The way you use your time is the way you live your life.
Posted on August 31, 2010 by Paula, under Time Choices, Time Management Skills.
Finding time to listen to yourself, as I mentioned last week, gives that extra spark and sparkle to your day. You are just the person to lift yourself out of the doldrums, day or night.
It can be especially important to listen to that calm, wise voice inside when you just can’t seem to budge on an important task. Call it flummoxed, frustrated or bamboozled … when you are engaged in a prized project, or even fulfilling an ornery obligation, getting stuck can sour your whole day!
So what can you do?
Here’s an excellent strategy to help you step beyond stuck: Try asking yourself questions and listening carefully to your answers. Engaging with yourself in this way will get you going again, as it helps your brain transition from old ruts to new routes.
Your goal here is to exercise your mind’s innate flexibility rather than to stay mired in a funk. Many states of mind contribute to feeling stymied, of course. Fear, self-criticism, perfectionism, and resentment can be just a few of the culprits … but fortunately, they tend to share distortions that the right questions can illuminate … and then evaporate.
Here are 2 of my favorite questions:
1) What’s the next TINY step I can take?
Being clear with yourself that this is to be a SMALL step relieves any pressure you might be feeling. When you’re stuck, any step of any size is just fine; what matters is that you mobilize yourself. You may discover that insights eluding you now will pop up once you’re fully engaged.
Chunking projects down to their smallest increments also helps you to assign a realistic time frame. This is an excellent antidote to overwhelm!
2) How would I encourage SOMEONE ELSE to proceed?
You know you give good advice! Why not benefit from some of it yourself? The inner wisdom that you tap for a friend in need is just as likely to help you!
Sometimes, all you need to do is to remove yourself from the equation. Then, the next step seems quite straightforward. Why? You are calling on a neutral, benevolent part of yourself to offer advice.
This is a wonderful conversation to cultivate throughout the rest of your project, particularly if you have been feeling helpless or self-critical! Before you know it, you will be back in the saddle, and moving in the right direction!
What if you could find another hour every day? You can! You are invited to sign up for your FREE Finding Time Success Kit. It puts 3 key tools for your time success right into your hands! Grab it and see how you can recharge your energy, reduce overwhelm and frustration, and come to learn that 24 hours really ARE enough!
Let’s explore time together …
Would you like to explore your Wise Inner Voice more fully? The next interview in my Finding Time HeartBased and EducationRich Teleseries is at 7PM (ET) on Tuesday, September 14 with Soulful Coach Joanna Lindenbaum. Our topic? Activating Your Inner Wisdom: How to Bring Joy and Success into Your Life. Sign up and join us for this free, info-packed teleclass! When you listen to that wise voice inside, the sky’s the limit!
Posted on August 9, 2010 by Paula, under Time Management Skills.
Finding time to manage your creative ideas can be an exciting challenge. If you’ve pursued any kind of creative endeavor, you know how wonderful it can feel to be in that flow, with interesting ideas coming to you fast and furious. Last week in “Find Time to Capture Your Inspiration: 3 Tips and a Free Teleclass” I shared some ideas for snagging your inspirations as they fly by.
Today I’d like to build on those suggestions, and add a caution about them. That’s because, as you may also know very well, when your creative juices are flowing, trying to capture and track ALL of the ideas that are coming to you can pull you away from work that requires your focused energy.
There’s a yin and a yang here, as with everything! Part of the goal of recording your inspirations is to enable you to let them go, so that they don’t take up psychic space and interfere with the work you need to do to focus and bring one creative idea to fruition.
If you jot down your ideas and put them in a folder, then go back after a couple of months to look at them … you may be struck by some, and others might not even be recognizable to you. If an idea doesn’t resonate a week or a month down the road, then take it out of your folder … let it go. That can be a very efficient way to cull your cache … think of cream rising to the top!
It’s important to NOT let yourself get overwhelmed by your creative ideas or by the processes that you have in place to capture them. So, as with so many things, the key is balance! You want to find what works for you … and keep your primary goal in mind. And, ironically enough, letting go may be as important as capturing your inspirations (if not more so)!
I am very excited that tomorrow evening (from 7-8 PM ET) we’ll all have the opportunity to learn more about implementing our creative ideas and celebrating our inspired selves when I interview Artist and Creativity Coach Ellene Breedlove Davis. Our subject? Finding Time to Be Creative: Portrait of the Artist.
Join me for this FREE Teleclass. And if you can’t be there, sign up and we’ll send you the MP3! Start celebrating what makes you unique and powerful. When you use your creativity to enhance your life, you will develop even more incentive for developing your best ideas and making them a reality.
What additional areas of your life would benefit from learning time management skills? Drop me a line … I’d love to help!
What if you could find another hour every day? You can! You are invited to sign up for your FREE Finding Time Success Kit. It puts 3 key tools for your time success right into your hands! Grab it and see how you can recharge your energy, reduce overwhelm and frustration, and come to learn that 24 hours really ARE enough!
Let’s explore time together …
Posted on August 5, 2010 by Paula, under Time Management Skills.
Finding time to catch hold of your inspired ideas is a key to your creativity, your productivity, and to living your most enriched and enriching life!
So what happens to your best ideas now? Can you call them back at the end of a busy day? Do they get lost?
You see, we are all filled with creative, innovative ideas. Often they come to us at odd times and, if we aren’t paying attention, they evaporate. I believe that a major key to living our most energized and creative lives isn’t having the inspiration so much as developing skills to capture and implement the inspired ideas that come to us.
What kinds of ideas am I talking about? They might have to do with artistic endeavors … or they might be creative solutions to problems. An article or book you are reading might provide a spark … or a conversation with a friend might send you down a path filled with new inspirations.
You don’t want to lose them. So, what can you do? Here are 3 tips that I have found very helpful:
I shared an article on EzineArticles.com about this challenge, titled Time Management Skills for Growing Your Genius Ideas – 7 Essential Steps for Creative Productivity. Take a look for more ideas and strategies!
I am also very excited to offer you the opportunity to learn more about implementing your creative ideas and celebrating your inspired self! This coming Tuesday, August 10, from 7-8PM ET I will be interviewing Artist and Creativity Coach Ellene Breedlove Davis. Our subject? Finding Time to Be Creative: Portrait of the Artist.
Join us next Tuesday for this FREE Teleclass. And if you can’t be there, sign up and we’ll send you the MP3!
Start celebrating what makes you unique and powerful. When you use your creativity to enhance your life, you will develop even more incentive for developing your best ideas and making them a reality.
What additional areas of your life would benefit from learning time management skills? Drop me a line … I’d love to help!
What if you could find another hour every day? You can! You are invited to sign up for your FREE Finding Time Success Kit. It puts 3 key tools for your time success right into your hands! Grab it and see how you can recharge your energy, reduce overwhelm and frustration, and come to learn that 24 hours really ARE enough!
Let’s explore time together …
Posted on July 22, 2010 by Paula, under Self-Care Time, Time Choices, Time Management Skills.
Finding time to get it all done isn’t easy, as we all know! Using Segmented Planning allows you to be responsive to the events and emotions that invariably crop up in your day.
When you plan in smaller chunks, you are more nimble and can incorporate the unexpected into your segmented schedule. You don’t feel that you need to rigidly keep to your 8, 12 or 14-hour predetermined course. Oh, and you don’t have to struggle with frustration and self-criticism when you have trouble getting back on track after being yanked off of it by interruptions, changes … the inevitable happenstances of daily living!
But one of the things about segmented planning that I find especially compelling is the way that it allows space for fun. Yes, fun!
You work hard, don’t you? I bet your schedule is filled with tasks, many of which you almost never get to. Looking at those looming lists can be overwhelming. It’s important to reward yourself for hard work, and to sometimes even surprise yourself with something nice.
Segmented planning can help here. It’s the nimbleness that’s important. Let’s say you’ve been working hard at your desk for hours, churning out accomplishments left and right. You come to the end of a planned segment and look at your rough schedule for the next segment. It’s a beautiful afternoon and, though it’s not on your list, your garden beckons … or maybe a friend calls to invite you to a movie. What can you do here?
Well, one option would be to continue with whatever your original picture of your day had been. Or, you could make a shift and edit your next segment, incorporating time for fun or relaxation or self-care. It is entirely in your hands – that’s the beauty of it!
The more you engage in segmented planning the more familiar you become with yourself and your patterns – and the better you’ll be able to plan.
As you develop increasing levels of self-trust, you will find that Segmented Planning is a wonderful addition to your Time Management Toolbox!
Remember how refreshing it was the last time you took time for YOU? How did you feel when you returned to your tasks afterwards? How did you feel about yourself? Have you thought about including time for fun in your day? Drop me a line … I’d love to hear how it goes for you!
What if you could find another hour every day? You can! You are invited to sign up for your FREE Finding Time Success Kit. It puts 3 key tools for your time success right into your hands! Grab it and see how you can recharge your energy, reduce overwhelm and frustration, and come to learn that 24 hours really ARE enough!
Let’s explore time together …
Posted on July 21, 2010 by Paula, under Time Choices, Time Management Skills.
Finding time to get it all done is our subject this week, as we take a look at using Segmented Planning as a time management tool.
Yesterday we explored some of the ways that you can allow yourself much more flexibility in your day by building in brief stopping points where you can adjust your plans to address any changes that have affected your time.
Today I’d like to take a look at some ways that Segmented Planning can help you sharpen and maintain your focus. I’m sure that you have noticed that, throughout your day, you have ebbs and flows of energy. Proponents of the Pomodoro Technique advise us to chunk our time and build in short breaks as a way of enhancing focus and flow. If you’ve tried it, you know what a powerful tool this can be!
With Segmented Planning we tweak this technique slightly.
We might still have our built-in break times, but the regular planning times allow for fuller reflection and for making conscious choices about how your time will be used in the next segment.
Here’s an example of how this might unfold in a typical day:
Suppose you have just had an upsetting call with a client with whom you have worked for many years. It’s really derailed you. You find that your thoughts keep returning to the call. Clearly, your ability to focus is compromised, but you try to plow through, because there’s a pile of work for you to finish up before afternoon.
You come to one of your Planning Points and review your To Do List, feeling overwhelmed and stymied. What can you do?
So often we think that we don’t have time for feelings and try to “soldier on” in spite of their pull. The reality is that when we find time to give feelings their due, we are able to return to our work much more quickly and productively than if we ignore them. Not only that, but when we give our feelings their due, we invariably emerge from the experience with new self-knowledge.
Segmented Planning is one way to help yourself do that. What a wonderful gift to yourself!
How do you find time for what matters most to you? What gets in your way? Drop me a line … I’d love to help!
What if you could find another hour every day? You can! You are invited to sign up for your FREE Finding Time Success Kit. It puts 3 key tools for your time success right into your hands! Grab it and see how you can recharge your energy, reduce overwhelm and frustration, and come to learn that 24 hours really ARE enough!
Let’s explore time together …
Posted on July 20, 2010 by Paula, under Time Choices, Time Management Skills.
Finding time to get it all done is your daily challenge. If you’re like me, you probably like to plan your day ahead. Planning is a wonderful time management tool.
But what happens when things change? Take yesterday, for example. We had some internet connectivity issues and by the time we were up and running again, it felt too late to be posting to the blog. So, due to some “cyber” issues, we are holding onto our Cyber Monday post ’til next week.
It certainly hadn’t been in my plan for the day to have things held up by a lost internet connection. Still, those things happen. As we’ve shared recently in our Finding Time E-zine and at EzineAricles.com, flexibility is key to making optimal use of your time.
One way to enhance your flexibility is to engage in what I call “Segmented Planning.” We’ll be exploring this powerful time management tool over the next several days.
The way it works is really quite simple … and it allows you to significantly enhance your nimbleness (your ability to respond to change) as your day progresses. Here’s what I suggest:
I find that using segmented planning allows me to really take in the fact that planning isn’t some harsh, critical task master meant to keep me “in line.” No, planning is for me! My plan is mine, and the more I make it mine the less resistant I am to following through on it.
Giving myself several places during the day where I can adjust to changes before moving ahead is a friendly and flexible way to chart my course and hold to it. I encourage you to give it a try!
How do you find time for what matters most to you? What gets in your way? Drop me a line … I’d love to help!
What if you could find another hour every day? You can! You are invited to sign up for your FREE Finding Time Success Kit. It puts 3 key tools for your time success right into your hands! Grab it and see how you can recharge your energy, reduce overwhelm and frustration, and come to learn that 24 hours really ARE enough!
Let’s explore time together …
Posted on June 17, 2010 by Paula, under Time Boundaries, Time Choices, Time Management Skills.
Finding time for a project you love can feel like diving into sparkling waves. You immerse yourself in the work, and find it refreshing! At times you might even feel carried gently forward by the flow of your concentration. Best of all, you build confidence, each time you keep on track.
But rigidity… that’s another matter! Sparks fly and patience frays. You want SO much to stick with your plan that other parts of your life suffer. Relationships can be the first casualty when you become overly rigid. And your body may complain bitterly, too.
Fortunately, you can learn the difference between focus and rigidity in daily decisions!
Here are 2 steps to strengthen FLEXIBLE focus and avoid the pitfalls of rigidity:
Step #1: PLAN your day the night before, giving each priority its fair share of time.
Some people mistake planning with rigidity. But realistic planning actually PROTECTS the flow of your day!
Those around you will thank you, because you’ll probably be a lot easier to live with, too! When you are rested, healthy and well nourished, you retain your perspective more easily, and you build resiliency.
Step #2: Make a list of your top priorities and COMMIT to balance.
Rigidity is focus that has lost its balance. This can happen to anyone! But when you consciously broaden your perspective, you can breathe easy. What are your central commitments? Jot them down, and then clarify boundaries for each in advance.
For example, you might decide, “My weekend plans take priority over finishing up that report!” Then, if you are tempted to cancel a special get-together to review your project for the fifth time, an inner warning bell can help you readjust your perspective.
Flexible focus is a skill you can build! And self-reference is one of your best allies. Keep checking in with yourself to find your “sweet spot” of balance, as you flex here, and hold firm there. Assess your results with friendly objectivity.
With practice, like the surfer, you can use both your focus and flexibility to skillfully ride the waves of change!
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Speaking of the waves of change … are you ready to explore your healthiest life?
Ready to consider some changes?
Well, check out the MP3 of my interview with Nutritionist and Clean Eating Coach Wendy Battles-Plasse. We explored how you can “Start Living Your Healthiest Life Today: Timely Tips on Clean Eating, Self-Awareness and the Power of Prevention.” We’ll send it to everyone who signs up on our teleclass page!
This was a jam-packed, info-filled call … and it’s not too late to learn all about healthy eating and prevention from one of the best!
And, even better, when you sign up, choose our VIP level and you’ll receive a word-for-word transcript of the call, as well as a special gift from Wendy – her 26-minute MP3,”4 Simple Steps to Meal Planning Success.” This audio is loaded with Wendy’s easy and practical tips that help put healthy eating within your reach every day!
What if you could find another hour every day? You can! You are invited to sign up for your FREE Finding Time Success Kit. It puts 3 key tools for your time success right into your hands! Grab it and see how you can recharge your energy, reduce overwhelm and frustration, and come to learn that 24 hours really ARE enough!
Let’s explore time together …
Posted on May 6, 2010 by Paula, under Time Boundaries, Time Choices, Time Management Skills.
Finding time to manage your time and get the most out of each moment is a task that can sometimes run into unexpected roadblocks in the form of the people around you!
To make the very best use of your time, you need to figure out how to handle those “difficult personalities” who slow you down! Maybe they drag their heels, or they heap way too much responsibility on your shoulders. Perhaps they lean on you to bail them out, or they attempt to micro-manage you. Whatever others do, the good news is that you CAN reclaim your power over your time!
The formula is simple and powerful. Focus exclusively on implementing your own time choices. This is where you exercise all the control! Also, reduce stress by letting go of attempts to actively manage anyone else’s choices. Does this sound daunting? Here are some essential guidelines:
Difficult Personalities Cannot Take Your Time. No matter how annoyed you may be by others’ attempts to pressure you, you remain fully responsible for all your choices throughout the day. So focus on developing your ability to steer your own course. And affirm to yourself that you will deal with the consequences. This shift in orientation may feel uncomfortable and unfamiliar at first, but it will become second nature with practice.
You Can Manage Difficult Feelings About How Others Relate to You. As you work to develop your self-reference and assertiveness, new understandings emerge. Are you apprehensive about how others will react if you refuse to sacrifice your priorities? Might you feel threatened or guilty, if others express anger or disappointment? There is a guaranteed way to strengthen your position. Take complete responsibility for handling your own discomfort in the face of resistance. This is enormously freeing! As you respect others’ right to their feelings, you can remain centered. Your energy then goes to making good decisions for yourself instead of attempting to “fix things” for others.
Your Difficult Personalities May Regard YOU as a Difficult Personality. Incredible but true! In fact, the more you become embroiled in attempting to control the difficult personality in your life, the more likely it is that they view you as the problem. The next time someone behaves in a way that you find unreasonable, try shifting your mindset a little. What is their objective, and what is their perspective? When you don’t take their choices as a reflection of your worth, you can develop a neutral overview. Then you may identify areas that are open for negotiation. And the more you focus on implementing your choices rather than attempting to control their reactions, the less pushback you may encounter.
As you practice these steps over and over, you will experience these benefits firsthand! By lessening your investment in how others respond to your new time choices, you have fewer difficult feelings to manage. The less victimized you feel by what lies beyond your power, the more relaxed and focused you become. And as others sense that you no longer wish to control them, and that they can’t control you, they may even modify the behaviors you have found to be so annoying.
But most important, you will have accessed your core strength to change your life for the better. The power resides where the responsibility resides … and that is with you!
PS: There’s still time to sign up and access the MP3 of my interview with Entrepreneur Energy Coach and Founder of Body Brilliance Krista Hearty as we explored “A Secret Brilliance: How to Tap Into Your Unique Energy and Power.” And, even better, when you sign up, choose our VIP level and you’ll receive a word-for-word transcript of the call, as well as a special gift from Krista – an MP3 of her 20-minute guided visualization, “Present Moment Meditation.”
What if you could find another hour every day? You can! You are invited to sign up for your FREE Finding Time Success Kit. It puts 3 key tools for your time success right into your hands! Grab it and see how you can recharge your energy, reduce overwhelm and frustration, and come to learn that 24 hours really ARE enough!
Let’s explore time together …
Posted on February 23, 2010 by Paula, under Time Management Skills, Transitions and Time.
Finding time to deal with sudden change and the unexpected is a time management challenge that we all face from time to time.
But what about the “expected unexpected”? For example, here in New Hampshire, a wintry mix of snow, sleet and rain is predicted just about every day this week. Some days are expected to be messier than others … but we could have some wintry difficulties ahead, with all of their attendant tie challenges.
Or maybe not. Last week on the strength of the weather predictions many area superintendents closed the schools … only to have the storm wait until pretty much the end of the school day to arrive. The kids were happy, but a school day was lost.
So, what’s the best way to respond when disruption can be anticipated, but isn’t a sure thing? Here are 3 tips to consider:
Being prepared for the expected unexpected is a challenge that we face with some frequency in our lives. How do you handle it? Drop me a line – I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences!
What if you could find another hour every day? You can! You are invited to sign up for your FREE Finding Time Success Kit. It puts 3 key tools for your time success right into your hands! Grab it and see how you can recharge your energy, reduce overwhelm and frustration, and come to learn that 24 hours really ARE enough!
Let’s explore time together …
Posted on February 1, 2010 by Paula, under Time Management Skills, Time and Technology.
This Cyber Monday I want to draw your attention to a very special offer from Solo-E that is available through Friday, February 5th!
Not familiar with Solo-E? Founded in 2003 by Terri Zwierzynski, Solo-E is a virtual learning resource (and vibrant community) for solo entrepreneurs!
They are hosting a one-of-a-kind event that couldn’t be more timely … the Post Resolution Hangover giveaway. This isn’t your typical giveaway … each item is a real product that you normally would have to pay to get. The value of each item is the price at which it sells today … and as you’ll see, there are some very valuable products available, both from a monetary and an information point of view!
The gifts include ebooks, audios, home-study packages and more. Here are just a few samples:
Here’s how it works:
Up until February 5th, you are invited to visit the Post Holiday Hangover Remedy Page and gain immediate access to these incredible resources to help cure your Resolution Hangover, provided exclusively by solo entrepreneur gurus including: Alicia Forest, Ann Ronan, Loren Fogelman, Tracey Lawton, Allison Babb, Tina Forsyth, Rebecca Zwar, Christine Gallagher, Lou Bortone, Heather Dominick, Laurie Weiss, Laurie Mandato, Zahra Efan, Hazel Palache, Laura West, Eva Gregory, Alicia Smith, Michele PW, Nina East and me!
When you go to the page, you’ll first see some additional free offers that you can sign up for. To receive any of those offers, you can select the ones of interest to you, and click “Submit.” Or, alternatively, if you want to go right to the Post Holiday Remedy page, bypassing these offers, just click on the “No Thanks” button and you’ll be taken straight to the download page…no strings!
The goal in the Post Resolution Hangover giveaway is to provide you value while supporting the growth of your business at the same time. The best part? Solo-E isn’t asking for anything in return — no email, no mailing address, nada. Just visit Post Holiday Hangover Remedy Page and download your gifts.
So join us, learn what the fuss is all about and at the same time gain immediate access to fantastic resources. Visit the Post Holiday Hangover Remedy Page – and please feel invited to drop me a line – I’d love to hear what gifts strike your fancy!
What if you could find another hour every day? You can! You are invited to sign up for The Finding Time Success Kit. It’s FREE, and it provides you with key tools for your time success! Grab it and see how you can recharge your energy, reduce overwhelm and frustration, and come to learn that 24 hours really ARE enough!
Let’s explore time together …