reflect - 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 Let Reflection Points Refresh You Throughout Your Holiday Journey

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Paula, under Self-Care Time, Time and Energy.

Finding time to keep yourself present, energetic, and refreshed over the span of the holiday season can be a big challenge. There’s so much to do, finding YOU time often gets lost in the shuffle. That’s why I propose that you give yourself the gift of Reflection Points throughout your day, each and every day.

They needn’t be long, and they needn’t be ‘scheduled’. Just be sure that you pause periodically and come back to yourself. That’s because, as you journey through time it’s fundamentally important to take care of yourself along the way! As Greg Anderson has written:

Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.

That most certainly applies during this time of year. It’s easy to push to accomplish “just one more thing” or buy “just one more gift” or write “just one more card” … only to find that you end up feeling overwhelmed, irritable, and depleted in the end. I am guessing that is not how you want to be journeying through holiday time … or any time, for that matter.

Reflection points give you breathing space and re-energize you so that you can live your moments as fully as possible. Think of your reflection points as pauses along a mountain path. If you are tired and the climb feels long, a reflection point gives you an opportunity to take a breath. If you round a corner and come upon a breathtaking view, a reflection point gives you a moment to fully appreciate its beauty.

Reflection points are about YOU – what you are experiencing and what you need. They are moments that can powerfully and unerringly bring you back to the moment. And it’s in each moment that you live your life. Remember …

Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life. Omar Khayyam

Reflection points bring you back to your life, and isn’t that just where you want to be?

So, are you interested in learning more about the Heart-Based Path as you move ahead this month? 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!

Let’s explore time together …

Find Time to Let Your Routines Deepen Into Rituals (thetimefinder.com)
Find Time to Celebrate and Feel Grateful (thetimefinder.com)
Finding Time for Feelings-Move Ahead Powerfully by Looking Back (thetimefinder.com)

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Find Time to Freshen Your Morning Ritual and Renew Your Energy Every Day!

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Paula, under Self-Care Time, Time and Energy.

Finding time to celebrate – even a mini-mini-celebration, is a delightful way to add “juice” to your day. That’s why I recommend not only creating a pleasurable morning ritual, but also keeping it fresh, so it’s a genuine treat!

Ritual doesn’t mean rote, after all. My morning ritual provides consistent support, yet it’s fine-tuned to meet me wherever I am. That means it’s flexible and changes from one morning to the next.

You might find it helpful to brainstorm a list of activities that provide a boost, and then select the one that speaks to your heart for the upcoming day. Here are a few questions you might ask yourself when compiling your list:

What engages my interest?
What energizes me?
What relaxes and centers me?
What sends me into the day ready to face the unexpected?

Does the last question surprise you? Well, your day may challenge you to focus where you’d hoped to relax, and to flex where you wanted to stay focused. Wouldn’t it be nice to feel more prepared?

When your morning ritual includes pastimes like memorizing favorite quotations, you plant in your imagination “seed phrases” that serve as mantras throughout your day, whatever it brings.

And when you move your energy with pleasurable activity during your morning ceremony, you will feel more sure-footed when new challenges come knocking.

See how far-sighted you can be when you look within! Envision what challenges stretch you and which ones generate strain. Try playing with choices that provide a comfortable stretch.

At bedtime, you might reflect back. Ask yourself a few questions to open things up:

How well did your ritual support you?
Did it help balance your energies, inspire you, orient you or keep you focused?
Was it fun?
Did you rush through or skip certain portions altogether?

Don’t include any activities wearing a “you should” hat! Reshape your ritual until it sparks your enthusiasm and invites your commitment.

So are you ready to create a morning ritual for yourself and keep it fresh? There’s so much to explore … so stay tuned!

And in the meantime, if you’d like to explore ways to increase your power and effectiveness – 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 … I’d love to get started!

Find Time to Make Your Morning Ritual Sparkle (thetimefinder.com)
Find Time to Create a Morning Ritual: The Heart-Based Way to Start Your Day! (thetimefinder.com)
Find Time to Make Your Morning Ritual Truly Yours: More Time Tips (thetimefinder.com)
Find Time to Let Changes Change You, Too! (thetimefinder.com)

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Find Time to Really Do Your To Do List -3 Powerful Time Tips

Posted on July 20, 2011 by Paula, under Time Management Skills.

Finding time to complete the items on your to-do list is an ongoing challenge. Sometimes those lists become so challenging in and of themselves that we want to avoid them … and that’s not a good idea!

Have you run into problems with managing these lists for yourself? I have a friend who jots ideas and tasks on scraps of paper and sticky notes, putting them in her date book as the day goes on. she captures a lot of material that way, but, as you can probably imagine, by the end of most days that date book looks like it’s filled with confetti! Sometimes the notes fall out, or get covered by other notes.

So, yes, it’s a challenge to keep up with it all.

That’s why I encourage any and everyone to take time — even just five minutes — at the beginning and end of the day, to plan, prioritize/consolidate, and review your list (or lists).

Each piece of this process is important, so let’s focus on each separately with these 3 Powerful Time Tips:

Finding time to plan is like scanning the landscape from up in the air. You need to get the lay of the land, note any barriers, and decide on your route. Really, what you’re determining is how you’re going to travel through your day. This is the most important part of your process – without it you’ll be embarking on your journey without a compass– and I guarantee, you’re going to get lost!

When you’re navigating your day, it’s really important to know where you’re starting, where you want to end up, and the major intersections and turning points along the way.

Having a plan doesn’t mean that there won’t be a need to make changes as the day unfolds. It simply gives you a map. Ideally your map will include alternate routes for any unforeseen contingencies. You don’t need to go into a lot of detail about those routes, but it’s important (and reassuring) to know that they’re there.

And don’t forget the “Times 2 Rule” when you plan! No matter what the task, it’s good to assume that it will take at least twice as long as you predict. (And what a gift to yourself, if you end up with a little extra time at the end of the day!)

Finding time to prioritize and consolidate your tasks is another very helpful time management skill to develop. Again, you needn’t spend a lot of time on this. As you look at your plan for the day or your To Do List, highlight the three tasks that you absolutely want to accomplish on this day.

Also, if you’ve got any tasks that can easily be put together, be sure to connect them. This might include things like errands that involve stops close to one another, putting all of your computer-related tasks in the same time slot, etc.

And if you maintain your To Do List or Daily Plan on a computer you can rearrange your tasks as you consolidate and create your priorities. Having a clean list makes things a little easier and less stressful for yourself.

Last but not least, finding time to review at the end of the day is very important! It gives you an opportunity to tweak your to do list for the next day, adjust your priorities, reflect on any lessons learned, and let go of it all as you had to bed.

Letting go is a wonderful gift that this process allows you to give yourself. As your head hits the pillow, you can release any worries that you might be carrying, knowing that they are on your list and will be addressed in the morning. Your sleep will be more restful, and you’ll have more energy as your day begins!

So, are you ready to start really DOING what’s on your To Do List? Consider giving these 3 Powerful Time Tips a try … and I’d love to hear how it goes for you.

And here’s something more to consider. You can now access our Time Finder posts in real time … right on your Kindle. Try it out for 14 days FREE! You’ll receive new content wirelessly, on your Kindle, every time we post!

So, 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! Claim 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 …

Find Time for All the Colors in the Rainbow: A Time-Saving Tool (thetimefinder.com)
Find Time to Increase Your Productivity with this Cyber Monday Time Tool! (thetimefinder.com)
Remember The Milk – Forums / Tips & Tricks / Monk to Done, my GTD approach (rememberthemilk.com)
Find Time to Get to Your Goals the Flexible Way-3 Time Tips! (thetimefinder.com)

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Find Time to Step into Heart-Based Success!

Posted on May 30, 2011 by Paula, under Time and Values, Time Choices.

Finding time to move from where you are to where you would like to be is a good way to describe success. I like it because it’s a definition that emphasizes the step-by-step nature of the journey. It’s incremental – and that’s where the power lies!

And what better time to focus on this journey than on a day like today, as we pause on the cusp of summer, and as “Small Business Month” is winding down. A time for reflecting … and for making new beginnings.

When I think about what is involved in launching and sustaining a successful small business, I often think of a quote that Connie Ragen Green shared some time ago:

“If you’re willing to do for a year what others won’t, you can live for the rest of your life the way others can’t.”

Plugging away, step by step, is the bedrock of your successful, heart-based enterprise (or any enterprise, for that matter). And what makes heart-based success different is the added ingredient of stepping back and reflecting … always checking in with yourself to assure that your values and energies are in sync with what you do. It’s a dynamic, ever-evolving give-and-take between your mind, body, and spirit.

If you are a heart-based entrepreneur, your definition of success has to do with both doing and being – not just one, and not just the other. I am reminded of a wonderfully direct passage I read not too long ago on the Monday Morning Memo:

We stay too busy to think big thoughts. This frantic busyness, this voluntary slavery to the merely urgent is preferred, I think, because big thoughts make us realize that we are much smaller creatures than we like to pretend.

So heart-based success is measured both by persistence and courage. There’s the steadiness of sticking to the everyday tasks that must be done to thrive … and the brave willingness to think big thoughts – asking the tough questions and making the tough choices.

Are you inspired to find more time and increase your effectiveness, efficiency, enjoyment … and heart-based success?

Then, 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 harnessing the power of your mind, your body and your spirit to help you explore your patterns, clarify your values, identify and prioritize your goals … and create your path for achieving them.

The in depth interviews contained in this book provide practical and heart-based ideas to get you moving as you embrace yourself and your own uniqueness! As one reader has said:

In fostering a climate of ever-expanding and deepening discovery, Paula’s system offers solutions that are founded in self-knowledge. They have a resonance and a wisdom that I find to be very unusual in the time management sphere. Jordy Cornog, Canterbury, NH

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!

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 …

Find Time to Turn Your Fear Into a Path to Your Strength: Empower Yourself and Recharge Your Time! (thetimefinder.com)

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Find Time for January’s Time Finder Favorites … and Something Special!

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Paula, under Time After Time.

Finding time for the monthly ritual of reflecting back on last month’s top Time Finder posts is always something that I thoroughly enjoy. This month, it’s especially special for me, as I am also, today, launching a new book that I co-authored! It’s called Stepping Stones to Success … and I’ll share more about it in a second.

But first, January’s Top 5 Posts!

The most read post for January was our post titled Find Time to Collaborate Using Google Docs. As we noted in the post: “The ability to chat and/or see real-time edits to your documents (without having to refresh your screen) makes communication and collaboration so easy!” In addition, Google Docs makes simple file-sharing much easier.

Second on our list was another “Time and Technology” post titled Find Time to Extend Your Blog’s Reach with Tweet Old Post. Have you tried this Twitter tool yet? It offers a really easy way to keep your blog content circulating.

Another technical time-saving post came in at #3 on our list. Find Time to Drop Everything .. in Your Own Dropbox explores Dropbox and the ways you can use it to share material and save time.

Coming in at 4th and 5th on our list were a post titled Find Time to Explore Your Heart and Mind with Mindmapping and another titled Find Time for Some Writing Tips from Yours Truly in which I share about being a featured case study on the EzineArticles.com Blog … along with sharing some tips!

And now … as we enter a new month, I am really happy to share about my book launch!

Stepping Stones to Success addresses key life challenges and success solutions in areas like time management, life balance, and spiritual health. It includes chapters by 19 experts who “share strategies for mastering business, life, and relationships.” I am honored to be included among renowned authorities like Deepak Chopra, Jack Canfield, and Dr. Denis Waitley.

In my chapter “Secrets of Heart-Based Time Management“ I share my proven system for harnessing the power of your mind, your body and your spirit to help you identify and prioritize your goals and create your path for achieving them. I am so excited to offer this unique and actionable information to you!

Through February 21, we are offering Stepping Stones to Success to readers of The Time Finder for a special, low price. Don’t miss out – click this link to get the details!

The in depth interviews contained in this book provide practical and heart-based ideas to get you moving as you embrace yourself and your own uniqueness! Give yourself the gift of this wonderful resource today, and get started on your journey toward success in 2011, Stepping Stone by Stepping Stone …

Let’s explore time together …

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Find Time to Begin and Begin and Begin … and Then Begin Again!

Posted on December 30, 2010 by Paula, under Transitions and Time.

Finding time to make new beginnings is a refreshing and energizing way to approach the moments of your life. So often we think of our time as linear and static. But it really isn’t. Right down to the cellular level, we are in a constant rhythm of beginnings and endings … endings and beginnings. Breathing is an excellent and fundamental example of the taking in and letting go that forms the weave of our lives.

So, if you are attuned to them, new beginnings are everywhere! This coming Friday night marks the turning of the year around the globe – a transition that much of the world celebrates as a new start.

But what about this morning? Isn’t that a new start, too? Or how about the moment after a snowstorm, when the air has cleared and the sun breaks through, revealing a world transformed? What a nice opportunity to pause, stretch and welcome a new beginning!

Any transition point, large or small, offers an opportunity to go inside before stepping toward the new. How deeply and how long you want to explore is entirely up to you. The wonderful gift of this process is that the more you invest, the more you receive.

Whenever you choose to reflect on your values, goals, priorities and time choices, you are giving yourself the chance to form the most solid base possible for your new beginning. So why wait for particular dates to do that kind of personal reflecting?

If you accept that change really is a constant in your life and that transitions are happening all the time … then you start to see all sorts of opportunities to take a breath and … begin!

You can give yourself the gift of small rituals, throughout your day, to transition into new beginnings. How about this morning? Can you find time in there to reflect and welcome your brand new day? Or what about the time right before bed? Could you pause and check in with yourself then?

You have to stop before you can begin. Making a new beginning is always a refreshing and proactive choice you can make for yourself. The more you notice and honor the change taking place in your life, the more often you are able to pause, reflect, and begin again!

So, how often do you make new beginnings for yourself? It’s great to do it at the turning of the year … but how can you find more time for new beginnings in your life?

I hope this post was helpful, and would love to hear your experiences with this … and what you think!

Let’s explore time together …

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