How to use time well
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70% of Koreans Lack Free Time
Source: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2010/03/123_63315.html
HOW TO USE TIME WELL
• Take an overview of the current use of your time and whether you think you need to adjust this allocation. Do you spend enough time with your family or do you spend too much time working? Do you spend enough time increasing your knowledge and skills or do you spend all your time using your existing knowledge and skills? Are there some things on which you would like to spend less time, such as attending meetings or using the computer? Are there some things on which you you would like to spend more time, such as reading, socialising or travelling? Develop a clear view on the broad allocation of time that you would like to achieve before you start working through the following more detailed tips.
• Don't say you don't have enough time. You have the same number of hours per day as Leonardo da Vinci or Isaac Newton had and as the President of the United States or the General Secretary of the United Nations have.
• As far as possible, make your all objectives SMART - that is: Specific Measurable Achievable Resourced Timed
• Do the most important things first. This sounds so obvious. But most of us tend to do first the things that are easiest or most pleasant.
• Stay focused. Once you have decided what are the most important things to do, stay with them, even when new (but still less important) things come along - as they inevitably will.
• Use lists. This helps you to remember what needs to be done and it's very satisfying to tick off the items as you complete them.
• Don't worry if you don't get everything done. The only person who got everything done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe.
• Study the executive summary in a report and look through the contents list and index of a book before you even think of spending the time to read the whole thing.
• Every time you produce a major piece of work, think about how you can reuse it. A briefing paper can be the basis of a speech; a speech can be summarized into an article; any of these can be turned into a 'page' on a Web site.
• Work on several projects at once, regularly noting down ideas and sources and drafting paragraphs and sections. That way, when the project is complete, it will be all the richer for having spent longer thinking about it.
• Always have some paper and a pen (or a personal digital assistant or lap top, if you're technically minded) with you, so that you can note down ideas or information.
• Always have a mobile phone with you. It doesn't always have to be on, but it should be with you in case you want to
contact someone or communicate an idea.
• Even when you go to bed, have writing materials by the bedside - it's amazing what great ideas you can have as you're falling asleep or waking up. If you don't want to be bothered to write things down immediately, throw a slipper away from the bed so that, when you do get up, you're reminded that you had an idea.
• Learn to power nap. A short sleep during the day can allow you to keep going and to be more productive for longer. It worked very well for Winston Churchill.
• Have a couple of reference books and few magazines in the toilet (or washroom for Canadians or bathroom for Americans) so that, if you're there for a while, you can browse and learn.
• When shaving (men usually!) or making up (women usually!!), have the radio on a news station, so that you can keep up with events.
• Try to work more from home, saving valuable time - as well as money and energy. This is especially useful when you need to think or have a special project or urgent deadline.
• When travelling on the underground or on a bus, tram, train or aircraft, always have a newspaper, magazine or book with you. You can use the time to read and you can never be sure how long the journey is going to last.
• Network constantly. At a conference, make a point of speaking to people you don't know. At a party, move around and meet lots of people. At a dinner party, talk to each guest.
• See everything as a learning opportunity. On a cab ride, sit in the front and talk to the driver. In a queue (that's a line to you Americans), talk to the person in front and behind. Everyone can teach you something.
• Finally, don't take these tips too seriously. We all need time to chill out and recharge our emotional batteries. Sometimes allow yourself to do nothing. After all, you've earned it by following most of these tips most of the time!
Source: http://www.rogerdarlington.me.uk/Time.html
Question
1. When do you do your school assignment?
(Beforehand? Right before the deadline? Or after the deadline?)
2. How long do you have your free time in a day?
And what do you do in that time?
3. Among the list ‘how to use time well’, which one do you agree or disagree with?
4. Which one is better for you?
Making a well-organized plan for everyday or just doing it freely without the plan.