Have you been procrastinating about projects you need to get started? Do you find yourself continually frustrated at the end of the day, with a mound of things that need to be done? Unfinished projects, e-mails to answer, stacks of paper that keep piling up? If so, you’re not alone. A lot of people suffer from an inability to make the most effective use of their time, but there is a solution if you just apply a few simple time management strategies. You’ll be able get more accomplished in less time with less hassle than ever before!

1. Set goals and determine what you want to accomplish. Determine when you need to have the task completed by. Don’t think of this as a "to do" list but rather a "must do" list. Don’t give yourself the option of not finishing the task.

2. Determine where you are losing time.
Keep track of what activities are eating up your valuable time. Checking e-mails throughout the day can be a huge time waster. A much better option is to get as many things accomplished as possible early on, and then check e-mails later in the day, all at once. Also, it’s a good idea to keep your e-mail folders organized so that you can easily find what you’re looking for. There’s no need to do double paper handling, even if it’s just electronic paper. Another tip for e-mails is in regards to handling long e-mails with multiple replies. Just keep the latest version and delete all previous versions. That way you won’t be reading the same things over and over again.

3. Use a daytimer or computer contact manager software.
Use one of these essential tools to list everything you need to accomplish and keep track of all your valuable contacts.

4. Prioritize.
Each morning, review the tasks you need to accomplish and prioritize them. Determine which ones are urgent, needing immediate action, and which ones can wait. Do the most important things first. Sometimes these are things you don’t really want to do but by getting the tough stuff out of the way you’ll feel a greater sense of accomplishment.

5. Ask for help; delegate.
You don’t have to do it all yourself. Ask for the assistance of others whenever possible.

6. Have a plan.
When you have a doctor’s appointment this doesn’t have to be down time. Bring something with you that you can work on – a book or report to read, a notepad, a laptop computer, or a PDA to check your email. Continue working on those tasks. Don’t let a moment go by wasted. Do this anytime you know you’ll be waiting in a lobby for any reason.

7. Work the plan. Be consistent and work the plan every day.
Consistency is the key to this endeavor. If you’ve set realistic goals and you’ve followed the seven steps outlined here, you’ll be on your way to getting things done! There may still be some days that you just can’t get everything done. If you’re consistent however, you’ll be on your way to living a more productive and less stressful life. We all have the same 24 hours in a day, and how we choose to spend this time is up to us.

I’ve heard it said that if you were to take all the money away from the wealthy and redistribute it evenly among everyone, that within one year an upper class, a middle class, and a lower class would re-emerge. I believe this to be true because some people would see opportunities and take advantage of them as they arise. Others would save or invest their money and possibly take advantage of a few opportunities. The remainder would blow their money, ignore opportunities, and make excuses as to why they no longer have the kind of life they desire.

Have you ever noticed that so many of the wealthy people in this country weren’t even born here? This is something I have always found very fascinating. I’ve heard story after story of people who immigrated to this country and came here with very little or no money. Yet many of them became very successful people, at least in terms of amassing wealth. They do whatever is necessary to acquire their dreams. Many of them achieve this success by initially living as cheaply as possible, working 2 or 3 jobs, and saving their hard earned dollars. Then they learn everything they can in a given field and often go into business for themselves. Sometimes they get small business loans if necessary. Once they achieve initial success with one store, they often go ahead and open a second and then a third. They find good managers to run the additional stores. The power of duplicity is a great way to create wealth because once you train someone to do exactly what you do you can continue duplicating this success over and over again.

Why do so many foreigners take advantage of these opportunities while the rest of us do not? I believe it’s because they see opportunities where we do not. Many of these people grew up in countries that don’t have the endless luxuries that we do.

Imagine if you lived in a shack that you shared with 10 other people. The place has no heating or air conditioning, no refrigeration, and a dirt floor. Food is scarce and you have no running water and have to walk a mile just for fresh water. Suddenly the idea of working two jobs in exchange for living in a place that has flooring and refrigeration would seem like a dream come true. The opportunity to learn about business and actually be able to get a loan for this purchase would be unheard of where you came from. So naturally, when you arrive in this country all you can see is opportunity, everywhere you look. There are even fountains with fresh water and coins in the bottom! This is obviously a place of great abundance.

Now this may be an exaggerated example but I use it to illustrate a point. Why don’t we see the many opportunities that surround us? It’s because when you’re comfortable and all of your basic needs are met it’s harder to see the opportunity. We simply don’t want to take advantage of opportunity because sometimes what’s really an opportunity feels like a tremendous sacrifice. We’re just too comfortable to see what we’ve got. So, we make excuses as to why something won’t work to avoid making what we perceive to be a sacrifice.

We use negative self-talk; getting my degree will take too much time, or owning my own business would require too much work, or getting a loan involves too much risk. Oh, and then, pursuing a certain course of action might take up too much of my time and I’d have to give up watching my favorite TV shows, and so on and so forth.

We’re like spoiled children who get everything handed to them only to take it all for granted. It drives me crazy when I see parents give their kids everything, which teaches them the value of nothing. There, I said it. This opinion might not make me too popular with some, but I don’t care; it’s what I truly believe. We tend to place much more value on things that we have to work for and pay for with our own money especially if we earn them the old fashioned way. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to give your children opportunities and provide them with a wonderful life. However, teaching them the value of working and seizing opportunities is one of the best gifts you can give them.

The following quote is attributed to Helen Keller.

"When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us ."

If a blind and deaf mute could see opportunity then surely all of us can learn from her remarkable attitude. While she may not have had the gift of sight, she certainly possessed vision.

People have been coming to this country for years in search of a better life. After all, this is the land of opportunity. Once you realize this, the possibilities are limitless! If you have sight, but lack vision you might not see every opportunity. If you have vision, you can take advantage of opportunities and create the life you desire. Having sight allows you to see what is. Having vision allows you to see what can be!

Have you ever wanted to learn a new skill, start a new career, or take up a new hobby but felt that you were too old? I know I certainly have and on more than one occasion. I remember when I was about 20 years old I considered becoming a Chiropractor. I liked the holistic philosophy of Chiropractic. The idea of treating the problem rather than the symptom made sense to me.

Then I was stricken with fear, yes the dreaded "f" word. I thought that I would be too old by the time I graduated at 26! If I decided to get married someday and have kids, then the schooling might just be a waste of time. Also, it seemed like a long time to wait before beginning a career.

Several years later, after I got married, I toyed with the idea of becoming an Architect. I was probably about 32 at the time and I was working for a builder selling new homes. I enjoyed studying the blueprints and changing things around to make the homes more aesthetically pleasing with improved functionality. Even though I believed I would make an excellent architect, I figured I would be too old by the time I got the degree. Therefore, I didn’t pursue this course of action either.

In retrospect, the whole notion of being too old just seems completely ridiculous: too old for what? If you decide to pursue a goal that takes 10 years to accomplish, then so what? What’s the worst thing that could happen? You could die between now and then and not achieve the goal. What’s the best that could happen? You could still be alive in ten years and now possess a valuable skill that might allow you to earn a very good living. You could master a skill that brings you great joy. Suppose you didn’t pursue this goal. You could look back in ten years regretting that you didn’t follow your dream. You would be asking yourself, "I wonder what would have happened if?"…

I got an e-mail the other day from my good friend, Lisa. She told me about a woman named Sister Madonna Buder and went on to say that this lady was her new hero. Of course, being a nun itself is quite remarkable given the level of sacrifice and dedication that’s required of the position. The thing that really impressed my friend was that this lady participates in triathlons and has even competed in 13 Iron Man triathlons.

An Iron Man consists of a 26.2 mile marathon run, a 2.4 mile swim, and a 112 mile bicycle ride. This would be an incredible accomplishment for the most elite athlete. What makes this feat even more inspiring is that Sister Madonna is 78 years old or in her case, years young. She didn’t take up running until she was 49. She has broken her hip twice, broken her arm, and broken her scapula but she just keeps on going. In fact, she has participated in over 300 triathlons!

Remember it’s not the amount of years in your life that count but the amount of life in your years! If I ever start to feel too old to do something, I’m just going to think of Sister Madonna. Besides, it’s all in how you look at it. Instead of thinking you’re too old just think of how young you’ll stay by pursuing your passions.