Time management tips, remember there is never enough time, and never will be. There are many top tips about time management which you can pick up from many different people and places, and time management is key to achieving the things we want in life.

Don’t you just hate it when people say “sorry I didn’t do that for you, I didn’t get time.” Sometimes followed by “I’ve just been so busy” or “I don’t know where the time goes – I really don’t ” ?

And it’s rubbish anyway. It simply means that it wasn’t important enough to them. You see time management is partly about motivation. If it’s important you will find time to do it. If someone says they didn’t get time your retort could be “well, if there was a million pounds for you if you’d done it – would you have had the time then ?!” To which the answer is “Ooh yes.” So it’s simply that we choose to do other stuff.

Be realistic, set realistic time frames, and acknowledge the fact that this task may or may not be that important to you, just don’t say to another human being “I didn’t get time !” There will never be enough time – get over it !

Time management is one of the important topics covered in the audio CDs on the Associated Learning Systems website, follow this link http://www.associatedlearningsystems.co.uk/product_detail.asp?ProdID=24 Buying is easy through PayPal and it will only set you back a few pounds – so click a few buttons and it could be with you by tomorrow.

Clearly self-belief and a whole lot of commitment to their ideas is what entrepreneurs have.

At the weekend I was reading about Michelle Mone the former model turned business woman who runs the Ultimo brand. She is 37, and since 1996 has built up a company now worth £45 million according to the Sunday Times.

And yet, it wasn’t always so. In the Sunday Times piece she said “setting up the business was hard and I had to find a lot of money to get it going. Iwas in debt by about £420,000 when the company finally launched. I had to remortgage the house and also take out a number of business loans. I also had debts with every credit card company known to man.”

So what kept her going ? She had overwhelming faith and conviction in her ideas. Now surely for every Michelle Mone there are 100 people that gamble and lose, but what an inspiring story.

While we don’t have audio CDs available yet on how to build a £45 million company, remember that Mao Tse Tung said “the longest journey begins with a single step” and we can help with that. Click through to see the audio CDs on self development and goal setting at  http://www.associatedlearningsystems.co.uk/product_list.asp?Section=SELF%20DEVELOPMENT

But what we can learn is that self-belief and commitment is what she, like other entrepreneurs have.

One of the best books I’ve read on the subject is by Allan & Barbara Pease and I bought it on the strength of the title alone “Why men don’t listen and women can’t read maps”

In my view, it is the book that Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus should have been ! it is light and easy to read and is very funny in many places. You can buy it in paperback form from any reputable bookshop or online store. I bought mine at a local Waterstones, so I’ve added a link here. http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/displayProductDetails.do?sku=4596507 It is only £9.99 at this time and is strongly recommended.

Understanding that communication skills are different between the different sexes is both important and continously perplexing. So while you’re trying to pull your belt in at the beginning of this year, take some time out to read this well researched and humorous book ! 

One of the questions we are frequently asked is who do we look to – to give us new ideas, and to inspire us. So as a result we’ll include some material in the blog that gives you some of the top people and their work that we have come across.

There will be a book review on the first of each month for the next few months. These are easy to access – just dip your hand in your pocket and for less than £15 generally you can pick up a wealth of information.

Today’s guru tip is the Birmingham based sales trainer and motivational speaker Peter Thomson. http://www.peterthomson.com/ is a link that will take you directly to his site. You can even sign up for his little weekly tips TGI Mondays at www.tgimondays.com.

I have seen him ‘perform’ at a number of different events, and particularly if you’re a business owner or senior manager, you will find his material inspiring ! Our advice check it out !

I often think targets have a negative image. It is easy to think of them as things other people set you to do, things that they impose on you to control your actions.

But they are much more powerful than that. There are many studies that show people who have targets and goals are more successful at achieving the things in life that are important to them. There is a saying “those people who are going nowhere, usually get there !” This is about the goals that YOU SET FOR YOURSELF. In other words, set your own path, don’t wait for others to do it for you.

There are many great sources of information on personal goal setting. We currently have 2 different titles covering goal setting by 2 different authors.  You can find them by clicking the following link http://www.associatedlearningsystems.co.uk/product_list.asp?Section=SELF%20DEVELOPMENT One is the excellent title “little steps lead to big dreams” which is a radio interview with Alastair Campbell of the Ideal Marketing Company. It gives some great tips and a good format to setting out your goals.

The second product is training material used in training courses by the training company To Market. It also has some top tips and talks about overcoming personal barriers – all those things that get in the way of achieving your goals.

So give them a listen and see what you think.