Do you ever feel as though you couldn't possible cram one more thing into your day? With a woman's busy workload the thought of just grocery shopping can send you over the edge. Learn some time management skills and quell those out of control urges. You don't have to feel short on time and stressed out any more.
Stress can sometimes make you feel so overwhelmed you want to run screaming through the streets. You start to get that queasy feeling in the pit of your stomach. Your head begins to pound and you just know you're going to be sick. Road rage begins to take over when you feel like ramming your car into the rear end of the truck that just cut you off.
It's time to take a deep breath and regroup. It's time to learn some time management skills to help keep those uncontrollable feelings of doom and anger in check. These tried and true time management tips for women could be your saving grace.
Here are 8 Time Management Tips to follow right now:
1. Make yourself a list of everything you want to accomplish that day. Making a list will help put things in real-time and enable you to see if your schedule is realistic.
2. Prioritize your list. Do the important tasks first or when you have the most energy in your day.
3. Break down the tasks even further into bite-sized chunks. Doing things this way, you schedule doesn't seem quite so daunting.
4. Piggyback smaller trips and tasks for the day. Make all your phone calls at one time. Map out your route and plan your trips to the grocery store, shopping mall, kid's activities and so on, so it takes the least amount of time to complete.
5. If at all possible, handle paperwork only once. Don't waste your time opening junk mail. Throw it away immediately and unopened. You'd be amazed at the time you waste just peeking inside.
6. Try to avoid impromptu visits. If someone stops by or calls and you have a full load that day, arrange another time for your visit or phone call. I'm sure if you explained things they'd understand and commiserate with you.
7. Try to be prepared for potential stressful situations. Rehearse what you might say or do should the need arise. Make sure you have all your necessary resources at your fingertips.
8. Know when to ask for help. You'll know when you simply have too many priorities. Enlist assistance from your co-workers, kids and sweetheart and complete your tasks.
In my estimation the most difficult of these tips is number 8 - enlisting help. We all think we're superwoman and can do it all. Truth be told, you probably can do it all and probably a whole lot better than others; however, you'll only be able to do this for so long until your body says "no more". The object is to complete all your tasks in a timely manner and maintain your health and sanity in the process. Then your free time is your own.
At http://stressreliefforwomen.info Charlotte Winslow learned how to stop the physical and mental clutter in her life. There's no longer a reason for you to be short on time and stressed out. Try some time management tips today.
Monday
Stop the Work Insanity - A Stressed Out Womans Quest For Peace and Tranquility
When you wake up in the morning do you ever experience a feeling of dread? Like you just don't know if you can put in another day like yesterday? I have felt that way before. Then I found a way to help myself.
What causes turmoil and grief in your life? Are you, too, on a stressed out woman's quest for peace and tranquility in your life?
Before we can begin to heal ourselves we must first reveal what is causing our work-related stress.
- Do you never seem to have enough time in the day to get everything done?
- Is your job a little bit too demanding at times?
- Do you feel you have too much responsibility for all the more control you have been given?
- Do you have personality conflicts with others?
- Do you like your co-workers and boss?
These factors can often cause health issues that just sort of creep up on you until you find yourself going to the doctors because you just don't "feel good" anymore. Symptoms, such as a headache, neck strain, sleeplessness, and upset stomach are just a few signs of a woman with undue stress.
In order to get a handle on the situation you must learn something very important in your quest for peace and tranquility. You must learn Acceptance.
To learn Acceptance you must:
Keep things in perspective. Think to yourself, "will this make a difference and affect my life 5 years from now?" Many of us worry about things that never come to pass. If you can imagine the worst possible outcome and can deal with this possibility, you've accepted the situation for what it is and can move forward. Worrying about it will not change the outcome. It will only make you sick.
Use a mantra or self-assuring phrase. Repeating a mantra to yourself in bad times can be calming. If unsure of one to use try one of these:
Someday we'll all laugh about this
Remain calm and relaxed
Things could always be worse
Invent one of your own
My mother was always telling me something of this sort when I was growing up. Perhaps yours did, too. Think back on those times and reflect. Perhaps all those sayings we thought were silly back then actually had some meaning. For your health's sake, pull them out, dust them off and put them to good use.
Stay positive. Smiling in the face of negativity is next to impossible, but letting your negative emotions rule your feelings only complicates matters. If you stay focused on the positive side, your positive attitude may become contagious, making your work environment easier to handle.
Working with the general public as well as in a closed office environment, Charlotte Winslow has dealt with many different kinds of individuals and has, on many occasions, wanted to Stop The Work Insanity. If you, too, are a stressed out woman on a quest for peace and tranquility, http://stressreliefforwomen.info could be your answer.
What causes turmoil and grief in your life? Are you, too, on a stressed out woman's quest for peace and tranquility in your life?
Before we can begin to heal ourselves we must first reveal what is causing our work-related stress.
- Do you never seem to have enough time in the day to get everything done?
- Is your job a little bit too demanding at times?
- Do you feel you have too much responsibility for all the more control you have been given?
- Do you have personality conflicts with others?
- Do you like your co-workers and boss?
These factors can often cause health issues that just sort of creep up on you until you find yourself going to the doctors because you just don't "feel good" anymore. Symptoms, such as a headache, neck strain, sleeplessness, and upset stomach are just a few signs of a woman with undue stress.
In order to get a handle on the situation you must learn something very important in your quest for peace and tranquility. You must learn Acceptance.
To learn Acceptance you must:
Keep things in perspective. Think to yourself, "will this make a difference and affect my life 5 years from now?" Many of us worry about things that never come to pass. If you can imagine the worst possible outcome and can deal with this possibility, you've accepted the situation for what it is and can move forward. Worrying about it will not change the outcome. It will only make you sick.
Use a mantra or self-assuring phrase. Repeating a mantra to yourself in bad times can be calming. If unsure of one to use try one of these:
Someday we'll all laugh about this
Remain calm and relaxed
Things could always be worse
Invent one of your own
My mother was always telling me something of this sort when I was growing up. Perhaps yours did, too. Think back on those times and reflect. Perhaps all those sayings we thought were silly back then actually had some meaning. For your health's sake, pull them out, dust them off and put them to good use.
Stay positive. Smiling in the face of negativity is next to impossible, but letting your negative emotions rule your feelings only complicates matters. If you stay focused on the positive side, your positive attitude may become contagious, making your work environment easier to handle.
Working with the general public as well as in a closed office environment, Charlotte Winslow has dealt with many different kinds of individuals and has, on many occasions, wanted to Stop The Work Insanity. If you, too, are a stressed out woman on a quest for peace and tranquility, http://stressreliefforwomen.info could be your answer.
Sunday
Do you have a potty mouth at work?
It had been almost three years since I worked in an office environment and now I hope to return back home with the children for one simple fact, angry, impatient people.
The bus drivers are impatient, people in the workplace are both impatient and angry, and even the strangers that walk past me are just as bad! I have heard more curse words over the littlest of things. From the copier to someone not moving fast enough to sit down in front of the boss.
Is the recession making people lose all respect for self and others? Are people angry because they aren't working in a career they enjoy? What is going on in these air-conditioned, quiet office spaces that appear clean and carefree?
I don't know about you but I am reminded to count my blessings everytime someone is asking me for money on the street. This attitude over simple things just might cost one his or her job. Supervisors and co-workers appear like they don't care that the guy who rants and raves in the breakroom is just having a hard day, but I can almost bet you that if I am offended by one's rude behavior, someone in management is too! Most likely, the cursing sailor will be the first they will axe!
I don't know about you but sometimes a word here or there may slip unexpectedly, but we have to be careful to get our thoughts and actions back in control as quick as possible. Being a potty mouth doesn't get one the corner office, it gets him or her the back office so far away that eventually no one even knows you work there.
May we all remember to clean our mouths out before someone else does...
Written by Nicholl McGuire
Author and Poet
http://spiritualpoemsbynicholl.blogspot.com
The bus drivers are impatient, people in the workplace are both impatient and angry, and even the strangers that walk past me are just as bad! I have heard more curse words over the littlest of things. From the copier to someone not moving fast enough to sit down in front of the boss.
Is the recession making people lose all respect for self and others? Are people angry because they aren't working in a career they enjoy? What is going on in these air-conditioned, quiet office spaces that appear clean and carefree?
I don't know about you but I am reminded to count my blessings everytime someone is asking me for money on the street. This attitude over simple things just might cost one his or her job. Supervisors and co-workers appear like they don't care that the guy who rants and raves in the breakroom is just having a hard day, but I can almost bet you that if I am offended by one's rude behavior, someone in management is too! Most likely, the cursing sailor will be the first they will axe!
I don't know about you but sometimes a word here or there may slip unexpectedly, but we have to be careful to get our thoughts and actions back in control as quick as possible. Being a potty mouth doesn't get one the corner office, it gets him or her the back office so far away that eventually no one even knows you work there.
May we all remember to clean our mouths out before someone else does...
Written by Nicholl McGuire
Author and Poet
http://spiritualpoemsbynicholl.blogspot.com
Saturday
How To Improve Your Lousy Writing Skills In The Workplace
If there’s one important reason why you need to write effectively in the workplace, it is this: the quality of your writing imprints a lasting impression on the reader. This reader may be your boss, a client, or a person who is ready to make a billion dollar business deal with you.
Have you ever read a poorly-written document that made you lose interest right away? It was so poorly-written that you lost trust in the author and asked yourself why the author was wasting your time? How about those junk e-mails that sneak into your junk box like annoying cockroaches? You know the ones I’m referring to: the ones pitching vitamins, software, and sex aids. These e-mails are the biggest showcase of writing blunders, stricken to death with grammar mistakes, misspellings, and sloppy sentences. I doubt these e-mails pull a sale because their poor writing style immediately alienates the reader.
What impression does your writing leave on your boss, clients, or co-workers? Does your writing alienate readers, cause you to lose sales or clients, or cost you job promotions? Or does your writing build streams of loyal readers, increase sales for the company, and help you earn six figures a year at your job?
Whatever type of writing you do in the workplace, always know this reality: readers believe the quality of your writing reflects your skills, work ethics, and integrity as a person. If you write eloquently, clearly, and lively, the reader trusts you and you are able to build rapport quickly. If your writing is sloppy, disorganized, and riddled with errors, the reader assumes the rest of your work is flawed, your work ethics are flawed, and perhaps as a person you are flawed. Why should this reader waste his time reading the rest of your junk or even do business with you?
This article provides fail-safe strategies to help refine your writing and help you to communicate with clarity, simplicity, and impact so you will never write junk again. You will learn five masterful steps to guide you in planning, writing, and refining an article; and you will learn how to avoid common writing mistakes.
AIM! FIRE! FIRE!
To become a superb writer, your first task is to establish your aim.
Yiddish novelist, dramatist and essayist, Sholem Asch, once said, “Writing comes more easily if you have something to say.”
What message do you want to convey with your writing?
To establish your aim, ask yourself:
1) “Why am I writing this document?”
2) “What do I want to communicate?”
3) “Do I want to inform, educate, report, persuade, challenge, or entertain?”
Developing your aim will help you to adopt the best writing style for your reader. For example, an educational document will likely be more formal than one written for entertaining.
CONNECT WITH YOUR READERS
To write effectively, you need to connect strongly with your readers. Ask yourself:
1) “For whom am I writing this? Will I be writing for colleagues, my supervisor, my team of employees, or our clients?”
2) “How much information do my readers need?”
3) “How familiar are my readers with the topic?”
4) “How much time do my readers have? Would my readers prefer a short, succinct presentation of facts and statistics, or more narration and exposition?”
Knowing your audience will allow you to write content in a way that appeals to your readers.
SHAPE YOUR DOCUMENT
You know your aim. You know the people who will likely read your document. Now plan your document. What information will it contain? What information will most likely grab the reader and hold their interests? What points do you need to get across? Start with a rough outline of ideas. Then go through the outline and add more information and more detail. An outline will create the structure for your document. Soon enough your writing will come more easily, quickly, and with greater clarity.
WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW BEST
At this stage, read over your outline and write the first draft. Establish the main idea of the document and support your argument throughout. If a blank white page glares back at you like headlights, just start writing on whatever topic you know best. According to American novelist Jack London, “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” Don’t worry about the sequence if the ideas come to you out of order. You can cut and paste later.
WORDY WEIGHT LOSS
If you have time, step away from the document. Come back to it later with a fresh mind. Now add material where needed. Trim away unnecessary sections. Refine the text to communicate what you want to say. Remember: less is more. Try not to repeat ideas. Repetition, unless necessary, is tiresome for the reader. Keep the piece moving along. Use a lively pace. Progress through your points efficiently.
The following sections address some of the most common writing problems. Use these tips to write more clearly, effectively, and lively.
I.) PUNCTUATION
a) Apostrophes
Do not use an apostrophe in the possessive form of “it.”
Incorrect: Our department submitted it’s reports for 2005 last week.
Correct: Our department submitted its reports for 2005 last week.
Do not use apostrophes in the possessive forms “his,” “hers,” and “ours.”
Incorrect: The window office is her’s.
Correct: The window office is hers.
Do not use apostrophes in plural nouns.
Incorrect: How many new computer’s are we getting?
Correct: How many new computers are we getting?
b) Commas
Do not connect two complete sentences with a comma.
Incorrect: The meeting was cancelled, I finished my work early.
Correct: The meeting was cancelled, so I finished my work early.
Correct: Since the meeting was cancelled, I finished my work early.
II.) MECHANICS
a) Split Infinitives
Do not insert words between “to” and the infinitive form of a verb.
Incorrect:I was told we needed to slightly tighten the deadline.
Correct:I was told we needed to tighten the deadline slightly.
III.) SPELLING
a) “A lot” is always two words.
Incorrect: I have alot of work to do.
Correct: I have a lot of work to do.
b) “To” is a function word often used before the infinitive form of a verb (to go).
c) “Too” is an adverb that means “excessively” (too difficult).
d) “Two” denotes the number 2.
Incorrect: This file cabinet is to heavy for me to move.
Correct: This file cabinet is too heavy for me to move.
e) “There” is an adverb indicating a place (over there).
f) “Their” is a possessive word that shows ownership (their computers).
g) “They’re” is the contraction form of “they are.”
Incorrect: There results for this quarter were excellent.
Correct: Their results for this quarter were excellent.
Incorrect: Their working very hard today.
Correct: They’re working very hard today.
IV.) STYLE
a) Sentence Variety
To write more lively, vary sentence structure. Use alternate ways of beginning, and combine short sentences to create different sentence lengths.
Before:
I organized the files for all the new accounts this week. Then I created a more efficient labeling system. I color-coded everything. I made sure all paper files had been documented electronically. I put these files in the empty file cabinet.
After:
This week I organized the files for the new accounts and created a more efficient color-coded labeling system. After I documented all paper files electronically, I put these files in the empty file cabinet.
V.) ACTIVE VOICE vs. PASSIVE VOICE
The English language has two "voices": active voice (the subject performs an action); and passive voice (the subject is acted upon). In business communication, all good writers write in active voice. Lazy writers write in passive voice. Writing in active voice shortens your sentences and makes your writing sound more direct and formal.
Examples:
PASSIVE: The recipe book is read by her.
ACTIVE: She reads the recipe book.
PASSIVE: The radio announcement should be listened to by everyone.
ACTIVE: Everyone should listen to the radio announcement.
PASSIVE: The photo is being taken by the photographer.
ACTIVE: The photographer is taking the photo.
HELPFUL RESOURCES
To learn more about fixing common writing mistakes, check out The Electronic Writing Course ( http://www.ElectronicWritingCourse.com ). It’s a program that teaches the basics of good writing and editing. If you want to check your document against 36,000 style and usage mistakes, check out StyleWriter ( http://www.StyleWriter-USA.com ). It’s a style and usage Plain English checker. If you want to write more lively and creatively, check out WhiteSmoke Software ( http://www.WhiteSmokeSoftware.com ). It’s a program that fixes and enriches your text.
If you follow these guidelines, you’ll stop yourself from writing lousy in the workplace. Your writing will be lively, clear, and concise, and you will build rapport with readers. Perhaps it’s now time to e-mail your boss a perfectly-written e-mail requesting a salary raise?
Brian Konradt has been a professional freelance writer for over ten years. He is founder of http://FreelanceWriting.com ( http://www.FreelanceWriting.com ) and http://LiteracyNews.com ( http://www.LiteracyNews.com ).
Have you ever read a poorly-written document that made you lose interest right away? It was so poorly-written that you lost trust in the author and asked yourself why the author was wasting your time? How about those junk e-mails that sneak into your junk box like annoying cockroaches? You know the ones I’m referring to: the ones pitching vitamins, software, and sex aids. These e-mails are the biggest showcase of writing blunders, stricken to death with grammar mistakes, misspellings, and sloppy sentences. I doubt these e-mails pull a sale because their poor writing style immediately alienates the reader.
What impression does your writing leave on your boss, clients, or co-workers? Does your writing alienate readers, cause you to lose sales or clients, or cost you job promotions? Or does your writing build streams of loyal readers, increase sales for the company, and help you earn six figures a year at your job?
Whatever type of writing you do in the workplace, always know this reality: readers believe the quality of your writing reflects your skills, work ethics, and integrity as a person. If you write eloquently, clearly, and lively, the reader trusts you and you are able to build rapport quickly. If your writing is sloppy, disorganized, and riddled with errors, the reader assumes the rest of your work is flawed, your work ethics are flawed, and perhaps as a person you are flawed. Why should this reader waste his time reading the rest of your junk or even do business with you?
This article provides fail-safe strategies to help refine your writing and help you to communicate with clarity, simplicity, and impact so you will never write junk again. You will learn five masterful steps to guide you in planning, writing, and refining an article; and you will learn how to avoid common writing mistakes.
AIM! FIRE! FIRE!
To become a superb writer, your first task is to establish your aim.
Yiddish novelist, dramatist and essayist, Sholem Asch, once said, “Writing comes more easily if you have something to say.”
What message do you want to convey with your writing?
To establish your aim, ask yourself:
1) “Why am I writing this document?”
2) “What do I want to communicate?”
3) “Do I want to inform, educate, report, persuade, challenge, or entertain?”
Developing your aim will help you to adopt the best writing style for your reader. For example, an educational document will likely be more formal than one written for entertaining.
CONNECT WITH YOUR READERS
To write effectively, you need to connect strongly with your readers. Ask yourself:
1) “For whom am I writing this? Will I be writing for colleagues, my supervisor, my team of employees, or our clients?”
2) “How much information do my readers need?”
3) “How familiar are my readers with the topic?”
4) “How much time do my readers have? Would my readers prefer a short, succinct presentation of facts and statistics, or more narration and exposition?”
Knowing your audience will allow you to write content in a way that appeals to your readers.
SHAPE YOUR DOCUMENT
You know your aim. You know the people who will likely read your document. Now plan your document. What information will it contain? What information will most likely grab the reader and hold their interests? What points do you need to get across? Start with a rough outline of ideas. Then go through the outline and add more information and more detail. An outline will create the structure for your document. Soon enough your writing will come more easily, quickly, and with greater clarity.
WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW BEST
At this stage, read over your outline and write the first draft. Establish the main idea of the document and support your argument throughout. If a blank white page glares back at you like headlights, just start writing on whatever topic you know best. According to American novelist Jack London, “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” Don’t worry about the sequence if the ideas come to you out of order. You can cut and paste later.
WORDY WEIGHT LOSS
If you have time, step away from the document. Come back to it later with a fresh mind. Now add material where needed. Trim away unnecessary sections. Refine the text to communicate what you want to say. Remember: less is more. Try not to repeat ideas. Repetition, unless necessary, is tiresome for the reader. Keep the piece moving along. Use a lively pace. Progress through your points efficiently.
The following sections address some of the most common writing problems. Use these tips to write more clearly, effectively, and lively.
I.) PUNCTUATION
a) Apostrophes
Do not use an apostrophe in the possessive form of “it.”
Incorrect: Our department submitted it’s reports for 2005 last week.
Correct: Our department submitted its reports for 2005 last week.
Do not use apostrophes in the possessive forms “his,” “hers,” and “ours.”
Incorrect: The window office is her’s.
Correct: The window office is hers.
Do not use apostrophes in plural nouns.
Incorrect: How many new computer’s are we getting?
Correct: How many new computers are we getting?
b) Commas
Do not connect two complete sentences with a comma.
Incorrect: The meeting was cancelled, I finished my work early.
Correct: The meeting was cancelled, so I finished my work early.
Correct: Since the meeting was cancelled, I finished my work early.
II.) MECHANICS
a) Split Infinitives
Do not insert words between “to” and the infinitive form of a verb.
Incorrect:I was told we needed to slightly tighten the deadline.
Correct:I was told we needed to tighten the deadline slightly.
III.) SPELLING
a) “A lot” is always two words.
Incorrect: I have alot of work to do.
Correct: I have a lot of work to do.
b) “To” is a function word often used before the infinitive form of a verb (to go).
c) “Too” is an adverb that means “excessively” (too difficult).
d) “Two” denotes the number 2.
Incorrect: This file cabinet is to heavy for me to move.
Correct: This file cabinet is too heavy for me to move.
e) “There” is an adverb indicating a place (over there).
f) “Their” is a possessive word that shows ownership (their computers).
g) “They’re” is the contraction form of “they are.”
Incorrect: There results for this quarter were excellent.
Correct: Their results for this quarter were excellent.
Incorrect: Their working very hard today.
Correct: They’re working very hard today.
IV.) STYLE
a) Sentence Variety
To write more lively, vary sentence structure. Use alternate ways of beginning, and combine short sentences to create different sentence lengths.
Before:
I organized the files for all the new accounts this week. Then I created a more efficient labeling system. I color-coded everything. I made sure all paper files had been documented electronically. I put these files in the empty file cabinet.
After:
This week I organized the files for the new accounts and created a more efficient color-coded labeling system. After I documented all paper files electronically, I put these files in the empty file cabinet.
V.) ACTIVE VOICE vs. PASSIVE VOICE
The English language has two "voices": active voice (the subject performs an action); and passive voice (the subject is acted upon). In business communication, all good writers write in active voice. Lazy writers write in passive voice. Writing in active voice shortens your sentences and makes your writing sound more direct and formal.
Examples:
PASSIVE: The recipe book is read by her.
ACTIVE: She reads the recipe book.
PASSIVE: The radio announcement should be listened to by everyone.
ACTIVE: Everyone should listen to the radio announcement.
PASSIVE: The photo is being taken by the photographer.
ACTIVE: The photographer is taking the photo.
HELPFUL RESOURCES
To learn more about fixing common writing mistakes, check out The Electronic Writing Course ( http://www.ElectronicWritingCourse.com ). It’s a program that teaches the basics of good writing and editing. If you want to check your document against 36,000 style and usage mistakes, check out StyleWriter ( http://www.StyleWriter-USA.com ). It’s a style and usage Plain English checker. If you want to write more lively and creatively, check out WhiteSmoke Software ( http://www.WhiteSmokeSoftware.com ). It’s a program that fixes and enriches your text.
If you follow these guidelines, you’ll stop yourself from writing lousy in the workplace. Your writing will be lively, clear, and concise, and you will build rapport with readers. Perhaps it’s now time to e-mail your boss a perfectly-written e-mail requesting a salary raise?
Brian Konradt has been a professional freelance writer for over ten years. He is founder of http://FreelanceWriting.com ( http://www.FreelanceWriting.com ) and http://LiteracyNews.com ( http://www.LiteracyNews.com ).
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