The Time Finder with Paula Eder
The way you use your time is the way you live your life.
Archive for 'Time Priorities'
Find Time Today: Move Some Priorities to the Bottom of Your List!
Posted on August 20, 2010 by Paula, under Ask Paula, Time Priorities.
Finding time by setting priorities is a wonderful way to organize yourself. But here’s a recent question from a reader that illustrates a common challenge when prioritizing.
Susan A. of Portland, Oregon wrote:
Dear Paula,
I have always tried to set priorities when I create my to-do list. My problem is that I have a tendency to think that every task is a high priority. Could you help me by explaining what a low priority task looks like?
Sincerely,
Susan A.
Dear Susan,
Your question is one that many people ask. One of the most difficult aspects of setting priorities is to develop a habit of not making everything a high priority.
You might want to set yourself this goal: Try to assign at least 50% of the tasks on your to-do list as a medium or low priority.
- A low priority task is one that can be deferred without a negative impact on anything if it doesn’t get completed.
- Also, a low priority task is one that can be moved to another day without any adverse consequences.
Keep in mind, when setting priorities, that being flexible and reality-based is key. Situations change every day, and you may, quite often, have a legitimate reason to re-order your priorities. Tasks that looked very important on Sunday night, may look different on Wednesday, after you have gained more information or the context has evolved.
In thinking about your top priorities, be rigorous about what belongs in that slot. Stephen Covey suggests keeping two words in mind while setting priorities. One is ‘urgent’ and the other is ‘important’. The best guide for determining which task is the highest priority is to select the task on your to-do list that is both urgent and important. Some tasks may be one or the other, but only the one that is both belongs at the top.
Likewise, you may find it helpful to establish a “bottom” priority. You may even have a small collection of tasks that fit this bill. They would typically be things that can be deferred without dire consequence, but that it would be nice to accomplish. Putting vacation photos into an album is something that springs to mind. Or, perhaps, reorganizing a seldom-used closet.
Breaking your tasks up into smaller pieces (“chunking” them) may also help. Even if you don’t have enough time to complete a task, you can use the time available to get it started. Some of these “chunks” might be lower-level priorities, but completing them will help move a higher priority task along.
It’s helpful to choose a time to review your next day’s to-do list and the priorities you’ve established. Look at both the task and the priority you’ve assigned it. This allows you to flex and fine-tune your priorities as you plan. You might even take a minute or two and visualize each task. This mental rehearsal enables you to identify the number of steps required to complete a task and keeps your stress level down.
I hope that some of these ideas resonate for you, Susan … and I’d love to hear how your prioritizing evolves over time.
Best,
Paula
PS Just a quick reminder that, though the call with Artist and Creativity Coach Ellene Breedlove Davis is over, you can still access the FREE MP3 by clicking the link for: Finding Time to Be Creative: Portrait of the Artist. 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 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 …
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Find Time to Let Your Creativity Blossom
Posted on August 3, 2010 by Paula, under Time Choices, Time Priorities, Time and Energy.
Finding time to let your creative spirit develop and come to fruition can be a lot like tending a garden. At least that’s a useful metaphor for me! As much as art is a matter of inspiration, it’s also a matter of being steady and doing the preparation work that allows our inspirations to take hold and grow, whenever they actually come.
I am very excited to be putting the finishing touches on my upcoming teleclass with Ellene Breedlove Davis. Our topic? Finding Time to Be Creative: Portrait of the Artist. This is a free call, and you can join us at 7 PM next Tuesday, August 10th!
Ellene is an Artist and Creativity Coach, and she’ll be sharing her own experiences with making room (in both time and space) to nurture and sustain her art. As you’ll see and hear from Ellene, art and creativity are not matters of magic. They are better thought of as a melding of passion and skill … and readiness!
In a recent blog post, Ellene wrote: “In my studio, I have a small blue chair that just calls me to create. Most of the time, I get my sketch book or journal, a favorite pen and just put the pen to paper. The ideas start to flow as soon as I relax, as my creative imagination starts to write or sketch.”
So, if we want to see our creativity take root, blossom, and produce fruit (moving back to that garden metaphor) … we need to give ourselves the time (and space) to tend it through its various stages! We need to develop and practice the skills of our chosen craft, AND we need to give ourselves some version of Ellene’s blue chair, where we let ourselves open to our muse.
I would add that it is helpful and important to think of creativity in very broad terms. Art takes many forms, and if you are limiting how you think about it, you are limiting the possibilities of your creative self!
I look forward to exploring creativity more fully with you in the coming days … and hope you will join Ellene and me on our call on August 10th!
In the meantime, do you have thoughts or questions about the creative process that you’d like to share? Please drop me a line … I’d love to hear!
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 …
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Finding Time to Create Abundance with Courageous Prioritizing
Posted on July 27, 2010 by Paula, under Time Priorities, Time and Energy.
Finding time for abundant living becomes much easier as you embrace your power to change your mindset. That’s because it’s not only WHAT you do, but it’s HOW you do it that makes all the difference!
Yesterday we looked at how the first step toward abundant living is to fully accept that time is limited. When you stop trying to cram 2 days of living into one that means far fewer painful “time blisters” along the way! But of course, that act of letting go can leave lots of your plans in limbo. What will you do about those?
Try this: Create CRYSTAL CLEAR PRIORITIES for yourself. Once you fully grasp that each day is finite and can’t be stretched, it’s much easier to see that you MUST set clear priorities.
Creating a clear hierarchy of priorities is a cornerstone of developing an abundance mentality. It’s like strengthening muscles you needed all along, but never knew you had. One muscle you develop is the all-important skill of distinguishing your “wants” from your “needs.”
Simplicity’s reward: When you can tell your “wants” from your true “needs”, it’s easier to simplify your life WITHOUT feeling deprived! When you truly accept that some letting go is essential, your resistance to making tough decisions will gradually give way to inner contentment.
It may sound paradoxical, but try it. It’s like living inside a deep, relaxed breath. Feel your shoulders soften! You will feel the space inside your body relax and expand as you stop trying to wedge yourself into a too-tight schedule! Feeling more relaxed does a LOT to contribute to a feeling of inner abundance.
Here’s another paradox. PRIORITIZING CREATES MORE YOU. Simplifying is challenging. You commit to making do with LESS of what you WANT to fill your day with. When you do this, you develop an inner resourcefulness. That’s why I call simplifying COURAGEOUS PRIORITIZING.
How does courageous prioritizing bring freedom and spaciousness? Because making these difficult decisions and living by them CREATES MORE YOU!
- You are more defined.
- You are more mature.
- You experience firsthand how simplifying your schedule to fit the 24 hours in a day EMPOWERS you to step off the treadmill.
- And the more you experience your personal power through wise time choices, the less you look outside yourself.
That is when your own INNER ABUNDANCE really shines. This is something you can practice any time, any day. See for yourself how changing your mindset and strengthening your resolve eases your sense of stress and scarcity. The more you practice, the more rewards you enjoy!
Ready to give it a try? Drop me a line and let me know how you’re doing with courageous prioritizing and with managing your finite time … I’d love to hear!
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 …
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Find Time for What’s Most Important to You Every Day-Day #2
Posted on July 7, 2010 by Paula, under Time Boundaries, Time Choices, Time Priorities.
Finding time for planning helps you see where your time goes. That, in turn, helps you find time for the things that are most important to you.
How did you do with yesterday’s planning task? Remember? I suggested that you think of three things that you really wanted to do, write them down, and then revisit your list in the evening.
Planning can be very revealing. When we make a plan we are making a commitment – a promise to ourselves. It makes our time choices more visible to us and introduces an element of accountability into our days.
The list you made yesterday was a very basic plan for your day, and going back to review it at night will always give you the opportunity to learn and adjust your planning as you move ahead. The better you get at planning your time, the more productive, energetic, and satisfied you’ll feel each day!
Here are 3 more keys to making planning a useful and productive tool for you:
- Look with love! When you are reviewing your list at night, don’t use the eyes of a harsh, critical taskmaster. That will discourage you and most likely make you want to hide you time choices from yourself. Look with love, curiosity, and compassion. The more you open to yourself the more likely you are to learn and grow!
- Flexibility is your friend! Your plan needn’t be rigid and unchanging. Always remember, this is YOUR plan and YOU are in charge! If you forgot to include laundry in your list for Tuesday, it’s okay to add it when you remember on Tuesday morning and bump something else to Wednesday. Use your plan as a guide or a frame for your day … and don’t be afraid to flex it.
- Thank yourself! Always, when you check in with yourself about your plan, validate your efforts AND validate your honesty. Remember that learning lies as much in your mistakes as in your successes. Give yourself a big pat on the back when you review your plans, and when you create new ones. You might even come to look forward to your planning time!
My last suggestion to you is to do your check in and your planning before bed each night. This is important because it allows you to get a running start on your morning. Also, bedtime is something that can be moved back a bit, when necessary. Often mornings don’t allow you that kind of flexibility. I find that if I plan to plan at night, I am sure to do it.
Is planning already a part of your life? Do you want to start … and move toward making the invisible visible? I’d love to hear how it goes for you … it’s a wonderful exploration of yourself!
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 …
Other Posts You Might Enjoy!
Find Time for What’s Most Important to You Every Day-Day #1
Posted on July 6, 2010 by Paula, under Time Boundaries, Time Choices, Time Priorities.
Finding time for the things that matter most is a challenge that we each face every day of our lives.
Do you notice how your time can get “lost”? How sometimes one thing leads to another and before you know it, a whole day has gone by? Things that you intended to do get lost in the shuffle … and you are not sure how you got from point A to Point Z.
All you know is that you don’t feel like you have a handle on where your time is going. By extension, that means that you probably feel like your life is a little bit out of control!
Does this resonate for you? Know the feeling? It can be very discouraging and disconcerting. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way! Read on for an important tip, to get you started on finding the time for what matters most …
The key to finding time each day lies in Planning!
Everybody knows about planning … but how many of us actually follow through and keep doing it? Many of us think it’s a good idea in theory … but in practice, something often doesn’t work. So let’s step back and take another look.
Over the next two days, I’m going to be offering you some new ways to look at planning for yourself, so that you’ll keep at it and reap all the benefits that it has to offer! To get started, here are three things to keep in mind about planning:
- Call it something that you are comfortable with. If it’s helpful for you to think in terms of a schedule, then use that word. If the word plan works for you, then go for it. The key is to use something that you are comfortable with … NOT a word that you feel victimized by!
- Planning is about creating a frame for yourself. Think of it like guard-rails on a road … or the edging along a garden path … whatever image is helpful and nurturing for you. Remember, this is for YOU and can be flexed to suit your needs.
- Planning is very revealing. It makes our time choices visible – whereas in our unplanned days they can remain invisible. When you plan, you are making the invisible visible. This is very empowering, but it can be a challenge at first – especially if you bring critical energy to it. Work to see whatever your planning reveals to you simply as information – neither good nor bad. Just information.
How does this sound to you so far? My suggestion to you for today is that you think of three things that you want to be sure that you do today. Write them down. This is your plan for today. Tonight, before bed, revisit your plan. Think about how it went. Do you need to carry some piece(s) over into tomorrow? What do you learn? Give yourself a bog pat on the back … you are starting to plan!
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 …
Other Posts You Might Enjoy!
Finding Time to Recharge Your Productivity with Effective Lists
Posted on March 25, 2010 by Paula, under Time Priorities.
Finding time to be productive can be greatly enhanced by having effective, and easy to use, lists.
How? Well, for starters, it’s important to not let your lists become so detailed that they are overwhelming. At the same time you don’t want to make them so broad that your specific goals get lost.
One of the most useful tools that I have developed for managing lists is the “Two Column Method.” This allows you to both lay out a plan for the day and reflect on it once a day is over. I’ve had lots of clients use this method and adapt it to their needs quite successfully.
The term “two column” refers to the act of planning and then reflecting. It’s not meant to literally limit the number of columns that you use. In fact, I would suggest using more than two columns as you expand and adapt the basic system to your purposes.
Try something like this:
- In the first column I like to list the general categories of tasks that I intend to tackle in the coming day.
- Then, in the next column I get more specific.
- I reserve a column on the far right for reflections on how the day went and for tracking what I did and did not do, relative to my plan.
For example, I might write “exercise” in my left-hand column, and then, in the middle column, write something like “walk in the woods.” You could even add more columns if you want to be more detailed about your plan and/or its various components.
The last thing I would suggest is that, the night before, you at least begin your columns for the next day. This is something you could incorporate into your reflection process. It’s a great way to give yourself a head start on your tomorrow!
How do you recharge your productivity? Are lists a part of your day? Do they work well for you? Drop me a line, I’d love to hear!
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 …
Other Posts You Might Enjoy!
Find Time to Know What’s Important (AND What’s Not) on Your To Do List!
Posted on March 18, 2010 by Paula, under Time Priorities.
Finding time to sort out your priorities and manage your to do list meaningfully can be a big challenge. And yet, NOT prioritizing realistically can be a big source of unnecessary pressure in your life! Susan A. of Portland, Oregon wrote on this very topic recently, asking:
Dear Paula,
I have always tried to set priorities when I create my to-do list. My problem is that I have a tendency to think that every task is a high priority. Could you help me by explaining what a low priority task looks like?
Sincerely,
Susan A.
This is a great question – and getting tasks and projects prioritized in a way that is meaningful for you can be a big stress reducer. It’s like your roadmap. Without it, all the streets look the same and you can easily get lost.
Here’s my answer to Susan …
Dear Susan,
Your question is one that many people ask. One of the most difficult aspects of setting priorities is to develop a habit of not making everything a high priority.
You might want to set yourself this goal: As you prioritize your list, aim to assign at least 50% of the tasks on your to-do list as a medium or low priority. This may feel difficult at first … but think of it this way:
A low priority task is one that can be deferred without a negative impact on anything if it doesn’t get completed. Also, a low priority task is one that can be moved to another day without any adverse consequences.
At the end of the week (or whenever you would normally do this), review your list. How did you do with your tasks? Do you feel like your stress was less? Are you worried that you ended up “losing” some of your low priority tasks? Do you think you procrastinated about any of them? Keep tweaking your priorities, based on your experience.
Remember, there’s no “right” answer – this is all about what works for you!
Best,
Paula
Are you challenged to let some items on your to do list be lower priorities? If so, I bet it adds a lot to the stress you experience daily. I invite you to try this simple exercise … and let me know how it goes – I’d love to hear!
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 …
Other Posts You Might Enjoy!
Finding Time for the Olympics-Yes You Can!
Posted on February 16, 2010 by Paula, under Time Boundaries, Time Choices, Time Priorities.
Finding time to enjoy cultural events like the Olympics can be a big challenge in your already-busy life, can’t it? These infrequent-and-thoroughly-engaging events bring up questions of time choices, time priorities, time boundaries, you name it!
The first thing to remember is that your time is finite. Adding something to your day means, realistically, that you’ll need to cut something out. This can be a challenging time choice – AND it can be very clarifying and empowering to make it consciously and proactively.
Ask yourself:
- What could I let go of temporarily, to make room for keeping up with this once-every-four-years event?
- Are there tools that I can use (like a video recorder or on-line access) to fit my Olympic time better with my day-to-day schedule?
- Are there tasks that I could delegate to make more room in my schedule?
The fascinating thing about asking these questions and making these adjustments is that in exploring temporary tweaks to your schedule, you may well discover some permanent changes that you’d like to make.
What a great bonus! Not only do you find yourself time to follow these exciting and inspiring Winter Games, but you also give yourself an opportunity to review and refresh your time priorities.
Have you found time to watch any of these Olympic Games yet? Do you plan to? Let me know how it goes for you and what you discover - I’d love to hear!
What if you could find another hour every day? You can! You are invited to sign up for your 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 …
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Find Time to Set Goals – 3 Ways It Helps!
Posted on November 12, 2009 by Paula, under Time After Time, Time Priorities.
This week I’m having a great time putting the finishing touches on our next Finding Time E-zine. (It fires next Thursday at noontime, and if you’re not already a subscriber, you can grab your issue as a bonus for signing up for our FREE MP3 in the sidebar!) To give you a taste, here’s an article from our archive that asks: “Why set goals?”
Many people just assume that effective and successful people always set goals. If this is an assumption that you have made, please put it aside for a moment. Consider how such an assumption might sabotage your ability to realize your dreams. Too many people who set goals and begin to work on them do not complete them. For example, those who make New Year’s Resolutions – which are goals – often never attain them.
Setting goals is not a requirement for being an effective and successful person. If you feel driven to set goals because you ‘should,’ then you diminish your view of yourself as an effective and successful person each time you don’t achieve your goals. Instead, we would like to recommend that you view goal-setting as a technique to assist you in 3 areas:
- Setting goals helps you define what you want in your life. It does so in clear, concrete, and simple language. Nothing is as useful in determining exactly what you want, and creating a picture of the outcomes in your mind, as the technique of setting goals.
- Once you have defined the outcomes you want, it’s much easier to design relevant action steps, through the technique of setting goals, to achieve those outcomes. Setting goals clearly defines your destination and enables you to design action steps that point you in the right direction. You can look at your desired outcomes and measure exactly how well each action step you devise moves you closer to what you want to accomplish.
- Setting goals introduces two states of mind that can improve your life, whether you achieve your objectives or not. These two states of mind are “awareness” and “flexibility”. We’ll explore “awareness” today.
Too many people seem to go through life never fully aware of what they want or could have achieved, until it’s too late. Setting goals provides a framework that encourages awareness. Daily, you can look at your goals and consider how you are living your life.
You can become aware of whether or not your life choices are bringing you closer to your objectives. Without that awareness, it is easy to settle for routine rather than choice. As you can see, if you think of setting goals as a technique rather than an obligation, the entire process changes.
Have you considered setting goals as a way of setting your course? Has it been clarifying for you? I’d love to hear what you think!
Want to learn how to set effective boundaries to honor yourself, your time, and your relationships? You can ask for the time and space you need, and get it, too! Claim your FREE MP3, “Honoring Your Time With Boundaries”, and discover tools to move you toward a stronger self and stronger relationships! So, take your next step, click HERE and grab your MP3! When you sign up you will also receive (if you don’t already) our weekly Finding Time Tips, our monthly Award-Winning Finding Time E-zine, and our Finding Time Personal Boundary Template! All FREE – our gifts to you!
Let’s explore time together …
Other Posts You Might Enjoy!
Finding Time and Focus Even When Internet Distractions Call!
Posted on September 15, 2009 by Paula, under Time Priorities, Time and Technology.
Finding time and finding focus can be difficult in our fast-paced, information-rich world. For anyone whose work day involves significant computer time, the call of the internet can be distracting and even overwhelming at times. How do you find focus and maintain it, with so much information at your fingertips, just clamoring to be viewed and shared?
My article Time Management Techniques – 7 Tips For the Internet to Trim Time on ezinearticles.com offers some very practical ideas that ought to help. The tip that I’d like to emphasize here is #5, which focuses on setting time parameters for your internet work – with some interesting, practical twists!
Set time parameters for your task, so you don’t get “Lost in (Cyber)Space.” It is very easy to lose time while you are on the computer. On many calendar systems, you can set an alarm. Use this to set a stop time for yourself. If you are at home and resist switching gears, set an alarm in another room to get you out of your chair and away from the temptation. If at work, try scheduling searches right before a meeting or lunch with a colleague.
The use of time parameters, timers and other such tools is key in managing time – and especially on-line time. I’ll be discussing lots of time strategies tomorrow night when my friend and colleague Heather Dominick interviews me about The Twitter Time Trap: 5 Keys to Unlock the Twitter Time Trap to Keep It from Devouring Your Time.
In this FREE teleclass we’ll explore Twitter through the lens of Time! I am very excited about this class – and the wonderful tools it’ll be putting into your hands!
You can click this link to sign up for a FREE Trial Membership in Heather’s Marketing Mastery Program. Once you register for Heather’s Program, you’ll receive information (via e-mail) about the Twitter Trap Teleclass before the call on 09/16!
Here are the basics!
- Call Date: Wednesday September 16, 2009
- Call Time: 6:00pm – 7:00pm, EASTERN
I look forward to “seeing” you in class! And in the meantime, here’s to your time success!
What if you could find another hour every day? You can! You are invited to sign up and download The New Finding Time Boundary Template. It’s FREE, and when you sign up you will also receive (if you don’t already) my FREE, weekly Finding Time Tips and my FREE, monthly Award-Winning Finding Time E-zine!
Let’s explore time together …
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