TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS!

If time management skills were taught in school, life today would have been a lot different from what it is now. If you can’t manage time, your degree (no matter where you got it from), experience, intelligence or even your charm – you are not quite an asset to the firm.

In today’s business world, old-time management techniques are not enough. With the increasing pace of change, extensive downsizing and firm’s growing expectations of prompt communication and responsiveness, you need updated tools and practices to keep you ahead of everything. “Careers are made or broken by the soft skills that make you able to h

and a very large workload,” says Merlin Mann, editor of the productivity blog 43 Folders. Here are a few tips that would help you to manage time.

1. Organize your to-do list daily.

You need to be aware of what it is you have to do in order to allocate time for each action. The easiest way to do that is by writing down the chores everyday till they are done. If the chore is still on the list for over a week, you are not managing your time right! The best thing to do, rather, is schedule appointments with yourself. Use softwares or your cellphone to make appointments for every chore and monitor the time it takes. Be disciplined with your appointments.

2. Prioritize an action plan.

After making a list of to-do chores, make sure you are doing the most important one first. The best thing to do is to plan or prioritize your actions a day/night before each day so when you reach work, you already know what to work on right away – it saves you time and energy!

3. Take notes!

Write down everything you think of, all the ideas, actions, important conversational points – everything, you do everyday so you can eliminate the time-wasting elements and focus on what really needs attention. During this process you might be able to shortlist some really productive ideas that can be incorporated in your business that can lead to success.

4. Never pile up unanswered emails.

Most of us do this on a daily basis. Letting your unanswered emails pile up in your inbox is the worst thing you can do to yourself. Make it a point to reply to each email as you read it. This not only shows your time management skills but it also tells how prompt and responsive you actually are.

5. Is multi-tasking made for you?

For those who can’t multi-task – Dont Try! the more time you spend on trying to simultaneously handle multiple chores, chances are you wont get done with any and would only end up wasting your time. Deal with one chore at a time and move on to the next. Slow is ok as long as you are getting the chore done rather than wasting your time and that to-do list remains the same, or even worse, you end up adding more without marking the ones that are dealt with. Eventually you would get the speed kicking in once you know what, how and when to do.

6. Establish a routine

For effective time management, be sure to set a routine for yourself and stick to it. Any task can take up your entire day if you let it, for example, taking calls and replying to emails. Set an hour to reply emails and answer calls and make this a routine to be practiced daily. If you set time goals for yourself, chances are you would be more productive than ever.

7. Set expectations and assess results.

Before stepping into any meeting, taking any call or even starting any task, take five minutes to know what results you would want from it. This would help you understand what success looks like. Also, after the call/meeting/task, take another five minutes to assess whether the desired result was achieved? if not, what was missing? How can you incorporate the missing link in your next activity to achieve the desired result?

8. Take charge!

When you know you absolutely have to get the work done, put up a “do not disturb” sign on your door and make sure your cell phone is  on silent as well. Similarly, disconnect all IM’s and,  don’t just answer a call because its ringing, answer if it is urgent. Don’t instantly give people your attention unless it’s absolutely crucial in your business to offer an immediate human response.

9. Learn to delegate!

No matter what the size of your organization or firm is, there is absolutely no requirement for you to be a one-man show! You need to analyse what tasks you can delegate to your team members and what tasks you need to deal with yourself. But if you are planning to do it all yourself, you are headed towards disaster.

 

These are just a few tips to help you with time management, however, at the end of the day, no matter how organized you are, there are only 24 hours in a day. Don’t be disappointed if you are unable to complete a task or get the desired results. It is persistence and the desire to achieve that gets results, as Rodin says it best, “Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely.” So learn from your mistakes and pave your way to success!

 

By Marriam Ahmed

Never EVER fall in love with the company!

One of my friends just lost a job, and I kept telling him this piece of advice that you, “Never EVER fall in love with the company, fall in love with what you do, your vision and purpose and then work where it aligns”

Most people don’t know the hacks of corporate sector, every business entity much before it is created, has an exit strategy first. Yes now that is a “lol”, at least the most successful companies do. I am pro believer that one would continuously work on self development and move on from companies to find better challenges then sticking on to one. You become redundant, so you better switch after those 4 to 5 years and find bigger dreams and goals.

Scenarios have changes so if you are a employee, work out on job progression or switching smartly, making good self development initiatives and finding bigger challenges & if you are an entrepreneur do try putting people before money just for a change!

‪#‎Grow‬‪#‎Groom‬ & ‪#‎GO‬ as said by a leadership expert…

 

 

By Arslan Larik

BUILDING A BRAND!

Building a brand is the most important thing you can do for your business. Whether your business is service oriented, all about manufacturing and production, import/exports or whatever, people would know your business through the brand name as for most of us, from the shoes to the ties we wear, it’s all about the brand.

In a competitive global market today, it is extremely essential that branding is based upon what your customers think about the product/service you offer. For instance, some, majority of people, use certain products/services based on their priorities, therefore, it is necessary to relate customers with any brand you want to create.

If you were to ask yourself, what you thought branding was all about? You would easily say that anything that makes a customer choose your product over anything else, a certain mental association with a product/service is what can define branding in layman terms Right! And mind you, customers are either convinced by what they hear, or in their own imagination, associate with any product/service if watched on Tv or heard of on radio. All this is a part of branding.

Today, Branding is not about doing something for the company, it’s about building relationships, let me correct myself, building long-term relationships with your customers in that target market you focus upon. And this my friend, does not happen over night – Not at all. It takes time and even years at times.

Mostly in my seminars when I interact with business students, I often rather, always, talk about how when making presentations in front of an audience, telling personal stories brings your presentation to life. It’s the lesson out of that story that people remember and relate to. Similarly, when branding your product/service, it is necessary to keep your customers needs in mind as they would associate with your product if it caters to their needs.

Now you are probably wondering how do you build a brand for your customers, Right? Well, that’s not all that easy, but not all that difficult either. There are a few easy steps that can help you brand your product/service.

–          Place yourself in your customers shoes, relate to them. If it weren’t for them, how would you brand your products/services.

–          Build relationships with your customers.

–          Customers always focus on quality of your product or service, focusing on that is very essential.

–          Provide better deals, more value. Customers would always remember how you walked an extra mile for them, a nice complimentary something that you could offer to them. A cost-effective strategy might be what you want to focus on here.

–          People should know why you are different. State your edge clearly and boldly so you can stand out.

–          Be patient and try continuously.

Like I said before, nothing happens over night, it takes time for brands to build. You would have to be persistent, stop, watch, observe, learn and then try. Try these steps and let me know how your branding went. Enjoy Branding now!

 

Author, Marriam Ahmed.

LETTER TO A JOB SEEKER – COMMON MISTAKES IN RESUME WRITING!

Dearest job seeker,

I hope you are well and not still looking for a job. I received your resume for almost all positions in my firm posted in last Sundays Advertiser. The least you could have done is at the least given me your list of preference – which post to consider you for first. (you sent me your CV for all the posts – are you for real??) Oh and by the way, your recent cv titled supercoolusmannewcv.docx which has been sent to all your friends, cc’d to me (HR manager), has a list of all the comments like, “kool ussi – good luck 4 dis job. u shud aply in call cntrs 2.” and ones i cant mention here were quite amusing. ( you sure you applied to the right place???)

im so impressed by your slang language that i personally think you would be an appropriate fit for the Social media coordinator. Ur cv been ritten in gr8 language n format. it’s so emprezzive. (for god’s sake are you applying for a professional job or what?)

In the end, all i can say to your request to be informed whether shortlisted or not, and if not pls pass the cv on to people i know, – im not mother Theresa, but sure, i can try.

It’s high time you realized that your resume would never get any serious attention if your title is weird/funny/or not professional. For all those who are looking for jobs, please, this is a humble request, do not use slang language – NO it’s not impressive. Also, for those who keep forwarding one cv for jobs they are not fit for, you are never going to get a call.

My next blog would cover resume writing tips, for now just enjoy the experiences so far.

6 TIPS ON BECOMING AN OUTRAGEOUS AND INSPIRING ENTREPRENEUR!

Being an entrepreneur is much more than being an owner of a business, earning good money and getting people to work for you. It’s about doing the above too, but it’s mostly about being a change agent, doing the unthinkable (positive things), going beyond the norms, challenging yourself, learning more, inspiring others, being a true leader and this could go on and on and on.

Today, we would quickly discuss the 6 Key elements to being an outrageous and inspiring entrepreneur.

1. Following your passion.

Every action you take is an outcome of something you are passionate about. The key is to first identify your passion – the most important and crucial step in doing anything in life. Once you know what you are passionate about, you have to then follow your passion and make things happen.

For some, colors are everything and they are into either arts or fashion and etc. Similarly, some people are all about numbers and they choose to be the finance people. If you are in a field you are not passionate about, you should not be in that profession at all.  You need to find out what your passion is, follow your passion and just crush it.  You might start down path and maybe your path changes. That’s OK. That is the beauty of being an entrepreneur. You have to shift and be agile enough to move on to the next thing.

2. Walk the Talk – making it happen!

The second step that’s extremely important is,after identifying your passion, MAKING IT HAPPEN! You can easily come across a number of people who would say that they want, wanted, will be an entrepreneur but just talk about and do no action!

If you are going to do it, it’s never going to happen until and unless you take that first step, until you put yourself out there, you will never know what it feels like or if you have what it takes. If you don’t take any risks, you would never learn from your mistakes or enjoy your successes.

During your undergraduate degrees, you must have read that “big risks have big rewards” however, entrepreneurs are all about risk taking, but they take calculated risks – they don’t always have to be successful decisions, they could go wrong too. People who learn from the mistakes they make are the ones to reach the top when they are careful the second time – It’s all about bouncing right back at the top!

3. Set priorities!

Being an entrepreneur is about a series of important steps that are a plan of action to success. Once you are aware of your passion, you are all set to make it happen, what you need to do now is setting priorities in life. Setting priorities is important as you design a plan of action to making your dreams into realities.

If you are an entrepreneur (or intend to become one), you have to learn to manage time and set priorities. This is your dream, your passion hence, you have to set the theme and carry your actions forward that lead to success and accomplishment. Anything that distracts you needs to be eradicated immediately so you can stay focused, enthusiastic, motivated and goal oriented.

If you really want to make it happen, you got to give it your 1000%, because if you don’t, no one else will.

4. Identifying your Support and Motivation Source!

Each of the 4 tips is more important than the other. This tip in particular is

what can get you going when the going gets tough.

You need to identify your source of motivation and support so you are able to build your vision and make your dream come true. Note people who inspire you, motivate you or encourage you and are there to support you – these are the people who will have faith in you and tell you to have faith in yourself more than anybody else. These are the people you would be going to often to share your ideas and ask if it’s a good idea? or seek their suggestions and add them to your vision as you are determined to make it happen. This is your dream and you are going to give it your all.

Avoid meeting or being with people who bring you down and tell you that you should change your mind, you cant do it, or its impossible to do what you plan to do. Being an entrepreneur demands believing that nothing is impossible – something you should blindly follow and strongly believe.  These people don’t have to be people in your area, city or even country. If you are inspired by someone, try to reach out to them through email, Skype or even Facebook. However you can get their attention and seek the guidance you need.

5. Networking

Networking is also an important element of being an entrepreneur. You should attend all the meet ups you can, exchange cards and communicate your business with the people you meet. These are the opportunities you get to find clients/customers and then once you meet them, you make your sales pitch.

After making a sales pitch, the crucial factor to success is following up with the people you have met. It’s not necessary that everyone you met or exchanged cards with would reply to you with a “YES, we want to give you business”, but they could certainly find synergy and then you can build on that. Every meeting is an opportunity – it could lead to anything.

6. Social Media

The world is so social today that even if someone is having a cup of tea somewhere in Paris, the rest of the world knows it.

For business today, it is now next to impossible to not have a virtual presence. Entrepreneurs who know, understand and value the importance of having a website, a blog, Facebook page, linked in profile, twitter account and etc, know that they can find innumerable opportunities to network or find business opportunities online.

E-marketing is more of a must have to survive and reach out to your customer/clients. Making sure that you are doing that as that’s the only way people know whats new that you are offering, or how you are different, your achievements, or how you are the best people to turn to. Opportunities and benefits are unlimited that would leave you absolutely amazed.

Entrepreneurial success Recap

So just as a recap,  if you really want to become an entrepreneur and make your dream your vision you have to initially identify and realise your passion, find what gets you going and motivates you to achieve success. This should be followed by then jumping right into it. Learn more, research more – just delve into your passion. It may be a trial and error process but it will lead you somewhere. Thirdly, you have set priorities. Knowing what you want to do and how willing you are, you need to set whats most important to you and then set a plan of action. Set a series of steps that you need to take to make your dream come true. Once you do that, find your motivational and support source and make sure you use it as much as you can. Meet and speak to people who make you want to do more. Once you have a business idea, a plan, network with people and share your ideas so you can market your business and seek clients/customers or just build synergies with other competitors. Lastly, and most importantly, use social media to publicize, promote and market your business to the world.