Author: Carol Williams

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EpS Events Get Organized More time in my day prioritize Time strategies Uncategorized

Why? Why would you want to redesign your day?

Oh Why? Oh why? Why do we do the things we do? Why do we choose to do them differently sometimes? Why are we successful…or not?

This week’s podcast focuses on the WHY of the What, Why, Wants, and How. WHY would you want to redesign your day? Listen here:  Why might I want to Design My Day differently? or read on.

Carol: Why. It’s a child’s question. It’s a question we hear less and less as we age. Yet, it’s so important. And often overlooked.

Sue: That’s so true, Carol. Why are we talking about WHY? What does WHY have to do with Designing Our Days?  Such an important question to be summed up in 8 minutes or less!

Carol: Hi, this is Carol Williams, productivity coach at EpS, Efficient Productivity Systems.

Sue: And this is Sue West, AD/HD and life management coach

We have joined together as the Design Your Days Duo for this series of audio interviews to give you short, “use today” pieces of advice, in 5 to 8 minutes. If you like this podcast, please LIKE our Facebook page for tips on your newsfeed several times a week.

Carol: As you may know, Sue and I take participants in our Design Your Days workshops through our unique process of What, Why, Wants and How. Today we’re going to focus on WHY – *Why* do you want to design your day differently? This is the most important, and often the most difficult, question we can ask ourselves. The answer is often buried inside quite deeply. Answering honestly requires a true understanding, and often new discoveries, about you.

We’ve chosen two of the most common answers we hear to the Why question, and we’ll offer strategies for effectively addressing those WHYs

Sue: “Why” is your deep down, soul searched answer to the question of why you want to change what you’re getting out of your days. Seize the day. Live life more fully than you do today.

Practically speaking, “Why” is important because it’s where you will find your inspiration and motivation.  On this journey, “Why” helps you get going, know where you’re going and when you hit bumps in the road – which we always do, right? – then your own “why” is how you’ll stay on course THIS time. This time, which WILL be different.

For example, I work often with women at mid-life. She is handling some level of caregiving for parents, spouse or partner, child or sibling. She may have children college age or beyond. She often owns a business, though with all she handles, it’s been on the back burner for awhile.

What I hear is “I want more from my life. It feels too big, or too difficult  to manage, and not filled with what I want.” Some of our work is figuring out what matters, why she wants more, what her most important values are and what she might consider changing. Examples: volunteer work to give back and make a difference, connect to people in community, spirituality, more creativity, or a business that leaves her mark.

Carol: Recently one of our Design Your Days workshop participants was telling me that she has been finding it difficult to incorporate exercise into her day. She has her own business and has two small children at home. Now that they are both in school, why can’t she seem to fit this in? She has all the magazines; she loves fitness. What was getting in her way?

We talked for a while and began the process of discovery. What we found surprised us both. She did not exercise so she could “fit in” to her community. That’s right. She was unintentionally subscribing to the “misery loves company” mantra. As an extrovert, she loves to relate with others. Many other moms “complain” about “not having enough time to….(fill in the blank). What we came to find, together, is that this DYD workshop participant valued Fitting In and Commiserating more than she valued herself and her own priorities.

The great news is…once she realized this, she removed the Debby Downers from her life. She decided that she was “worth it”. Simply coming to the understanding that she was being subconsciously pulled into the “no exercise so we can complain together” zone allowed her to break free of this.

And she walks every day now. She does yoga. She is happier. Her husband is happier. Her life is better.

Sue: To wrap up, we just provided two examples of WHY you would want to Design Your Days differently tomorrow that you do today. If these struck a chord with you, we know you’ll get much more benefit from our Design Your Days workshop on Friday Jan 31 at 9 am at the Center of Health Promotion in concord, here: https://reg.abcsignup.com/view/view_month.aspx?as=53&wp=227&ss=

OR Register by calling them at 603.230.1121. Or you can check our FB page: https://www.facebook.com/DesignYourDays

In the next podcast we will continue on with this critical WHY question. We will continue to move through the Design Your Days process. At the end of about 12 podcasts, you will look back and find that we’ve provided an excellent overview of our process.

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EpS Events Get Organized More time in my day Time strategies Uncategorized

What Gets in the Way- When you are Designing Your Day?

You get up. Get ready. Today is an open book. Today I have a little time. Today I am not booked solid….I can “finally” catch up.

Sound familiar? Does it work? Many times – no.

What gets in YOUR way? Sue West and I explore this as part of our Perspectives Podcast Series. Listen here: WHAT gets in your way? or read on.

Sue: Well, whether we like it or not, we have arrived. It’s 2014, another ball has dropped, and we are hearing, and could be feeling, “this year will be different”. But is that little voice in your head saying….really? Why should it be any different THIS time?

Carol: Hi, this is Carol Williams, productivity coach at EpS, Efficient Productivity Systems.

Sue: And this is Sue West, AD/HD and life transitions coach

We have joined together as the Design Your Days Duo for this series of audio interviews to give you short, “use today” pieces of advice, in 5 to 8 minutes. If you like this podcast, please LIKE our Facebook page for tips on your news feed several times a week.

Carol: As you may know, Sue and I take participants in our Design Your Days workshops through our unique process of What, Why, Wants and How. Today we’re going to focus on WHAT – What gets in your Way when you are designing your day? We’ve chosen two of the most common themes we hear and we’ll offer strategies for effectively addressing those WHATS.

Sue: “I know I am at my best, when I’m feeling organized.” That’s what a client said to me about her business and about her life in general. She went on to say “I’m an organized person.”  “My business started growing. I wasn’t really paying attention; I was just getting the work done. Now, I turn around and yikes – I’m lost and overwhelmed,” So I asked what gets in her way of getting back on track, she said this:

“I don’t know how to prioritize. It ALL seems important.” And that was a familiar statement.

If this sounds like you, here are key questions to start designing your own solution:

  1. You need one place to put everything, so that you have an accurate picture of everything you need to do, BEFORE you set priorities. How well is your “capture” tool – paper or technology – working for you?
  2. How often are you looking at your list? Should be morning and end of day, plus if something big changes during the day – not an email hijacking your priorities, but a bonafide reason to change priorities set earlier in the day.
  3. What makes something a priority in your world? This you may have to notice for yourself as you sit to review your list tomorrow. For example, today, my highest priority items went like this: scheduling several client meetings, talking to a prospective client for awhile, answering a few questions about my Board work, interruption by the new person who will be doing the plowing at my house, writing my mother with info I’d promised because she only has email two days a week, and writing this podcast, because we both wanted a day or two to review and practice. So, my priorities were based on: client relationships, future client potential, response time standards I have for Board emails, the knock at the door by Mike, my mother’s constraint of the two days, and a deadline Carol and I decided on. See it’s not just money and deadlines; it’s more complex, and quite unique to each of us and what’s going on in our world.

Carol: Sometimes we hear about how “holidays” get in our way. We hear something like, “If it weren’t for all the “extra” of the season, I’d be more organized”. The solution lies in learning from those experiences. Since we are now past the holiday season (even though I WAS humming at the beginning of this…yes…) it’s still fresh in our minds. What could we have done differently to ease the stress a bit, as we look back? Record this in your new calendar for 2014 in a place where you will see it at the end of October. That’s right, start planning right around Halloween for what’s to come. When you make the time to reduce, eliminate, or delegate some of the tasks associated with the holidays, while embracing the traditions you hold dear and allowing time for those, the season will be much more joyful and you will emerge on January 1 feeling ready for the new year.

For example, I have a client who has recently downsized her home. Many of the family’s belongings that relate to “annual” decorations are kept in a storage facility. She recently recounted a meltdown that she had in December when finding that she had 8 bins of holiday “stuff” to find a place for. Much of it was given to her by a well-meaning relative. Her husband gently suggested that they choose only 2 bins and leave the other 6 in storage, at least for this year. They decorated together that night, and delighted their children in the morning. The message here is “How Much Stuff Is Enough?” Are your memories weighing you down? If so, find ways to let them go and get the extra weight OUT OF YOUR WAY.

Sue: To wrap up, we just provided two examples of What might Get In Your way when designing your day. If these struck a chord with you, we know you’ll get much more benefit from our Design Your Days workshop on Friday Jan 31 at 9 am at the Center of Health Promotion in concord. Register by calling them at 603.230.1121. Or you can check our Facebook page, Design Your Days, which has the signup link too.

In the next podcast we hit the next question, WHY? as we will continue to move through the Design Your Days process. At the end of about 12 podcasts, you will look back and find that we’ve provided an excellent overview of our process.

CAROL:

If you cannot attend our January session, we offer the Design Your Days workshop to YOUR group of business owners, so please contact one of us for more information and to get us on your schedule.

Again, you can find us on Facebook as Design Your Days or contact us individually through websites:

Sue’s is www.OrganizeForAFreshStart.com

Carol’s is http://www.efficientproductivity.com/

If you found our advice valuable, please consider sharing our podcast or blog with colleagues and friends.

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Get Organized More time in my day prioritize productivity in the workplace Time strategies Uncategorized

I’ve Motivated. I’ve Planned. Now it’s time to enjoy, right? So why am I so stressed out?

How to Enjoy the season while “winning” (getting your Most Important Things done)

OK so it’s…..December 13th? …And how many more “full weeks” (minus the parties, right?) in this year, ONE? What?
THIS MEANS WE ARE AT THE COUNTDOWN. What happens in the best sports games? It’s tight, it’s back and forth, and in the last quarter, maybe even in the last minute, the WINNER PULLS AHEAD.
Do you picture yourself as that winner? If so, try this strategy on for size, to kick it hard while enjoying your parties, guilt free.

*The power of One*
This week I met with a client who was feeling overwhelmed with the season. Does this sound familiar? Take all the “regular” to-do’s and add *holidays* onto it all and what results? Stress, overwhelm, guilt, money pressure. A strategy that worked for her is *the power of one*.

How it works:
1. Allow yourself a maximum of 15 minutes to write out all the to-do’s flying around in your head.
2. Quickly assess which one is the top priority.
3. Write that priority on an index card.
4. Put the rest away.
5. Focus on that one. Do not feel guilty. Just focus. Energy will return. You will watch it get done. It will matter. There will be closure. Do not look back.

But how do I decide on *one*?
1. Ask yourself, what will make the biggest impact on my life? (work, personal, whichever is more critical to you at the time)
2. If you need help deciding, remember, YOU are important. Put yourself first in this season of giving, so you can give even more.

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Get Organized More time in my day prioritize procrastination productivity in the workplace Time strategies

Ready for a Break? Plan Now- Just a Little- to Jumpstart January

What does the Thanksgiving Holiday mean to you?

How does it relate to your productivity?

In the U.S., most of us will enjoy an extended weekend very soon. Some of us may already be away for the week- I know 2 people in that category personally. The question I have is….what will you do or not do, and how will you feel about those decisions?

Too much free time can spell DANGER.

Today I helped a client Design Her Long Weekend. When you have too much “unplanned time,” do you feel that it’s “wasted”? Do you “not know where the time does? Do you feel like it’s a waste- so you tend to fill up your time with “productive” ventures instead? This is common and was the case with my client.

My client and I focused on a strategy that I’d like to share: Majoring and Minoring. Think of your college undergraduate years. Perhaps you had a major and a minor. By default, more time and energy is expended on your major, right? In work and in life, we mostly find ourselves with more to-do’s than will fit in our bucket. So, run yourself through your weekend. What would you WANT it to look like…if you had it YOUR way? That’s right…be selfish. Start there. Then, add in the non-negotiables. Really look- are they truly “givens” or is there any wiggle-room if they don’t fit your version of the ideal long weekend?

Set your intention, make some plans that are needed, and accept the outcome. You will find that the power of intention is, in fact, very powerful.

Next week is December? Forget the goals-I am writing off the year- see you in January!

Thanksgiving can be a quiet time, if you dare. When others are watching football or taking that after dinner nap, you can take advantage of that quiet time to focus on yourself and your personal and professional goals. Strategic and creative thinking requires downtime.

Some questions to ask yourself are:

  • How “big” do your want your December Holidays to be?
  • How will you address your “important, but not urgent” tasks in December, so that you hit the ground running on January 2?

Two strategies to achieve the goals you identify:

  1. Honor your desired outcome with the “pause and reflect” method. How? When a request comes in, decide that you will “pause and reflect” rather that furnishing an immediate answer. This pause allows more holistic and strategic thinking than may otherwise happen.
  2. Use the “if/then” habit: Help implement the strategy above by bringing it directly into your life. For example, IF my employer asks me to work late, THEN I will check with my spouse before agreeing to it.

A little Thanksgiving Planning can go a long way to enjoying the holidays and jumpstarting January. Be well, enjoy every bite, and above all – express gratitude.

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EpS Events Get Organized prioritize Uncategorized

What motivates you? 3 Examples of what works, and one that doesn’t work.

Your motivation: Is it…

Fall Scenery?  Your children? The promise of an exotic trip?

Or is it…

…the vision of becoming a leader in your field?

find your vision, pursue your goal, use your motivation

The opportunity to give more and better in your own unique way…to push the limit of who you think you are to who you could be? Is it the opportunity to create something that nobody has created?

What it is NOT:

None of the above are “right” or “wrong.” But, did you notice what was *not* in the list? That’s right…”more money.”  Compensation is what many people claim they seek, but an MIT study shows that actually…there is much more to “real” motivation and innovation. Stay tuned until the end of this blog article.

MOTIVATOR 1:

If you answered “fall scenery”:

focused people are more productive
focused and organized people motivate themselves and others

Science reinforces that the beautiful fall images we’ve been seeking on the EpS facebook page TRIGGER POSITIVE EMOTIONS that actually HELP US FOCUS.

And what happens with focused people? You guessed it…they are more Productive.

MOTIVATOR 2:

If you answered “the promise of an exotic trip”:

You might be someone who gets excited by new challenges. Many of my clients are in this category. Stimulation and new-ness are key. Factor 3 in this Psychology Today article supports this motivator: read here.

MOTIVATOR 3:

When we operate beyond the “make more widgets, get more compensation” mentality, our motivation actually suffers from the promise of more compensation, if a more comprehensive set of motivators is absent, according to a recent MIT study.

This video is worth watching. It highlights that 3 factors, autonomy, mastery, and purpose, weigh in heavily as the prime motivators for those seeking motivation through cognitive skill. What this means is that when our thinking moves BEYOND a certain, carrot-and-stick level, which is a mechanical skill level, we DO in fact, need “more.” Have you heard, “I have the money but I still feel empty inside?”

motivation, purpose, passion
Where is your blue sky? How will you make a difference?

Watch this video. Start thinking….what do I want to master? What’s my purpose? How much more autonomy would I want to take on my current or future work situation?

Autonomy, mastery, purpose…now we’re talking Motivation. Be great.

-Carol

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October GO Girl Giveaway- Massage for Motivation

Everybody Loves to Win. Are you -still- with me?

Submit this…

“I find my motivation by……”

… & Win This!

healing hands

A free massage!

The Dirty Details….

This is a Fall Facebook Contest: You can win an (amazing) 60 minute massage from Sarah-Elizabeth Whitcomb. I have had a small craniosacral massage from Sarah-Elizabeth and I will tell you that I have never experienced anything like this before. More info on her services: HERE.

What you must do to *win*:
1.       Take a photo of What Motivates You. Idea: FALL FOLIAGE! There is so much of it out there now…but if the weather turns bad before you take your shot…punt!
2.       Provide a sentence or two about what is in this photomotivates you to be your best.
3.       Upload the photo to my EpS facebook page: with your motivation sentence(s), by October 14, 2013 at 5 pm.
4.       LIKE my EpS facebook page.
5.       WINNER(s) will be announce on my facebook page by Oct. 22! So get photo-shooting!

We’re talking # MOTIVATION at EpS this month. Are you in? Quick video HERE.

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