The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! by Marc N

It's not about having time.It's about making time.

THE 3 MAIN REASONS TO BETTER USE YOUR TIME NOW!

MARC N.

PART I : FAMILY TIME ...................................................................................... 5 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 5 What it means to spend quality time with someone .................................................................... 6 Evaluate how much quality time with your family ..................................................................... 7 Why spending time with your family may be difficult ............................................................... 7 Make a list of all the obstacles preventing you from spending quality time with your family. .. 9 Importance of spending time with your family ........................................................................... 9 Make a list of all the possible rewards from spending quality time with your family. ............. 12 How to spend more time with your family ............................................................................... 12 Spending time with your wife for a healthy family .................................................................. 15 Family time and technology ...................................................................................................... 16 Make a list of internet based activities and games that can be done with family. .................... 17 Conclusion................................................................................................................................. 18

PART II : VOLUNTEERING .............................................................................. 20 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 20 Main Aim of Volunteering ........................................................................................................ 20 Examples of Volunteering Jobs................................................................................................. 21 Benefits of Volunteering ........................................................................................................... 23 Reasons for Volunteering .......................................................................................................... 25 Make a list of all the possible rewards volunteering can bring to you and your life. ............... 27 How to Get a Job through Volunteering ................................................................................... 31 Volunteering Work and Your Resume ...................................................................................... 33 Volunteering and Acquiring New Job Skills............................................................................. 36

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. Importance of Volunteering as a Civic Responsibility ............................................................. 36 Importance of helping the community through volunteering.................................................... 37 Importance of Helping Other People ........................................................................................ 37 Conclusion................................................................................................................................. 38

PART III : PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT ......................................................... 40 What does Personal Development mean? ................................................................................. 40 Why personal growth and development is important? .............................................................. 41 Practice self awareness. ............................................................................................................. 42 What gives you a sense of fulfillment? ..................................................................................... 43 How to start the journey towards personal development .......................................................... 46 What is your plan for personal development?........................................................................... 46 Visualize what is your vision of a perfect day and a perfect life? ............................................ 47 What are some of the things I can do to achieve personal development?................................. 49 Try the 5 second rule ................................................................................................................. 50 How can I improve my personal development? ........................................................................ 57 Conclusion................................................................................................................................. 58

PART IV : TIME MANAGEMENT .................................................................... 61 What is time management? ....................................................................................................... 61 The Importance of Time Management ...................................................................................... 61 Consequences of lack of Time Management ............................................................................ 62 Keys to Effective Time Management........................................................................................ 62 General Time Management Tips ............................................................................................... 62

General Principles of Time Management ............................................................. 63 Common time thieves................................................................................................................ 64 Time management process ........................................................................................................ 67 2

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. a.

Making activity logs .......................................................................................................... 68

Goal setting and Scheduling .............................................................................................. 68

Set Priorities ....................................................................................................................... 69

Use a Planning Tool ( faire un fichier pdf avec mes tools free prefers) ........................... 70

Schedule Your Time Appropriately ................................................................................... 71

Identifying and Managing Procrastination......................................................................... 72

Delegate: Get Help from Others ........................................................................................ 72

Manage External Time Wasters ......................................................................................... 73

Avoid Multi-tasking ........................................................................................................... 74 a.

Motivation: ................................................................................................................................................. 75

Stay Healthy ....................................................................................................................... 75

Achieve your goals/ Execution ................................................................................................. 75

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. Yourself is the most precious gift of all. How are you treating your gift? There are many things you can do to become a better person. In this course, we discuss a few aspects of how you could become a better person.

For starters, you can maximise your family time. Family is one of the strongest support systems you can have. Having a good bond with your family can really make a huge difference to your life. We all don't spend as much time as we should with our families. So the first part of the course is about how we can spend more time with our family, its benefits and how this habit will reward our life.

The second part is about volunteering. Many of us live about in our day and forget our role to contribute to helping others. There are lots of benefits to volunteering and lots of tips about how you can start volunteering discussed in the second part.

The third part of the course is about personal development and growth. What is life if you don't grow? There are numerous things you can do to help yourself develop and grow.

The last part of the course is about time management. Time is one of the most essential assets you have. If you learn how to divide and manage your time, you could become a very productive person with lots of achievements.

Overall, the different parts in this course are designed to help you become a well rounded, improved and refined person from many aspects such as personally, family wise, socially and time wise.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. PART I : FAMILY TIME

Introduction The Dictionary definition of family is; a basic social unit consisting of parents and their children, considered as a group, whether dwelling together or not. The modern contemporary world has seen the evolution of this word family to mean a group of people (not necessarily related by blood) who gather at a particular home and spend most of their time there. They always end up together as the day goes on, and eventually forget about everyone else they used to associate with.

On the other hand, Time in this instance simply implies to a point of time as measured in hours and minutes or the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present and future regarded as a whole.

Family time is therefore when a group of people who consider themselves family come together to recollect the events of their day together. All distractions like radio and mobile phones have to be turned off and stowed away during family time.

The modern culture tends to work against family time with social forces working to keep us apart. This requires individuals to put in more effort into spending time together. The media especially social media has made one on one communication almost impossible with people more concerned about maintaining their virtual friends and virtual lives more than spending time with their families.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N. The work structures have also become more fluid in today’s society with more organizations walking away from the ‘eight to five’ system into a ‘work wherever you are’ system so long as maximum productivity is attained. This can either mean more time to spend with your family or family time converted into work time. The lack of structure may seep into your sleeping routine and before you know it you find yourself low on sleep, constantly drained and in need of down time just to be by yourself.

In both instances, family time often ends up being compromised. Recognizing that you need family time is the first step. The next is to create work schedules, school schedules, evening schedules, weekend schedules and holiday schedules.

What it means to spend quality time with someone “Quality time is giving someone your undivided attention. I don’t mean sitting on the couch watching television. I mean sitting on the couch with the TV off, looking at each other and talking, and giving each other your undivided attention.” Gary Chapman, The 5 Love Languages

The saying men are from Mars and women from Venus can be applied in this instance because spending quality time has a different meaning to both genders. For most men, watching a game, talking about their favorite sport and politics or simply being in the same room drinking beer and exchanging a few words are the constituents of quality time together. For women, spending quality time requires much more. It means undivided attention, where all focus is on her. You have to be there for her and with her. There can be no distractions from phones, TV, emails or any other thing. 6

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N.

Many people confuse sharing space with spending quality time. Just because we live together does not mean we are spending time together. An example is when your children keep asking for something acting like they are desperate for your attention when in real sense ‘you just spent the entire day together’. While you might have been physically present, you mind may have been far away and you might not have been involved in the here and now and tried to know what’s happening in the child’s life.

Evaluate how much quality time with your family Use the definition of quality time to calculate how many hours you spend with your family per week. It is important to make sure you spend quality time collectively as a family while also trying to allocate special quality one on one time to allow family members to open up to you about things that may be personal to them or to do with them interests are only enjoyed by them among the other family members. Evaluate how much quality time per week do you spend collectively as a family and how much personal quality time you spend with each member of your family/partner.

Why spending time with your family may be difficult Finding quality time to spend together as a family is hard. There are so many things for both the parents and the children to do in a day that one might feel like 7

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N. 24 hours is just not enough. Getting everyone in one place especially during the week can be quite the task meaning family time is often left for the weekend or holidays. Many agree that family time is of great value but incorporating it into their daily routines still proves to be difficult for various reasons such as;

 Work schedules – someone has to put food on the table. This sometimes means crazy schedules leaving the parents with barely enough time for themselves and just enough to keep the family afloat and functional. Some parents may also have different work shifts meaning that they are barely in the house at the same time.  Homework – The kids always have homework to do, after this it is eat, go to bed and wake up tomorrow to repeat all this all over.  Divorce – Divorce or separation always mean that the children are constantly operating from two homes. Creating time where both parents are available for the child is sometimes impossible.  Technology – especially mobile phones. We are living in a world where your phone is everything. Everyone is always glued to their screens doing God knows what trying to keep up with the rest of the world but your family.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N.

Make a list of all the obstacles preventing you from spending quality time with your family. After knowing some of the possible causes for preventing you from spending quality family time, it is important to identify the possible obstacles in your life. Are you going through a divorce or another stressor in your life that makes you emotionally unavailable? Or you busy? Why? Do you have so much to do? Or do you have poor time management. Depending on the cause, you can find a solution to address the issue. For example, psychotherapy and counseling can help you with emotional problems. Delegation and time management can help you with always being busy etc. The first step in overcoming obstacles is to identify them.

Importance of spending time with your family We all know the importance of a healthy family. A critical factor in attaining this is family time. Family time helps to create strong bonds, love and deeper connections and a good functional relationship among family members. It also helps instill a sense of security, helps us cope with challenges, build family values and boost confidence in children.

Some might view time spent with family as a waste of time that could otherwise be put into use doing other â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;productiveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; things like work and get more money. This notion is far from the truth as time spent with family is like a precious jewel that stays embed in the memory forever. 9

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N.

To create stronger bonds As human beings, we all need a sense of belonging. Developing ties and bonds with your family gives you a sense of security and the feeling that you have someone you can look up to or turn to for advice or just to talk. Spending time together gives an opportunity for strong family bonds to develop.

To teach children valuable life lessons School cannot teach your child all they need to know about life. If you do not teach your children at home, they will learn it elsewhere. They might have to end up learning through pain or going about it the wrong way. When faced with challenges, you could find ways of involving the kids to find a solution or having a discussion with them so they too can understand and know how to best deal with situations of life.

Just so you can talk and listen When you spend time together, regardless of the differences in age, you will have to talk to each other. This helps to see the world from each other’s point of view and leads to better understanding of each other. As a parent, it is possible to be a parent and also your child’s friend if you take time to talk and listen to them. Talking directly to your kids is vital especially to the teenagers who are often dealing with a lot in terms of identity and pressure to conform to what is considered ‘cool’.

To show interest in each other’s life Spending quality time as a family provides the opportunity to ask what each family member has done during the day. This not only shows interest in each other but 10

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N. also gives room for appreciation, praise, empathy, encouragement and affection. If for example your spouse had a difficult day at work or your child at school, you could give them a hug or do thoughtful and kind gestures to make them feel better. Family time also provides room to celebrate the little things in life and laugh about funny things making your heart lighter and ready to face whatever life brings your way.

To instill important family values There are so many ‘weird’ things happening in today’s society with people more open to experimenting with new things. Without proper family values, children can end up being misled into following a wrong path. As a parent, you are your child’s first role model. Children imitate what they see in their parents. Spending time together helps impart a sense of self-worth to the children and helps the parent instill positive family values. If you are the type of parent who always finds time to spend with the family regardless of how busy you are, your child will grow up knowing that this is the right way and in future emulate this with their own families.

To share house chores Spending time together can mean that everyone is involved in the daily activities of the house. Doing these activities together as a unit, gives more room for bonding. As parents, allowing your kids to perform certain tasks under your supervision not only gives you space to interact with them but also fosters a sense of responsibility. Sharing chores also creates a feeling of inter-dependence on each other which develops trust and intimacy.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N.

Make a list of all the possible rewards from spending quality time with your family. When you start seeing the benefit of spending time with your family, you will be motivated as now you see all the potential benefits. Find out what is the most rewarding thing about spending quality time with your family.

The list is highly personal and subjective as your priorities and preferences are unique to you. So feel free to state the things that truly fulfill and satisfy you when you spend quality time. Encourage your family members to do their own list and keep it in a visible space so that you could see it when you feel like skipped family time.

How to spend more time with your family Different families enjoy doing different things, what works for one might not work for all. It is important to find an activity that your family enjoys doing and make a tradition of it. For example, a familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s idea of spending time together may involve a day in the backyard, grilling meat and bonding over drinks while the children run around playing. Another familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s idea of spending quality time together may be spending a whole day out in the beach. You do not have to wait for such big days that involve meticulous planning to have quality time with your family. A little adjusting here and there may go a long way. 12

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N.

Family calendar This can go in two ways; if you are the type of person who is always busy and probably has the next three months of life planned at all times then it is time to reassess your commitments and prioritize time for the family as it is equally important. Think about the things you could take off the calendar or do in less time and replace these with family time doing this that you enjoy with loved ones. If you are the type of person who never plans for anything but at the same time find yourself too ‘busy’ for family time, then you could embrace the calendar and start planning for family time. Set time aside for family; could be family hour, weekend getaway or something as simple as helping your kids with homework or cooking with your spouse.

Make sure at the beginning of the week that you mark any important family occasions (son’s soccer match, Daughters’ rehearsals, etc) and schedule your week around it. Make sure those family slots are locked away and known to you so that you don’t miss out on family time.

Dinners as a family Food brings people together. Food makes people happy. Food makes people closer. Why not have more mealtimes together as a family? Home cooked meals give even more time to catch up on the day’s activities before you sit down and enjoy the food. Eating together shows oneness and unity. Committing to this every single 13

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N. night might be difficult because of various reasons. You could however try eating together two or three nights a week and see how you progress from there.

Family hour In a family where everybody is always busy doing their own thing, setting up a ‘family hour’ may be helpful in spending time together. You could choose a time that is most convenient for everyone probably in the evenings. During this hour, all phones are kept away and the TV is shut off. You can then all talk about the day you had or spend this time doing a fun activity. With only one hour to bond, there is still plenty of time to do other housework and for the children to do their homework or have their own ‘me’ time.

Movie nights or game nights Having the time to do daily activities may not be practical for some families. In such an instance, the family may set aside one night every week, fortnight or month to spend as a family. They could plan fun games for this night or on a slow night just rent a movie and watch together as a family. Being together like this doing something that you enjoy brings the family closer and constitutes quality time spent together.

Make a list of movies and board games that is commonly enjoyed by many members of your family members.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. Weekend getaways â&#x20AC;&#x201C; holidays More often than not we find ourselves suffocated by the routine that is our lives. Sometimes you just feel like switching the off button and taking a break before you go back to the daily grind. This is good for your mental health and can also be beneficial to your family life. You can take a weekend off to just relax with your family at home, go the park, shop at the mall etc. You could also save up and plan a holiday getaway for the family. This will give you a chance to bond and make fun memories. You could make this an annual family tradition.

Make a list of dream destinations that would be enjoyed by many members of your family members. You can create a target goal of hours of quality time spent and the more the hours, the better the destination.

Spending time with your wife for a healthy family Before the kids come along, there is just the husband and wife. For these two to raise a healthy family, they have to set aside time alone for their own intimacy, to discuss the kids, finances and other matters. This ensures that they present a united front when they are with the children. The children can always tell when there is a strain between their parents and this impact negatively on any family time that has been planned. Spending quality time together with your wife is an essential part of keeping a family happy and connected. This quality time can be as little as just 20 minutes of an entire day but it will go a long way in having a healthy family. What matters is that you keep this constant enough to keep the relationship feeling good. As a 15

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N. couple, you should not spend all your free time with your children such that you lose all touch with each other. Your children are important but so is your relationship with each other. If your closeness as a couple no longer exists chances are that you will not stick together. In case you end up separated or divorce, it is the children that suffer the most. “It’s not so much about where you go or what you do, but how you make each other feel while doing it. As a man, it’s your responsibility to lead the way and create a mood where you both enjoy spending time together. One of the easiest ways to do that is to focus on trying to smile, laugh and joke around more than you usually do. When you do that, you will find that it’s much easier to spend quality time together without getting bored, frustrated or ending up in an argument.” Dan Bacon, Author of the Modern Man.

Family time and technology Most people will argue that the numerous technological innovations have made family time impossible as technology is our biggest source of distraction especially since people are often glued to their phones and computers. While this can be true, there are ways you can use technology to work for you and make family time more fun and pleasurable.

Instead of using your phones as a way to avoid talking to each other, you can use it to document and capture memories of the time spent together as a family. You can upload photos and videos of fun family times on twitter, facebook and Instagram,

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N. That way both sides win; you get have family time and still maintain your virtual social life.

The internet can also be a source of endless fun ideas and games to play as a family. You can research and learn from other people how they make family time work for them. With new ideas and change of games, family time becomes more fun instead of being a ‘boring, monotonous and mandatory time that you have to spend with your family’.

Make a list of internet based activities and games that can be done with family. There are many games that are designed to be played by family, look for suitable games such as trivia quizzes, puzzles, scrabble etc and much more and make sure to play those together often to build a competitive spirit.

Getting your children’s attention during family time may prove to be a task as with every notification ping from their phone they will want to check. It is good to know that there are apps available to control your child’s use of their phone. The FamilyTime parental control app puts parents directly in control how their teens use their Android devices. With this app you can simply lock the child’s phone and enable the family to enjoy a fun Family Time.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N.

Conclusion Family time is so crucial to personal growth and health. The people we become later in life is directly influenced by the kind of upbringing that we have. Research shows that children who receive a lot of love, praise and encouragement develop to be more successful than those who are neglected and often criticized by their parents. The best way to establish an open communication environment in the home is by having family time. It is by talking and listening that we get to know that people are different and learn to accept people as they are. This helps children cope well in school and even better as adults when they have to face different cultures and diversities.

There is a fine line between positive social engagement and a strong family life. Parents must recognize that their children need alone time too for their own personal development. Not all free time can be family. Being too involved in the childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life may be seen as meddling and may bring forth a negative output. Everyone needs their own space to just breathe, reflect and develop into their own person.

Do not put too much pressure on it. No one likes to feel pressured to do anything, not even your kids. It will take time for a family to feel comfortable with family time without forcing it. You should try different approaches before you settle on one that works for you and your family. Just like each family has their own traditions, family time means different things to different people. Regardless of how you interpret it, the important thing is to set time aside to spend with your family getting to know each other and having fun together as family is forever.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N.

Walk the balance between positively being engaged with your family and giving them enough freedom and space. Realize and remember the benefit of spending quality time with your family and think of ways you can do that. Brainstorm and make a list of activities, places, games, things etc that you would like to do together. Try to encourage your kids to do with you things that they normally do with their family such as going to movies, etc. Try to make the best out of your family quality time. Enforce your family values while having fun, with positive love and affection. Avoid making family time dreadful and always give them something to make forward to.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. PART II : VOLUNTEERING

Introduction Considered as an altruistic activity, volunteering is all about getting involved in services for the sole purpose of benefiting an organization, a group, or even a single person either as a group or an individual without social or financial gain. Volunteering is widely known to better human life as it is intended to promote goodness. Volunteering is also a two-way-traffic thing as it benefits the community or individual served and it also positively benefits the volunteer as a person or a volunteering group. In addition, it is also a great opportunity for making contacts which will in future enable you to secure employment. Volunteering revolves around a number of trained skills which include education, medicine, emergency rescue, or responding to a natural disaster when need arises. There are several aspects of volunteering that we shall have to dig deep into in this article so that a wider perspective about it can be realized.

Main Aim of Volunteering The main of volunteering is to instill in everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mind the importance of building up a caring community. While the caring community is growing, positive values of self-fulfillment are also achieved. Volunteering also creates a wider scope of utilizing community resources while enhancing the sense of social belongings. All these therefore take us back to our first point of building up a caring community while getting positive benefits. So the volunteer benefits while the beneficiary of the volunteering work also benefits. Such a community cannot 20

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N. seize to be great one if such noble work of volunteering continues without stumbling blocks.

Examples of Volunteering Jobs There is a wide range of volunteering jobs that are widely known. Most of these volunteering jobs cut across the skills you’ve trained in school and so nothing will be difficult. Some also require nothing more than communication skills especially when it’s about helping the needy. Some of the examples of volunteering jobs include;  IT, Administration, Management, & Finance A lot of organizations office-work which include envelope stuffing, photocopying, and other office-work depend on the help of volunteers to get the work done. Some can also volunteer as school governors so that they can work hand in hand with the staff and school head teacher so that they can help in overseeing issues to do with strategic management of the school. You can also pose as a trustee to an organization so that you can help in providing good governance in several aspects of the organization.  Counseling, Advice and Information giving, listening and befriending Volunteers who can do such play a big role in organizations that require such skills. Many people do not know where to turn to or how to deal with their problems and so volunteers can listen in and give them advice. Some organizations also train volunteers to acquire such skills. These skills will also benefit them in other parts of their lives.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N.  Prison Visitors As much as prisoners are locked in, they still need to keep in touch with the outside world. Prison Service therefore has an initiative of recruiting prison visitors who play a role of connecting the prisoners with the outside world. Such visitors are encouraged to be friendly and give the prisoners the moral support they deserve.  Fundraising Al charitable organizations have a lot of work that need to be funded. Fundraising volunteers have always been of help when it comes to such as this helps with helping income level used to fund charity work. This can simply be done by developing new ideas which can generate income, rattling a collection bucket, running events, or getting involved in educational visits to school. Any other whichever way that you can think of that will prove helpful will highly be appreciated.  Campaigning, Event Organizing, Public Speaking, Marketing Volunteers who can do all these are largely relied on by many organizations who need their work to travel across the wider community. Some organizations would appreciate volunteers who are already skilled to tackle this range of activities. Quite a number of organizations also provide training so that the volunteers can be able to develop these skills.  Environment Conservation There are a lot of opportunities that can help you volunteer in terms of conserving your local environment. Some of these opportunities involve practical work including creating wildlife habitats, planting trees, and constructing footpaths among many others. This can help you learn a lot about conservation and wildlife. 22

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N.  DIY Projects Many charities have a lot of practical work going on including gardening, decorating, repair and maintenance of their properties. Volunteers can contribute to such work and benefit these organizations. Those who do not have enough skills can be expertly supervised. Those who have enough experience are also encouraged to apply.  Magistrates Volunteering as a magistrate does not require any special qualifications. Magistrates fall under the Ministry of Justice and the crucial role they play includes making very vital decisions that could change the life of a defendant and also have an impact on others in the community. All they require is to have great personal qualities and dedicate their time in dealing with less serious criminal cases, issues affecting children and families (non-criminal), or licensing applications. All that is required is the consideration of evidence provided so that a final verdict can be reached.

Benefits of Volunteering Getting to know the benefits of volunteering is also one of the steps that will lead you to know and find the best volunteering opportunities that can work well with you. So here are 7 benefits that will make you not to even think twice about volunteering;  Confidence gain In most cases, volunteering might require you to try something new that will lead you up the steps of achievement. While trying out something new, you gain a lot of 23

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N. confidence that will help you explore better opportunities and achieve a lot of stuff that you never thought you could imagine.  Making a difference Volunteering helps you to make a real difference because in the process, you will be impacting a lot of lives positively. Individual people, communities, and organizations will definitely feel the change you’ve brought on board.  Networking While volunteering you can meet a lot of people and make a lot of friends. It is however not just about friends. You can also make real connections with great people while expanding your networking web. This will help you a lot in future.  Sense of belonging Only your friends and family do not total up your social scope. Volunteering will enable you to widen your social scope and make you feel like a part of a greater community out there. This will genuinely give you a sense of belonging.  Acquiring new skills Through volunteering, you’ll be getting involved in a lot of activities that will help you learn acquire new skills. In addition, you will be able to get a lot of experience which might help you in any other area of your life or in various qualifications.  Taking on a challenge Volunteering is a great way of taking on a challenge since you will be trying out something different that will enable you to achieve personal goals. While taking on

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N. the challenge, you will find a great opportunity of using the skills you always had. Through this kind of practice, you will be able to discover a lot of hidden talents.  It is just fun Many people have their own reasons why they are volunteering. Whatever the reason, the fact is that they are having a great time while participating in such noble work. It is simply fun!

Reasons for Volunteering If volunteering has never been your resolution, then here are some of the reasons that will help you resolve to volunteer;  Health benefits You might be wondering how volunteering could have a positive impact on your health. Well, it’s very simple. While you have resolved to help other people, it simply means that you’ve stopped focusing on your problems while focusing on others who need help. This will automatically reduce your stress levels, strengthen your immune system, and improve your self-worth. You will start viewing life in a new perspective and gain immense satisfaction. Why is this so? While you help others, you will definitely replace negative emotions with positive vibes and a sense of purpose.

 Career Booster Volunteering helps you to become more innovative and acquire more skills. This helps you increase the chances of widening your career prospects. Such kinds of experiences benefit both you as an individual and the employer. 25

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N.  Making a Difference Volunteering makes a difference in the community through the services you are providing. This helps you employ civic responsibility which will create change for the better. You will also become proud of getting yourself involved with something that is bigger than yourself. A lot of things would have not been in good shape if we had no people sacrificing their time and skills volunteering to a greater course that will help the community.  Giving back People have various passions in life. Whether these passions are directed to towards animals, people, or the environment, it is still important to give back. Let your passion create a positive change that the world will feel.  Creating a positive impact on someone’s life Any act of kindness, whether big or small, can have a great impact on someone’s life. You will find that just by teaching an individual or a group of people English; you are actually helping them help more job opportunities that will drive away poverty. If someone could be able to learn the English language because of you, that would be a score both on your side and their side.

 Gaining a new perspective in a whole new dimension Coming into contact with people on a daily basis whether volunteering abroad or in your local area helps you to see the world in a whole new dimension. You will see people in a different view learn about their everyday struggles and different

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. cultures. This will help you love people better and even exchange ideas in a more meaningful way. ď&#x201A;ˇ Inspiration Breaking away from your usual routine and volunteering will help you to put others first while putting your life in order. Through helping others, you might just stumble across brilliant ideas that you would want to use to help your community. This will also help you discover yourself more and have a clear view of that inner calling that gives you a lot of satisfaction.

Make a list of all the possible rewards volunteering can bring to you and your life. Arrange your list by priority. Through this list, you can find more about yourself and your volunteering preferences. Quiz: This short Volunteer Personality Quiz will help you identify the kind of volunteer activity that best suits you. When you have finished the quiz, add up your answers. 1. Your neighborhood is having a garage sale. Which task do you volunteer to manage? a. Set up all the items for sale out on the lawn. b. Take care of the kids while others manage the sale. c. Collaborate with several other neighbors to promote the garage sale. 27

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. d. Work by yourself to price all the items. 2. Which word best describes you? a. Active b. Enthusiastic c. Creative d. Organized 3. If you could have lunch with any of these groups of individuals, which would you choose? a. Michael Phelps, Mary Lou Retton and Roger Staubach b. Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa and Bill and Melinda Gates c. Lady Gaga, JK Rowling and George Takei d. Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs and Nikola Tesla 4. If you had a million dollars to donate to Southwestern, which of these initiatives would you choose to support? a. Beautifully designed outdoor spaces, including outdoor classrooms and recreation areas. b. Scholarships for students with highest financial need. c. Theatre and music internship experiences. d. Technology upgrades for campus. 5. What was your favorite area of study? 28

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. a. Environmental Studies/Biology b. History/Political Science c. Fine Arts d. Math/Computer Science 6. When faced with a problem, what is the first thing you usually do? a. Come up with a strategy to solve the problem. b. Gather information to try and find out what caused the problem. c. Visualize the problem, and how you may be able to solve it. d. Figure out the details of the problem. 7. How do you like to spend your summer vacation? a. Camping b. Spending time with friends and relatives c. Taking and editing photos d. What summer vacation? I work all summer! 8. When you travel, would you rather a. Take an adventurous trip to Costa Rica. b. Volunteer to build homes with Habitat for Humanity. c. Visit museums and theatres. d. Sit on a hammock and read a book. 29

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. 9. Which item would you rather receive as a gift for your birthday? a. Sports equipment b. Donations to your favorite charity, made in your name c. Music and movies d. New computer 10. What is your dream job? a. Professional athlete b. Executive Director of the Gates Foundation c. Photographer for Time Magazine d. Executive position at Apple Adapted, with gratitude, from the United Way. Scoring your quiz If you answered... Your volunteer style is... mostly A's Active/Hands-on mostly B's Social Helper mostly C's Artistic/Creative mostly D's Technical/Administrative

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N.

How to Get a Job through Volunteering Volunteering is also another great way of landing great opportunities. But just what do you need to do to get a job through volunteering? Let us check out some tips that could be of importance if put into practice.  Learning more about the organization in question Learning more about the organization that you are volunteering for will help you improve your job application chances. Through you being there, take time to learn about the organization’s aims and goal, how it operates, and its structure. This can prepare you for a job interview when one arises.  Being passionate about the cause Volunteering without expecting any financial or social gain is already a sign that you are passionate about the cause. Just keep you passion and energy at bay throughout the volunteering process. This way, your boss can be able to see your capability of dedicating your time and skill while just volunteering. How much more will you be dedicated when you are employed? Most probably you will double your effort. At least a sensible supervisor will be able to see this.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N.

Make a list of causes you are passionate about. It could be a certain minority group, a disease, certain age group, animals, the environment, etc.

 Demonstrating the skills you have While you are at your volunteering place, ensure that you demonstrate skills which are more intangible. Show your ability to work as an individual or in a team, listening, paying attention to detail, and even displaying your leadership skills. You can also show that you have a great personality and are comfortable when it comes to talking to people.  Stay connected When you stop volunteering, you don’t end your communications. Keep the communication going. The least you can do is telling them how much you had fun while volunteering there and also appreciating your time there. You can also send them Christmas cards and know how they are doing.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N.  Build relationships Build good relationship with you volunteer coordinators and all those who your work with by creating personal relationships with them. Try to meet them over coffee and learn more. This way they will know you at a personal level and will find it great to work with you. You will be several steps ahead of everyone else when you succeed in building such relationships.  Be committed Any functional organization loves people who are consistent, reliable, and committed. Just show up when you are always needed and ensure that you can be able to communicate accordingly when you cannot make it.

Volunteering Work and Your Resume Does volunteering work in your resume play a role in job opportunity? Definitely it does. There are actually a variety of reasons why you should include volunteer work in your resume especially when it comes to getting job opportunities. Volunteering is a very important component of a resume that is often overlooked. Volunteering is equally important when it comes to benefiting you in building your career scope just as much as it benefits those you help. A lot of people (55%) do not include volunteer work in their resume according to a survey that was done by LinkedIn most probably because of a misconception had by many professionals that volunteering is not very relevant in their professional work experiences.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N. Many hiring managers consider volunteering work as important to your work experience. It is very important in the current economic climate where there’s too much greed and competition. You can also ace in an interview when you have volunteering experiences because somehow you will haves skills that are crucial to many organizations.

Make a list of any previous volunteer work you have done in the past and update your resume’ accordingly. If you are interested in a certain job oppurtnity, find out possible volunteer work you can do related to that job posting so you could boost your resume. According to Williams, some of the benefits of including your volunteering work in your resume for job purposes include:  Extending your network Volunteering exposes you to a lot of people therefore helping you to expand your network. People who you meet in such areas can also act as your references and also write for you great recommendations.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N.

Each contact in your phone serves as an opportunity. Look through your contact list, find out how you can reach out and expand your network.  Testing new talents Including volunteering work in your resume gives you the opportunity to showcase your talents that might make the manager hire you instantly.

Make a list of new skills you would like to develop and test out. Don’t confine yourself by what you think you know about yourself.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N.  Increases your chances of getting noticed The job market is fiercely competitive and this might make it difficult for you to get noticed. Highlighting your volunteer work will help a great deal as it will increase the chances of you getting noticed. Your hiring manager will be able to see that you can be greatly committed and compassionate.

Volunteering and Acquiring New Job Skills This sector will show us how volunteering helps one acquire new job skills. People might underrate volunteering work because it is widely perceived that skills acquired while volunteering are somehow basic. Well, this is not really the case because volunteering provides you with a platform of going through extensive training that will help you acquire new job skills. Volunteering is also a platform where you can build skills you already have making you become more efficient in the community of organization you are serving. For instance, if you’ve been holding a successful sales position, you can testify to yourself that you’ve been improving in your communication, public speaking, and marketing skills.

Importance of Volunteering as a Civic Responsibility Civic responsibility involves the responsibility of a citizen while engaging in social participation and being part of the democratic governance in one way or the other. These responsibilities include, participating in the church, government, community service, getting to know more about civic life, voting among many other responsibilities.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N. Volunteering enables you to become an engaged citizen. This brings about positive changes making you engage more in social issues while connecting you to new people that you would never had met. Volunteers help in building bridges, identifying gaps, and nurturing a more cohesive community that is built on trust. Such important qualities acquired by volunteers act as a mirror to civic responsibilities.

Importance of helping the community through volunteering The services you are providing through volunteering makes a difference in the community as they help to identify loopholes and bridge gaps while becoming more innovative for the sake of a greater course that can make the community better.

Importance of Helping Other People Helping other people is a very vital part of living a better life. While you are helping others, you are actually helping yourself. So this is something that is good for everyone. Helping other people is therefore very important because;  It makes you happy as it simply feels good. Research shows that one who helps the other might become happier than the one receiving help.  It helps you impact people’s lives positively while building stronger connections in the community.  It helps you deal with stress in a better way.  It’s good for both your career and business.  It makes you live longer as it strengthens your immunity and decrease stress levels.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. ď&#x201A;ˇ It also helps you find more meaning in your life making you live a fulfilled life.

Conclusion As much as volunteers need platforms to access opportunities, they also need continued support so that they can also focus on their individual needs while making the most of the experiences they are going through while volunteering. This type of support requires partnerships from various local councils and other sectors with various organizations which coordinate volunteering work. This will break a lot of barriers therefore giving a chance for everyone to participate in this great initiative that can help them largely transform their lives while also transforming the lives of others.

Realize the social and civic responsibility you have to look out for those who need help. Help that you can easily offer by sharing the gifts that were given to you by God such as your time. By offering your time and effort to those who need it, you can invite lots of miraculous blessings to your life. 38

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N. Become aware of all the benefits of volunteering to get pumped up to extend a helping hand. Don’t limit your scope and be open for opportunities that can present themselves. It is quite possible to land a job as a result of your volunteering, be open to the possibility and build a volunteering resume. How to pick a volunteering niche?  Pick something that you are passionate about. You could be passionate about the cause or you could be experienced enough to help those who are currently passing through what you already once passed through.  Look for something that suits your skill set, matches your availability and schedule as well as caters to your interests and fulfils your personal needs for satisfaction of helping out and making a difference.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. PART III : PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

What does Personal Development mean? According to the Business Dictionary, personal development is the process of improving oneself through such activities as enhancing employment skills, increasing consciousness and building wealth. The growing success of the self-help and personal development movement has assisted many business managers in obtaining more qualified and motivated personnel for their companies, and it has also encouraged more people to go into business for themselves. Personal development is however not only important in enhancing your career but also in achieving happiness and a sense of fulfillment in life. In his blog, Myrko Thum defines personal development as the conscious pursuit of personal growth by expanding self-awareness and knowledge and improving personal skills. The said skills include being in the best place in terms of your mind, your body and your spirit. You can also gauge personal development by the level of success in all aspects of your life. For you to achieve personal development, you must decide to take a conscious journey towards personal growth. Personal growth therefore refers to various techniques you choose in an effort to become a better you. You can make steps to be a â&#x20AC;&#x153;better youâ&#x20AC;? by changing your bad behaviors and habits and also improving your actions and reactions.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N.

Why personal growth and development is important? Personal development makes you a happy and fulfilled human being. It also means that you are equipped with the right techniques to tackle all challenges of life and keep stress at bay. Imagine that, a life free of stress and full of positive self-talk. It sounds like something that only exists in Utopia but it is, in fact, very attainable. Personal development never stops. No one is perfect and that is why spending your lifetime trying to be a better version of yourself is worth it. Here’s why; i.

Self- awareness

Have you ever sat down and asked yourself the question, “Who am I?” Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to answer this without being confused or needing some time to think about it first? Personal development is the only way you get to know who you are, what your attractive qualities are, what your weaknesses are and what areas you are currently working on improving. You get to know your values, what you cannot stand, where you are, where you want to be and what you are doing to get there. This way, you package and brand yourself in a manner that you are able to sell yourself positively and be ready to seize moments and opportunities that align with your goals and desires.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N.

Practice self awareness. The best way to do this is to ask yourself deep, thought provoking questions. You can have your journal and download internet templates of self awareness questions that gets you to know more about yourself and your values.

Here are some sample questions: 

How do you imagine your ideal self to be like?



What are some of your most important dreams or goals?



What keeps you holding onto those dreams, why are they important to you



What do you do every day to reach towards your dream?



Rank the most important things in your life (career, money, family, love, knowledge…)



How much time do you dedicate to these items accordingly? (if most of your time is given to the less important things, you should think about reprioritizing your schedule)



If you have children, what would you recommend them to live their life the way you do or not, besides having their own personality. ?

ii.

Sense of fulfillment

Imagine getting to reap more from opportunities in life or from your relationships with others. The awareness that comes with personal development plays a key role 42

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N. in giving you a more fulfilled life as you are able to separate things and people that drag you down from those that build you. This way, you know where to place your investments. There are people in your life that bring out the best in you without you having to try. Such are gems that you need to hold on to. On the other hand, you will find that there are people you keep in your life who are poisonous. Just like poison, they are lethal and might kill you before you know it. Focus more energy on your gems and give less to your ‘poison’; that way you get to stay on top of everything, reach your full potential and get more from life.

What gives you a sense of fulfillment? Remember the last time you were having a sense of fulfillment. What are some things in life that makes you feel fulfilled. Make a list of these things and measure how often you do these things.

iii.

A sense of purpose and direction

Personal development adds more meaning to your life. There are so many fulfillments in going after what you want. Consciously knowing where you are and where you are headed to makes it easier for you to decipher time-wasters and only focus on what will lead you towards achieving true happiness and satisfaction.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N.

We are all born with a sense of purpose, however, along the way, we couuuld forget our purpose in life. Make a list of the certain things you would like to leave a mark on or the aspects you wish to make a difference in. For example, you wish to teach your kids to be functional adults. Part of your life purpose could be being a healthy role model to your kids.

iv.

Clarity

Personal development gives you more clarity than you can imagine. You know where your focus is and are able to effectively increase your strengths and work on other areas of yourself to win in life. We all get distracted and lose focus on the important matters. Personal development enables you to realize when you are distracted and gives you the space you need to reflect and come up with strategies to overcome the distraction so you are back on track. Clarity and focus come only when you are fully committed to the journey of self-discovery.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. v.

More motivation

When you have clearly outlined goals and a timeframe of when you want to achieve said goals you become more motivated to reach the finish line. Strong will can move mountains. Personal development gives you the willpower you need to want to conquer all despite the challenges that may arise along the way. Each day brings you closer to where you want to be and challenges faced only fuel you to want to get to your destination even more. vi.

Greater resilience

You have to know that personal development will not stop bad things from having. Life is still tough and unfair sometimes and you never know what tomorrow holds. This journey will however equip you with the necessary tools to overcome all adversaries and emerge on the other side looking back and smiling at how far you have come. It also teaches you to appreciate the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;processâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and the experiences you end up getting along the way. With personal development, you can face challenges head on and minimize their negative impact because of your will to fight back.

The ultimate goal of personal development is for you to reach your full potential and be happy. This can be achieved once you set yourself on a conscious-living path and become a self-realized person.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N.

How to start the journey towards personal development The first step towards personal development is accepting yourself and realizing your flaws. Stop with the justifications and rationalizations and face the difficult truths. Connect with the truth and realize that you need to grow. You can then clearly outline your destination before embarking on this journey. Working towards a particular goal is important so as you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get blurred lines along the way. When you feel like giving up you can get the motivation by looking at where you have come from, what you have achieved so far and what you still have to do. There are actions that you take unconsciously then choose to ignore. Before you realize it, they become part of you and start making you unhappy and inadequate. It is critical that you bring the unconscious actions to your conscious and become self-aware if you want to have any hope of become a better version of yourself.

What is your plan for personal development? Just like with every journey you take, planning plays an important role. Whoever fails to plan, plans to lose. Truer words have never been said especially with regards to personal development. You will find that it is easier to attain your personal development goals when you can see the big picture and have outlined every step you need to take to lead you to the finish line. Having a plan is like having a guide of how to do life. You can always refer to your guideline in case you get lost. Preparing before you embark on the journey means that you are met with fewer challenges as most of the risks had already been accounted for in your plan. This is the same with personal development. Having a plan increases your chances of everything going right in your life. 46

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N. A personal development plan therefore entails outlining what is important to you, how you intend to achieve it, what are your strengths and what might hinder you from reaching your goal, what can you improve and in what period of time. If you have more than one goal at a time, then you have to prioritize them in an order such that what matters the most to you is placed at the top. Without setting a deadline, you are just another dreamer who hopes for a better tomorrow but when tomorrow comes, all you have is your hopes and nothing tangible. Wanting a better tomorrow is the first step. The next one is asking yourself “what can I do to make tomorrow better?” and actually doing it before tomorrow comes. Be realistic with your plans and the time frames. You have to remember that Rome was not built in a day. There had to have been a plan and commitment towards the plan.

Visualize what is your vision of a perfect day and a perfect life? Start by asking yourself, what is a perfect tomorrow? Then break down the different aspects of your answer into sub goals and objectives. If you want to be thinner, think what can you do every day to help you lose weight. You have to first be aware of your goals then do something every day to bring you closer to them. Another aspect that you should consider during the planning phase is your strengths. As you seek to add more to your skill set and attitude, remember those good qualities that you already have and do not lose them along the way. Ever heard of the phase, “use what you have to get what you want?” Well, you can 47

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. apply it here. The skills you have can be used to develop the skills you have. For example; If you are good at marketing, you can use this knowledge to help build on branding techniques as you already know the needs of your consumer. If you are a responsible person who is accountable for their actions, you can build on this to build on leadership skills. As you are embracing your strengths, be sure to let go of your bad habits with the same vigor so that there is room for the new skills you intend to learn. Finally, remember to always measure your progress and even reward yourself. Even a small progress is still progress. This should not be taken for granted but instead should act as a motivation to be better.

Make a list of your strengths. Start brain storming. Think of the aspects in life you seem to be doing well in. What makes you do well in these aspects? These are your skills and strengths. You can ask your friends as well to get some external insight. What are some of the things your friends think you are good at? You can get surprisingly unexpected answers!

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N.

What are some of the things I can do to achieve personal development? Aspects of personal development differ from one individual to the next. Your struggles might be someone else’s strengths and vice versa. One constant factor of personal development is that you must be willing to get out of your comfort zone. Learning to be “comfortable in uncomfortable situations” is a crucial step in selfawareness and trying to be successful in all your endeavors. For instance, you can learn how to; o Stop being lazy If people call you lazy then chances are that you really are because you are not meeting the set expectation of being actively involved in your daily activities. When you are lazy, people around you are forced to do your portion of the work. While you might think that this puts you at the winning end of the deal, you are losing a lot. Laziness is discouraged for health reasons, both physical and psychological. As a lazy person, you cannot make any decision or achieve any goal. Assuming an active role in your life might be all the difference you need to improve your quality of life and make you feel like you have achieved milestones. To overcome laziness, you can look for a role model and try to emulate their actions.

Try to incorporate 7-10 minutes of exercise in your day. Getting your blood flowing energizes you and is one of the effective “anti-laziness” techniques. If you want to get motivated for cleaning the house, watch videos of people doing that.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. Often getting in that spirit by watching others do the things we are too lazy to do can energize us. o Overcome procrastination Procrastination affects so many people. Some are aware that it affects them while other people are too trapped in blissful ignorance to even realize it. Procrastination can make you miss a lot of opportunities in life. In the famous letter of the Earl of Chesterfield to his son in 1749, he wrote; Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination: never put off till to-morrow what you can do to-day. This quote has been rephrased time and time by famous people including Mark Twain and Oscar Wilde. They must have been onto something, right? Those who procrastinate will realize that it makes you use more time. Keeping a task in your mind and thinking about doing it but postponing it can cause mental exhaustion.

Try the 5 second rule Mel Robbins discovered a wonderful productivity trick, the 5 second rule. Count backwards 5,4,3,2,1 to reset your mind whenever you are procrastinating a task and always get up after the 1 without thinking. The hardest part is always the beginning, so just force yourself to get started. Tell yourself you will work for 10 to 15 minutes then take a break. Often the case is 50

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. that you will find yourself in the flow state and you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel that initial resistance that you had.

o Anger management As a human being, getting angry is normal but is can affect you in negative ways. Prolonged anger can raise your blood pressure causing you to react in emotional and physical ways, impacting on your relationships with others. You have to assess how anger affects your life, what your common triggers are and learn how to control it in good time. Since we cannot prevent anger from occurring, we can try managing it in healthy ways like for example, when you feel wronged, you can learn to express your feelings when they are still manageable instead of waiting until they snowball into feelings of enragement.

Whenever you feel angry, count to 10. This gives you time to reevaluate your reaction. Whenever you feel angry about something, ask yourself, will it matter in a week? In a month? If not, let it go

o Overcome alcohol and drug addiction The first step towards overcoming addiction is realizing that you have a problem. Having the will to stop using drugs is the second step. Alcohol and drug addiction impacts negatively on your life. No situation is hopeless, with the right treatment 51

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. and support as well as a strong willpower to change. You can avoid relapsing by doing meaningful stuff like trying new hobbies, getting involved in your community and doing other things you love.

It is always a good option to seek external help and support group for addiction. Find the nearest support group for overcoming addiction. You are not alone.

o Be positive There are optimists and pessimists. You will find that people tend to gravitate towards optimists are they are more enthusiastic and positive about life. When you are negative then you will attract such kind of people which may lead to stress and even depression. Optimism and positive thinking is a key component of stress management. Eliminating negative self-talk could be all you need to finally be able reap more from life. o Be responsible Being responsible entails doing what needs to be done when it needs to be done. How do I become more responsible? Well, you could start by being more accountable in terms of your actions and finances; recognize whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happening and stop blaming others when things do not work out as planned and practice healthy self-focus among others. Being responsible will earn you respect from others and reduce the chaos in your life. It also raises your self-esteem and improves your relationship with people around you.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. o Develop new skills You might be at a point where you feel like you are flat-lining in life. Doing the same thing over and over again becomes boring and tedious. May be its time you learnt a new skill or developed a new hobby to jumpstart yourself. Do not limit your skill set to your current job as expounding on these will open you up to countless opportunities. Developing a new skill may also give you a competitive edge over your peers and raise your self-esteem.

Make a list of all the possible skills you wish to deelop. For each skill, write a number of ways in which you can start practicing this skill to enhance it.

o Empathize more empathy n. the power of entering into anotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s personality and imaginatively experiencing his experiences. Chambers English Dictionary, 1989 edition.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N. According to Daniel Goleman, the five key elements of sympathy are; - Understanding others. Goleman defines this as “sensing others’ feelings and perspectives, and taking an active interest in their concerns”. - Developing others. This is building others and helping them to reach their full potential. - Having a service orientation. This simply means going the extra mile to satisfy someone else’s need. - Leveraging diversity. This is being able to create and develop opportunities by recognizing the differences in other people and what they bring to the table. - Political awareness. This will be of help in establishing relationships Empathizing with people will make them open up more and make it easy for you to navigate difficult crowds, Developing this skill makes people gravitate more towards you.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N.

In an argument or while listening to someone telling you about their problem, try to put yourself in their position and guess what they must be feeling. This can help you practice empathizing with people.

o Let bygones be bygones Letting go of the ghosts in past can be very difficult but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not worth everything you will miss out on by focusing on matters that cannot be changed. Focus on the now and the future, especially the now. Accept the past for what it is and find a way to make your present better.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N.

It may be unpleasant but try to brainstorm some of the key unpleasant moments in your life that are affecting your functioning and well being till now. Analyse why these moments have influenced your emotional trauma. Then try to forgive the person or yourself and make peace with it. o Take an active role in your life Are you the type of person who is constantly a victim of circumstances? You need to take control of your life as this is the only way you can shape the outcomes. Be a doer and accept the negative consequences of your actions then find a way to deal with them.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N.

Try to calculate how much of your day do you spend doing purposeful tasks that contribute to your life purpose and your goals and how much time do you spend in doing non productive stuff such as watching TV or surfing through social media. Ensure that you have an actie role in your life by having the majority of your tasks contributing to your goals and life purpose. Take responsibility of your time.

How can I improve my personal development? How do you learn personal development? There is so much content on active steps you can take towards personal development. There are published books and articles across the internet that talks about this. There are also certified psychologist and life coaches to take you through the steps necessary to achieve maximum personal development and be the best version of yourself. So you have the plan and a clear outlook of what you want to achieve; go ahead and pen it down. Putting your personal development plans in writing is a great idea. This way you are able to clearly see your achievements and see where you are not doing so well. Ask yourself why and what you can do to go back on track, write this down and see how the new advanced strategy works for you. 57

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N.

Conclusion Sometimes we are too pre-occupied with our day to day activities to do any work on the ‘self’. It is important to sit down and ask yourself ‘what am I becoming?’ and ‘is it a better version of myself?’ Such questions are valid as it is common to hear people accusing their jobs or their lifestyle to suck them dry leaving them with nothing to give. No matter how much you want to climb up the ladder both socially and career wise, make sure that you do not lose yourself for when you reach at the top and find that you can barely recognize yourself all the wealth and social status will not matter. You will be missing one key thing; happiness. Only you are in control of your happiness. Only you can decide to make the necessary changes so that you are more satisfied with yourself. There is no right or wrong time to begin the journey towards personal development. The time is now. The greatest achievers in life are a proof that personal development is important and is the greatest gift that you can award yourself.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N.

Find out what you wish you improve about yourself. Write a list of things you love about yourself and the things you are good at. Then write another list of things you wish you could change about yourself. Make a list of your short term and long term goals. What would you like to achieve in the next 12 months? What would you like your life to be in 5 years? Your Goals should be SMART. Specific- You should have a specific goal rather than a general statement. Measurable – There should be a way to measure whether you have achieved the goal or not. Saying I want to be good in French is not a SMART goal. It is important to state how good you want to be with a measurable factor such as deciding a certain level of vocabulary Attainable – The goals should be achievable and not impossible or you would be discouraged. Relevant – Your goals should be relevant to your life purpose and what you wish to achieve in life.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N. Time-bound – Open-ended goals are bound to remain dreams rather than goals. Example of a smart Goal I want to lose 15 pounds in 2 months. It is specific, attainable, measurable, relevant and time bound goal. “I want to lose weight” is not an example of a smart goal.

References http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/personal-development.html http://www.myrkothum.com/what-is-personal-development/ https://www.studyright.net/blog/procrastination/ http://www.mindofwinner.com/create-personal-development-plan/ Miers AC, Rieffe C, Meerum Terwogt M, Cowan R, Linden W. The Relation Between Anger Coping Strategies, Anger Mood and Somatic Complaints in Children and Adolescents. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, August, 2007.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. PART IV : TIME MANAGEMENT

What is time management? "Time management" is the way toward organizing and planning how to partition your time between particular tasks. Excellent time management empowers you to work more brilliant â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not harder â&#x20AC;&#x201C; with the goal that you accomplish more in less time, notwithstanding when the time is tight, and weights are high. Neglecting to deal with your time harms your adequacy and causes pressure. In short time management means to make best out of your time to manage time so efficiently that right time is allocated to the right activity.

The Importance of Time Management Time management is critical in our life. One can understand its real importance after getting to know its advantages. It might appear to be illogical to devote valuable time to finding out about time management, rather than utilizing it to get on with your work, yet the advantages are tremendous: i.

More prominent productivity and efficiency.

ii.

Enhancement in professional reputation.

iii.

Less pressure and stress.

iv.

Increases opportunities for progression.

More prominent chances to accomplish imperative life and profession objectives.

vi.

More free time

vii.

More control over our activity obligations.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N.

Consequences of lack of Time Management Neglecting to manage your time successfully can have some exceptionally unwanted effects: i.

Missed deadlines.

ii.

Poor work process.

iii.

Poor work quality.

iv.

Poor professional notoriety and a slowed down career.

Higher feelings of anxiety.

Investing a little energy finding out about time-management procedures will have immense advantages now – and all through your career.

Keys to Effective Time Management The key to effective time management is to know how to evaluate and complete tasks in order of urgency/importance. Recognize your time ‘bandits,' Point out the things that keep you from doing what you planned so that you can avoid them during your work hours. The environment is vital for work too; it should be less distractive so that more work can be completed in less time. Figure out how to say NO. Secure your arranged time and don't spread yourself too thin with extracurricular activities. After some time you will realize what a sensible work stack that you can deal with is.

General Time Management Tips There are many time management tools are available in the market which can make this task trivial. Tools that can be used: computerized schedules, Planners, pieces of paper, calendars, time logs, digital assistants, etc. Don't overlook 62

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. relaxation time. Get enough rest. Appropriate rest will enable you to be more effective in your use of time. Task diversity might be essential to keep away from fatigue and boredom. Know how to complete function proficiently and rapidly without giving up quality. Keep long- and short-term views in mind. General Principles of Time Management i.

Many viable schedulers take 5-10 minutes, either toward the beginning of the day or before they go to bed, schedule your day.

ii.

Keep up with your schedule day by day. Giving yourself a chance to get behind enables work to get delayed, and it might require a more prolonged time investment to complete the work if this happens.

iii.

Avoid marathon work sessions. Most people's capacities to focus extend from 20-50 minutes in length depending upon the project. Take short breaks keeping in mind the end goal to revive your capacity to focus and perceive your particular ability to focus.

iv.

Use spare time proficiently.

Use Divide and conquer rule. Divide large projects into manageable small sections and prepare a schedule/timeline for each section.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N.

Write a list of each task that you want to accomplish that day. Break down each task into a set of small sub tasks. Try to allocate specific times of your day to each of the subtasks. Have a solid plan but be flexible to modifications.

Common time thieves There are many people and things that can immensely waste your precious time which you can utilize in completing your priority urgent and vital tasks. These are called time thieves. Some of these time thieves are generated by ourselves, and others come to us externally. Some are pretty obvious, and others go unnoticed. They may steal a few minutes here and there, which will eventually turn into hours gone at the end of the week which will affect our productivity immensely.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N. Following are the major time thieves: i.

Personal disorganization If you don’t get organized, you will waste plenty of time deciding what the next task is that you have to perform and how you are going to accomplish it.

ii.

Unclear goals If you’re not clear about your goals, you cannot effectively accomplish them.

iii.

Not knowing how to say no Accepting requests that don’t allow you to progress toward accomplishment of your goals will make you waste lots of time. So learn to say no.

iv.

Inability to delegate If you don't delegate your tasks appropriately, you'll end up doing things that others can do better, faster. And that is severe time theft.

Lack of concentration Lack of concentration can waste a lot of time by decreasing your productivity exponentially. This could be due to fatigue or stress. Taking time out for rest can help in getting your concentrations levels better.

vi.

Bad communication

Bad communication skills can result in wastage of time if you are unable to

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. convey your message to others, or make then understand what you mean. Work on your communication skills. vii.

Interruptions Social networks and instant messaging are a source of disruption. If you keep these applications open all the time, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll keep on receiving notifications, and you'll be tempted to answer. Shut down these applications before starting your work.

viii.

Meetings Always keep the meetings brief, these will take a lot of time. Many people are in the habit of wasting time by prolonging the meetings. Beware of such people don't let them waste your precious time.

ix.

Procrastination

When you are concentrating on an option that is other than you ought to center around as indicated by your priorities, you are procrastinating. Identify reasons for procrastination and manage these to increase your productivity and to save your time for other important/urgent tasks with higher priority.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! – Marc N.

Identify the time thiefs in your life. Find out which activities suck hours from your day without you noticing. Set up a plan to overcome the time thiefs.

Time management process The highest achievers deal with their time exceptionally well. By utilizing the time-management strategies in this section, you can enhance your capacity to work more successfully – notwithstanding when the time is tight, and weights are high. Excellent time management requires a critical shift in focus from activities to results: being busy isn't the same as being successful. (Unexpectedly, the inverse is frequently nearer to reality). Spending your day in the madness of activities frequently accomplishes less, because you're separating your attention between several different tasks. Efficient time management gives you a chance to work more astute – not harder – so you accomplish more in less time. Following steps can be followed for better time management.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. a. Making activity logs i.

Make a realistic estimate of the time spent during the day on different tasks in order.

ii.

Pinpoint the critical areas and time spent on low-value tasks

iii.

Finding the high yielding time of the day

b. Goal setting and Scheduling Defining lifetime goals enable you to diagram your life and your career path. This is the critical step in time management process. Draw an activity design rundown of things that should be done to accomplish your goals. i.

Break down your objectives into smaller goals.

ii.

Make an everyday schedule.

iii.

Set a timeline to finish each task.

iv.

Revise and refresh your list on daily bases and judge your

performance. Before defining your goals, few key features ought to be remembered. The first thing is to be particular about the tasks at hand to avoid confusion and fuss. There ought to be some substantial proof of progress. The following item in the line is to be realistic about the assignment to be finished in a time you have set. Based on your strengths and weaknesses, use this information to maximize your chances of completing the tasks you have planned. Assigning goals for every minute of the day is unrealistic always incorporate breaks to fresh your mind. Completion of plenty of tasks in a day will be impractical to achieve which will lead to failure of

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. the goals and all the time management effort will go in vain. Likewise, determine when you intend to work and how long it will take to accomplish every objective. Stick to your timeline while keeping in mind that few tasks will take longer than planned. To genuinely be effective they should be particular, measurable, achievable, realistic, and have a timeline in which they should be accomplished. c. Set Priorities The initial step to effective time management is to prioritize your tasks. In other words, deciding which task is most important/urgent and should be completed first. Dealing with your time efficiently requires a qualification between what is important and what is urgent. Specialists say that the most important tasks usually aren't the most urgent ones. However, we tend to give the urgent ones a chance to command our lives. Specialists distinguished our tasks into four quadrants in their Time Management Matrix: urgent, not urgent, important and not important. While tasks that are both urgent and important must be done, it is widespread we very spend less time on tasks that are not important just to gain time to focus on tasks that are not urgent but important. Focusing on these important tasks allows you to increase control over your time and possibly reduce the number of important activities that do become urgent. Making "to do" list is the easiest way to prioritize your tasks. It depends on your work nature or lifestyle that whether you need a daily, weekly or monthly to-do list. Just be careful not to allow list-making to get out of control and don't keep multiple lists at the same time. Arrange the items on your "to do" list in order of priority (both urgent and important). You can set priorities by categorizing it to 69

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. low, medium or high priority tasks, or you can rank them numerically, or the other way is that you can use a color coding system too. Your goal is not to mark items rather your goal is to mark item according to their priorities. Having a prioritized "to-do" list allows you to say "no" to activities that may be interesting but do not fit your priorities. Such activities may be distracting and may become a hindrance to your high priorities tasks.

Categorize each task in your day with a priority rank. Give your time to the tasks with the highest priority rank.

d. Use a Planning Tool ( faire un fichier pdf avec mes tools free prefers) Time management experts recommend using a personal planning tool to improve your efficiency and productivity. This software can help you with efficiently managing your time in a systematic and organized way. Examples of personal planning tools include pocket diaries, electronic planners, computer software, calendars, wall charts, index cards and electronic notebooks. Writing down your tasks and schedules can free your mind to focus on your priority tasks. The key is 70

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. to find one appropriate planning tool according to your need and use that tool consistently to make your life easier. Some essential reminders while using a planning tool are: i. Review your planning tool daily. ii. Synchronize electronic planners with your laptop and recharge the batteries in your planner on a regular basis. iii. Always record your information on the tool itself. Brief notes elsewhere that have to be transferred later is not efficient. iv. Always carry your planning tool with you. v. Remember to keep a list of your priority tasks in your planning tool and refer to it often. vi. Keep a backup system. e. Schedule Your Time Appropriately Indeed, even the busiest individuals discover time for what they need to do and feel is critical. Scheduling isn't merely recording what you need to do (e.g., meetings and appointments), it is additionally committing to the things you need to do. Great scheduling requires that you know yourself. Utilizing your time log, you should determine the times of the day you are most energetic, active and alert. Plan your most difficult tasks for when you have the highest energy level. Take out time for your top priority activities first. If you know you will have waiting time or commuting time, schedule small tasks. Try to limit scheduled time to about 3/4ths of your day, leaving time for creative activities such as thinking, planning, exercising, dreaming, and reading.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. f. Identifying and Managing Procrastination When you are concentrating on an option that is other than you ought to center around as indicated by your priorities, you are Procrastinating.When you don't want to do something, and you find reasons to avoid doing it. This is a self-created time waster you try to convince yourself that the things you have planned to do are less important than the idea in your mind. Procrastination is a natural process when there are several more appealing things out there; this happens to everyone. To manage Procrastination, you need to identify when you are procrastinating else you won't be able to get the motivation to fix the problem. Next, you need to understand why you are procrastinating. Primary reasons for Procrastination are as followed: i.

You merely find the job unpleased.

ii.

You experience difficulty making a decision.

iii.

You are panicking because of the workload.

iv.

You are disorganized.

Procrastination can turn into an instilled habit that is hard to stop. You should work to battle the practices that have prompted procrastinating previously faithfully.

g. Delegate: Get Help from Others Delegation implies doling out an assignment of a task to another person, sparing some of your time for tasks that require your expertise. Delegation starts by recognizing jobs that others can do and after that choosing the proper person(s) to do them. You have to pick somebody with the appropriate skill set, aptitude, experience, and intrigue expected to achieve the assignment. Be as particular as 72

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. possible in characterizing the task and your expectations, yet enable the individual some flexibility to customize the assignment. Occasionally check how well the individual is doing and if he requires any of your help, being careful not to take over the responsibility. After task completion, let the person know if there is room for improvement but don't forget to appreciate and reward the person. h. Manage External Time Wasters Your time might be affected by external factors forced by other individuals and things. You can diminish or wipe out time spent in these activities by executing some basic tips listed underneath. Telephone i.

Use voice message and put aside time to return calls.

ii.

Avoid casual conversation. Remain focused on the purpose of the call.

iii.

Stand up while you talk on the telephone. You will probably keep the discussion brief.

iv.

Set aside times of the day for getting calls and let others know when you are accessible.

Keep telephone numbers promptly accessible close to the phone.

Unexpected Visitors i.

Establish pieces of time when you are accessible for visits.

ii.

Tell the visitor affably that you are unavailable at this time and schedule the visit for a more convenient time.

iii.

Set a mutually agreeable time restraint for a visit.

Meetings 73

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. i.

Know the reason for the meeting ahead of time.

ii.

Arrive on time.

iii.

Start and end the meeting on time.

iv.

Prepare a plan and stick to it.

Don't schedule meetings unless they are essential.

Mail and Email i.

Set aside a specific time to reply to your mail and e-mail, but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let it accumulate to the point that it becomes extremely difficult to manage.

ii.

Turn off instant messaging features on e-mail.

Family obligations i.

Create a calendar for family members to post their time commitments.

ii.

Make each family member responsible for consulting the calendar for potential conflicts.

iii.

Create a chat group for communications such as announcements, appointment reminders, and messages.

i. Avoid Multi-tasking Perception is that multi-tasking is the best option to get work done in less time, but recent psychological studies have shown that multi-tasking does not save time. In fact, the opposite is often true. You lose time and attention when switching from one task to another, resulting in a loss of productivity. Multiple unfinished tasks can give you a panic attack too which will lower your productivity and put you under more pressure. Routine multi-tasking can also lead to difficulty in concentrating and maintaining focus when required. 74

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. a. Motivation: Managing your time will give you all the more extra time. This should be your primary motivation for time management. Discover something that will motivate you to achieve your goals in the allotted time. Reward yourself for achieving your goals. The most challenging thing in time management process is to drive yourself to execute your scheduled plan. j. Stay Healthy The care and consideration you give to yourself is an essential investment of time. Planning time to rest, or do nothing, can enable you to revive physically and mentally, empowering you to achieve goals more rapidly and effortlessly. Learn to manage time according to your energy levels by scheduling priority tasks during your peak time of day, the time your energy level and concentration are at their best. Poor time management can get along with crankiness, fatigue, and illness. To lessen pressure, you should compensate yourself for a time management achievement. Take time to recognize that you have accomplished a significant task or challenge before moving on to the next activity. Scheduling time to relax can help you stay physically and mentally healthy and sound.

Achieve your goals/ Execution Execution is the implementation of your prioritized schedule. Without execution and achievement of goals all this time management efforts will go in vain, here are a few tips to enable you to execute your everyday schedule: i.

Breaking down tasks into smaller ones and set deadlines.

ii.

Work on one task at a time, work until the job is done. Specialists say that it is smarter to have one or two completed tasks than a handful of unfinished ones. 75

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. iii.

Reward yourself after completion of each goal to keep yourself motivated.

Set up an action priority matrix. Divide your tasks into 4 categories. Urgent and important tasks- working on a paper due tomorrow Urgent but not important tasks Buying Halloween customs for upcoming party Important but not urgent tasks- Studying for a test due next week Not important and not urgent tasks- Checking facebook messages The majority of your tasks should be on the important but not urgent tasks. Haing lots of urgent and important tasks adds stress on you. It also results from poor planning and poor time management. You should try to eliminate the non urgent and non important tasks category from your life as they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t contribute any value.

The 3 Main Reasons To Better Use Your Time Now ! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marc N. If you made it this far I commend you. You're already investing in yourself which is a key factor in creating success. It's sad that most people these days won't even take the time to read an E-book that has the potential to change their lives, but thankfully that's not you, so seriously, You Rock! Now itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to take action: