One of the most famous quotes by Peter F. Drucker is on time management. This was what he said: “Time is the scarcest resource and unless it is managed nothing else can be managed.”

Indeed time is in fact one of the most precious commodity in the world. You simply cannot attach a price to it. I sometimes wonder whether time will ever be available for purchase in the market, since we often hear people complaining about a lack of time. How wonderful will it be when that happens? Everyone will be able to complete the tasks they are required to accomplish for the day by buying time. However, the reality is that a lot of people are either misusing or trying to find more time.

One of the many reasons why we hear complains about a lack of time is due to doing too many things at a time. Poor prioritisation of tasks has led to everything being important and urgent. In the long run, it will definitely result in work overload and burnout. Before you are exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally due to poor time management, it’s time to take action to manage the only component manageable within the entire time management puzzle, that is you. What do I mean by this?

If you are always finding no time to complete your tasks at work no matter how hard you try and everything seems to be urgent to you all the time, you are probably trying too hard to manage time. The solution to get out of this predicament is to manage yourself instead of trying to manage time. Time is just too big for anybody to handle. Prioritising and organising what is important should be your goal. It is the key to good time management. To assist you in taking charge of your life and managing your time better, here is a five step approach to better time management:

Step one – Prioritise your tasks according to the level of importance

The first step is the most important of the five step approach where you list out all the tasks to be done and prioritise them accordingly in a top down approach from the most to the least level of importance.

Step two – Organise and plan your schedule

The second step will involve the allocation of time and planning of your personal schedule. In order to get the things done, time has to be set aside and integrated into your daily list of activities. You need to plan ahead and allocate enough time to avoid disappointment and prevent last minute rushes. This will allow you to complete your tasks in an efficient manner and also reduce stress caused due to last minute rushes to meet your work deadlines.

Step three – Choose the appropriate course of action for each task

The third step will require you to think about what course of action you will be taking. The action chosen will be repeated over time to complete the tasks. Therefore, it is important to plan ahead to prevent a waste of valuable time if a wrong course of action is chosen.

Step four – Set a deadline for each task

The forth step is also the step that will force you to work towards to meet the deadline for the task in case you are lazy. Most people tend to shelf the tasks that have no deadlines and will leave them there for an indefinite amount of time. These tasks will be forgotten over time. When a necessity suddenly arises for any of these tasks to be completed, that is when stress builds up as the deadline for these tasks are often very close as they are left uncompleted for such a long time.

Step five – Create a routine and stick to it

The last step is where you integrate all the tasks to be done into a routine so that they get completed slowly over time in an efficient manner. This allows you to better manage your tasks and ensure that they are completed on time.

Do you know how people project a positive and confident image? How are they able to create a lasting impression that lasts in our minds? Multiple studies revealed that it takes only a mere blink of the eye to form some kind of impression of a person we have just met. Individuals who believe deep within themselves that the best will always happen to them, are usually successful in life. They have learned to “program” their minds to filter out negative thoughts and continually to listen only to thoughts that are positive. It’s this self confidence that spurs them on despite the numerous circumstances that unfolds before them.

So how do you boost your confidence and become the confident successful person that everyone dream of becoming? Here are 7 tips to get you on the fast track to become more confident and towards success:

Tip #1 – Dress to impress

Imagine yourself going on a date, you would do what ever it takes to impress the party you are trying to hit on right? The very first thing you can do is to dress up for the occasion to impress the other party. Though the advice is to dress to impress, do be careful not to overdress or you will stick out like a sore thumb. Practice common sense and wear clothes that bring out the best in you and not expose your flaws. Dress according to the occasion. The goal is to focus on impressing and not trying to get unnecessary attention which will definitely not work in our favour or give a good impression to the person you are interested in.

Tip #2 – Maintaining eye contact

The human eye communicates more than any part of the body. Not only does eye contact displays confidence on your part and increase the credibility of the content you are conversing, it also assist you in understanding what the other party is saying to you. Avoid behaving nervous by looking away at the floor or ceiling when talking.

Tip #3 – Be aware of your body language  

Are you slouching while standing? Are you shifting your body weight from side to side or are you fiddling with small items on your body when talking to someone? Conversing with others with a slumped body posture, projects a lazy impression. While shifting your body weight from side to side or fidgeting when talking gives people a feeling of uncertainty and nervousness which normally reflects that you have low level of confidence. Instead, you should be squaring your shoulders, standing tall and planting your foot on the ground when you are conversing. This will project your confidence and belief in what you are saying.  

Tip #4 – Speak clearly

When speaking, use a steady voice neither shouting nor mumbling as you do not want to appear to be offending, and yet you also do not want the other party to lean so close to you to catch what you are saying simply because you seems to be talking to air. 

Tip #5 – Train your mind to be optimistic

To develop your self confidence, train your mind to tell yourself to believe in what you can do. You can begin by spending time to engage in positive self-talk to continually remind yourself of your abilities and talents. Begin daily and say to yourself that you are a unique individual valuable to others, able to achieve anything as long you want to. Speak positively and make positive statements to yourself at the beginning of the day after a night’s sleep and at the end of each day before bed. Refuse to listen to that “little voice” whenever doubt surfaces in your thoughts. As and when that happens, tell yourself exactly the opposite. Only listen to what’s positive and reject what’s negative. 

Tip #6 – Learn to think success

Think of past successes and achievements. Continue to remind yourself of them and indulge in those wonderful feelings that come with them. Feel the excitement and thrill of winning in victory. Regular recap of these past, will definitely make your confidence grow.

Tip #7 – Plan and prepare for an event

Planning and preparation for an event prepares you mentally and physically before the actual event. This provides sufficient time to organize your thoughts as well as having ample rest before hand. When you are well prepared, you exude confidence.

In general, making improvements in your closet and habits will take time. “Mind programming” will definitely take more time to achieve as compared to personal grooming. If you believe in yourself, your confidence can be felt by the positive energy that you emit unknowingly. It can be heard and seen by your communication and body language. This kind of positive energy can in turn change the environment around you and attract others who are like you. Challenges, hurdles in life are easier to overcome as a result of this continual flow of positive energy.