Simple concept of time management

Excerpt from: Twice as Much in Half the Time,
by Amy Jones

What does it mean to manage your time (and life) better?
Simply put, it means to live your life in such a way that you are able to accomplish more, so that at the end of each day you can realize measurable results and enjoy a sense of fulfillment. This often involves learning to do things differently so that the outcomes are more efficient and effective (and even less time-consuming) than before. After reading from countless resources and speaking to over half a million people on the subject of time management, I have come up with a simple truth. Learning to manage your life and your time isn't rocket science. Anyone can do it! In fact, it is often the simple things you can do that will make profound differences. Sometimes you even have to go backward in order to go forward; so let's go back-to-basics with this example.

First, grab a pencil and paper. Think back to the time you started school, all the way back to kindergarten. One of the first things you learned was how to identify shapes. Next you learned to draw them. On that sheet of paper I want you to do something very simple. Draw one triangle. That was simple, wasn't it? Now, draw as many triangles as you can in twenty seconds. Stop. Count how many you were able to draw. Write down that number. Do you think there might be another way to complete this activity and draw more in less time?

Start at one side of the paper and draw connected W's all the way across the page. Now put a line across the top and the bottom. See how many you can draw in twenty seconds using this method. Wow, that creates a lot of triangles! In only a few seconds you have learned to do this activity more efficiently and effectively in a much shorter amount of time. A seemingly insignificant change can make a significant difference in what can be accomplished in a given amount of time. In fact, you most likely made up to four or five times as many triangles the second time around.

What if you could do four or five times your sales volume by making a simple change? Or what if you could get four or five times as much done each day by making a simple change? Would that work for you?

If so, always be on the lookout for "new" ways to do "old" things, and keep your mind open to using alternative methods and plans of action. This book is filled with simple things that can make a profound difference. Are you ready to learn some new ways to manage your life and your time even better?

Then let's get started!