HeartBased - 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 to Include YOU in Your Time Choices

Posted on November 24, 2010 by Paula, under Time Choices.

Finding time for the things that matter most is a key skill to develop (and use) if you want to find true satisfaction in your life. And what a great skill to practice this week, as Thanksgiving rings in the holiday season with all of its warmth and joy and, yes, stresses and challenges!

In my 9th (and final, for now) EducationRich and HeartBased Teleclass last week, I interviewed Dr. Melissa McCreary, “The Smart Woman’s Expert.” One of the things that she emphasized was the importance of being proactive, rather than reactive, around our time choices. I couldn’t agree more with what she had to say.

When you’re in reactive mode, there’s really no chance that your values or priorities or goals will have much play in your daily time choices. Instead, your time will go to whatever presents itself to you from moment to moment. You’ll certainly be busy, but you’ll have little-to-no sense of choice or direction.

It’s easy to start feeling depleted, and even victimized, when you’re living your moments from that place. You’re likely to feel like you’re spinning your wheels faster and faster while leaving yourself and your own needs out of the picture.

So what will it look like when you make time choices from a proactive place? Well, how about giving it a try today?

If you live in the United States, you’re probably getting ready for Thanksgiving, even as you read this. Have you given any thought to what you actually would like the day to be like? Or have you thought about one thing that you want to be sure to do for yourself on Thanksgiving?

And if you’re not in the USA, simply think about what you would like your day today to be like. Find one gift that you want to choose for yourself today!

Taking the time to think about these things and form a picture of at least one thing that you want to be sure to have as a part of your experience is the first step in becoming more proactive about your time choices.

Next, you’ll want to think about some concrete steps that will make it possible to realize your goal. Write them down so you don’t forget them. If you need to, make sure to slip them into your schedule, too.

Want to learn more about finding time to make more proactive time choices – not just during the holidays but throughout your year?

You can still sign up and access all of the excellent information that we covered in our Teleclass last week. Melissa McCreery and I discussed “Holiday Thriving: How to Take Charge of Stress, Overwhelm, and Overeating During the Holiday Season.” For some practical tips for staying on track with your healthy lifestyle while decreasing your stress, sign up and we’ll send you the FREE MP3!

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 Give Yourself Something Truly Precious as the Holiday Season Begins

Posted on November 16, 2010 by Paula, under Time and Energy.

Finding time for YOU while getting everything else done is a challenge all year ’round .. and especially so during the holidays.

Is that true for you – that you look forward to the holidays but then, more often than not, feel stressed and depleted as you move through the season? That’s not an uncommon experience by any means, but it doesn’t have to be that way. That’s the good news! I’ve got three quick tips for you today that can help stand you in good stead, not just for the holidays, but all year round.

Here’s how to give yourself a big gift, right now, so you’re ready to greet the Holidays … and anything that life sends your way.

1. Make Lists: If Christmas is a part of your tradition, you are probably familiar with “making a list, checking it twice.” My advice is a little different. Set aside some time and brainstorm lists of everything that you can think of that you need to do between now and the holidays. No item is too small, and NOTHING is silly or unworthy of inclusion. (Don’t invite your critical inner voices to this brainstorming session.) One you’ve got everything you can think of on your list, you can prioritize, categorize, and break it all up into smaller lists of you want.

2. Create a Plan: When you are already busy and have a lot more to do, there are few things as helpful and stress-reducing as creating a plan for your day. To do this, take your lists, set some priorities (if you haven’t already), assign time frames for your top priorities, and then set about plugging those priority items into your plan. It’s a good idea to have a plan laid out at least a week ahead, so that you can have a better sense of the terrain. Also – and this is VERY IMPORTANT – be sure to use the Times Two Rule when setting up your plan. Tasks are most likely to take longer than expected. Build that into your schedule.

3. Plan to Pause: If your plan doesn’t include time for YOU, you’re going to burn yourself out quickly, not be able to complete your tasks, and put yourself in the position where stress and overwhelm will make it difficult to enjoy the holidays. I suggest that you create small, personal “Power Sanctuaries” for yourself, where you can recharge and rejuvenate throughout your day. I’ll be sharing more about this in Thursday’s Finding Time E-Zine!

And Your Bonus Tip: Sign up for tonight’s interview with Dr. Melissa McCreery! If you worry about what happens to your healthy choices, your work, and your self care during the holidays, you’re certainly not alone.

And that’s why I’m so pleased to invite you to the 9th (and the last, for now) installment of my EducationRich and HeartBased Interview Teleseries! On Tuesday, November 16th from 7-8PM ET I’ll be interviewing “The Smart Woman’s Expert” Dr. Melissa McCreery about “Holiday Thriving: How to Take Charge of Stress, Overwhelm, and Overeating During the Holiday Season.” Ready for some practical tips for staying on track with your healthy lifestyle and your stress? Then join us on the 16th. Can’t wait to “see” you on the call!

Let’s explore time together …

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Explore Alltop on Cyber Monday

Posted on November 15, 2010 by Paula, under Time and Technology.

Finding time to discover and explore topics of interest to you on the internet can be a big challenge. There’s just so much information to sift through, and so many websites to check. Where do you start? And how do you not lose precious time in the process?

Well, what if you could have it all in one place? Enter Alltop. If you aren’t already familiar with Alltop, it could be a big time saver for you!

Founded by Guy Kawasaki, Alltop can probably best be thought of as an on-line information filter that is constantly searching for and compiling the best and newest stories about the topics that interest you. Here’s how Alltop describes itself:

You can think of Alltop as the “online magazine rack” of the web. We’ve subscribed to thousands of sources to provide “aggregation without aggravation.” To be clear, Alltop pages are starting points—they are not destinations per se. Ultimately, our goal is to enhance your online reading by displaying stories from sources that you’re already visiting plus helping you discover sources that you didn’t know existed.

Picture Alltop as an info filter for the web, in somewhat the same way that paper.li functions for your Twitter feed. Both offer you the ability to choose topics and focus areas, and then create a compilation, in magazine format, of the latest information in the topics that you choose to bring to the fore.

Alltop is set up to cover a very, very wide range of topics already (just click on one of the letters for a drop-down list of topics), but if you don’t see what you are looking for, you can submit a suggestion.

And, needless to say, if you are a blogger and your blog is among those included on Alltop, it extends your reach considerably in the on-line world. You don’t have to wait for Alltop to “discover” you, you can submit your blog or website to them for consideration.

Here is a quick tutorial that gives you a visual image of Alltop and how it works:

I suggest that you give Alltop a look. It can definitely help you manage your on-line time, while placing the content that YOU are most interested in right at your fingertips!

And speaking of managing time … do you worry about where your time (and energy) goes during the holidays? Many people fall into stress and overload as the holiday season unfolds – you’re certainly not alone.

Let’s explore time together …

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have no material connection with the brands, topics, or products that are mentioned here, and have not received any compensation for writing this content.

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Find Time by Unlocking Your Symbolic Time Traps

Posted on November 10, 2010 by Paula, under Time and Values.

Finding time can help you find yourself … in nice ways! I notice that the better I use my time, the more I actually embody my priorities. And because I’m using my time in ways that matter a lot to me, new potentials unfold.

I think you’ll discover that when you spring a time trap by freeing yourself from old attachments, you not only have more time. You also have more YOU!

You see, a time trap can ensnare you by what it symbolizes. It’s the subconscious hooks that throw you off balance, and cause you to lose your footing.

For example, maybe you get stuck revisiting the past. Hours go by as you explore websites that offer extreme wilderness treks. A dream from years ago … but what a great fit for you! In this case, the values conflict is between dwelling on “what might have been” versus fully entering into the present moment as a life choice.

To weaken the hold of a time trap, start by finding the hook. Seek out any hidden “if only” that keeps you fixated on unrealistic or lost opportunities.

Next, invite fresh and realistic options into your life. Let’s say that expedition web site triggers thoughts like, “If only I had continued training for marathons!”

Here’s where you can step in with a firm but friendly, “Now is different! I enjoy my exercise now.” You might follow this with, ” I would like more time for aerobics, of course. How can I rework my schedule to take that cardio salsa or rock climbing or bikram yoga class?” Now you can add a pleasurable and productive pastime to your week.

As holiday times are laden with symbolism, this is an especially good time to explore the difference between attachments and healthy investments. As you replace a time trap with an activity you like better, you’ve got one more thing to celebrate!

And speaking of the holidays … do you worry about what happens to your healthy choices, your work, and your self care during the holidays? Many people stress about this as the holidays approach – you’re certainly not alone.

Let’s explore time together …

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Find Time to Let Your Time Traps Help You Resolve Your Values Conflicts

Posted on November 9, 2010 by Paula, under Time and Values.

Finding time is always a great feeling, isn’t it? I think it’s especially luscious when you can turn the tables on your time traps and start seeing (and using) them as opportunities. How can that be possible?

Well, the thing about time traps is that they often hide things that you are not fully conscious of. More often than not, they hide values conflicts. When you aren’t sure what direction to take or are in conflict about what’s most important to you, that’s when you get bogged down … stuck … trapped.

But, by spotting, and then resolving, the values conflicts that your time traps hide, you not only get yourself moving again, but you learn things about yourself that will help you reclaim energy and time that was tired up with these traps! You can use this original approach to both clarify your priorities and free up your time!

In this, and some upcoming posts, I’ll offer 3 tips that you can use as gold keys to help you open the most stubborn time traps for yourself.

Today’s Tip: Time traps can pinpoint where fear rules your life.

Do you seesaw between wanting to live bigger, on one hand, and slumping into inertia on the other? If so, it can be extremely tempting to use a time trap to keep from embracing an important new challenge.

Here’s an example: let’s say you end the day by watching TV programs you don’t much enjoy, simply to unwind. Perhaps you do this instead of pulling apart some difficult aspects of your day that have stayed with you. If you took a closer look at your time choices, you might take some steps to lower your stress level. But since you don’t, you backslide into a routine of dissatisfaction and discouragement, instead.

Now, consider the alternatives. There’s generally an unacknowledged and deceptively attractive payoff to each unrewarding choice you make. So it’s good to get clear on what that illusory benefit is.

In this instance, would stepping forward and addressing those nagging dissatisfactions require that you to take new risks, or develop new skills? Would you need to stretch into more assertiveness or self-confidence?

Envision making progress, and see exactly where you balk. Then focus on this juncture; it’s your entryway to developing competence and changing your understanding of yourself.

Now you see exactly what the trade-off is. And you can also see where and how to take that first baby step forward, towards new possibilities! The illusory payoffs of resistance tend to lose their sheen under the bright light of scrutiny!

By applying pressure at just the right point, you can convert inertia into incentive! Simply break down each challenge into workable increments. Then, devise a plan to move forward. I bet you’ll find that moving through resistance and trying something new will make time traps much less tempting!

And speaking of moving through traps … do you worry about what happens to your healthy choices, your work, and your self care during the holidays? Many people stress about this as the holidays approach – you’re certainly not alone.

Let’s explore time together …

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Find Time to Extend Your On-Line Reach with Posterous

Posted on November 8, 2010 by Paula, under Time and Technology.

Finding time to extend your presence on the web, if you’re an on-line entrepreneur, is always time well spent. And even if you are a casual user of the internet, staying in touch with family and friends is probably something that you’d like to be able to do more efficiently. Do I have that right?

Well, Posterous is a quick and easy blogging platform that we’ve written about here before, and that can really streamline some of your internet activities. I recently learned that they have added an iPhone application, as well as lots of new themes for users to select from.

Whether you are an entrepreneur, a blogger, an artist, or a casual user, Posterous offers a venue where, using e-mail as the vehicle, you can quickly move material to the web and post it in a simple, pleasing format. It is a particularly easy and useful way to share photos, audio, and video on-line.

This video by David Frosdick gives a brief overview of the capabilities of Posterous.

Using Posterous, you can also auto-post to many other social networking services, such as Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin … and many, many more. As soon as you post something to your Posterous site, it will update all of the other social media sites that you have selected.

You can subscribe to other users’ blogs, and they to yours – creating another social community on the web!

Here’s what Denise Wakeman of the Blog Squad has to say about Posterous and extending your visibility on line:

And speaking of extending things … how would you like to extend your healthy choices and self care right through the holidays? Many people give in to holiday stress and put their good health on the shelf as the holidays approach – you’re certainly not alone.

Let’s explore time together …

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have no material connection with the brands, topics, or products that are mentioned here, and have not received any compensation for writing this content.

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