Finding Time by Spotting Your Top Priorities
Posted on August 19, 2008 by Paula, under Time Priorities.
Finding time by prioritizing is a powerful time management tool. Once you’ve compiled your list of tasks, it’s time to place them in order of priority.
First look at your list of ongoing tasks and decide which are the most important.
An ongoing task might be a budget report that you need to turn in to your boss by the third Tuesday of each month. It suggests high priority because it deals with money.
Look closer …
If this task can be accomplished by simply integrating daily financial records, it probably doesn’t take very long to do. While important, it wouldn’t be your highest monthly priority. However, if your report requires integrating information from your team of six people …and you don’t receive their reports until the day before your report is due … this task becomes “time-limited” and therefore a high priority.
Look for dependencies …
When you’re dependent on something from other people to complete your task, its level of difficulty increases. This is simply because the variables increase. The more dependencies involved in a task, the more it becomes a priority.
By working on your priorities this way, you create a system that assures that the highest priorities or responsibilities get addressed first.
Try this for yourself, and let me know how it goes.
How would it feel to have another hour in your day? You can! For more Time Finding resources sign up for my free, twice-weekly Finding Time Tips. Each Tip is paired with a practical action step that you can use IMMEDIATELY … and as a bonus for signing up, you’ll also receive my free, monthly Award-Winning Finding Time E-zine!
Let’s explore time together …
Finding Time is Much Easier When You Start Clarifying Your Priorities
Posted on August 18, 2008 by Paula, under Time Priorities.
Were you as amazed by Michael Phelps’ accomplishment this past weekend as I was? He’s a great example of someone who has clarified his priorities! Today we’ll start exploring the importance of having clear priorities - using a metaphor I’m more familiar with than swimming. Dance!
Finding time without knowing your priorities is a little like trying to perform a dance routine without knowing the music, or the other dancers in the troupe, or the choreography. Chaos, in other words.
So, how do you figure out and set your priorities?
Know the music …
First, it is critical that you list all the tasks that you need to accomplish. This is what you have to work with.
Know the other dancers …
Second, separate your tasks into ones that are a one-time event, and those that are ongoing. Who are you partnered with for a long pas de deux?
Know the choreography …
Third, decide which tasks in each category are truly time-limited and must be accomplished by a certain date and/or time. When the music stops, you want to be sure that you end your solo at the same time!
Now you have everything you need to start setting priorities for yourself … and for managing your time.
How do you feel as you look at your list? Are you ready for Step 2?
How would it feel to have another hour in your day? You can! For more Time Finding resources sign up for my free, twice-weekly Finding Time Tips. Each Tip is paired with a practical action step that you can use IMMEDIATELY … and as a bonus for signing up, you’ll also receive my free, monthly Award-Winning Finding Time E-zine!
Let’s explore time together …
Finding Time With Time Boundaries? Start With Your Priorities
Posted on August 14, 2008 by Paula, under Time Boundaries.
Finding time by setting time boundaries is a key life skill to develop.
As you’ve explored your time boundaries and practiced setting them, you may have noticed that it’s easier to maintain your boundaries when you know that you are not being arbitrary or unreasonable about them.
How can you know that?
One important way to clarify where and when you need time boundaries is to be able to establish reasonable priorities. (Prioritizing also lends credibility to the time boundaries you actually set.)
If it’s important, they’ll understand …
When you are clear within yourself about the relative priorities of your tasks, your time boundaries make more sense. People begin to realize that if you set a boundary, you are not doing it on a whim. They know it’s because the associated task is an important one.
This makes the boundary seem reasonable. That, in turn, makes it much easier for others to support your efforts at time management!
So, how do you go about setting priorities in your life?
Is it something that you do consciously, or does it more often happen by default?
How would it feel to have another hour in your day? You can! For more Time Finding resources sign up for my free, twice-weekly Finding Time Tips. Each Tip is paired with a practical action step that you can use IMMEDIATELY … and as a bonus for signing up, you’ll also receive my free, monthly Award-Winning Finding Time E-zine!
Let’s explore time together …
Finding Time to be Me at 65
Posted on August 13, 2008 by Paula, under Time After Time.
These days time finds me reflecting on turning 65. As I’ve noted in previous posts, time is absolute, concrete, and universal. That means that 65 has arrived right on time!
I’m making friends with the reality.
A point in time …
My 65th birthday is a point in time. It is a day that is no different from the day before or the day after. And, as birthdays go, it’s no different from my 61st birthday … or my 14th, for that matter. It’s a still point in the flow of time.
Cultural constructs …
As well, this birthday is a marker. Like the 16th, the 21st, the 50th, our culture infuses the 65th year with special significance. It may not be a meaning that you relate to or welcome or value, but the day carries additional weight in our culture. These constructs, like our images of how someone of a particular age looks or acts, can at once heighten AND obscure the importance of the day.
Step back and take a breath!
The fact is that each day is important, just as each breath is a miracle, bridging from one moment to the next. Turning 65 is as simple as going from one day to another, and as momentous as moving into a new phase of life. It is both things at once, and I am, like my breath, the bridge.
Have you already made this, or another similar transition? I’d love to hear about it!
What if you could find another hour every week? You can! For more Time Finding resources, you are invited to sign up for my free, twice-weekly Finding Time Tips. Each Tip is paired with a practical action step that you can use IMMEDIATELY … and as a bonus for signing up, you’ll also receive my free, monthly Award-Winning Finding Time E-zine!
Let’s explore time together …
Finding Time When I’m 64 … er … 65!
Posted on August 12, 2008 by Paula, under Time After Time.
Is finding time more challenging for you, as you age? Do you notice that as the years accumulate, the moments seem to fly by?
Well, today is my 65th birthday - and I want to share some observations about navigating this life transition.
What is “65,” anyway?
First, I notice that my image of what “65″ looks like is very, very different from who I am and how I live my days. We carry images of “65″ from our family history, from books we’ve read and movies we’ve seen - from old TV shows - you name it. Those images are embedded and unconscious. We’re not aware of them until we bump into them, as I did recently!
Now what?
When my image of 65 encountered the fact of my 65th birthday, I had a choice. I could try to deflect the reality, or I could assimilate it and make it my own.
Okay, how?
I chose to make friends with the facts. I’ve been saying, “I am turning 65.” I repeat it to myself, letting it sink in. I’ve been getting used to the idea.
As I do this, I pay attention to my feelings and note areas that are particularly “hot.” These are doorways to deepening self-knowledge. These I’ll come back to as I get comfortable with my 65-year-old self.
What does 65 look like to you? How about 47? 23? How does that affect the way you see yourself?
Stay tuned, there’s more!
What if you could find another hour every week? You can! For more Time Finding resources, you are invited to sign up for my free, twice-weekly Finding Time Tips. Each Tip is paired with a practical action step that you can use IMMEDIATELY … and as a bonus for signing up, you’ll also receive my free, monthly Award-Winning Finding Time E-zine!
Let’s explore time together …
Finding Time With Two More Time Boundary Tips
Posted on August 11, 2008 by Paula, under Time Boundaries.
I hope you had a wonderful weekend and are feeling energized and refreshed as you start a new week.
Is it going to be a busy one? Finding Time isn’t always easy, and without good time boundaries, it can feel impossible. Time boundaries allow you to meet your goals, address your priorities, and live your values!
Last time, we looked at some tips to help you get more comfortable with setting time boundaries. Tip #3 involved visualizing people’s responses to your boundary.
Let’s build on that with two more tips for finding time:
- Out of your visualization work, develop a script of what you will say if someone challenges a boundary you have set. Practice this script before you actually need it. Keep adding to it, as you learn what works with different co-workers, family members, and friends.
- If you feel ambivalent about the boundary you wish to set, have a dialogue with yourself to resolve your conflict before discussing it with others. Once you’re clear and settled, others will sense your determination. This will diminish their incentive to ‘test’ your boundary.
As you practice and develop your boundary-setting skills, drop me a line and let me know how it’s going!
How would it feel to have another hour in your day? You can! For more Time Finding resources sign up for my free, twice-weekly Finding Time Tips. Each Tip is paired with a practical action step that you can use IMMEDIATELY … and as a bonus for signing up, you’ll also receive my free, monthly Award-Winning Finding Time E-zine!
Let’s explore time together …
Time Finding Tips to Get You Comfortable With Time Boundaries
Posted on August 7, 2008 by Paula, under Time Boundaries.
Finding Time using time boundaries is something you’ll become more and more comfortable with, the more you practice. If your goal is to organize your time or control your time, time boundaries are key. As we continue our series on time boundaries, here are some tried and true tips that will help as you practice!
- When setting time boundaries, remember to apply the “Times Two Rule” so that you’re sure to have enough time for your task. If you don’t, you may need to extend the time. Doing that when you’ve promised you’ll be available undermines your credibility when setting future time boundaries.
- Take a few minutes to visualize the task you plan to complete before you set your time boundary. This helps to ensure that the boundary you set is realistic. This, in turn, will make it easier to be firm about it.
- Use visualization to anticipate others’ attitudes and responses to your boundary and plan for how you might reply to each one.
Look for more tips next week, and in the meantime, I’d love to hear about how you use these tips.
What challenges do you encounter?
What works for you?
What if you could find another hour every week? You can! For more Time Finding resources, you are invited to sign up for my free, twice-weekly Finding Time Tips. Each Tip is paired with a practical action step that you can use IMMEDIATELY … and as a bonus for signing up, you’ll also receive my free, monthly Award-Winning Finding Time E-zine!
Let’s explore time together …
Finding Time When You Are On Overload
Posted on August 6, 2008 by Paula, under Time After Time.
Do you ever have one of those days when you can’t see even a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel? One of those days when to do lists and templates and time boundaries are helpful, but you are still absolutely overwhelmed and starting to feel discouraged?
I hit one of those times … not very long ago, come to think of it. Had I been able to tack on another four hours at the end of my day, I still wouldn’t have come close to “getting it all done.”
Take heart … you still have choices!
At such moments, you are at a crossroad. If you give in to feeling overwhelmed, you can easily sabotage your good efforts, succumb to procrastination, or sap your energy and focus with worry. As an alternative to those self-defeating choices, I often suggest that people look at their values, the urgency of tasks, who will be affected if tasks are not completed … and prioritize.
There is yet another way …
Those are excellent ideas and great skills to develop and practice. However, I was very pleased to come upon a third option for myself, most recently when I was feeling overwhelmed. I told myself, “I’ll never get it all done.”
Honest, self-nurturing relief!
Saying those words to myself in a factual (not a self-pitying) way had an immediate, positive effect. I was accepting my limits and giving myself permission to stop trying to do the impossible. Getting my feet back on the ground, relaxing my shoulders, taking a breath, I let go. I return to my tasks unburdened.
How does this resonate in your life?
What things have you found helpful when you are on overload?
What if you could find another hour every week? You can! For more Time Finding resources, you are invited to sign up for my free, twice-weekly Finding Time Tips. Each Tip is paired with a practical action step that you can use IMMEDIATELY … and as a bonus for signing up, you’ll also receive my free, monthly Award-Winning Finding Time E-zine!
Let’s explore time together …
Finding Time to Follow Your Favorite Olympic Events
Posted on August 5, 2008 by Paula, under Time Choices.
Finding time, in the midst of summertime activities to enjoy the spectacle of the 2008 Beijing Olympics is probably going to be a challenge for many of us. If you’re like me your schedule may already be pretty packed. So if the Olympics as a whole - or certain specific events - are of interest to you, you’ll probably want to plan your time so that you are able to see them.
Planning will be key!
Beijing is several time zones removed from where many of us live. So, for starters, (more…)
Finding Time by Living Your Values Today!
Posted on August 4, 2008 by Paula, under Time Choices.
Finding time to step back, consider your values and maintain your inner balance while pursuing personal or career goals can be a challenge.
Whether your goals lie in academia, the corporate world, the arts, your personal life, or even the busy blogosphere - your inner balance and solid sense of self are so important! They are key to making proactive and values-driven time choices. These, in turn, are key to your sustainable success.
Thinking about this recently, I was excited to come upon this great post by Darren Rowse on his ProBlogger blog. His articles on blogging are always helpful, and this one stood out for me in particular.
A Secret for Sustaining Yourself for the Long Haul as a Blogger hones in on the roller coaster that we put ourselves on when we place our sense of self-worth outside of ourselves. His post is a thought-provoking and insightful piece - definitely worth your time!
How do you both sustain yourself and maintain your balance? What values help you with this ongoing challenge? How do they affect your time choices?
What if you could find another hour every week? You can! For more Time Finding resources, you are invited to sign up for my free, twice-weekly Finding Time Tips. Each Tip is paired with a practical action step that you can use IMMEDIATELY … and as a bonus for signing up, you’ll also receive my free, monthly Award-Winning Finding Time E-zine!
Let’s explore time together …
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