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 with Enriching Experiments Using Soft Deadlines

Posted on May 23, 2012 by , under Time Priorities.

Finding time includes expanding how you use and enjoy your time. After all, if you find new ways to appreciate your moments and enhance your effectiveness within the same 24 hours, the quality of your life is improved!

So today I’ll return to the theme of soft deadlines. As you recall, we’ve discussed that soft deadlines are basically “pre-deadlines” that you aim for. If you focus on meeting your soft deadline, small delays won’t force you to collide, unprepared, with a hard, final deadline. You might think of soft deadlines as workable boundary challenges.

With soft deadlines you give yourself room to experiment. And as you explore this tool, you can fine tune what works for you.  Play with the ways you use soft deadlines and make a note of your successes so you can repeat them.

As you get the hang of using soft deadlines you’ll noticeably lower your stress. And that means you’ll bring more curiosity and zest to upcoming projects. No matter how you look at it, soft deadlines make time management much easier!

So, here are 5 Tips to Help You Set Successful Soft Deadlines.  The next time you create a soft deadline, ask yourself:

  • What is your personal history with meeting deadlines? If you habitually drag your heels for any reason, build in buffer time to help overcome your resistance.
  • How familiar is this task? Since new projects always require more time, use the “times two” rule. Double your time estimate, to allow for your learning curve and build your soft deadlines around that estimate.
  • How easily can your project be derailed? Are you squeezing a big enterprise into an already full space? Expect spillover and schedule accordingly!
  • How many people’s support do you depend on to accomplish your project?  Add more time as the number of dependencies increases.
  • What will happen if you don’t meet your final deadline?  Remember – you create your soft deadline to set up a safety zone to protect you from painful outcomes.

As you add to your prioritizing skills by adding soft deadlines, see how they guide you through the day.

So, 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!

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Find Time by Factoring Dependencies Into Collaboration: Increase Your Priority Power™

Posted on May 9, 2012 by , under Time Management Skills, Time Priorities.

Finding time requires working in collaboration sometimes. And working closely with others can be complicated; there are lots of variables to consider.

So, to combine forces as effectively as possible, try thinking in terms of dependencies.  When you do, your Priority Power™ will rise appreciably.

Is “dependency” in project management a term that you’re familiar with?

Basically, when an enterprise you’re engaged in calls for collaboration, the “dependency” is someone outside of your immediate work group who plays an essential role in your achieving your goals. When you prioritize tasks, dependencies must be factored in and accounted for.

Let’s say, for example, that you work closely with a number of different departments at your job. You establish a working budget for each quarter, and the finance department supplies you with the figures. Since they usually take four weeks to gather and compile the necessary data, you prioritize your request and make it well in advance of your due date. This way, you get the data you need with time to spare.

And of course, others depend on YOU, too.

Maybe it’s your daughter, who counts on you to create her costume for the school play. To be ready to play her part, she depends on you to do yours.  And, without a second thought, you give this task top priority. Your openhearted commitment to support your child, and her reliance upon you, establish this project’s high priority as you plan your week.

So try consciously welcoming dependencies as you frame your collaborative work.  See how your productivity increases with every incremental step forward.

Notice, too, how your greater sensitivity to others’ schedules and needs creates more flow and good will. That is a time-enhancer that not only makes you more efficient and effective, but also adds quality and inner quietude to your busy day.

So, 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!

 

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Find Time Using Soft Deadlines

Posted on May 8, 2012 by , under Time Management Skills, Time Priorities.

Finding time by using Priority Power™ is empowering, energizing, and adds flow as you navigate your day.  As you work with your time priorities, soft deadlines are a particularly useful tool.

“Soft deadlines?  That sounds like an oxymoron!  What are they?” you ask.

Soft deadlines are due dates that you set for yourself, ahead of whatever your final deadlines may be.  You can think of them as brightly colored buoys bobbing over rocks and shoals, marking the entrance to your harbor.

These are friendly deadlines that serve a twofold purpose:

  • They help you spot potential snags and
  • They tell you when you are nearing home!

Your soft deadlines give you the chance to plan that much earlier for what’s coming up.  And that planning makes your progress that much safer and more pleasurable.

Completing a task prior to the last minute not only supports your success – it also enhances your flexibility. Sudden changes and unexpected glitches won’t throw you when you routinely provide yourself with earlier, soft deadlines. You’ll find it easier to tie up loose ends and handle the unanticipated when you give yourself that cushion.

Ready to start?

Try creating some soft deadlines for your most significant tasks. Mark them in your calendar, and consider writing all soft deadlines in one color, and adding the hard deadlines in another to easily distinguish between the two. Then practice focusing on the soft deadline, so that you create some spaciousness in your schedule.

More spaciousness equals less stress, and a deeper capacity to enjoy the moment you are in.  Now, that’s Priority Power™!

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!

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Finding Time by Viewing Deadlines Through Fresh Eyes

Posted on May 2, 2012 by , under Time and Energy, Time Priorities.

Finding time to actively welcome and appreciate each moment can liven up your day.  And something as simple as changing how you view deadlines can help.

So, if you feel haunted by the upcoming red circles on your calendar, how about trying a fresh way of working with them?  Approaching your deadlines differently and concluding your tasks in a timely manner definitely regenerates your Priority Power™.

Let’s start with the basics in your approach to your deadlines.  First and foremost, “deadlines” sound so … dead.  I prefer to think of them as “due dates”, instead.

What a positive re-framing of the concept.  Each completed task not only marks the end of something – it also “births” new possibilities!

Notice how planning for “due dates” can help you focus with anticipation, not dread. This powerful-yet-simple renaming encourages you to stay on task and also to think ahead to the next chapter of your work.

When your goal is something that you view as positive, then obstacles (including distractions that appeal to you) become impediments that keep you from something you desire.  Each time a temptation threatens your success, it becomes easier to steer clear.  And procrastination becomes less of an issue, too – because you have prioritized your projects, charted a destination and developed a clear and positive path to follow to success.

Are there time topics that you’d like to read more about here?  Please feel invited to drop me a line – I’d love to hear from you and serve your time finding needs!

So, 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!

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Finding Time for Decisiveness and Productivity with Priority Power™

Posted on April 25, 2012 by , under Time Choices, Time Priorities.

Finding time and using it well becomes so much easier when you are clear about your priorities and give yourself permission to be decisive about following through on them.  That’s what I call Priority Power™!

What needs to change from day to day?  What’s indispensable?

You see, the power lies entirely in your hands.  You’re the one who decides.  And it’s a back-and-forth process, in that your decisions shape your priorities, and then your priorities can skillfully shape future decisions.

Building Priority Power™ can help you right from square one, as you create an ideal start to your day.  With your priorities in place, you know your path and everything that’s likely to be on it. Even setbacks and surprises feel more manageable, because you’re familiar with the factors you need to weigh.

Sounds rewarding, doesn’t it?

Prioritizing is a Heart-Based Time Management™ Tool. It links your heart, your mind, and your responsiveness to ongoing change. Here are some benefits you enjoy when you proactively and consistently prioritize:

  • You feel safe.  When you calmly weigh your options, your time choices are grounded and realistic.
  • You feel relaxed.  When your priorities are clear, you have made your peace with what comes first and what might need to wait.
  • Your time is uncluttered.  When you prioritize, you simplify. The more you exercise decisiveness, the stronger your “prioritizing muscles” become.
  • You feel confident.  Your skill at prioritizing helps you stay nimble as new situations arise.
  • You experience inner abundance.  You know, right down to your toes, that fulfillment arises from heart-based prioritizing. So you commit to use your time accordingly.

In upcoming posts, we’ll explore other aspects of Priority Power™ and how you can positively enjoy its role in your life! And, in the meantime, I’d love to know how you increase your decisiveness and productivity?  Are there particular practices or tools that you find helpful?

And are there time topics that you’d like to read more about here?  Please feel invited to drop me a line – I’d love to hear from you and serve your time finding needs!

So, 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!

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Finding Time to Stop Living Someone Else’s Life

Posted on February 29, 2012 by , 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.

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 …

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Find Time Make a Commitment to Love Your Business

Posted on February 15, 2012 by , under Time Choices, Time Priorities.

I’m so pleased, today, to share a guest post by Ideapreneur™, Entrepreneur, and Creator of Your Brand in Bloom, Ally Piper … enjoy!

Love was in the air yesterday!  But do you love your business?

As a small business owner, your relationship with your business is important to your success. But unlike the attention we give our personal relationships (especially on days like Valentine’s Day) we often ignore the critical elements in our business that will help us get ahead and create the life we dream of … by getting busy in the day-to-day activities.

How often do you take time away from working IN your business to work ON your business? It’s easy to get caught up in what you think you should do versus what you need to be doing as the owner/entrepreneur. If you’re not familiar with this concept you need to read Michael Gerber’s The E-Myth Revisited. It will open your eyes. More than likely you spend most of your time as a technician working in your business instead of as an entrepreneur controlling the big vision and working on your business.

Your time away from the day-to-day activates should allow you time to plan, get inspired and learn new things. And I’ve found no better way to do that than by learning from other successful people!

In fact, I’m such a believer in learning from others that I have created a free telesummit happening this week designed especially for women in business called Your Brand in Bloom.

I created Your Brand in Bloom because while building my successful marketing business I ended up creating a J–O–B and I found the other business owners I admired had this “behind the scenes magic” that I needed to know more about. I understood marketing, but this was more than that. This was about giving myself and my business the attention it deserved so I could create the life I wanted, the business that supported it … and thrive.

And when I was struggling with productivity (who doesn’t?!), I found Paula. Her Finding Time Tips were practical and completely doable. It wasn’t about adding one more thing to my already busy plate. It was about actually finding time!

Give your business the gift of love this week. You can listen in for free as I interview 14 successful women in business about topics like personal branding, leadership, style health and wellness and more. On Friday, Paula will join me to talk about How to Jump-Start Your Creative Productivity™ Today: Unlock Your Heart-Based Power.

I hope you’ll join us!

Meet Ally Piper

Ally Piper is an Ideapreneur™ + Marketing Director for nonprofits and small businesses on a mission. She helps her clients turn napkin notes into marketing plans and take advantage of high-impact, low-cost marketing methods to build buzz and get noticed. Read her blog at www.BrightIdeasForBiz.com.

Ally is also an entrepreneur, wife, sister, daughter and mother (to three furkids!), blogger, recovering workaholic and all around busy woman who is always trying to find a balance between success at work and the realities life throws at you. Get FREE registration to her Your Brand in Bloom Telesummit happening Feb. 13-17.

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Find Time for Gifts, Gratitude, and One Timely Tip for Busy Times

Posted on November 15, 2011 by , under Time and Energy, Time Priorities.

What a busy time of year we are entering!  Yesterday I shared about all the exciting gifts you can give yourself by participating in Melissa McCreery’s “Too Much on Her Plate Week!“  And today I have another event to share with you.

I am so excited to be participating in the Day of Gratitude Blog Summit hosted by Joanna Lindenbaum! I hope you’ll check out my post, which was published yesterday.  It’s titled “Find Time to Walk, Live and Breathe to the Beat of Gratitude.”  The Blog Summit started on 11/10 and culminates on Friday, November 18th with The Gratitude Project.

The Gratitude Project is a full day of exercises and rituals based on Gratitude.  When you sign up to participate you will learn how to tap into heart-centered and consistent gratitude in your life … one of the key ingredients to success.  Remember – the Blog Summit will be going all week at … and The Gratitude Project starts at 9 AM EST on November 18th.  Activities run for the first 10 minutes of every hour on the hour until 4pm EST.  Here’s the schedule for the day (all times EST).  I know I will be calling in, and hope you will, too!

  • 9:00 – 9:10am: Opening Ritual
  • 10:00 – 10:10am: Mental Gratitude
  • 11:00 – 11:10am: Emotional Gratitude
  • 12:00 – 12:10pm: Heart Gratitude
  • 1:00 – 1:10pm: Body Gratitude
  • 2:00 – 2:10pm: Voice Gratitude
  • 3:00 – 3:10pm: Spirit Gratitude
  • 4:00 – 4:10pm: SURPRISE and Closing Ritual

And now for your timely tip.  This will come in handy during the busy holiday season that’s approaching … and really any time.

Time management skills usually work best when you’re familiar with your time demands and your terrain.  But during this time of year, routines are often disrupted and things are in flux.

At times like that you may not know what your top priorities are at any given moment. In addition, when others’ priorities are also clamoring for attention, recognizing your top priorities may become even more complicated.

Recently I was reviewing some of our Finding Time Tips, and came upon this one, which I think will be helpful. Try it out in situations where you’re not sure how to resolve your time priority conflicts:

Tip:  Compassionate curiosity can clarify priority conflicts in your schedule.

Action Step:  Identify which time choices reflect your ambivalence about what matters most, and invite a friendly “conversation” amongst your options to arrive at a satisfying resolution.

I’d love to hear what happens when you try this tip and action step. For me, when I initiate one of those internal “conversations” and bring plenty of compassionate curiosity, I am often surprised by the wealth of unexpected, helpful information that I receive!

Here’s another idea for taking your next step. Sign up for our free gift, “The New Finding Time Boundary Template: 9 Simple, Sequential Steps to Find More Time and Recharge Your Energy!”

This time template will help you move beyond overwhelm, disappointment, and frustration. Using a workbook format, with room to record your answers, you will discover that 24 hours really are enough!

 

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Find Time to Create a Goal-Setting Mindset to Achieve Success: 3 Timely Tips

Posted on July 7, 2011 by , under Time and Values, Time Priorities.

Finding time for goal-setting is a key to your success, whether it’s in your business or personal life.  In order to do that, it’s important to sift out your top priorities … so reflection is key, at numerous points in the goal-setting process.

It’s not just the content or your goals that bear reflection.  For your energy to be in sync with your time priorities and time choices, it’s important that your goals be connected to your core values.  That’s a big part of what Heart-Based Time Management is all about.

So, let’s step back and take a look at your goal-setting process.  To ensure that you’re setting goals in the most helpful and heart-connected frame of mind, you can use the following tips:

  1. For starters, ask yourself:  How much time have you actually spent creating a clear picture of what you want and why you want it? If you have not seriously reflected upon this important question, or if your idea of what you want changes frequently, your goals will be written in sand. Give yourself the gift of taking 15 minutes a day for one week to think about what you truly want and why you want it. Jot down notes. At the end of the week, you will be ready to engage in goal-setting that will truly represent how you picture your ideal life.  And, not only that but by connecting more deeply with your heart-based values, you will have created the motivation to achieve those goals.

  2. Building on Tip #1, examine the outcome you have defined to ensure that it’s realistic. You may find that you need to do some more specific goal-setting.  Or maybe you need to modify your goals to make them come alive in your mind.  Making sure that your goals are both achievable and energizing (i.e. heart-based) will go a long way toward assuring that you achieve them!

  3. Cultivate awareness. This valuable state of mind is encouraged by your goal-setting activities and can dramatically improve your life. Make a habit of looking at your core, heart-based goals at least once or twice a day. You may find it helpful to use a timer to set aside 5-10 minutes on waking up … or before going to bed … to focus on this. Whenever you choose to do it, this discipline will help to ensure a constant state of awareness of your goal, and of why you want to achieve it.  This, in turn, helps shape your activities and offers fuel for your energy and motivation.

Bonus Tip:   Once you’ve thoroughly assimilated your goal, you’re ready to work backwards. Working backwards as you take steps to actualize your goal will prevent you from falling into the common trap of making action steps too big.  As you do this, be sure to document each action step you need to take to be where you want to be.

What’s your next step in making goal-setting a part of your success mindset?  How can I help?  Drop me a line – I’d love to hear from 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 …

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Finding Time to Align Your Priorities with Your Deepest Values

Posted on September 14, 2010 by , under Time Choices, Time Priorities.

Finding time to make choices that are in sync with your heart can be a challenge in the midst of the clamor of competing demands and responsibilities.

Who and what do you listen to, when you are setting your priorities?  And do you set priorities at all?

These are good questions to ask yourself periodically.  Be sure to ask them in a non-judgmental way, so that the answers you receive are honest and open.

You may well find, when you explore your answers to these questions, that you are living your life reactively.  That means that your priorities and time choices are shaped by the demands of the day … not by a course that you have set for yourself.

It’s easy to slip into living this way.  Indeed, the busier we are, the more likely it is that this will happen.  And the end result is that we may be very “productive.”  We may be churning out lots of work and ticking things off of our To Do Lists.  But when we turn out the light at night, we feel exhausted, empty and unfulfilled.

It isn’t an oversimplification to say that this is how you’re going to feel when your time choices are not connected with your values.  Like driving your car when it is out of alignment, this is very wearing and inefficient.  The moving parts aren’t working in sync and, in fact, are sometimes working at odds with each other.

With your car, a trip to the shop is in order, to get everything back into alignment.  For us, it’s not a visit to the shop that’s needed, but a pause to connect with our values and inner wisdom.

It’s so vital to create the space in our lives to quietly listen to that voice – the Wise Inner Voice that can get lost in the noise and bustle of each day.  You know when you hear it and you know when you are living from its deep energy and power.

How do you know? Your activities and choices have a congruence that flows and you end each day feeling grateful and fulfilled – even in the midst of challenges.

The key is to listen to yourself and activate the powerful alignment between who you are and what you do.  What’s different is that you in sync with yourself and are joyfully living your very own life!

Want to explore your Wise Inner Voice more fully? Join us at 7PM TONIGHT for Activating Your Inner Wisdom: How to Bring Joy and Success into Your Life – the next interview in my Finding Time EducationRich and HeartBased Teleseries!  I’ll be speaking with Soulful Coach Joanna Lindenbaum – and you won’t want to miss it.

Sign up and join us for this free, info-packed teleclass! When you listen to that wise voice inside, the sky’s the limit!

PS Even if you can’t be there on Tuesday, sign up and we’ll send you the free MP3 when it’s ready.

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 Today: Move Some Priorities to the Bottom of Your List!

Posted on August 20, 2010 by , 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 , under Time and Energy, Time Choices, Time Priorities.

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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