Can anyone share with me the exact meaning of the phrase above. I search some definitions on the web and the cliché is 'When the going gets tough, the tough get going," endlessly quoted by football coaches, sales managers, and other neanderthal motivators, some results post as “when situations are difficult, strong people rise to the occasion”. How can you be strong when against all odds and face with tremendous load of stress & probelms in life.

Just to share something really enlighten me one day where a close collegue of mine whom i believe is very rich (hehe got a peep on his revenue tax slip...) but only to my suprise he only owns a 12++ year old junk car still working fortunately and living in a home (kind of below average to me) where you cannot even imagine he is actually earning that much with only such little enjoyment in life. Call him super stingy if you can but he is only in his late thirties and has already attained his financial freedom since he got no worries with lost jobs, recession, financial instabilities, others stress you name it that causes sleepless night. Of course not all i believe would want to share the kind of life like my friend has but i really trust all individuals has their own set of probelms, sadness or happiness whether you are in the highest corporate level, average guy, a nobody if you think you are etc. All voice down how you perceive life & how hard you try to be strong & postive whenever you are slap with undesire events & probelms. Your greatest opponent is yourself to defeat. Dont be disheartened by people who discourage you. Keep going!

There is a motivational article from adam koo below where i can of like it too about the movie "Rocky balboa" Read it for free!
“It Ain’t How Hard You Hit…It’s How Hard You Can Get Hit and Keep Moving Forward”

Have you ever wondered what is it like being a role one someone you admired, it could be a CEO of a company, President of the united states, top leaders, Artist, writers, professionals, researchers, business owners or anyone else you would most envied about their success. Just what factor contributes to their success today, I trust one of it has got to do with the art of practicing & use of effective time management!

The fact is how these people managed their time so well that they are able to deliver the result that was expected of them based on the sole constraint of 24hours 7 days a week no matter who or what you are.

Recently I pick up some articles from David Allen, productivity consultant who is best known as the creator of the Getting Things Done time management method who amazed me about his adventures into 35 types of profession before reaching age 35. Some of his best practices which I find relevant to me include getting your email volume controlled & organized as well as workflow management. He has also developed a 3 dimensional self management practice which consequently generates four quadrants of states which we may find ourselves in at least one segment;

1. Low control, low perspective = the Victim. Driven by latest and loudest, simply reacting to relieve the most obvious and immediate pressures and pains.
2. High control, low perspective = the Micro Manager. Obsessed with containing and ordering detail, neglecting the Why question and the bigger-picture realities. Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is the extreme.
3. Low control, high perspective = the Crazy Maker. Fabulous ideas, by the minute, unrealistically over committing focus and resources. Attention deficit disorder (ADD) is the extreme.
4. High control, high perspective = Master and Commander. Keeping the eye on the prize with attention to critical detail, holding steady with a firm but flexible hand.
(An extract from David Allen Three dimensional Self Management)

See which quadrant best describes you today because it will determine how you manage your time.

If you would have follow my last posting on the same subject of time management, maybe you would have already look into your weekly schedule and have in mind what actions you would plan to optimize your time allocation.

Below includes a completed worksheet input into the template I have created earlier based on typical activities of a working professional within my industry. You would noticed that there are things we spend most of our time in life habitually on basic activities beyond our control like rest/sleep, preparing for work, transportation, travelling, meals, dining, stuck in the traffic etc. These itself can take up half your day each day. It means you can only allow adjustment probably the other half of it by putting some effort in applying the following basic principles of time management;

- Planning
- Allocation
- Setting goals
- Delegation
- Analysis of time spend
- organizing
- Scheduling
-& prioritizing


From the worksheet, if my analysis is correct, there is still an opportunity for additional time of 37 hours which is about 44%!! Of the time you can allocate in a week on something else that you would like to do and benefit you more in life. Each individual may have their own technique or tools for time management respectively but with the application of the basic principles above in more detail you may maximize it even for greater results!

The point is some of us will always complain that we are just too busy or occupied with current activities/loading but these excuses can be alleviated with simple magic steps by just analyzing & identifying strategies you may have overlook before. So do not underestimate the power of time management, my tools work for me and I believe you can develop one for yourself too. Plan your strategies now and if possible share with others as well.