





Although you may not necessarily think about this danger, it is still important to take into consideration. That danger is setting a bad example. Many individuals do not understand the ripple effect that most workplaces have. If other coworkers see that you are able to waste your time, either by socializing or playing computer games, they may try to do the same, especially if you are able to get away with this type of behavior. You may unintentionally endanger a whole office or company.





Perhaps, the biggest danger of not knowing how to properly manage your time at the workplace is putting your job at risk. As previously stated, many business owners are realizing just how much money they are losing on poor performing employees; therefore, many are starting to take action. You may receive a warning first, but there is a good chance that you will lose your job. After all, why should a company pay you to not work when there are hundreds of other men and women out there who would love to have your job?





If the possibility of losing your job wasn’t enough, it is important to take into consideration what can and will likely happen with your good name. If you are terminated from your job, chances are you will find it difficult to find a job in a similar position. This is most often the case if you had a good, well paying job, such as that of an office manager. Many high paying positions require recommendations and job references. If you get terminated from your position, these will be hard to come by. In fact, instead of not giving any comment at all, you may end up getting a bad recommendation!





The above mentioned examples are just a few of the many ways that you may end up suffering from poor productivity at work. The good news, however, is that you may be surprised just how easy it is to change your ways. Whether you choose to create daily to do lists for yourself, use a computerized day planner, or learn to better prioritize your responsibilities, get started with doing so as soon as possible.


Thursday, November 25, 2010

How to Teach Your Children About Time Management




Are you a parent who is interested in teaching your children the importance of time management? If you are, good for you. Time management is a skill that all children should learn, as it may have a significant impact on their future. Unfortunately, many parents do not take the time to teach their children the importance of proper time use. In fact, some parents don’t even realize the importance of time management themselves.





Despite the fact that you are certain that you want to teach your child the importance of time management and ways that they can manage their time, you may be unsure as to how you can go about doing so. The approach that you decide to take should depend on your child’s age. Please continue reading on for a few helpful tips.





For toddlers and preschoolers, you can use a timer, like a kitchen timer. This is a fun approach to take, as you are essentially creating your own time management game. What you can do is time your child while they complete an easy task. These tasks can be anything from cleaning their room, getting ready for bed, getting washed up for dinner, and so froth. Just make sure that you set a timer with enough time for your child to reasonably do what you are asking of them.





With toddlers and preschoolers, it is important to remember that your child is still young. It isn’t always a good idea to discipline them for taking longer than you expected them to take. Just be sure that you talk to your child about picking up their speed and give them easy to understand tips on how they can go about doing so. At this age, be sure to reward your child for beating the time. This reward can be a simple praise, a hug, or a sticker.





As for elementary school aged children, a timer can still be used, but some children do tend to outgrow this approach. Just be sure to talk to your children about time management, its importance, and the consequences for regularly being late. At around the age of eight or so, children are better able to understand what happens when they don’t make proper use of their time.





For teenagers, it is important to talk to your child. You will also want to set a good example. Depending on the circumstances at hand, it may also be a good idea to discipline your child. This is actually important to do with schooling. For example, if your teenager isn’t able to get their homework done or if they don’t study for a test, they may end up with bad grades. After a few warnings, consider limiting the amount of time that your teenager is able to spend with their friends or the amount of television they are able to watch. Doing this, even just temporarily, is likely to teach your teenager an important lesson about time management and the elimination of distractions.





In keeping with teaching a teenager the importance of time management, it is important to not just take away privileges, but to also provide education. Make sure that your teenager understands the importance of time management. In college, your child will be responsible for studying, doing their homework, and other important tasks and they will not have you there to help guide them. The same will be true for the workplace. Unfortunately, this is where many young adults run into problems. Don’t let your son or daughter fall victim to poor time management.





As you can see, there are a number of easy ways that you can go about teaching your child the importance of time management, as well as tips that you can share with them. Regardless of your children’s ages, the lesson of managing time is one that should be taught. In fact, the sooner that you start teaching your children how to properly manage their time, the better the results will likely be in the long run.


Wednesday, November 24, 2010

5 Reasons Why You Should Learn and Practice Proper Time Management




Do you have a problem with time management? If you do, you have two main options. One of those options and often the most popular is to continue on with your normal activities. Unfortunately, doing so may have a negative impact on your personal life, as well as your work life. The other option is to make a change. The good news is that there a number of steps that you can take to improve your time management.





As for what you can do to improve your time management, you will see that a number of different approaches can be taken. Goal setting, to do lists, limiting tasking, prioritizing, and outsourcing are all effective ways to manage your time, but they are also just a few of your options. As for why you should learn and practice proper time management, there are a number of reasons why, five of which are outlined below.





1 – It Is Easy To Do





As previously summarized, you have a number of different options when looking to make better use of your time. These options are all easy and cost effective ways. In fact, creating goals and task lists for yourself is free of charge. Since it is easy for you to learn and practice proper time management techniques, why would you want to do anything else?





2 – It Is Important To Your Personal Life





As previously stated, having a poor sense of time management has a number of serious consequences, one of those being your personal life. If you regularly pay your bills late, don’t make contact with friends, or arrive home later than normal, you may be hurting your personal relationships and often in more ways than you could have ever imagined. Friends, spouses, and romantic partners will likely not want to put up with this behavior for long.





3 – It Is Important For Your Job





Poor time management will not only negatively effect your personal life, but your work life as well. If you do not know how to properly manage your time, you may get easily distracted. This may result in you wasting company time. If you are caught doing so repeatedly, you may find yourself terminated from your current position. This can also have a negative impact on your personal life, as it may leave your finances in serious trouble.





4 – It Is Something That You Can Only Benefit From





Taking the time to learn and practice successful time management techniques can only benefit you, your work, and your personal relationships. Since no money technically needs to be spent on time management tools or training, you have nothing to lose, but everything to gain. It is also important to ask yourself again the important question of “why not?” Why not improve your life with the learning and practicing of time management techniques?





5 – The Options That You Have





Once again, it is important to focus on the options that you have when looking to learn and practice proper time management. Creating a set of goals and a task list is easy and free to do. Alarm clocks and timers can also be used to help you make better use of your time. You likely already own a traditional alarm, but your cell phone, computer, and television may also come equipped with alarm clocks as well.





As a reminder, there are a number of other time management tools and techniques that you can easily learn and practice all from the comfort of your own home.


Monday, November 22, 2010

The Pros and Cons of Time Management Training in the Workplace




Are you a business owner? If you are, time management should be of great importance to you. If your employees do not know how to make proper use of their time, you could be suffering the consequences. As for what those consequences are, they may include the loss of profits and a poor public perception.





If and when you determine that your employees are wasting their workday or even just a few minutes here and there, you will want to take action. In fact, the sooner that you take action, the better it will be for you and your company. As for what action you should take, you may want to consider time management training.





Time management training; it sounds professional and effective, but what is it? In all honesty, you will find that time management training comes in a number of different formats. For starters, you can have you own time management training run by you and your staff. On the other hand, you can use the assistance of a professional. There are individuals who specialize in teaching others how to stay organized, focused, and on task. You can hire one of these individuals to come into your workplace and educate your employees.





Now that you know what your main options are in terms of time management training for your office, you may be curious as to what the pros and cons are. For starters, the cost can be quite high. Many professionals charge a set rate, but others charge depending on the number of guests in attendance. One way that you can keep your cost down is by only requiring your problem workers to seek training. Another way is by hosting your own training sessions. This should be relatively cost effective for you.





Another con or downside to time management training in the workplace is the time that you must spend doing the trainings. In a way, it can seem like you are wasting the time of your company. In some instances it may be a time waste, but it is important for you to remember the end result. Taking an hour or even two hours to teach your staff the importance of time management, as well as sharing tips on how to be productive in the workplace is likely worth the time spent.





Although there are a number of cons or downsides to having your staff members sit through time management training, there are also a number of pros or plus sides to doing so as well. One of those is the fact that you are able to provide your staff members with a refresher course in the area of time management. This is a nice alternative to terminating some of your employees. In fact, some of your best performing employees may have problems managing their time. What this means is that when they actually do choose to work, they are likely to produce the best results. These are the type of employees that you will want to work with, not terminate right away.





Another one of the many pros or plus sides to having your staff members undergo time management training is that they shouldn’t have any excuses. When you or a professional lays out specific ways that your employees can better manage their time at work, they don’t have any excuses for not doing so. They can’t claim that they didn’t know that there were specific approaches they could take, as they sat through the meeting or training session. In fact, once your employees go through a training session, they are likely to know that they are being watched. This alone should reduce the amount of time that is wasted by your employees and produce better results.





Since there are a number of both pros and cons to offering time management training to your staff member, you need to decide if it is right for you and your company. If you are noticing a lot of staff members who take too long to complete their work or if you just see your employees hanging around the office, time management training is a good idea.


Sunday, November 21, 2010

Time Management Tips for Students




Are you a high school or college student who finds it difficult to manage your time? If you are, there are a number of steps that you will want to take to improve your time management. After all, having poor time management in school can have a number of serious consequences, including poor grades.





When looking to improve your time management, it is important to know that there are a number of tools that you can use to your advantage. As a student, you likely have a computer and a cell phone. Many already come equipped with time management programs that you just need to start using. These programs can include calendar alert programs where a special message will appear on your screen or you will receive an email or a text message. A standard internet search can also help you find and buy additional programs that can be installed on your computer or even your cell phone.





Another time management tip for students, like yourself, is to stay organized. Organization is key to staying on task and focused. If your school locker or desk is messy or cluttered, you will likely end up wasting a considerable amount of time. For many students, a considerable amount of time is wasted looking for lost or misplaced items, like books or homework assignments. If your locker, home desk or dorm room desk is not clean and clutter free, take a few minutes to get organized.





Another easy and effective way for you and other students to better manage their time is to prioritize. When doing so, it is important to take a close look at what you have to do. For example, what homework assignments, study sessions, and so forth need to be completed first? Simply just creating a to do list isn’t enough for many students. By determining ahead of time which tasks are of more importance, you are better likely to manage your time and produce the best results.





One of the many reasons why high school and college students have poor time management is because they find it easy to get distracted. If you find it easy for you to get distracted, it is important to examine the source of your problems. For example, do you end up surfing the internet when using your computer? If you try to watch television when doing homework or studying, do you find that most of your focus is placed on the television? If you do, action should be taken. Temporarily disconnect the internet from your computer or turn off your television.





It is also important to be flexible. If you are an individual who hates change or the unexpected, you need to get use to it. Even those who have good time management skills and those who rely on the use of schedules are often presented with unexpected events, an example of this being coming down with a cold. That is why it is always important to leave “wiggle room,” for yourself. Set aside a little bit of extra time each day to do with as you please. Whether you use that time to finish a project, study, or socialize with friends, it is important to have it.





As nice as it is to know that you should be able to effectively manage your time as a high school or college student, it is also important to know the consequences of not doing so. As previously stated, poor time management may translate into poor grades. If you do not know how to properly manage your time, you may find yourself not studying properly or you may be unable to complete important assignments before they are due. From the standpoint of a student, proper time management may also help to eliminate stressful late night study sessions.





As highlighted above, there are a number of steps that you can take to improve your time management. As a student, it is extremely important that you know how to effectively use your time.


Friday, November 19, 2010

Time Management in the Workplace: How to See Success




Are you a business owner or an office manager? If you are, it is your responsibility to make sure that your company is making money. Unfortunately, a company cannot profit from employees who do not know how to make good use of their time. Whether you notice an increase in employees socializing on the clock or an increase in personal computer use, it is important that you put a stop to this behavior right away.





As important as it is to know that employees with poor time management may have a negative impact on your company and its profits, you may be unsure as to how you should proceed. Your first impulse may be to terminate the employees who are causing the most problems or the most profit loss. Of course, this is more than possible to do, but there are other time management steps that may prove just as successful. To help you get started, a few of these steps are highlighted below.





If you notice multiple employees in your office wasting company time, it may be in your best interest to hold time management training. This training can be put on and organized by you or other well performing employees or you can use the services of an outside company that specializes in time management and organization in the workplace. Time management training should involve outlining the importance of proper time management, tips should be shared on how work time should be spent, and consequences should be laid out for those who continue to waste their time, company time, and money.





Time management software is another way to reduce the amount of money lost due to employees who just can’t seem to manage their time correctly. Time management software programs come in a number of different formats, so be sure to find a program that has features that you and your staff members can benefit from. These features should include automated updates, messages, and reminders on important deadlines, desktop computer calendars, office wide communication at the click of a button, and so forth.





The use of rewards is another way that you can work to improve the time management of your office employees. Although we often associate rewards with young children, adults are likely to produce better results when those results are noticed. Be sure to comment on employees who perform well at the office or meet all deadlines. You can implement an employee of the month program or offer pay raises to those who make the best use of their time.





As much as employees who perform well and improve their time management need to be rewarded, those who don’t need to be called out. One of the many reasons why office workers waste time is because many know or feel that they can get away with the behavior. Be sure to first give warnings if you notice an employee of yours who is socializing as opposed to working or if an employee of yours regularly turns in their projects late. Termination can be used as a last resort.





As a recap, employees who waste company time can put your business at risk. As a business owner the last thing that you want is to see your company fail or lose profits. If you are not a business owner, but rather an office manager, it is still important that you take action immediately. If you do not, you may end up taking the fall for the employees who just can’t seem to properly manage their time at work.