Finding time and breaking out of time traps can require all of your ingenuity. This is especially true when your to-do list is overflowing, projects await your attention, and pressures mount. Sometimes stepping back briefly, taking a breath, and finding a fresh approach works wonders.
Identify time traps…
So, are you tripping yourself up as you go about your business each day? Remember those Time Gremlins that we were discussing a few weeks ago? Well, they often hold the key when you are feeling frustrated, stressed, and stymied at every turn. As you know, they’re crafty critters. So can catching one of your Time Gremlins in the act actually help you identify your time traps and illusions? The answer is a resounding yes!
When you find that your plans and projects consistently encounter roadblocks, striving to work harder or faster may not be the solution. In fact, zeroing in on a Time Gremlin as your first step can show you exactly where to direct your energies. Then, as you get yourself unstuck and start moving again, you’ll work more efficiently and effectively. You’ll also have the added bonus of having deepened and revised your understanding of yourself and of the world around you
How good are your maps?
You see, we all find our way through life using our hand-drawn maps that we’ve developed through experience. Quite often our maps reflect distortions from our earliest years.
That’s why it is so helpful to take a closer look and pinpoint where your obstacles begin. Chances are that your life map needs some redrawing. Bringing it up to date does wonders to keep you on track and reduce your Time Gremlin’s power over your life!
What kinds of mapping errors am I talking about? It might be something as profound as trying to live your life by another’s values … or it might be as simple as lessons you learned from your older sister about catching the school bus.
Time traps in your life…
Let’s say you always arrive 15 minutes late to an important meeting, even after making careful preparations.
- Are there lessons about timeliness or lateness that you’ve carried with you from your earliest years? Are you complying with those lessons? Rebelling? Once you identify the Time Gremlin that’s involved here (i.e. the baggage that you bring to the situation) it’s much easier to look at the “nuts and bolts” and solve your time problem.
- Practically speaking, it’s quite likely that you underestimated the time you needed for one or more preliminary tasks. You might try listing each step. Jot down how much time you think each will take. Then try timing yourself. Do this a few times, and compare your estimate with reality.
By letting go of how long something “should” take, and replacing it with how long it truly does take, you improve your chances of staying on course. This is simple, practical and quite effective!
Here’s more help:
Would you like to continue to address your time challenges so that you can find time to break out of your time traps and increase your focus, productivity … 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!
And even more…
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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