heart-based time management - The Time Finder with Paula Eder

The Time Finder with Paula Eder

The way you use your time is the way you live your life.

Find Time for the Top 5 Time Finder Favorites for March

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Paula, under Time After Time.

Finding time to savor the posts that were the favorites for Time Finder readers last month is one of the ways I always greet the new month.

It lets me look back and get a better sense of what you are looking for, as I plan posts for the coming month. And it’s also an opportunity to reflect and bid a grateful farewell to time past, while looking ahead with anticipation!

So, what posts ranked as your Time Finder Favorites for March? Well, our Time and Technology posts shared on Cyber Monday’s were a big hit this past month, with 3 posts making it into the top 5!

Find Time with Zamzar and Evernote Clearly on Cyber Monday ranked #1 and offered two time-saving tools that can both help you be more productive on-line. You can read the post for the details, but here are two quick bullet-points:

Zamzar is an online file conversion service that offers both free and paid options. Files can be converted on the web or via e-mail, and there is a quite extensive list of conversion options.

Evernote Clearly is a web-based tool that is part of the Evernote collection of products. It converts web-based material to a wonderfully readable (and printable) format.

Coming in at #2 was Find Time to Take Charge of Your E-mail (So That It Doesn’t Take Charge of You)! I don’t know anyone for whom the in-box doesn’t present a daily challenge. And that’s especially true if you are an on-line entrepreneur. This post offers some concrete, actionable tips for getting your in-box under control. Ready to start?

Establishing and maintaining time boundaries is one of the keys – and the other involves creating a system for organizing the e-mails that you receive to make them accessible – while housing them someplace other than your in-box.

Find Time for AutoHotKey and … Find More Time! was the third most-read post last month. If you haven’t checked it out, I highly recommend this tool. It may look daunting at first, but it’s actually simple to use and can be very helpful, especially with repetitive on-line tasks.

According to my VA, who has explored it extensively, this tool is extremely easy to customize and saves her untold amounts of time.

Find Time to Recover: 3 Keys for Healing and Resilience was a popular post prompted by my recovery from a bad bout of the flu, and focusing on what resilience is (and isn’t)!

It is especially important to remember that resilience is a process not a character trait! Indeed, the last thing you need when going through a tough time is to feel that you are somehow flawed because you are not bouncing back fast enough!

And last, but not least by any stretch, came Find Time for Empowered Compassion™ – a topic that is near and dear to my heart, and a foundational part of Heart-Based Time Management™.

When you bring compassion to any situation you make it possible to also bring your full and authentic presence to it. Accepting YOU, you can let yourself BE! And starting from that solid and real foundation, anything becomes possible.

Is your favorite Time Finder post listed here? Are there subjects that you’d like me to write more about? Please feel invited to drop me a line – I’d love to hear from you and serve your time finding needs!

And in the meantime, want to learn more about how you can expand and deepen your time and efforts … in whatever areas you choose? Here’s a great way to explore avenues to increasing your time skills and heart-based power – whether it’s in your business, or your personal life. I am so pleased to be able to offer my expertise and support as The Official SelfGrowth.com Guide to “Time Management”.

You can visit by clicking the link, and when you do you’ll find lots of time management articles by experts in the field, along with a vibrant and welcoming on-line community. Stop by my Expert Page and leave a comment or question … or just say hello. There are lots of ways to connect … let’s get started!

Find Time for February’s Time Finder Favorites (thetimefinder.com)
Find Time for January’s Time Finder Favorites (thetimefinder.com)
Find Time for Time Finder Favorites-December 2011 (thetimefinder.com)

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Find Time for the Amazing Adventure That Comes Your Way Every Single Day

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Paula, under Time Choices, Time Transformation.

Finding time to welcome the adventure of each new day is one of the best ways I can think of to transform your relationship with time.

If you step back and think about it, it’s striking that we give ourselves the gift of celebrating newness so infrequently. Once a year doesn’t seem nearly enough to me – does it to you?

I really love the idea that we can choose when and how to create and welcome new beginnings for ourselves. And personally, I find it very energizing to frame each day as a new beginning. As Eleanor Roosevelt said:

With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.

Of course, being able to greet the newness of THIS day means letting go of what has passed. Whatever you did or did not accomplish yesterday really and truly has no meaning today, unless you invite it to. Bringing along that baggage from yesterday, whether you perceive it as positive or negative, really just means that you are carrying something extra (and unnecessary) as you set out on today’s journey.

You see – this is so key – how you perceive your time truly transforms it.

When I awaken to a new morning and see it as an adventure, I immediately feel more energy – and lots of excitement and interest about what is to come. (And because I am seeing things this way, each moment can feel like an adventure as it unfolds.)

Of course, this isn’t a one-time decision, but a choice made repeatedly throughout the day.

So what do you think? Do you choose to find time for the amazing adventure of this new day? It’s a choice that changes everything!

Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect. Alan Cohen

And are you interested in learning more about the Heart-Based Time Management™ Path? Here’s one way that you can transform and deepen your relationship to time in the Heart-Based Way … I invite you to explore Secrets of Heart-Based Time Management™ – my chapter in the book I co-authored - Stepping Stones to Success! In it I share my proven system for exploring and harnessing the power of your mind, your body and your spirit to help you deepen your experience of time and of your life.

As you work with the ideas I offer, you’ll explore your patterns, clarify your values, identify and prioritize your goals … and create your path for achieving them. You can give yourself the gift of this wonderful resource today, and get started on your journey toward success, Stepping Stone by Stepping Stone …just click this link to get the details!

Find Time This Spring to Let Go and Make Changes (thetimefinder.com)
Find Time to Fuel Your Resilience With Empowered Compassion™ (thetimefinder.com)
Find Time to Listen and Learn What You Need (thetimefinder.com)

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Find Time to Fuel Your Resilience With Empowered Compassion™

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Paula, under Time and Energy, Time Transformation.

Finding time to deal with life’s ups and downs, staying on track and keeping your eye on the prize, even as circumstances shift can be a big challenge. Empowered Compassion™ can help you bounce back, no matter what kinds of changes confront you. How?

Well, Empowered Compassion™ gains power from its underlying paradox. It embraces – even celebrates – opposites.

Empowered Compassion™ embodies yin and yang, inhalation and exhalation, acceptance and striving …

Empowerment, of course, is the masculine, or yang, component. When you empower yourself, your core strengths support you, keeping you upright yet flexible. Empowerment works like toned core muscles, keeping you steady no matter what comes your way.

You embrace challenges, knowing that solving problems supports your evolution.
You are defined and focused as you tend your boundaries. These boundaries protect the hours of your day as a force field of intentionality.
You are realistic and alert to life’s constant changes.
You take pleasure in creating goals, large or small.

Compassion is the feminine, receptive yin. And it’s important to note that it enhances your strength just as much as the yang – but in very different ways. Here are some examples:

Your empathy towards yourself and others helps you to create and maintain a balanced perspective.
Compassion provides a natural antidote to perfectionism. Self-acceptance overpowers a swarm of perfectionist pests like fearful people-pleasing, procrastination, and over-polishing work. Think of how that can free up both your energy and your time!
Because compassion sees and accepts everything without judging or punishing, it becomes easier for you to befriend and learn from mistakes. So you approach challenges with curiosity rather than fear.

Empowered Compassion™ is a central component of Heart Based Time Management™. Stay tuned, because I’ll be sharing more about this key value in the months to come. Empowered Compassion™ provides each of us with a method for bringing our integrated strengths into every moment.

Are you interested in exploring your resilience further and learning more about the Heart-Based Time Management™ Path? Here’s one way that you can transform and deepen your relationship to time in the Heart-Based Way … I invite you to explore Secrets of Heart-Based Time Management™ – my chapter in the book I co-authored - Stepping Stones to Success! In it I share my proven system for exploring and harnessing the power of your mind, your body and your spirit to help you deepen your experience of time and of your life.

Find Time to Recover: 3 Keys for Healing and Resilience (thetimefinder.com)
Finding Time to Stop Living Someone Else’s Life (thetimefinder.com)
Find Time to Be Yourself, Respect Yourself, and Do What You Can: 3 Timely Tips-Part 1 (thetimefinder.com)
Find Time to Listen and Learn What You Need (thetimefinder.com)

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Find Time to Recover: 3 Keys for Healing and Resilience

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Paula, under Self-Care Time, Time and Energy.

Finding time to recover, whether from an illness or a life event that has thrown you off track is key to your resilience.

And what is resilience?

Well, the definition, according to Merriam-Webster (on-line version) is:

1: the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation caused especially by compressive stress

2: an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change

I also found the Wikipedia definition of Psychological resilience interesting, and in particular this passage:

In all these instances, resilience is best understood as a process. It is often mistakenly assumed to be a trait of the individual, an idea more typically referred to as “resiliency”.[12]

It is especially important to remember that resilience is a process not a character trait! Indeed, the last thing you need when going through a tough time is to feel that you are somehow flawed because you are not bouncing back fast enough!

What you DO need to enhance your resilience and recovery are these 3 Keys:

Acceptance: Start right where you are. Accepting reality is your first step in beginning to bounce back. Until you reach that point of acceptance, you will be at odds with yourself.

Compassion: This relates directly to the ‘process’ part of your resilience. If you are greeting yourself with empathy and an open heart, you are much more likely to find your way through. Walking your path with compassion will ease AND speed your recovery process. That’s because compassion allows you to find the right pace for you. Without compassion you are likely to try to move too quickly – and your process will come to a halt.

Gratitude: Whatever comes your way, a grateful heart produces a transformative alchemy every time. As you move through your difficulties, thank yourself for each and every step. This energizes you and reinforces your efforts. As George Colman, the 18th century English dramatist beautifully said: “Praise the bridge that carried you over.”

Bonus Fact: One of the things about our human resilience that I find most wonderful is that we don’t simply ‘bounce back’ to the same shape that we had before. We are changed by the process and come out of it with new insights and a deepened sense of self. Not only do we survive … we thrive!

Find Time to Put a Little Love in Your Heart (thetimefinder.com)
Find Time to Uncover Your Time Legacy: What Do You Carry into Your Present from Your Past? (thetimefinder.com)
Finding Time to Stop Living Someone Else’s Life (thetimefinder.com)

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Finding Time to Stop Living Someone Else’s Life

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Paula, under Time Choices, Time Priorities.

Finding time to follow your dreams may require waking up first. How many automatic time choices are embedded in your life from childhood? If you did the exercise in yesterday’s post, you may have been amazed at the messages you were carrying.

It’s very helpful and important to spot these early default settings. That’s because unexamined patterns can set you up to be living someone else’s life.

And the thing is, your life is unique – never before and never again to be. What a loss, to not live out that uniqueness to its fullest!

Unconsciously repeating patterns you learned from someone else is like trying to wear someone else’s running shoes for a marathon. It isn’t going to help you finish the race. Just so with your time legacy. However well your family’s time choices may have suited them, they probably don’t fully address your needs.

If there are places where you can feel your time choices hobbling you, those are what I like to call Time Traps. Those ‘stuck places’ usually hold treasures of information, for those who choose to explore.

So, why not start rethinking a habitual Time Trap right now? These 3 simple steps provide a jumping off place:

Name one time choice that frustrates you.
Quickly describe how it conflicts with your conscious values.
Compare it with what family members did with their time in similar situations.

Following these steps gives you key information about how your Time Trap first took root. As you connect the dots between your troubled time choice and your upbringing, fresh ideas may pop up. Your explorations energize and empower you – as you awaken into your own, unique life!

And here’s a lesson you can carry with you wherever you go: Self-consciousness and self-criticism lose ground when you’re genuinely curious and motivated to learn. This is a powerful reframing of perspective that can absolutely transform all of your choices, explorations and discoveries. It’s a proactive, heart-based approach that puts you in the driver’s seat, no matter what challenge you are greeting!

Are you interested in learning more about the Heart-Based Time Management™ Path? Here’s one way that you can transform and deepen your relationship to time in the Heart-Based Way … I invite you to explore Secrets of Heart-Based Time Management™ – my chapter in the book I co-authored - Stepping Stones to Success! In it I share my proven system for exploring and harnessing the power of your mind, your body and your spirit to help you deepen your experience of time and of your life.

Let’s explore time together …

Find Time to “Hear” the Actions Beneath the Words (thetimefinder.com)
Find Time to Be Yourself, Respect Yourself, and Do What You Can: 3 Timely Tips-Part 1 (thetimefinder.com)
Find Time to Uncover Your Time Legacy: What Do You Carry into Your Present from Your Past? (thetimefinder.com)

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Find Time to Connect and be Heard With BlogTalkRadio

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Paula, under Time and Technology.

Finding time to connect with people on the web, especially if you are an entrepreneur or small business owner, can be a challenging (and time-consuming) proposition. One of the quickest and easiest ways to extend your reach is by using audio. And BlogTalkRadio is one of the most popular and most user friendly places that I know of for getting started – or getting established – in the world of internet audio.

Founded in 2006 by Alan Levy and co-founder Bob Charish, BlogTalkRadio was, according to Wikipedia, originally intended to provide another venue for bloggers to connect with their readers. Since its inception, BlogTalkRadio has grown into, well, here’s how they describe themselves on their website:

BlogTalkRadio allows anyone, anywhere the ability to host a live talk radio show online, simply by using a telephone and a computer. BlogTalkRadio’s unique platform, powered by Cinchcast, empowers citizen broadcasters to create and share their original content, their voices and their opinions in a worldwide public forum.

Today, BlogTalkRadio is the largest and fastest growing online talk radio network. A truly democratized medium, BlogTalkRadio has tens of thousands of hosts and millions of listeners tuning in and joining the conversation each month. Many businesses also utilize the platform as a tool to extend their brands and better communicate with the people that are most important to their business.

BlogTalkRadio offers lots of information for new users (screencast tutorials), and has both free (for shows up to 30-minutes) and paid plans. No special software is required, and you can, quite literally, be up and running within minutes. BlogTalkRadio is also the home of cinchcast – another powerful venue for sharing audio content.

Today I’m excited to share that I’m going to be interviewed by Sharon Ball on her show, “Reinventing Yourself with Sharon Ball” on BlogTalkRadio tonight! If you’d like to join us, here’s the information you’ll need:

Date/Time: Monday, January 30 at 6:30 PM ET

What You’ll Hear: I’ll be talking about “Boundaries for Boomers: Proven Heart-Based Boundary Tips to Start You Living the Life of Your Dreams”

How will you find us? You can listen to the show by clicking this link … or you can dial in at (858) 777-5903. The radio program is free; however, if you call in, long distance charges will apply.

I hope you’ll join us as we discuss this very timely topic! It’s one of my favorites – and a fundamental key to fashioning the kind of life you want to live.

So, are you considering using more audio? I encourage you to explore the possibilities that BlogTalkRadio offers.

Let’s explore time together …

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have no material connection with BlogTalkRadio and have not received any compensation for writing this content.