Home   Welcome    About Neil   1st District   Services   Legislation   Issues   Media Center   Home   Visit Washington D.C.   XML  RSS  Press Releases via RSS What is RSS? E-mail Signup E-mail Address: Your Name: Judged among the best-of-the-best Web sites on Capitol Hill  Congressional Management Foundation 2007 Silver Mouse Award - more info  Neil's Notebook  notebook image  Above: Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc. staff and visitors listen to Congressman Abercrombie during his July 1 visit. Abercrombie visited MEO, which includes Hale Mahaolu a private, non-profit housing corporation that owns and/or manages low- and moderate-income housing units for families, elderly, and/or disabled people in Maui County, Hawaii. Below: Congressman Abercrombie meets with residents of Hale Mahaolu-Elua.  notebook image  Helping people in need through Maui Economic Opportunity During a stop on Maui, Congressman Neil Abercrombie visited with the folks at Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc., a community-action partnership based in Kahului, Maui. The organization, which receives federal funding for many of its programs, is dedicated to the mission of fighting poverty by offering a wide range of services to senior citizens, youth, children and families, immigrants, the medically needy, and other low-income individuals. MEO’s services are constantly changing to meet the needs of its clientele. A ride to the doctor, to work or to school. Training to improve job skills and employability. Help to find a job. Early childhood care and education that gives children and their families a head start in life. Learning life skills, earning money, preparing for the workforce—and fun for teens. Reintegration services to help former inmates return successfully to the community. A helping hand with housework, so a senior can stay in their home. These are just some of the services MEO offers. Addressing the needs and future of our national parks Haleakala National Park on Maui is a jewel in our parks system, preserving breathtaking volcanic landscapes and subtropical rain forest, while caring for endangered species that exist nowhere else on Earth. Congressman Abercrombie, a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, met with Haleakala’s top officials near the park’s summit on July 1 to get an update on the progress and challenges facing this unique place that stands above the clouds, thousands of feet above sea level. Officials discussed issues such as the future of commercial activity inside the park, efforts to attack invasive species, historic preservation work, propagation of endangered species, restoring a heavily used trail, and the need for staff and facilities, as well as plans for a new National Science Foundation observatory at the summit. The park is facing tremendous challenges going forward, and Congressman Abercrombie will continue his work helping with the full slate of issues facing Haleakala and Hawaii’s other areas managed by the National Park System. Click here for other notebook entries. Latest News From Neil Abercrombie Steers More Federal Funding Toward Hawaii Needs 6/25/2008 The U.S. House Appropriations Committee has approved two more of the twelve 2009 annual spending bills that will address a variety of Hawaii needs, including the upgrade of Honolulu’s police crime lab and the prevention of damaging floods in parts of Honolulu. It’s part of funding, secured by U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, that’s contained in the spending bills for Commerce, Justice and Science, and for Energy and Water Development. ...more» Medicare Improvement Act Provides Rx for Hawaii Seniors’ Medical Services 6/24/2008 “The Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act, passed overwhelmingly today in the House of Representatives, takes several important steps to improve the delivery of Medicare and Medicaid services in Hawaii,” said U.S. Representative Neil Abercrombie. ...more» Appropriations Committee Okays Abercrombie’s $553 Million for Military Construction in Hawaii 6/24/2008 The House Appropriations Committee today approved $553 million in military construction funding for Hawaii requested by U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie and authorized in the 2009 National Defense Authorization Act. ...more» Click here for the latest Press Releases Issues Iraq—"I believe the war in Iraq has been one of the greatest geopolitical blunders in the history of the United States."...More National Defense—"Congress articulates our nation’s defense policy, authorizes all operations of the U.S. Department of Defense and sets priorities for defense spending."...More Native Hawaiian Issues—"The term Native Hawaiians refers to the indigenous, native people of the Hawaiian archipelago, which was a sovereign kingdom until 1893, and a U.S. territory until it became a state in 1959."...More Education—"In an increasingly complex, technological and globalized economy, the keys to the future are in the classroom."...More Environment—"We in Hawaii have been blessed with one of the most unique and breathtakingly beautiful—yet fragile—environments on the planet."...More. Housing and Transportation—"If people cannot afford decent housing, then nothing else really matters. "...More Military Veterans and Retired—"Our country has always made promises to the men and women who serve in our armed forces."...More Video Working for Head Start Click on the image above to play the video. Double click during playback to view full screen. Download Windows Media Player. Click here for more videos. Neil In The News Search Photos Click here for more photos. Quick Links Requesting an Appointment Order a Flag Casework Search THOMAS Sponsored Legislation Co-sponsored Legislation Addresses Washington, DC 1502 Longworth House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 phone: (202) 225-2726 fax: (202) 225-4580 District Office Prince Kuhio Federal Building 300 Ala Moana Blvd. Room 4-104 Honolulu, HI 96850 phone: (808) 541-2570 fax: (808) 533-0133

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Manage your time. Get it all done.

If you’ve found yourself putting off important tasks over and over again, you’re not alone. In fact, most people procrastinate to some degree - but some are so chronically affected by procrastination that it disrupts their careers and thwarts even their best efforts.

The key to controlling and ultimately combating this destructive habit is to understand how and why it happens (even to the best of us) and to take a few simple steps to better manage your time and outcomes.

Overcoming procrastination:

In a nutshell, you procrastinate when you put off things that you should be focusing on right now, usually in favor of doing something that is more enjoyable or that you’re more comfortable doing.

Sometimes this happens when someone does not understand the difference between urgency and importance. The prevailing belief here: We all have the same amount of time in every day and procrastinators spend this time fully, but do not invest it wisely.

Instead, procrastinators focus so much on urgent issues that they have little or no time left for the important tasks, despite the unpleasant outcomes this may bring about.

Other causes of procrastination can be as simple as waiting for the “right” mood or the “right” time to tackle the important task at hand; a fear of failure or success; underdeveloped decision-making skills; poor organizational skills; or perfectionism.

How to combat procrastination:

Whatever the reason behind procrastination, it must be recognized, dealt with and controlled before you miss opportunities or your career is derailed.

Part of the solution is to develop good organizational and personal effectiveness habits, such as those described in Mind Tools “Make Time for Success!” This helps you establish the right priorities, and manage your time in such a way that you make the most of the opportunities open to you.

The other part of the solution can be as simple as applying this rule of thumb: If you're not working (directly of indirectly) to progress your top priority projects, you’re probably procrastinating.

And, when you're doing something important, such as working on your top-priority project or task, and something urgent comes up, recognize that this will take time away from this important work.

To do this, it is imperative to understand the difference between urgency and importance.

On one hand, let’s say that your boss comes to your office and says he or she has called a meeting and wants you to join other team members in the conference room now. This is clearly urgent.

Or, your sales manager calls in from the field and explains that your biggest customer just received the wrong shipment and is in dire need of the correct shipment. This will require tracking down the original shipment, working through the placed orders, even the salesman’s paperwork, etc. Again, this is urgent.

However, while immediate action is needed here, these things only tangentially affect the truly important things in your life.

Important things are likely to be the actions that serve to broaden you, build your career, or achieve something of real human significance to you. These important actions are often easy to pinpoint, for they are the ones that help you achieve your goals (another of the major topics within “Make Time for Success”.)

This is not to say that you do not have to take care of the urgent things. Instead, you will need to take care of these things as efficiently as possible, while also staying on top of the important demands/going-ons of the day. You’ll need to minimize the time spent on these urgent tasks, while still ensuring that they are successfully and efficiently resolved.

With proper planning and some self-discipline, many urgent matters disappear altogether or, when they do surface, your planning and discipline makes them less urgent and easier to deal with. This means that you waste less of the valuable time that should be spent on the important things.

And, keep in mind that you probably do not have to handle every urgent matter yourself. Delegate as far as possible, so that you do not get caught up in remedying every urgent situation. To spend life "firefighting" is a misuse of your “important” time.