Friday, March 20, 2020

10 Time Management Strategies That Are The Key to Life Success

10 Time Management Strategies That Are The Key to Life Success Feel stressed? Despite knowing you have the talent and the drive to achieve real success, do you just constantly find yourself on the wrong side of an insurmountable pile of tasks and often feel discouraged? Don’t worry too much. You just need a reboot of your time management skill set and develop better time management strategies. The trick is to organize your tasks and projects in a system that works for you and will work no matter what  stress a random crisis adds. You’ll find your stress level in general comes down considerably if you can find your own time management groove.Make the most of the 24 hours given to you each day with these 10 time management strategies.1. Learn to TriageStep one is to figure out what  your major goals and most pressing projects are, and then to put those at the top of your priorities list. Then rank the rest in order of importance. Start each day by assessing what you have to do and focusing your immediate energy on the most import ant tasks.2.  Make a List, Check It TwiceYou’ll have to focus your energy on big ticket  items first, but you also want to make sure you set up regular time to work on the things that get pushed to the bottom of the list so nothing falls through the cracks. Find a system that works for you that means you get the most pressing things done first, but also regularly cycle all the way through your list.3. Don’t be Afraid to DelegateOnce you have your system in place, there will be a few things that you can put on someone else’s desk. Don’t hesitate to do this. It’s a necessary leadership skill, and it will help you keep focused on the things requiring your unique attention.4. Set Deadlines, Even If They’re FakeYou’d be amazed at how much more you can get done when under deadlines. Make a calendar of when your projects are due to your superiors or coworkers. Then add in some deadlines of your own- just remember to hold yourself to them .5.  Practice the Best De-stressing Method You KnowNo matter how organized you are, stress can derail you if you let it spiral out of control. Find ways to relax and reconnect so physical and mental weariness never keep you off your game. Sleep!6. Pick Your BattlesDon’t obsess over the insignificant or unimportant. Figure out what really requires your energy and effort, and fix that spotlight where it most needs to be.7.  Don’t Stop Once You Find MomentumDo whatever you can to pick up speed in your new system, and then start riding that high. Continue picking up speed as you cross projects off your list. Don’t break your pace!8. Concentrate on  One Thing at a TimeMultitasking isn’t always the answer. You might find you’re most productive when you focus on one thing at a time and get more things done overall.9. Time YourselfIf procrastination is a problem for you, consider working in 25 or 45 minute intervals with regular breaks. That way you know you’re only ever a countdown away from a Facebook break, but you’re also guaranteed to power through some work. This works best if you turn off notifications on your phone. Put it in a drawer during your work intervals!10. Get Started- Now!You’ll never get anywhere in your system if you never set one up. Act now. Start early. And get it done. You’ll be delighted with the results.

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Fight the Good Fight Against Creeping Errors

Fight the Good Fight Against Creeping Errors Fight the Good Fight Against Creeping Errors Fight the Good Fight Against Creeping Errors By Mark Nichol Editing, the skill set practiced by the other half of my writer/editor dual personality, is a pleasurable pursuit for me. It enables me to practice problem solving, help people express themselves, and improve my own writing. But as I peruse some of the prose I examine professionally more than a million words each year I repeatedly come across banal but annoying errors that baffle me. There are corollaries of these mistakes in every profession, and in the personal compartments of one’s life. They’re the editorial equivalent of finding that the toilet seat has been left up. (I’m sure you can think of cognates in your experience.) These are among those indefensible editorial errors that seem to perpetuate themselves like a virus, inconsequential in isolation but aggravating in the aggregate. One irritating error I find often is the intrusive framing of a name in commas when it is an appositive of a preceding description of the person named, as in â€Å"The exhibition showcases the work of photographer, Mathew Brady, who produced many iconic images from the Civil War era.† This mistake is rarely replicated in well-edited publications. Unfortunately, many people are corrupted by its ubiquitous appearance in not-so-well-edited publications, and it is thus passed on to infect others. (This error is no doubt influenced by a superficially similar and correct construction: â€Å"The exhibition showcases the work of the photographer, Mathew Brady, who produced many iconic images from the Civil War era.† This is correct form only if the photographer has already been referred to as such in a previous sentence without being named. Also, some publications precede an epithet describing a prominent person with the as in â€Å"The exhibition showcases the work of the photographer Mathew Brady, who produced many iconic images from the Civil War era† though the insertion is an unnecessary affection but notice that the name is not set off by a pair of commas.) Many other examples of such evergreen errors exist, including words misspelled (definately in place of definitely), imperfectly rendered because they’re imperfectly heard (supposably substituting for supposedly), unnecessarily augmented (irregardless, when regardless is sufficient), or faultily combined (alot instead of â€Å"a lot†). The persistent prevalence of these mutations is baffling, considering that the correct forms are found in any self-respecting publication. But the answer must lie in the explosion of email and texting, the proliferation of blogs and websites with less-than-rigorous editing, and the erosion of editorial quality in traditional print publications. The only defense against deterioration of grammar, syntax, usage, spelling, and punctuation standards is careful writing and careful editing with the assistance of good role models, knowledgeable editors, and reliable reference sources. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Computer Terms You Should Know36 Poetry Terms1,462 Basic Plot Types