Tag: more time

Categories
Get Organized More time in my day Time strategies

All I really want….

Wanting. Hundreds of thousands of songwriters continue to use this theme. It seems we all “want” something- presumably something we cannot have.

Our podcast – Sue West and Carol Williams of the Design Your Days Team- is about the “3rd W” of the W+W+W+H = Woo Hoo! Process (What, Why, Wants, and How)

Listen: what do you really WANT? or read on:

A friend introduced me to Alanis Morrissette’s  song “What I really want” a few years ago. And it reminds me of what we talk about …

The lyrics go something like this:

All I really want is some peace
a place to find a common ground
All I really want is a wavelength
All I really want is some comfort
A way to get my hands untied
And all I really want is some justice…

Wanting. It seems so selfish to WANT, doesn’t it? Yet, when we stop Wanting, we stop growing.

One person from a workshop WANTED to know “how to get back on track” with her intended tasks. This was expressed at the beginning. However, toward the end, it became clear that what she REALLY wanted was the time and space to PONDER what she wanted “next” in her life. In fact, both were applicable. But, how much more powerful is it to find the time and space to ponder your LIFE versus what’s right in front of you on your “to-do” list?

Since we all have to find our own way, here’s another approach. If you feel like: you don’t have time to ponder your life, or maybe your family isn’t supporting you, or you just don’t think of yourself as a dreamer, ponderer, creator, you can:

  • Keep track each day for about a week of what you love about your days, what you’re doing, who you’re doing it for, how healthy you feel – or how energetic, what mood you’re in as the days go along, what gives you energy and what takes it. Keep track right in your planner, on your iPhone – not in your head; it is more difficult to see patterns.
  • That’s a first step. Just notice. Become a little more aware of how your time is used. Keep doing this until you start to see some patterns emerge for things you want to change.
  • Tying this example back to our song lyrics, you’ll note that Alanis talks generally – she wants peace, common ground in her relationship, justice. She does not get specific. She talks about themes, feelings, and values. And behind those lyrics, she is saying what she knows she does not want, too.

One client I had went through a process of determining her Big Wants. I asked her to think about one big dreamy goal, that seemed almost “too big” to accomplish. She wrote it down. Then I asked her to find 3 small steps that pushed her just a LITTLE CLOSER to that goal. She did not do that right away. When she came back, she realized that she had the wrong Big Goal because she was Not Excited about that big goal anymore. She was an entrepreneur who wanted to hold a day long workshop. But she realized that actually, what she really wanted, was to spend more time with her family while earning the income she required and not necessarily any more. She determined what she REALLY wanted. Although it may sound trite, we must determine what we REALLY want before we can achieve it.

Did this help you in determining, like Alanis, “what you really want?”

Categories
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.

Categories
AD/HD EpS Events Get Organized More time in my day prioritize procrastination Uncategorized

Back to what? 4 strategies for the transition so you aren’t left in the fall breeze without a backpack.

Most people I am running into these days are lamenting the end of summer.

One woman I saw at a networking event told me she wished August lasted forever. Yes, perhaps. When we live life fully, though, we have fewer regrets. My work helps empower people to achieve more each day- so that those truly important items ARE done- and that includes enjoying summer YOUR way. Sue West and I are back: Listen here: Get Ready for Fall – August 9, 2013 or read on.

Sue: Where did the summer go? I am hearing that question a lot.

Carol: Right. Most people I know perceive summer as if they were still a child…it can somehow seem “endless” since it can be void of structure.
Sue: Yes…and if we are lucky enough to have a certain amount of freedom from “the regular grind” in summer, this affords our brain to recharge and come out more creative on September 1st. So let’s Design Our Fall!

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

Sue: And this is Sue West, Life Transitions Coach and AD/HD specialist

We have joined together as the Design Your Days Duo

90 minute workshop with a recipe for success

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: Last time we talked about the ‘Summer Shoulds.’ We talked about how to re-frame those summer days, to determine what you Really Want out of those days. Now, we are wrapping up summer and looking at fall. The Back to School ads are out in full swing, and the August air brings a twinge of a chill into the air. Thoughts turn to sweaters, soccer, and Halloween. Perhaps this impending season change evokes a feeling a sense of a new start.

Sue: We have 4 tips for you today to help you with this transition. We’ll look at What Gets In Your Way of having a fall that works for YOU.

First, losing your adult children to college or to their first apartment can be the emotions which get in your way. Your kids are graduated from high school and this is your first Fall without them at home; they are off to college.

So, first things: Set up a schedule or Skype time when you can stay connected or get on Facebook. Be where they are. Second, set up some dates with friends, with couples, and even go on a retreat by yourself. Fill your time, at first, with activities, if you think you’ll have a difficult time.

After a while, though, it’s not about how to fill your time until they return home. They’ll be changed when they do. So now is a wonderful time to review what YOU love to do – hobbies, volunteerism, perhaps start a new or another business. What do you want so that you can expand your life?

Carol: The second tip is “don’t forget soccer”.

Soccer is fun, but don't forget it's a time commitment

Last year, I found myself driving all over New Hampshire for my oldest son’s soccer games. I did not realize how much dedication this was going to take on my part. So this tip, really, is all about taking your “sideboards” into account when Designing Your Day so that you are not surprised when they do, and they will, impact your day and your available time. So, if you have children, take a good look at what activities they will be involved in and how that will impact your time. When you receive the game schedule, take it out, and transfer all those games, including prep and driving time, to your calendar. You’ll be glad you did.

Sue: If you have AD/HD, transitions into different seasons with their different schedules are especially challenging. Switching gears is just a struggle. But there’s definitely hope.

Take some time and try  this exercise. You can sit quietly and visualize, or take a walk, or sit down and write about it. What you’re going to do is imagine it’s the first day of your new schedule – you might be grand babysitting, or getting your own children back onto a Fall schedule.

Imagine or write down every step of your day, from what time you wake up to what you wear – very specific so you can sense the whole experience and almost live it.  Write out your routines for the morning, routines for the evening. And start using them a week or two before your new schedule starts, to give yourself some practice time and some stress-free time to get used  to a new schedule.

Carol: The last tip is also child related. If you have a child or children at school, the likelihood is high that they will get sick since they all get back together, the weather gets colder and doors get shut tightly. Plan a little flexibility into your schedule. Have a plan B ready for when little Johnny wakes up with a fever.

Plan for inevitable illness

Take a minute and think back to last fall when crisis hit, how you solved it, and how that worked or did not work for you. You can plan for it now, which will take off the stress in the moment when you have another parent to drive, when you have already set yourself up to work from home, etc.

Sue: To  wrap up, we just provided 4 examples of What might Get In Your way when designing your day in the fall. In the next podcast we will dive deeper into these “stuck” places, and as we wrap up 2013, 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.

If you want don’t want to wait for 12 podcasts…come join us on Friday Oct 18th at the Center for Health Promotion in Concord for the next Design Your Days Workshop. Check our Facebook page for registration information.

If that date does not work, 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.

  • © 2024
  • Productivity Success Cake