Discovering Me: Part 3 – Management

I know, I know…  Confidence was first in the list!  But I’ve always been one to start with Organisation.  Although, for this series, I will be referring to it as management.

Perhaps this is where I have the downfall in my process to self discovery – putting management first?  But I do it, as it seems to kick start me into gear.   While I should maybe focus on confidence, I find that it feels like a struggle at first and I give up a lot easier than if I focus on self management.

However, it must also be said – all the keys should be used together.  They’re not meant to be focused on one at a time and then forgotten as you move onto the next.   So in reality I am focusing on all five of them.   But unless I want to stay up all night speaking of how I’ve addressed them all, I have to delegate time to individual components, and I choose organisation first!

So how is management (or organisation) important to success?   Consider anyone you think of as successful…  do they have good management skills?  Do they seem organised?  I will hedge my bets to say yes.   Good management allows you to better utilise your time.   This helps you feel as though you can achieve your goals, and as such gives you confidence.   It helps give you focus to prevent procrastination and gives you boundaries to work with.

There are many components that can be applied to help with this fundamental aspect.
•  It means setting and keeping focused on your goals – giving yourself small steps to focus on and reassessing your progress along the road.
•  It speaks of time-management; ensuring that you use your time wisely, that you are not wasting it on frivolous things, that you are always working towards your goals (and yes, rest and recreation should be a component that helps you on that journey).
•  It refers to doing the research behind your choices.   Ensure that you set good foundations and have planned your journey well.   Make sure that you have what is required – the correct tools, the right support, sufficient timing.

Elements that prevent you from succeeding with the fundamental of management is distraction and temptations.   Don’t allow others to dictate your journey.   Don’t allow others to tell you what you can and can’t achieve.   Be strong enough to stick to your timetable, informing others when you are busy.   Understand your priorities and don’t allow yourself to compromise on them.

Activities for this fundamental:
• Draw yourself up a goal chart.   This can take any form you would like – a brainstorm, a vision board, a piece of art, a diary entry.  It is not the form that is important, but rather the content.   What is it you would like to achieve?   What steps do you need to get there?
•  Create a timetable for yourself and delegate time for your priorities – how much time will you give to working towards your goals?   How much will you give to other responsibilities?    Remember to balance work with play and cater in your recreational times.    Look for examples from others who have done what you want to achieve (or similar) to help you plan your timetable.     Your timetable can be long term (what you wish to achieve each year/month), short term (what you wish to achieve each week/day/hour) or a combination of both – depending on what your goal is.

Come back and share your goal chart and timetable – I’d love to hear about your steps on your journey and how they work (or don’t work) for you.   How did you modify it to fit your needs?   What did you learn from it?

 

Related articles

• Discovering Me: Part 2 – Fundamentals of Fulfilment (readingsbycaroline.wordpress.com)
• Schedule Your Personal Time (diy-home-tips.com)
• timemanagement (tkjk66.wordpress.com)
• Time Management (sarablueheard.wordpress.com)
• Time Management Tools (jeanneloh.wordpress.com)