Mastering Self Management Once you accept the responsibility for choosing and creating the life you want, the next step is taking purposeful actions that will turn my desires into reality.

Procrastinators What is procrastination? Pg. 88 Case study What does acting on purpose mean?

Acting on purpose Do important actions/things first, before they become urgent Acting on purpose means taking action until you accomplish the task at hand with the desired outcome. Dreams do not take action, creators do. The dreams set your destination, but unless you act the desired outcome is not achieved. Give examples of famous or not so famous people who have taken purposeful action to make a difference in the world or for individuals? Must have persistent repetition of purposeful actions to achieve success. Successful people apply strategies to create the success they desire.

7 Habits of Highly Effective People Stephen Covey Importance to you is what you value and not what other people value. Everyone has an opinion about what is important. The action is important only if it propels you forward towards fulfilling your goals. If your action is not assisting you to reach your goals then you are sabotaging your dreams and desired outcomes. If meeting a deadline set by an instructor means you pass or fail the class, which quadrant would it fall under? Why? You have to make the deadlines valuable to you so that you will accomplish the task. Which quadrant do you spend most of your time? Is it assisting you with meeting your goals or is sabotaging them? P. 90-91 Quadrants

Use of quadrants Will what I am doing today positively affect my life one year from today? Creators Victims Spend most of their time in I and II. Schedule conferences, rewrite notes, form study groups, and study nearly everyday. Predict test questions and answer them. They create urgency by commitment by to purposefully acting to achieve their valued goals and dreams; thus, staying on course. Say no the III and IV Spend most of their time in III and IV. Repeat unproductive actions such as blaming, complaining, excusing, and wasting time. Consequently moving farther off course.

Time and Self Management -The secret to effective self management is making choices that maximize the time you spend in I and II. -You will need to experiment to see which tools help you to accomplish positive outcomes which help you stay on course and accomplish your valued dreams and goals.

Time Management Tools Monthly calendar Next actions list Tracking forms

Monthly Calendar Overview of quadrants I and II. Shows dates, appointments, and assignments. Use it whenever you have to schedule anything. Write down classes, labs, drs. appts., deadlines, family responsibilities. Say “No” to unscheduled or low priority opportunities that will not keep you on course. Some people use a PDA or their cell phone

Next Actions List P. 94-95 Record what you need to do next, not an overview of the month or week. Write your life goals and corresponding goals that you defined in chp. 3. More effective than a to do list, since it keeps you on course. List Quadrant I actions for each of your goals. Be sure that the action is important and urgent. Be sure each action is dated, achievable, personal, positive, and specific (DAPPS). List II under your goals-struggling students seldom follow through with these typed goals. II actions make a huge impact on the difference in the results you create. As you complete an action mark it off of the list. Add new ones as they arise. This frees your mind to be creative and engage in critical thinking.

Tracking Forms Pg. 100 This form helps you to coordinate many actions all directed at a common goal. At the end of 7 to 14 days you will see exactly what you have and have not done to achieve your goals. The tracker keeps the inner defender from fooling yourself into thinking you are doing what you need to do to stay on course when you really are not.

Rewards p. 96-97 If you can remember everything you need to do, I guess you’re not doing very much. Some people would rather be right than successful. Univ. of Ga. Found that students’ self management skills and attitudes are better predictors of the their success than SAT or ACT scores. Do the best you can to form a habit of using a self management system and see how much more you accomplish and how often you are on course.

Develop Self Discipline Self discipline involves persistent small steps. Success = self discipline; which is the willingness to do whatever has to be done, whether you feel like it or not, until you reach your goals and dreams. Our actions reveal whether we have the self-discipline to stay on course in the face of tempting alternatives. Remember wanting and doing are 2 different things. To develop self discipline you must have commitment, focus, and persistence.

Commitment Journal 9 Remember an unbending intention, a single mindedness of purpose that promises to overcome all obstacles regardless of how you may feel at any particular moment. Must make a commitment before you can find a solution to a problem. Motivation comes from commitment to fulfill a purpose.

Focus Not allowing your mind to dash from one distraction to another. Focus is self discipline in thought. Struggling students can become distracted for months. They arrive to class late, if they come at all, turn in sloppy work or ignore the assignment. They have taken their eye off of the prize which means they have lost their commitment to reach their desired goals and dreams. Struggling students allow the Inner Defender and Inner Critic to be their worst enemy. Their ID begins to look for excuses not to complete the never ending list of tasks that must be completed in order to be successful. Their IC says, I never was a good student anyway. Successful students focus on the Inner Guide to provide them the sprint to the finish knowing that they can accomplish this task because they have already gotten this far. They see the finish line and cross it.

Persistence Self discipline in action Do I love myself enough to keep going? You will reap the rewards of your efforts and suffer the victory of defeat. Failure is guaranteed if you quit, but success is not guaranteed simply because you persist. Remember, if you are doing the same thing over and over, getting the same result, but expecting something different you need to try something new. Luanne’s story p. 104

Self Management At Work Known as “doing diligence” in the workplace. In college “doing diligence” impresses potential employers by you having an excellent GPA and work ethic. To impress potential employers, quadrant II actions, gain experience through part time jobs, volunteer work, internships, and leadership through student government, clubs, or other activities that relate to your career. Soft skills will help you to get and keep a job along with using time management skills effectively.

Job Hunting Make a list of potential employers and careers that interest you. Attend a resume writing workshop. Develop good telephone skills. Make cold calls to see if a company may have unadvertised openings. Develop a resume and tailor the cover letter to meet the job requirements while highlighting your assets. Participate in mock interviews. Visit the Career Services Office on campus. Do not become discouraged during this difficult time. Focus on the Inner Guide to get you through and develop a support group to help. K now that as you learn the nature of your new job that the tasks will take you longer than the veterans.

Develop Self Confidence You must believe that you can do whatever it is that you want to do. Do not let others opinions matter to you. Pg. 110 Nathan McCall Genuine self confidence results from a history of success, and a history or success results from persistently taking purposeful actions. A 32 day commitment journal is beneficial. I CAN should be your motto. You must tell yourself how proud you are of yourself. Begin a success list and every day write down at least one thing you did well and that you are proud of. Visualization is an important technique to success not matter what the area. Since we chose the movies that we visualize, why not be the star in one that you are successful.