It’s when you have a couple of things on the boil at the same time, say working two jobs simultaneously, that time management becomes crucial. Makes me wonder how people with families, young children especially, manage to get anything done. To say nothing of working a job.

But then as the old saying goes, “if you want something done, ask a busy person to do it”!

Let’s kick off the Friday five with a little time management theory (and practice). Perhaps you could try applying this over the weekend?!

• The Pickle Jar theory. This is one I have regularly harped on about over the years (on other websites and blogs), so it’s time I mentioned it here. It’s all about prioritizing your time. Get the day’s biggest and, most important, tasks (the rocks) out of the way first, and then fit whatever else you can (the pebbles and sand) in the “jar” with what’s left of the time. Great in theory, except my pickle jar is often full of empty space by day’s end… and that would be procrastination time!
• On the subject of The Pickle Jar theory, here’s an interesting variation on the time management theme. “The Mayonnaise Jar and Two Cups of Coffee” story takes the pickle jar concept (a mayonnaise jar in this case) and applies it across a lifetime. In other words make the “big” things in life a priority and the rest will fall into place, in the “space” between the rocks, the pebbles, and the sand.
• The Secret To Finding Dream Jobs. This articles contains a number of pearls of wisdom, including two of my favourites; “find out what you like doing best, and get someone to pay you for doing it”, and “find a job you enjoy, and you’ll never work a day in your life”. Finding your dream job is a secret no more!
• In Progress: this flow chart breaks down the whole career change process into its simplest form… and sometimes we need a bit more of this sort of thing! Take a few of whats, ifs, buts, and maybes out of the equation, and what are you left with? Raw determination, right?
• We probably hear a lot about how people hate their jobs, and despise their bosses. Etcetera. Have you ever given any thought to how your boss feels though? As Mira Katbamna reveals, we don’t even know the half of it!