Time Management

This week’s theme is ’Time Management’

I’ve got an absolutely packed week ahead. Classes resume in full swing this week, with many assessments coming due, which means lots of tutorials for me, and lots of stress for students.

One of the most valuable tools I’ve developed over the years is time and calendar management to help keep me on track. Time management is one of the most important skills you can develop, and can always be improved.

Time in university is perfect for learning time management tricks. It’s time to practice the process of seeing the big picture, identifying everything that needs attention, allocating enough time every day to work efficiently and check things off the list, while also giving priority to life admin (fitness, laundry, healthy eating, social time) - and not cramming everything into the last minute!

Now’s the time to get some systems in place to ensure you can be productive and get everything done effectively, and with not too many all-nighters in the process!

READ

This article outlines why the good use of calendars is WAY better than To Do lists at managing your time. Some great tips to get started! (5min read): Why Calendars are More Effective than To Do Lists

DO

Take some time this week to plan your calendar for the rest of the term, Note down deadlines for all your modules, and write in self-imposed deadlines for getting key milestones accomplished like completing your research or drafting an outline for your essays. Plot in the meetings for tutorials with your tutors. Then take it a step further - look at next week, and plot in time for reading, exercise, social time, or anything else that is a priority. I like to colour-code my calendars (in Google Calendar) for extra efficiency. Purple is work, blue is study, red is social, green is fitness, brown is life admin. Try it, it’s very satisfying!

WATCH/LISTEN

Here’s a great tutorial for how to use Google Calendar for 2018 (14min):

Finally, something to Ponder:

"I Choose"

“Every life form seems to strive to its maximum except human beings. How tall will a tree grow? As tall as it possibly can. Human beings, on the other hand, have been given the dignity of choice. You can choose to be all, or you can choose to be less. Why not stretch up to the full measure of the challenge and see what all you can do?” - Jim Rohn

This week’s theme is ‘Optimising Your Life’

Being the best you can be doesn’t come easily. But if you’re going to succeed in this fast-paced, highly competitive world, you need to start developing habits NOW that will make you stand out from the crowd. You are what you repeatedly DO — so it’s time to get started!

I started a 30-day yoga challenge this morning, with my favourite Youtuber, Yoga With Adriene. During the practice we exhaled slowly and said ‘I Choose’ - which really resonated with me as we all have the power to choose our daily habits and activities that will lead us to an optimum life. Today I chose to start.

READ

This article will inspire you to start thinking about how you can kickstart your personal growth (7min read): Achieving Your Dreams and Living to a Higher Self is Not a Secret

DO

Building from last week - if you haven’t bought yourself a ‘personal development notebook’ go do that now. You should have written down your 6 month, 1 year and 5 year goals on the first pages. Now it’s time to start putting those goals into action. Think about today. To achieve the goals you set out in future, ask yourself:

1. What is one thing I can START doing that will help me achieve my goals?

2. What is one thing I can STOP doing that will help me achieve my goals?

3. What will help me improve by 1%?

One you write down those 3 things… START TO DO THEM!

PONDER

WATCH (And do!):

You are invited to join me and people all over the world to practice, for 30 Days. http://dedicate30days.com. Get ready to transform tired energy into useful energy! Invite change, beckon growth, and discover your own unique rhythm. Work your body, open your mind, and return to your heart.

Welcome to G-Notes - and Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2019!

It’s taken me a while to get this blog up and running again, but one of my priorities for 2019 is to publish more content useful to my lovely audience. This will be a space for me to share life optimisation hacks, musings on promotional culture, tips on Advertising, PR and Branding, and tricks and tools for students (of university, and of life!) to get the most out of their learning experience.

To kick off, I wanted to introduce you to a website that has been a guiding force in my life for many years. Live Your Legend is a community of people who are passionate about fulfilling their purpose in life — escaping the shackles of unfulfilling work, following their passion and making the most of everyday. I credit this website for kicking me in the butt to leave my corporate life behind in Canada and pursue my dream job as a University Lecturer in the UK!

There’s SO MUCH to find on the website, but today I want to bring your attention to the free annual GOAL SETTING AND ACTION WORKBOOK. This morning I made a cup of tea and sat down to fill out my plan for the year — setting achievable goals, identifying the tools and timelines I expect to achieve them in, and prioritising where I put my attention this year. It was a VERY enlightening exercise!

Now I’m really pumped to get stated and live my best possible life in 2019. I recommend you download the workbook PDF, and spend some dedicated time to thinking through and writing down your goals and priorities for the year ahead. Research clearly shows that when you write down your goals, you stand a much higher chance of achieving them. Get started today and make 2019 your most productive year yet!