Tag: more time

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Get Organized More time in my day Time strategies

The Time Trap – why are we all captured in the idea of not having enough time?

“Tick, tock, tick tock, merrily sings the clock” … says an old nursery rhyme about time.

Time – oh, such a popular topic of conversation. We are all so much concerned about time, or the lack of it… Together with money, time seems to be what we all complain to never have enough of. Do any of these sound familiar?

“There is never enough time in my day.”
“At the end of my day there are more to-do’s on my list than I started with”
“I wish I had time to exercise”
“I want to work on the strategic stuff but I’m bogged down with emergencies”

“My assistant says “that’s the nature of our work, we can’t plan”

We seem to think that if we had just a little more time… a few more minutes, a few more hours in a day or a couple of extra days… than yes, our life would be perfect. That we could get everything marked off our to-do list, our house would be clean, the kids would be happier, our partner would feel loved and all problems would instantly disappear from the face of the world. At work, we’d get that promotion and walk around all calm, cool, and collected.

Are we REALLY sure about that?? What if we are looking at our chronic lack of time from the wrong perspective?

Why don’t we stop for a minute and start focusing not on how MUCH time we have but on how we spend the time that we DO have! What if the trick is actually do the opposite of what our hectic lifestyle seems to imply?

Tip One: Stop running around trying to do a million things. Instead, slow down and use some of the time we have to understand what is really important.

Implementation technique one: Start with a good night sleep. Sleep makes you feel better, but its importance goes way beyond just boosting your mood or banishing under-eye circles. Adequate sleep is a key part of a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Stress and sleep have a two-way relationship. High stress levels can make sleeping more difficult. They can even lead to sleep disorders. At the same time, getting a good night’s sleep can help reduce the effects of stress. So, go ahead and give yourself the pleasure of a good snooze.

Implementation technique two: Learn to say “No”. If someone asks you for a favor or to take up a commitment, you may feel obligated to say “Yes.” Remember, just because you can do something it does not mean you must do it. Give yourself permission to say “no”. Make yourself and your mental health a priority and work on avoiding guilt after saying “No.” (Hint: When you know your priorities, it’s easy to say YES to those and NO to everything else.)

Tip Two: Know your Why. Take a good look at your life. What are the things that make you happy? What are your biggest time-wasters? Make a list of your priorities and take practical actions to make sure you have time to dedicate to them. We will go into more detail in the next blog.

The bad news is time flies – the good news is you are the pilot.

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How Flow and Time Management Can Help You Get More Done

When you have a good system in place that takes care of routine tasks, while helping you to manage major tasks related to work, personal goals, etc. will leave you feeling relaxed and on top of things.

Do you have a timing management system in place? Have you considered you may need to implement one?

When deciding on a timing management system ask yourself the following questions:

  • Do I have much to do?
  • How do I move through my day?

Time Management (outside-in approach) vs Timing Management (inside-out approach)

Time management, the outside-in approach is the push-to-make-more happen approach. It’s about clock time, shortage of time, lack of peace. It can be very frustrating. Time management isn’t about getting more time but choosing where we spend each bit of time.

Managing your time means to consider both how much time do I have and where should my time go. Be aware of where bits of your time might and do go.

Timing management – is about psychological time with the right activity, individual, event and at the best moment for us. The basis of timing management is relationship with ourselves. The intention for timing management is to move to a state of increased flow that will allow inspiration. We seek to bring in Reactive brain and Rational brain into harmony together. The intention of timing management is to move to a state of increased flow and allow inspiration. (Credit: Mark Forester)

  • What feels ready to be done?
  • How good do I feel?
  • What am I ready to begin?

When we know, what tasks are to be completed we can then decide when to do each one.

Where and how do I start

A good place to start is by blocking off time that you spend doing regular discretionary things i.e. sleeping, eating, watching tv, etc.… Once you’ve done that then you can fit your routine tasks around those. When you know you only have a few hours of otherwise discretionary time you can focus on the remaining important tasks.

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More time in my day multitasking prioritize Productivity Time strategies

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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AD/HD file systems Get Organized More time in my day prioritize procrastination Productivity productivity in the workplace project systems Time strategies

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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AD/HD More time in my day prioritize

How? What to do in the Land of Good Intentions

I have taken a summer break from posting the Design Your Days blog entries….but as sweet fall air kisses us, so too I offer a couple of “last” podcast/blogs to round out the Design Your Days series.

As you likely recall…I have joined with Sue West, www.organizeforafreshstart.com. We are the Design Your Days Duo for this series of audio interviews.  These are meant 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.

You can either listen HOW no. 2 or read below….

Giving presentations, I find that many of the participants expect “just information and tips.” Introspective work is shunned.

So many of us feel “pressed for time” and “just want the practical strategies”. Our Design Your Days workshop attendees realizethat the best strategies won’t last, unless you’ve done the AWARENESS work and found the ones that fit YOU and YOUR life. They understand the power of the DYD framework and know why the ‘how’ practical side is the  last focus area.

So, assuming the listeners HAVE gone through the whole process, knowing WHAT gets in their way, Why they want it, what they WANT more of and less of….they are ready for the HOW. Sometimes we KNOW what to do – and we INTEND to do it- but as the saying goes, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” So how do we turn those intentions into action?

Many good ideas can be found in one of my favorite books, Following Through by Steve Levinson and Pete Greider. Pete and Steve do a fantastic job of explaining that there is NOTHING WRONG WITH US when our intentions alone do not produce long lasting results. Why?

Many good ideas can be found in one of my favorite books, Following Through by Steve Levinson and Pete Grieder. Pete and Steve do a fantastic job of explaining that there is NOTHING WRONG WITH US when our intentions alone do not produce long lasting results. Why?

We have two innate guidance systems in our minds. And there is no built-in mechanism for ensuring the 2 mechanisms work in concert with one another. They are: the PGS (primitive guidance system) and the Intellectual Guidance System  (IGS). The primitive guidance system has much power, but not much intelligence. The IGS has much intelligence, but little power. So in a contest, who wins? That’s right, the one with the power. So when you “should really clean your office” (IGS) what happens? How about when you “should do your taxes early this year?” Again the IGS is driving this. You need to find that PRIMAL REASON to change your behavior. The motivation.

So in the example above….set a meeting in your office with someone who you will want to impress to get it organized. Your PGS will be in touch with your pride, and that will get you moving.

Sue and I are sharing our “best practices” for the HOW over this and subsequent podcasts. Last time, we introduced the time inventory.

Now, we weigh in with a recommendation to focus on getting more sleep.

There is a well established link between sleep deprivation and symptoms of distractibility, inattention and hyperactivity for any one of us.

So in “intentions” check sleep first. Be strong and creative if you have to be in getting the amount you need. If you have a neuro-biological condition such as ADD or ADHD, then your intention to action model HAS TO BE unique, because of your brain chemistry. Start with sleep and quiet time (meditation, mindfulness or simply quiet time for yourself).

Now, we have 2 podcasts in our HOW bucket. We’ll continue with practical strategies to get you started in taking back your time and life in the coming podcasts.

If this topic struck a chord with you, we know you’ll get much more benefit from our Design Your Days workshop. We offer public workshops periodically; check out our facebook page for the latest ones.

We offer the Design Your Days workshop to YOUR group of businesspeople, so please contact one of us for more information and to get us on your schedule.

You can find us on Facebook as Design Your Days.

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Get Organized More time in my day Time strategies Uncategorized

How will I do it? Practical Strategies to Get Moving NOW.

Are you saying…I know WHAT gets in my way. I know what I WANT.  I know WHY. Now…HOW will I do it?

That’s right, it’s the H in the W+W+W+H = Woo Hoo! Process…Where you can now really fly.

I join again with SUE WEST to provide this podcast in our series…the HOW click HOW no 1 or read on…

So many people want a quick fix; an answer to a “problem” about getting more organized and/or getting more out of their life BEFORE they’ve gone through the process. They want the HOW first….the proverbial cart before the horse.

So much needs to be fast, fast, fast. But as a favorite author, researcher and speaker, Brene Brown tells it well in her book “The Gifts of Imperfection:”

When we skip the hard stuff, it just doesn’t work.

We don’t change. We don’t grow and we don’t move forward without the work.

My work is about the things that get in the way. I’m not about the ‘how to’ because in my experience I’ve never seen any evidence of ‘how to’ working without talking about the things that get in the way.

So, own your story. Tell it. There is freedom,  relief and more when we do.

Again, Brene Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection

We will be sharing our “best practices” for the HOW over this and subsequent podcasts. Here’s the first one: the time inventory. Some students have referred to this practice as a time diary. To do this, record your time each day. Record it as you are actually working (or playing!) Do not wait until the end of the day, or the next day, and say “what did I do?” You will lose precious minutes and hours. Over a series of days and weeks, you will begin to see patterns. It does not matter if you record it on a piece of paper or electronically; only that you do it consistently and in a timely manner.

Perhaps you intend to get up at 6am, exercise, eat breakfast then get going with your day by 8:30 am. But, time and time again, it’s 9:00 am or later and you have not eaten, have not showered, and you are just catching up with “a few emails” first.

Once you actually begin to record your day you will see that you may wake up at 6, but stay in bed routinely until 6:30. Then you may quickly check facebook and you are not having that first cup of coffee until 7 am. By then you may figure you’d better exercise and when you return it’s 8 am and you want to answer an email quickly. As 9 am approaches you are “fighting fires”, are still in your lycra, have not showered or eaten.  This knowledge empowers you to change the pattern.

That’s enough fieldwork and practice for our listeners this time. The first step is always noticing. Seeing where exactly the issues are, because if you don’t diagnose the problem correctly, you’ll try something and it won’t even be the solution to the right problem! So step back and just observe yourself this week.

This is a good start to opening our HOW bucket. We’ll continue with practical strategies to get you started in taking back your time and life in the coming podcasts.

If this topic struck a chord with you, we know you’ll get much more benefit from our Design Your Days workshop. We offer public workshops periodically; check out our facebook page for the latest ones.

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