Category: Time strategies

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Kickstart 2018: Discover what is holding you back, why, and how to avoid getting stuck “again.”

First, some questions:

  • Who’s in charge, anyway? Is it you, or is it life?
  • Are you a planner, or, are you a “go with the flow” kind of person? Why?

i) If you are a planner, what do you fear might happen without a plan? Why do things have to go “your” way? “So what” if they don’t?

ii) If you “go with the flow,” what scares you about making a plan? Is your plan too rigid? Do you fear disappointing others or perhaps not having enough room to be spontaneous?

The answer is … a little of both.

I know both kinds of people. I am definitely more in the Planner box. I love plans. I probably love plans more than is healthy for me. Why am I saying that? I’m saying that because over-planning can lead to over-scheduling. Over-scheduling can lead to stress and chaos, and ultimately, burnout. Burnout is not fun!

Conversely, there is that person who lives like he is blowing in the breeze. His ship sails wherever the wind blows, and he finds comfort there. But he looks back, and wonders what happened to his life. He’s not sure what is next, or even how to decide. He fears that he might make the wrong decision, so few decisions are made. His whole life, his desk, his home, his basement, etc., has too much stuff and is cluttered; representing such indecision.

Or maybe, you are somewhere in the middle. You decide something, go along the path for a bit, typically “full boar,” then get bored, when you then pick something new and exciting. Until, that is, this new thing gets old and then gets left behind for the next new thing. This cycle typically leads to a lot of investment with little return, and ultimately, frustration and burnout.

No matter which description fits best, we can all benefit from a little planning along with a healthy dose of accepting what life throws our way.

Let’s Kickstart 2018! I’ve developed some steps as food for thought on our Dec. 11, 2017 Lunchtime Love call.

Step One: Imagine it is December 2018. Write a letter to yourself about what you have accomplished. What fears have you overcome? What have you addressed that you have been putting off? How are you feeling and why?

  • Tip: Don’t overdo this exercise. Sometimes we tend to over-inflate what is possible and come up really short. This “overshooting” can be damaging to the psyche and is cause for the planning to cease. So, reach for the stars, with your feet firmly planted on the ground.

Step Two: What is the most important thing, the thing that will provide the most impact, is the easiest to do, will not cost a lot of time or money, that you can do in the next week or so to move toward your December 2018 goal? That’s right, I am asking you to start NOW. Right now, in November/December 2107. You do NOT need to “wait” until January to lay the groundwork for your 2018 year-end success.

  • Tip: This can be really simple. For example, if you want to keep better track of your finances, and your desk is a pile of unopened mail, just take 15 minutes and sort the mail. You do not need to get it super tidy. Just put it into broad categories and piles. It’s a step. Steps provide momentum and momentum builds on itself.

Progress follows …

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Get Organized More time in my day prioritize Time strategies

What does Happiness mean to you, and how can you truly create this as your theme of the Season?

Is this your scenario?

 

You know the drill. You are trying to “do it all”- meaning, you need to work to earn your living, your family needs attention, you are supposed to eat right and exercise and go to all your self-care wellness, and you are just barely holding it together. Most of the time, food is in the fridge and you are going where you need to go when you need to get there.

 

And then, the holidays march in.

 

Suddenly, you are fixing dinner for 10. Or 20. Maybe people are staying at your home. Maybe you are traveling. There are gifts to buy and parties to attend. Life becomes a swirl of complete insanity. Good diet and exercise, and routine in general, goes out the window. But wait, it’s my busy season at work! We have the year end deadlines! We have to stay late and work more! Sugar and caffeine, please!
Why does it feel like everyone else can handle this easily except you?
Hint: They probably cannot handle it that easily, but they either don’t talk about it, don’t tune in with themselves, or both.
Yes, you can turn around your scenario. Here’s how.

 

Step One: 
Tune in with yourself. Let’s fly 1000 feet in the air first. Ready? I want you to really THINK here. Like, really empty out your mind and be with yourself. We are talking about values. We don’t do what we are supposed to do. We act in accordance with our core values. We do this subconsciously, most of the time.
To tune in, ask yourself:
  • What is truly important to me?
  • What is frustrating to me?
  • What do I wish could change, that if it changed, I’d feel at ease?
Yes, we are getting below the psyche here. It’s a cool place. We can teach our mind to be happy, on a deep level. When we are happy on a deep level, the world is easier. When things are easier we get more of the right stuff done. When we get more of the right stuff done, we are productive. And happier. And so it goes…

 

Step Two:
Now that you are focused on your values, and you understand what will make you happy, it’s time to be the architect of your holiday season.
Focus Forward: Ask yourself the same questions as above, with “at the holidays” as a suffix.
Are the answers the same? Different?

 

Step Three: 
Find Your Frustration: By this time, you have some sentences. A WORD OF CAUTION. THIS IS ONLY AN EXAMPLE. IT MAY HAVE *NOTHING* TO DO WITH YOUR NEEDS AND VALUES. IT IS AN *EXAMPLE ONLY.* THIS EXAMPLE IS GIVEN TO ILLUSTRATE THE *PROCESS* TO TRUE HOLIDAY HAPPINESS.
Perhaps you have written something like this:
 “What is truly important to me at the holidays?”
         “It is truly important for me to be able to be present; to be fully tuned-in when I am with my family.”
 “What is frustrating to me?” 
        “It is frustrating to not be able to work full days at the holidays due to all the extra needs of the season. I end up staying late and eating pizza and drinking too much coffee. Then I feel horrible and the cycle repeats itself.”
When you have both what you want written, and what you do NOT want written, often the answer for change (question 3) will emerge automatically. Allow that magic wand to work. Maybe you dare to write “I wish I did not have to work at all during the last two weeks of December.”
Caution: Many of us fear writing our *deepest dreams* because they feel too big or too crazy; not attainable, not practical, silly, whatever. Don’t make that mistake. We will break it down.

 

Step Four:
Look at your magic wand statement; your deepest dream. What is one micro step you might take toward that dream? In this example, not wanting to work at all from Dec. 15-31, ask yourself, what are the most critical pieces of work that must be completed so that this could happen? What could fall to the side? Just doing that one exercise is helpful and is a step toward living in true holiday happiness.

 

Step Five:
Create your happy place. After these four steps, you are on your way to a true plan for happiness, at the holidays and beyond.
  • Tune into our call on November 6th and dig right in, wherever you are.
  • Pre-call bonus: I have a limited amount of Dare to Dream sessions (there is no charge for these) in November. If you are ready for a more “truly joyous” holiday season, I invite you to reserve your spot by clicking HERE and have 60 min of “only” these kinds of app’ts available.

See you November 6! Add to

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Picking Productivity – how to dull the shiny objects

Last month, we really focused on focusing. Are you focused yet?

 

This is a core principle of productivity. It is the most simple concept, yet the most difficult to achieve. There are, quite frankly, too many diversions and distractions in life. This has been true thoughout history, and is “more true” than ever with the unceasing reality that is electronic connectedness. We are re-wiring our brains, and while I am not suggesting we revert to 1962, I am submitting that focused effort gets the job done.

 

NOTE: On November 2, I will be offering a webinar (you have to pay for this one) through Lorman.com. It’s called “Where Did the Time Go? 5 Ways to get a Lot More Done in a Day.” here’s a preview of the content: Click to view

 

Now, you are probably wondering what you can do, like, now, or perhaps, like yesterday. I have wonderful news: I’m going to start right here, right now. We shall continue on this Path to Productivity Bliss on 10/2 (the free Q&A with me) and as of right now, here comes a tip!
From Procrastination to Productivity: Today’s tips:
  1. Take a break. Ask yourself, am I really procrastinating, or am I taking a break? I myself take breaths, breaks, breathers between sessions. Some healers bring out the sage. While I don’t use sage, I do “reset” my brain (versus endlessly slaving away, telling myself “I need to be more productive; I cannot leave my desk!”
  2. Analyze your breaks: Here’s how to tell if you are procrastinating or if you are taking a break: you are being mindful. My mentor coach tells me that when finds herself cleaning toilets, she knows she’s procrastinating. When I have a long conference call and take a walk into the kitchen, look at the sinkful of dishes then start cleaning the whole kitchen, YES I am procrastinating. When I set the timer for 5 minutes, do as many dishes as I can in that 5 minutes then get a drink and return to work, I am taking a break.
  3. Listen to music: I listen to Pandora radio when I am being creative. They help my brain focus and stay on task so I don’t get sidetracked. What works for you?
Remember, procrastination is not all bad. The mind is not meant to be always on/always up. It requires the ebb and flow for optimal results. Treat your life as a giant experiment and be gentle with yourself.
You are amazing!
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Focusing Forward and Being Present

The REAL answers to your Strategic Stuckness are embedded in the question: “if it’s so easy, why aren’t we all doing it?” We’ll dive deeper into THAT on our call 9/11/17, but for now, let’s jump into some effective FOCUSING strategies!

This is for you if ANY of these feel true:

– You start out with a plan

– Your plan is a joke by day’s end and you’re asking “why bother?”

– You start out without a plan…responding to emergencies (which somehow don’t quit)

Or, maybe it’s not THAT intense. You are keeping up with your work. But, you need to up your game, get to your next level. Wherever you are, you need to do something NEW to get NEW results.

Here are my favorite ways to focus forward and stay in the moment. Wait, what?

  1. Know WHY you are doing what you are doing: This may sound silly. Does it? Think about it. If the work you are doing adds up to something you REALLY want, you’ll put aside those distractions with more ease. Right? Remember, this is your Strategic Work. This is what is getting you to your Next Level! That’s focusing forward while staying in the moment.
  2. Remove your distractions; your favorite diversions: Even when you know “why,” distractions can be really powerful. Remove them. Shut off your phone. Then, go ahead and set your timer. Set it for an amount of time to get some traction on your project. I recommend at least 30 minutes, but no more than one hour.
  3. Take a break: That’s right! Get up and move. Get away from the computer. I recommend at least every two hours, but every hour is great, even for 5 minutes to get a glass of water. Movement stimulates the brain, and we want to do our best work, right? Just be careful to come back…don’t get distracted with someone else’s issue (or the issue in your own mind unless it’s life or death!) We are Staying Strategic here.

Many other strategies will work for staying focused and strategic. What are your favorite? What trips you up? Feel free to share here on my blog and/or come to the call on 9.11.17 at noon eastern and share.

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A new viewpoint when considering how to “Take Charge of Your Time.”

Time…how do you define it? Here are 2 terms referring to TIME.

Chronos or Kairos? What does this mean to you, if anything? Are we in ancient Greece yet? How are these two Time Definitions affecting my productivity?

The difference profoundly affects how we live our lives.

When we think about time in the abstract, or Chronos, there’s not generally a sense of urgency. While this can be helpful in some cases, it can also be a breeding ground for procrastination. Conversely, Kairos embodies time in our lives. Kairos says, “if I want to ‘be successful’ at my job, I need to nail down what means, and take some action as my first step.”

When reading studies by psychologists, there are 2 kinds of regret based on the age of the subject being interviewed. People their 20s regretted poor choices that got them into trouble or caused embarrassment. These range from cheating on exams to romantic interests/failures. As a result, the younger set seeks to avoid risks so that they are in the “safe zone.” Conversely, people in their 70s and 80s regretted not taking MORE chances. Their mantra is “do it while you can.” Perhaps they wanted to switch careers or learn to tap dance, but they did not act. They see the value of acting when the time is ripe.

The lesson in this? You guessed it. We’re talking about the value of goal setting, and more importantly, step-by-step goal ACHIEVING. We all have “Chronos” in our lives. Chronos tells us there will be a time to do this or that. And, he is right. There will be. But Kairos reminds us that if we wait forever, we’ll look back and wonder what happened. We might even find ourselves saying,

“Where did the time go?”

If you are ready to put Chronos in his place, and start taking action for a change, please read the article below, download the 7 steps to success, or call me for a complimentary time breakthrough session.

Finish 2016 with the pride in knowing you are poised for an even more successful 2017. I know you can.

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An Easy Way to be your Best Self

Most people I run into say they’d like to be more productive. So, I offer a magic pill for $9.95. I’m kidding, of course.

…Do you ever beat yourself up for not being perfectly productive 100% of the time?

The first step (really) in the ABCs of Productivity is to Accept your reality. This means you must accept yourself. To accept yourself, you must understand yourself. Here’s a snippet entitled “Understand Thyself” from a recent workshop: CLICK HERE

Once you do two things, (1) accept yourself and (2) understand yourself, the stage is set. You are getting closer to being “100% productive.”

In this article, we’ll review the four steps to take you through this self-discovery process. By taking the time to complete this process, you’ll be rewarded with a renewed self-understanding, setting the stage for personal and professional growth and productivity. For you readers who are ready to start achieving, please Contact Me and set up a complimentary Discovery call to eliminate those productivity gremlins for good.

Ready? Let’s get started right now with step one, which is a 4-part question:

Step One: Ask yourself, when are you at your best? (note: This is something most of us never consider. Yet, when considered and followed, a BIG DIFFERENCE can be seen.)

– What time of day do you have the most energy?
– How much rest and/or sleep would you have had?
– What foods would you have eaten (or avoided)?
– What would your family relationships look like?
This may seem simple, and not really related to productivity or achieving more. You may have been looking for that magic pill. It may surprise you to learn that while STRATEGIES are important, knowing where you are at a baseline is critical.

Step two: How are my current work systems doing? What is working great, and what could use some upgrading? Systems to consider: calendar, correspondence, task management, file management, priority management, long range planning.

Step Three: Dare to detail your TRUE desires (know thyself)! With this exercise, you have permission to think big, be brave, and be bold. If you don’t stretch you may never grow. So go ahead and ask yourself…if I am REALLY TRUE to myself….
– What does my work look like?
– What is my life like?
– What qualities do my clients have?
– How do I feel?

Step Four: What do you think might be preventing you from achieving the desires you just outlined above?

Bonus Step: Do something- anything- no matter how small- today. What one tiny step can you take to achieve your true desire? For example, if you think you might want to someday get your Master’s at the local college can you spend 15 minutes at lunch perusing the fall offerings?

I hope this article helps you understand yourself.

To get the most benefit, and fill it in yourself. Refer to it daily, just for 5 minutes. Remember, what you do every day shapes our future. Success, then, is a habit. Remember, your coach and accountability person are just a call or email away!

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