Page 36 - Time Management

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A Few Myths About Managing Your Time
This is especially dangerous if you’re a manager—because
you often lead by example. If you seem to enjoy your job, it’ll
be easier for your employees to achieve satisfaction in what 21
they do. Conversely, if you seem burned out, those you manage
almost surely will see their motivation erode.
Good time management should include finding the time to
pursue work-related goals, the ones that you believe will bring
you satisfaction and that involve activities you find stimulating.
Productivity isn’t merely a function of hard work and time—it
involves a psychological commitment to your work as well.
We’re at our most productive when we enjoy what we’re doing,
when we have confidence in our abilities to do the job well,
when we can react spontaneously to unexpected opportunities,
and when we’re not distracted by the sneaking suspicion that
we should be doing something else.

Myth 3: Maybe I Can Organize Myself, but My
Company Can Never Organize Itself
It’s easy to be cynical about one’s own company. Its size, per-
haps, seems to encourage inertia. Since you see the business
from within, every flaw is both magnified and clearly defined. But
there’s hope. It is usually possible to find ways to minimize how
certain kinds of systemic disorganization (and the poor time
management it abets) will affect you. The key to coping with the
dysfunction around you is, whenever possible, to take control.
Many people believe that it’s impossible to control their
work environment or they’re afraid of trying to exert control.
After all, the act of taking control often involves additional
responsibilities and duties. Sometimes, people fear failure or
feel that accepting more responsibility will just make a situation
that already seems overwhelming worse. But studies regularly
show that—regardless of position within a company—the more
control a person has over how he or she exercises his or her
duties and over the kinds of responsibilities he or she may have,
the more satisfying that person’s job and life become.
There are many ways of taking control of one’s situation.