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Time management is not cramming more into your day. Time management will help you spend your time according to your goal.

Effective time management is essential to attain your career and personal goals.
If you are unclear about what you are trying to achieve, it is difficult to achieve it.
We all have twenty-four hours in a given day, seven days in the week, and fifty-two weeks in the year. Our time needs to be managed effectively and efficiently to meet work goals and priorities, balance work and personal life, reduce stress and increase motivation.
Time management entails selecting the most relevant task to complete from all the possibilities available, and then by doing it in the best possible way. Action needs to be planned. Action is not an end in itself, rather a means to attain a goal.

There are misconceptions about time management. Examples include:

• ‘I work better under pressure; time management would take away that edge.’

We need to control how we use our time to reduce stress and produce higher-level outcomes. Both urgent and the longer-term important tasks need to be completed.

• ‘Time management takes away one’s freedom and spontaneity.’

When we control our time to reach our goals, we spend our time to its fullest advantage, rather than ‘firefighting’ issues.

• ‘Time management takes time I don’t have!’

Research shows that investment in planning gives us more time. We need to invest time to use our time effectively – doing the most important things first, and efficiently – in the quickest and best way.

In the workplace, we are under pressure to maximise our time to achieve set outcomes. This is easier said than done when we are confronted with time wasters. Sometimes, these can be unavoidable. Other times, these can be overcome with a change in approach. The first step is to identify these time wasters. Examples include:

• Information overload with emails or paperwork
• Difficulty saying ‘No’
• Telephone calls or meetings that are unfocused and too long
• Doing too much at one time

Time management problems are caused in two ways:

• Internal problems – problems that are within one’s control. These include lack of self-discipline to work, procrastination, failure to delegate, or being interruption prone.
• External problems – problems that are beyond one’s control. Examples include phone calls, over-dependent/untrained staff, or lack of support.

Aim to view the time management problem as being internal rather than external. By internalizing our time management problems, we are able to have greater control and improve our time usage. Conversely, when time management problems are regarded as being external to ourselves, many believe things just happen with little control. This refers to the internal and external locus of control.

Five strategies to manage time

Time management strategies assist us to focus our energy on the important tasks at the right time to achieve better results. Below are five strategies to assist you.

1. Set goals

Realistic and achievable goals help you to manage your time and provides a focus for your activities. Set goals that are SMART:

Specific – Specify what you are going to do.
Measurable – Goals can be measured.
Attainable – Goals can be achieved within the time frame. Ensure that the goal stretches you, but is also achievable.
Realistic – You are willing and able to complete the tasks to achieve your goal, and the timing is realistic.
Timely – Allow enough time to complete the task, and for changes along the way.

2. Make a ‘To Do’ list and prioritize your tasks

List activities and tasks that you need to complete. All the activities that we undertake have a relative value. Therefore, you can accomplish more and move towards your goals if you prioritize your tasks/activities using a priority system of A, B and C tasks.

Category A – Essential and urgent tasks
These include: assisting customers, addressing staff management issues, dealing with a workplace issue or problem.
Category B – Essential, non-urgent task
These include: working on projects that are longer-term, or spending time with family and on your health.
Category C – Remaining tasks that don’t fit into categories A or B
These include: distractions from staff or technology, responding to emails, or dealing with responsibilities that arise.

3. Learn to say ‘No’

Recognize the reasons that this is a problem. It may be a way of:

• Avoiding difficult and unpleasant tasks
• Trying to be nice
• Avoiding conflict
• Fearing the consequences
• Trading short term gratification for longer-term self-respect

To help to say ‘no’, identify the important things in your career and in your life. These are the bigger picture ‘yes’ values. Then, you can say ‘no’ to those things that do not fit with these values.

Many people are uncomfortable with saying ‘no.’ It takes time and practice but is worth the effort.

4. Remove distractions

Unfortunately, distractions are part of the course! Examples of distractions include interruptions with questions or work/personal ‘drop-ins,’ text messages, colleagues who are loud with their conversations, social media or other websites, or personal email.
Distractions can cause stress and lead to poor performance. We have a responsibility to manage or avoid distractions by creating time and space and limiting technology to help focus on our work.

5. Match your energy level to complete tasks

Our energy level will vary during the day. This is natural. Use the body’s guide to suit your tasks and activities. During your peak energy time when you are most alert, undertake the tasks that require greater attention. This may include writing a document, analysing data or interviewing/meeting another party. It may help reduce the time spent completing the task. During lower energy times, undertake less demanding tasks such as photocopying or filing. Consider taking a break to pick up your energy.
By managing our time to achieve the goals that we seek, we are able to master our time, improve our wellbeing, and achieve success. What challenges do you face to manage your time?
Connect with Leah Shmerling via LinkedIn and website careercoachingandtraining.com.au, and check out the blogs.

Leah Shmerling is the Director and Principal Consultant of Career Coaching and Trainingand has over 30 years’ experience in career development, life coaching, education and training. Leah is the author and publisher of the nationally accredited online short course Foundations in Career Development Practice.
Leah is a professional member of the Career Development Association Australia (CDAA), a Certified Retirement Coach and is Board Certified as a Career Management Fellow with the Institute of Career Certification.

Personal myths represent our ideas about ourselves, people and the world around us. These ideas are passed down by our family, and influences our attitudes, values and beliefs to comprise our ‘world view.’ It serves us well and remains unchallenged until confronted with personal or professional challenges.

A myth means a traditional or legendary story, with or without a basis of fact that is usually past its use by date. Often these myths bear little relevance to new and modern situations that we face. As a result of new experiences and learning, our perspectives are modified and broadened to challenge the validity of these myths. During the process, we go through personal growth to change ourself and our perspective.

Below are four career myths that are reframed in a modern career context.

Myth 1 – Pick a career path and stick with it

As recently as twenty years ago, most people who started out in one career retired from a higher-level version of their first job. That is not the case today.

Over a lifetime, individuals can expect to change their careers five to seven times. A worker in one career may switch to a related career, or an entirely new career. Multiple careers reflect the life stage of the individual, and their transferable skills that are acquired through work, education or life, enables individuals to apply these skills in new careers. For example, a teacher who has spent many years in the profession may change their career to being a fitness instructor. The transferable skills are relating information, interpersonal skills, and working with others.

As life-expectancy increases, an individual may seek a career that is less time consuming and demanding, or perhaps, the desire to express another side of him/herself. Workers may have concurrent multiple careers work at two careers simultaneously, with usually one career being dominant, or to pursue a creative need. Often, such careers are also regarded as a “hyphenated” professional identity. Example, a “teacher-artist” might refer to an individual who works for nine months of the year as teacher, and during the holidays as an artist. Or, combines both roles in different capacities during the year.

As individuals change their career paths, they bring their experience and achievements to add value to their new career.

Myth 2 – During a slow economy be safe and don’t change jobs

With a slow economy, many individuals seek to hold a job for security reasons so that there is less movement between jobs. There is an element of truth as individuals are less risk adverse. However, individuals do change jobs or look for new ways of working. It may include consultancy work with different clients or working at two part-time jobs. Some may say that this type of employment brings greater job security, rather than relying on one employer.

Myth 3 – A 9-5 work day in the office is the only way to work

Successful organisations build flexibility into the workplace. Fair Work Ombudsman provide examples of flexible working arrangements to include:

• Hours’ of work (start or finish times)
• Patterns of work (split shifts or job sharing)
• Locations of work (working from home)

Flexible working arrangements such as part-time work, job sharing or telecommuting can be viable work options. Flexible work arrangements suit:

• parents and carers balancing job demands with family responsibilities
• mature-age workers approaching retirement
• employees with study commitments
• people returning to work after an illness or long absence

Employees who have worked with the same employer for at least 12 months can request flexible working arrangements. Employers can only refuse requests on ‘reasonable business grounds.’

Myth 4 – Older individuals are less employable than their younger counterparts

Both older and younger workers need to stay relevant with updated knowledge and skills to add value to their employer.

With Australia’s ageing population and fewer younger workers entering the workforce, there is a business case to engage older workers. We need to move beyond stereotypes of misconceptions and biases.

Recent research by Monash University and AIM in 2012 indicates that older workers bring specific management skills, using greater ―crystallized intelligence (intelligence based on knowledge acquisition and experience). Retaining older workers may result in the retention of corporate knowledge for individual organisations, mentoring younger employees and minimising recruitment costs and the associated productivity loss. Older workers may play a crucial role in assisting an organisation to engage with its customers, suppliers and other stakeholders. Instead of retiring from work completely, a phased retirement provides flexible working arrangements that can involve: reducing the number of hours and/or working days, job sharing or changing positions and responsibilities.

Employers need to appreciate the valuable resource of older workers, and employ for the ‘best fit’ to an organisation, whether this be an older or younger individual. Outdated career myths need to be challenged to ensure that they are relevant to a new context. The path of self-discovery is to challenge and reframe myths to create meaning and personal growth for an enhanced life.

Good luck, and enjoy the journey.

Leah.

Leah Shmerling is the Director and Principal Consultant of Crown Coaching and Training, and has over 30 years’ experience in career development, life coaching, education and training. Leah is the author and publisher of the nationally accredited online short course Foundations in Career Development Practice.

Leah is a professional member of the Career Development Association Australia (CDAA), a Certified Retirement Coach and is Board Certified as a Career Management Fellow with the Institute of Career Certification.

Leah can be contacted by email. More about Crown Coaching here.

Recommend Leah on Facebook.

Professional reflection and setting goals for direction
A new year brings hope for career success and personal fulfilment. We are rejuvenated and positive for the year ahead. To ensure that we commit to such fulfilment, it is important to undertake professional reflection of the previous year, and set goals for the year ahead. If you haven’t done that yet, it’s time!

Professional reflection
This is the time to understand yourself and your life direction by asking yourself thought-provoking authentic questions. Your answers tap into a deeper level of understanding your inner self.

Reflect on where you are now in your career and personal life. Ask yourself:

• What has contributed to my success both personally and at work?
• Am I satisfied in my job?
• Am I working with my professional strengths?
• Am I doing what I enjoy?
• Are my work goals being met?

My rule when I am doing well, is to know what I have done, and keep doing it!

Now reflect on went wrong or negative situations. Some may find this difficult as it may be difficult to admit to – and take responsibility! Others are very good at only seeing the difficulties.

Ask yourself: Why did I make a mistake? Consider how much was within or external to your sphere of control. Your sphere of control are all the things that you can directly control – your internal factors. Essentially, it is everything that you say, do and think!

Address your mistake in the context of the internal factors such as your personal disorganisation, habits, health, lifestyle, or family situation. Place your energy in addressing these areas.

External reasons for issues or mistakes may be within your organisation such as: organisational policy, lack of training, resources, job design or unrealistic job demands. There may be increasing work demands due to staff reduction, or organisational re-structure that has affected your stress levels and work performance.

Other external factors may be due to industry trends, new or increased technology that impact on your performance. Record those that impact on your ability to meet your work key performance indicators.

Take a specific situation, analyse and reflect on the reasons for the mistake: within or external factors. It is a time for emotional honesty. Mistakes happen, but by reflecting, you are able to take responsibility and demonstrate your professional learning to make a change. Your response is often recognised by others, and demonstrates your flexibility to manage change.

How can you Change? Set goals – short and long term
Where would you like to be in the future, perhaps by the end of the year or in the next 2-3 years? It is a time to visualise and be creative. To set goals, ask yourself:

• What do I want from my career?
• Are you seeking a promotion, a new job or perhaps a new career?
• Are you seeking to work in a new capacity, perhaps part-time to leave time for a work-life balance, semi or retirement?

The gap between where you are now and where you would like to be in the future creates the opportunity to position yourself. How you get there is by establishing short and long term goals, planning your professional development and managing your career.

Plan your professional goals. Based on your professional self-reflection, develop your goals. Be realistic and set two or three goals. Prioritise these according to your needs, and into short and long term goals. Short term goals are usually 1-2 years, and long term goals are 3 years and beyond.

Ask yourself: What are the professional areas that require improvement? It may be learning a new skill, developing a skill deficiency, or if you are considering working in industry, you will need to develop a business orientation.

As you grow and develop, you change how you see yourself, and in the process, how others see you. You gain self-confidence, and a sense of control.

Get a clear direction of where you want to go in 2016, and a passion for your life direction.

Good luck, and enjoy the journey.

Leah.  

Leah Shmerling is the Director and Principal Consultant of Crown Coaching and Training, and has over 30 years’ experience in career development, life coaching, education and training. Leah is the author and publisher of the nationally accredited online short course Foundations in Career Development Practice.

Leah is a professional member of the Career Development Association Australia (CDAA), a Certified Retirement Coach and is Board Certified as a Career Management Fellow with the Institute of Career Certification.

Leah can be contacted by email. More about Crown Coaching here.

Recommend Leah on Facebook.

Retirement

Many dream of the day when they can leave their jobs and retire, but how do we know when it is time to retire?  

It can be difficult to realise the time to leave the security and routine of your job and pay-packet.  There are four signs that suggest that you are heading into the retirement phase of your life.

 

1. You can afford to retire

With careful financial planning for retirement, many people know if they can afford to retire if you have money saved and low debt.  They have also financially managed their financial affairs to continue with a retirement lifestyle.

 

2. You have a lifestyle plan

The New Retirement is the start of a new life journey.  It is time to fill your day by doing things that are meaningful to you.  You may want to spend time with your family, travel, spend time on your hobbies, or seek the quiet of personal space.  It may also mean, working in a new capacity to meet your interest and passion.

 

3. You seek to preserve your health

You are spending time to ensure your good health continues.

 

4. Most of your colleagues and friends are retired

You realise that your colleagues and friends are enjoying their new retirement stage, as you are working!  You are looking eagerly how they spend their time!  Or, if you are one of the first people in your social circle who has retired, ensure that there are people to connect to.  It may be in a community, hobby, social or sporting group.

Retirement is a stage in your life that is a gift.  Rather than assuming your retirement will fall into place, it deserves a holistic plan to create a meaningful retirement.

Contact Career Coaching and Training to design a retirement plan that will meet your emotional and mental needs, and give you the best chance at leading a fulfilling life.

Why do workers want to change careers?

Many career choices that individuals make reflect their interests, talents, stage of life, and values.  Workers seek to change careers to find meaning in their work life and to attain work flexibility that incorporates their lifestyle and personal needs.  It encourages a realignment of their work/personal and spiritual values.

Many workers who are well qualified, possess a range of skills to utilise in a role that includes the technical job skills, communication and interpersonal skills, and work interests, which may also reflect their personal interest.  Workers want to utilise their skills and attributes to find meaning in what they do at work.

With changes and challenges in the labour market that impact on individuals, there is now a culture of loyalty to an occupation and role, rather than to an organisation.  This is due to many reasons that include:  casualisation of the workforce, organisations outsourcing roles, restructuring that can lead to redundancy, or moving off shore.  It has led workers to feel distaste and disappointment in their employer and organisational culture.

So why do workers switch jobs?

• Internal organisational changes such as restructuring within an organisation that can lead to job insecurity. Or, end of a work contract leading to cessation of work
• Higher pay and improved working conditions
• Enhanced opportunities and security

What does this mean?

Workers have greater career options that they previously may not have had.  Some may have entered careers that provide financial stability, rather than reflect their passion.  For example, an individual with a passion for work in television or film may seek a teaching job as it is a ‘safer’ option.

With an aging population and individuals considering and moving into retirement, they are seeking a range of work options that reflects flexibility and lifestyle options.  It may include work as a consultant, casual or mentoring roles.

An individual, no matter at what stage of life, will need to plan their career and next step carefully to help make the correct choices.  A career counsellor can help with honest analysis and feedback, support to determine the next step to attain professional goals, work through barriers and issues, and design strategies to achieve goals.

A supportive career counsellor/coach is an integral partner to assist you in the process at all stages of your career to attain your professional goals, and help you reach your full potential.

Career counselling

Career change statistics suggest that the average person will be making a career change approximately 5-7 times during their working life.  About two in three workers (63 per cent) want to make a career change, while only 14 per cent say they are in their dream job.

With an ever increasing number of different career choices on offer, about one third of the total workforce will now change jobs every 12 months.  By the age of 42 you will probably already have had about ten jobs. 

There is a difference between making a career transition and changing jobs.  A career transition is a change from one career to another.  For example, a manager can transition into another career that matches his or her hobby, such as wine making.  When you are changing jobs, you are working in the same occupation and role, but for a new organisation.  An employment consultant can counsel clients with a different provider.  A teacher can teach in a different school or sector such as tertiary, or in a different capacity such as casual.

 

There are three trends of an older workforce that are impacting the labour market:

1. Aging population and increased life expectancy

The average life expectancy for men and women is now above 80 years of age. The reasons that individuals are living longer can be attributed to:

• better health
• improved hygiene
• medical innovations
• improved medication
• better nutrition
• healthy lifestyle via diet, exercise and keeping the brain active

As our access to relevant information has also improved, it enables individuals to make informed decisions about their health and other factors

2. Ageing baby boomers and retirement

The baby boom cohort, the 5.5 million people born between 1946 and 1965, has begun to turn 65 years of age, and are looking at the next stage of their life – retirement. They will need to plan carefully to face issues of identity, career or work in a new capacity, relationships, lifestyle and leisure, and personal development.

3. People are remaining in the labour force longer than expected

Australian Bureau of Statistics in November 2013 quotes that less people were retired in 2012-13 than expected to be when they were asked in 2004-05.

Older people are seeking to work in a new capacity with reduced hours and commitment. It can consist of part time, casual work or undertaking work projects with specific time commitment that requires a specific skill based.

Some individuals may consider a new work role that is a career shift. It is common that professionals threw their professional white collar and turn their hobby or interest into self-employment. For example, to work as a fitness instructor, gardener, or wine maker. It is also popular to work as a nanny or in aged care.

Work can be undertaken through self-employment by starting or buying a business. The type of self-employment will need to be carefully considered to suit the individual’s time commitment and responsibilities. Older employees may consider a phased retirement or flexible work arrangements with their employer.

Phased retirement enables employees to gradually reduce their work hours or days over a defined period, rather than have an abrupt cut off. The objective is to let the person slowly adjust to new patterns of working and living, to reduce the post-retirement stress.

Retirement Coaching

Retirement Coaching helps you to map out the financial and lifestyle implications of your current situation, and help you align your aims and ambitions for future change.

Retirement coaching is for individuals who are considering retirement and those who have already retired and want a different lifestyle.

“A meaningful retirement is not an ending, but a transition to a new and exciting phase of your life that gives you freedom to do what you have always wanted to do that meets your life goals, well-being and happiness”

Achieving a successful retirement requires both financial and lifestyle planning to find purpose and satisfaction. Retirement coaching will support you to make the transition to a meaningful retirement.

A personalised and customised plan that is tailored to your specific needs to ensure a meaningful retirement.

Retirement coaching will address the following areas in your life:

• Career and work
• Health and wellness
• Family and relationships
• Leisure and social
• Personal development