template - 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 Give Yourself Traction AND Flexibility When Setting Goals!

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Paula, under Time Management Skills.

Finding time to set goals for yourself creates two states of mind that can improve your life whether you achieve your objectives or not. They are “awareness” and “flexibility”. Today I’d like to focus on the link between setting goals and “flexibility”.

If you’re like many, you may think that once a goal is set, it shouldn’t be changed. Do you see your only options as either achieving your goals or not? I think a lot of us do … but consider how dangerous it is to eliminate any middle ground.

You set yourself up to either succeed or fail. And since experience demonstrates that most goals are not achieved – or certainly not on the first try – you might begin to question the value of goal-setting. After all, why create a situation in which you are likely to end up feeling badly?

A good alternative approach for setting goals is to see them as a blueprint for what you wish to accomplish. Think about building a house … and all the small but significant changes that are made to the blueprint along the way! Setting personal and professional goals can be viewed just like that.

You create a frame that describes the desired results. Then, as you work toward your goal, you give yourself the flexibility to re-examine your original outcome and adjust it based on a new and more informed viewpoint. No one can know everything about a desired outcome before beginning to work on it.

So definitely continue to set goals. Acknowledge the value these goals have as a blueprint for accomplishing your objectives. At the same time, recognize that these goals, like a blueprint, probably will need to be adjusted, modified, or even changed as you begin to work toward them. Seeing that this flexibility is inherent in the process of goal-setting could change your entire attitude about setting goals in the first place. It definitely will enable you to avoid the discouraging pattern of either complete success or complete failure.

Best of all, having an attitude of reasonable flexibility can help you maintain your commitment, motivation, and enthusiasm as you work toward getting from where you are to where you want to be!

What is your next step to increase your effectiveness and find time? In 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 explore your patterns, clarify your values, 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!

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 … just click this link to get the details!

February is Time Management Month and every small business owner and work-from-home professional I know (including me) needs all the help we can get with effective time management! I am pleased to announce that, through the end of the month, you, and anyone you would like to pass this post along to, can get lots of FREE information and resources on time management from time management experts all across the country … including me! Just go to http://www.TimeManagementGiveaway.com and choose from a great collection of absolutely FREE gifts!

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 Revise A Holiday Tradition? Just Ask Paula!

Posted on November 30, 2010 by Paula, under Ask Paula.

Finding time to create templates so that you can efficiently follow through on your holiday tasks, routines, and traditions is an excellent, time-saving tool.

But how do you find time to keep your templates up-to-date? And what do you do when you want to revise them … but you’re not the only person affected? That’s exactly the question we recently received from Janet Smith, writing from Providence, RI:

Dear Paula,

I have really appreciated your posts and e-zine articles about how to use templates to move through the holidays with greater ease.

For several years now, I’ve been thinking about suggesting a change in one of our family rituals. This may bring up feelings for others, and it also would mean changing the templates.

How do you suggest I go about doing this?

Sincerely, Janet

This is a great question, not only for the Holiday Season but for any time that you are considering a change in a routine or tradition … a change that will involve others and which they are likely to have feelings and opinions about.

Dear Janet,

It is positive that you are willing and open to changing your holiday traditions. As our lives evolve, it is important to consider this possibility.

You are correct in noting that others are likely to have feelings about this. Any change in routine will generally bring up feelings – and that goes double (or maybe even triple) for the holidays.

So, one thing to consider is that it is helpful and important to not initiate a change right when the holidays are upon you and your family. Instead, I would suggest that you select a more neutral time – say, July – to propose any changes. This way, the emotions from the holiday season are less likely to interfere with making decisions.

When you propose your change, also solicit ideas from all who are involved. Make concrete suggestions about the changes you would like to see. Encourage feedback, discussion, and alternative proposals. And it is important that you do all of this with a genuinely open mind. The change that you have proposed may not, in the end, be the one that everyone agrees on. Will you be okay with this?

Once the changes are agreed upon, you can go ahead and modify your holiday template to reflect the new traditions.

I suggest that you also make copies of this template to share with interested family members. It will help confirm the consensus and prepare everyone for the new rituals.

Finally, please let me know how it goes for you – I’d love to hear! Hope this is helpful to you in your holiday planning, and throughout the year.

Warmest regards,

Paula

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 on November 16th. Dr. 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!

Let’s explore time together …

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Find Time to Get Your Seasonal Chores Done and Live These Fall Days Fully!

Posted on September 28, 2010 by Paula, under Time Management Skills, Transitions and Time.

Finding time to get it all done, while still appreciating and living each moment deeply is a challenge that we each face every day. Especially during times of transition – like the change from summer to fall – finding enough time to manage seasonal tasks, let go of summer, AND enjoy the special moments that autumn brings can seem like an impossible combination of tasks.

This is where task templates can really help you. They are simple, flexible systems for managing your time and shaping your schedule. They help you avoid reinventing the wheel for recurring chores, freeing up precious time for other activities that you value while assuring that you get the things done that you need to do.

These templates capitalize on one of the things that your mind does best – create patterns. Your templates put everything in front of you quickly and clearly, freeing you to launch into action. And that frees up your time.

Any repetitive activity with multiple steps can be streamlined with task templates. Use them as a framework for your activities, giving yourself a simple outline for your projects that you can refer to time after time. For example, they can help you with the kinds of chores that you need to do every fall, like:

Putting away summer clothes and getting out winter wear
Preparing garden beds for winter
Getting ready for school
Prepping your space for winter
Other activities like putting summer garden tools away, harvesting and preserving garden produce, stacking firewood, etc.

Getting started with templates is easy. Follow this template for template-making, adapt it to your needs (that’s always first and foremost), and see how much time you save.

List activities or projects where a template would be helpful to you, using the examples above for a guide.
Select one project you’d like to work with first.
Jot down each activity associated with this project. Include any supplies you will need, and order the activities chronologically.
Place all the task templates you create in a loose-leaf notebook or in a dedicated file on your desktop so that they’re easily accessible.
Review your task templates to see if important areas have been overlooked. Revise them as you use them, and then save your new-and-improved templates for the next time you need them.

Task templates are infinitely flexible systems. The more you use them, the more constructive uses you’ll imagine, the more confidence you’ll have in them and in yourself, and the more time you’ll find for what matters most to you! Give it a try, and let me know how it goes for you … I’d love to hear!

Let’s explore time together …

And to explore your Inner Wisdom with some of the time you find, sign up and give yourself the gift of the FREE MP3 of the most recent interview in my Finding Time EducationRich and HeartBased Teleseries! Just click this link to sign up for Activating Your Inner Wisdom: How to Bring Joy and Success into Your Life – my interview with Soulful Coach Joanna Lindenbaum, and we’ll send you an e-mail with a link to the audio!

When you listen to your wise voice, your time choices will be more closely aligned with your values – you’ll see!

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Find Time to Flow as You Move Through Seasonal (or Daily) Transitions

Posted on May 26, 2010 by Paula, under Transitions and Time.

Finding time to move skillfully through transitions requires that we use a variety of time management tools. And happily, moving through transitions is something that often gets easier and easier with mindful practice.

If you step back and think about it, we humans are really in a constant state of transition, as is our environment. Right now the moon is waxing toward fullness, and spring is moving toward summer in the northern hemisphere … while the opposite is occurring in the south. Here in New Hampshire, our gardens are being planted, birds are nesting, and students are graduating into new life stages.

This morning, as thousands of people on the East Coast of the United States get themselves ready to make the daily transition from breakfast tables to work or school, births and deaths are also occurring in lives all around the world. Time holds all of this – the most profound and the most mundane moments – in its flow. I find this so fascinating!

While some transitions are mundane, others are joyful, and some evoke grief. Here are 3 things you can keep in mind for all of them:

All transitions involve a letting go, and an acceptance of the new. Fighting the flow simply won’t work!
For transitions that are predictable (like seasonal changes), developing and using templates can be very helpful. You can build on your templates year after year, enhancing your efficiency as well as your ability to appreciate and flow with the transitions you can expect.
Marking transitions mindfully helps you to feel their importance and deepen your experience of them. When you think about it, every transition is important and worthy of respectful attention. When you honor your transitions you honor yourself and your life.

How do you deal with change and transition in your life? Was this helpful? Please feel invited to drop me a line – I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences!

Let’s explore time together …

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Find Time to Plan (Especially if Schedules Bring Out the Rebel in You)!

Posted on March 17, 2010 by Paula, under Time and Energy.

Finding time for scheduling and planning can be difficult. I was witness to a very interesting group discussion recently, in which the words scheduling and planning were pivotal. It quickly became clear that for many in the group, the word that they chose was key in determining how they responded to the task they were presenting themselves with.

Do you experience different responses with the words plan and schedule? How do they resonate for you?

Try this quick exercise — write schedule at the top of a column, and then quickly fill your page with word associations. What comes up? Then do the same for the word plan. What comes up for that word?

Look at your two lists. What’s the feel of them? How do you respond? What’s the impact on your energy and attitude?

Maybe if schedules make you feel rebellious it’s a set up to keep putting yourself on one! How does it feel if you call it a plan?

It was true for many in the group that following through on a plan felt very different, and much more positive and doable than following through on a schedule. The latter brought up feelings of constriction, control, and ultimately of rebelliousness.

I suggest that you try using this exercise with other things, too … especially if you find yourself stuck! The words that we use are important and it really, really helps to pay attention to them.

If you’re getting nowhere with something, think about what you’re calling it. You may be surprised at what you find, and at how quickly you can turn things around for yourself. Give it a try, and let me know how it goes - I’d love to hear!

Let’s explore time together …

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Find Time to Enjoy Whatever Your Day Brings

Posted on February 17, 2010 by Paula, under Time and Energy.

Finding time to appreciate what your day brings your way can be a challenge sometimes – but it’s well worth the effort!

As those who know me are pretty well aware, to say that I’m not a big fan of snow would be a bit of an understatement! It invariably throws schedules out of whack, makes it more difficult to get around, and adds layers of new complication to many daily tasks around the farm.

So, yesterday, as I watched the snow fall outside my office window, I had the opportunity to stretch, be creative, and find things to appreciate about this new development. I even started a list and quickly came up with three plusses!

Of course, there’s no denying the pristine beauty that new snow brings as it transforms the landscape.
I also love the incredible quiet, as the flakes drift to earth. Time seems to slow down … and the silence is peaceful.
One of my coaching clients was delayed – a glitch that, I realized, provided me with an unexpected opportunity to work on my upcoming teleclass. (It’s on March 3 at 7PM ET – stay tuned for more information soon!)

Having made my brief list, I could feel my mood lighten considerably as I turned from annoyance and frustration with reality toward acceptance and appreciation. What a difference that small pause made in the quality of my energy as I embarked on the rest of my afternoon and evening!

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 …

Paula's Signature

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