Exercises 5..13
Exercises 18..20
Exercises 21..23
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14. Work Goals
GOAL/ACTION Report
- Use the Report 3 format on page R3.
- Use the definitions of your life and your work on page R1.
- Fill in whatever goals you want outside of work.
- Fill in possible action steps for each goal.
Submit Your Work
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GOAL/ACTION Report
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Goal - Work towards becoming an Information Specialist at work by the end of the year
- A-1: Find out the requirements to be fulfilled for becoming an Information Specialist
- A-2: Arrange for a meeting with manager to talk about this
- A-3: Find out and do all the required training
- Find a mentor to help me through the process
- Be proactive and find situations to help in bids & proposals
- Help in CMM assessments & audits
- Before the finish of the current project, talk to the resource manager and find a suitable project.
- Always keep the client facing resume ready
- Help other teams in QA as a Subject Matter Expert.
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Goal – Become a Teradata Certified Master
- A-1: Get notes for all seven exams.
- A-2: Get vouchers for the exams
- A-3: Form a study group at work or outside of people who want to do the exams.
- Ask Manager if the company can sponsor for any courses.
- Look for study groups or forums on the Internet that can help
- Ask help from people who have already passed the exams
- Find study time when traveling
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15. Five Goals For Internalizing Support For The A-1
Create Possibilities
- Re-read "Internalizing Support For The A-1" on page R2.
- Write down 25 or more numbered ways to internalize support for the A-1. (H)
- Edit your work.
Create Five Goals
- Examine your edited items and come up with exactly five goals.
- Organize all your edited items under these five goals.
Submit Your Work
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1. Do not attempt to take the thinking and fun out of an activity.
2. Do not be too compulsive, restrained and obsessive or apathetic, indifferent & lazy.
3. Make a conscious effort to do things, instead of wishing things to happen, decide and then implement the decision.
4. Be flexible and spontaneous
5. Resist doing a very easy but unimportant task that is right in front of me.
6. Try to cut of all my "Escape routes".
7. Try to recognize and admit to myself when I am wasting time.
8. Try to maintain a positive attitude.
9. Try to overcome fears - real or imagined.
10. Get up at 6:00 a.m. during the week (and go to bed at 11:00 p.m.).
11. Have a light lunch so I don't get sleepy in the afternoon.
12. Keep small talk to a minimum during work hours.
13. Examine old habits for possible elimination or streamlining.
14. Try to listen actively in every discussion.
15. Try to find a new technique each day that I can use to help gain time.
16. Give myself time off and special rewards when I've done the important things.
17. Work smarter rather than harder.
18. Do first things first.
19. Try to enjoy whatever I am doing.
20. Be optimistic.
21. Remind myself: "There is always enough time for the important things." If it's important I'll make the time to do it.
22. Don't waste my time feeling guilty about what I don't do.
23. Build on successes.
24. Don't waste time regretting my failures.
25. Give up forever all "waiting time." If I have to wait I consider it a "gift of time" to relax, plan or do something I would not otherwise have done.
26. Have confidence in my judgment of priorities and stick to them in spite of difficulties.
27. Keep pushing and am persistent when I sense I have a winner.
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A-1 Flexibility
Do not attempt to take the thinking and fun out of an activity.
Do not be too compulsive, restrained and obsessive or apathetic, indifferent & lazy.
Be flexible and spontaneous
Make a conscious effort to do things, instead of wishing things to happen, decide and then implement the decision.
Resist doing a very easy but unimportant task that is right in front of me.
A-2 Handling fears
Try to cut of all my "Escape routes".
Try to recognize and admit to myself when I am wasting time.
Try to maintain a positive attitude.
Try to overcome fears - real or imagined.
A-3 Change of habits
Get up at 6:00 a.m. during the week (and go to bed at 11:00 p.m.).
Have a light lunch so I don't get sleepy in the afternoon.
Keep small talk to a minimum during work hours.
Examine old habits for possible elimination or streamlining.
Try to listen actively in every discussion.
Try to find a new technique each day that I can use to help gain time.
4. Being efficient
Work smarter rather than harder.
Do first things first.
5. Being positive
Try to enjoy whatever I am doing.
Give myself time off and special rewards when I've done the important things.
Remind myself: "There is always enough time for the important things." If it's important I'll make the time to do it.
Don't waste my time feeling guilty about what I don't do.
Build on successes.
Don't waste time regretting my failures.
Give up forever all "waiting time." If I have to wait I consider it a "gift of time" to relax, plan or do something I would not otherwise have done.
Have confidence in my judgment of priorities and stick to them in spite of difficulties.
Keep pushing and am persistent when I sense I have a winner.
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16. Goal Priority List
Assemble Your Goals
- Enter all goals from your Life Goals and Work Goals GOAL/ACTION Reports.
- Add goals from the top of your Techniques To Use list.
- Add other goals that come to mind.
Prioritize Your Goals
- Quickly do a rough re-sequencing of all your goals in priority order.
- Delete lower priority goals.
- Carefully arrange the remaining goals in priority order.
- Keep not more than ten goals, and delete the rest.
- Mark your A123 using the Report 1 format on page R3.
Submit Your Work
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General list of Goals
Learn the art of Time Management
Be fit enough to compete in the Marathon
Finish MBA
Travel the world
Spend more time volunteering
Master Carnatic Music
Reach a Senior Management Position at work
Take up drawing classes
Climb Mount Everest
Do PhD
Help Prakash lead a normal life in spite of his leg injury.
Manage my time & Prakash’s time so that we do most of our A’s and still have enough time for each other.
Work towards becoming an Information Specialist at work by the end of the year
Become a Teradata Certified Master
Planning
Being Organized
Handling fears
Working on goals
Priorities
Positive thinking
Concentration
Efficiency
Making best use of time
Reducing paper work
Delegation
Changing habits
Being Creative
Multitasking
Decision making
Avoiding unimportant tasks
Scheduling
Avoiding procrastination
Handling A’s
Asking Lakein’s question
Make it easy and interesting
Reorganize the wedding for a later date
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Final list of goals
A-1 Help Prakash lead a normal life in spite of his leg injury.
A-2 Manage my time & Prakash’s time so that we do most of our A’s and still have enough time for each other.
A-3 Master the art of Positive thinking
4. Asking Lakein’s question
5. Master the art of Time Management
6. Reorganize the wedding for a later date
7. Avoid unimportant tasks
8. Become a Teradata Certified Master
9. Spend more time volunteering – try and attend one of the training courses for Special Olympics volunteers over the coming weekends.
10. Learn the art of delegation.
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17. Timesaving Techniques From The Website
- Go to the website collection of timesaving techniques.
- Select those you wish to add to your Timesaving Techniques list.
- Enter your adds in an email, and integrate them into you list.
- Update and print a new copy of your Techniques To Use list.
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Do not volunteer to do things that others should do.
Refrain from printing email messages.
Invest time to learn procedures or techniques before jumping into something new.
Ask others for advice on time management and listen!
File as you go when doing research to avoid future searches for lost files.
I stay home in the morning if I really have to do some thinking and don't want to be disturbed.
I look for the hardest thing to do first. I leave the easiest to finish with.
I learn from experience so that when something similar comes up I can apply previously learned shortcuts.
I consciously try to find links to other subject areas to bring back the flow whenever I am blocked on a subject.
Make minor decisions quickly.
Look for, analyze, and deal with undesirable patterns in interruptions.
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A-1 I always plan first thing in the morning and set priorities for the day
A-2 Organize everything so that everything goes to the right place the first time. This will avoid time wasted on searching for things.
A-3 If I seem to procrastinate I ask myself: "What am I avoiding?" - and then I try to confront that thing head-on.
Look for, analyze, and deal with undesirable patterns in interruptions.
Do not volunteer to do things that others should do.
I keep a list of specific items to be done each day, arrange them in priority order, and then do my best to get the important ones done as soon as possible.
Make minor decisions quickly.
I have trained myself to go down my To Do List without skipping over the difficult items.
I look for the hardest thing to do first. I leave the easiest to finish with.
Ask others for advice on time management and listen!
I relax and "do nothing" rather frequently
Refrain from printing email messages.
I put signs in my office reminding me of my goals
I understand that goals and priorities can change on a regular basis.
I ask myself, "Would anything terrible happen if I didn't do this priority item?" If the answer is no, I don't do it.
Use the ABC Priority System: Write a capital letter "A" to the left of those items on the list that have a high value; a "B" for those with medium value; and a "C" for those with low value.
I remind myself: "There is always enough time for the important things." If it's important I'll make the time to do it.
I don't waste my time feeling guilty about what I don't do.
I concentrate on one thing at a time.
File as you go when doing research to avoid future searches for lost files.
I learn from experience so that when something similar comes up I can apply previously learned shortcuts.
I work smarter rather than harder.
I consciously try to find links to other subject areas to bring back the flow whenever I am blocked on a subject.
I do first things first.
I stay home in the morning if I really have to do some thinking and don't want to be disturbed.
I'm continually asking myself: "What is the best use of my time right now?".
There are constraints on everyone that makes free choice impossible in all situations. But I am free to choose much of the time.
I give myself time off and special rewards when I've done the important things.
I will resist doing a very easy but unimportant task that is right in front of me.
I will set a deadline and try to meet it as far as possible.
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MY COMMENTS FROM A BROADER PERSPECTIVE
This is the fourth exercise I am doing on Time Management and each time I am learning new techniques. Sometimes the techniques worded differently or broken down to smaller bits apply to different situations. For example the two techniques below are similar but the first one is more specific than the second one.
File as you go when doing research to avoid future searches for lost files.
I learn from experience so that when something similar comes up I can apply previously learned shortcuts.
Techniques list should be updated from time to time and a new version should be made at least once a month. This should be like redoing the Lifetime goals once in a while.
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