Tag: Time Management

The Holidays Are Here. Don’t Say You Didn’t Know.

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Here’s a head’s up – the holidays are here. Don’t say you didn’t know.  And Do not allow your procrastination to create emergencies for others.

I know the holidays are busy, but on December 23rd, you are not allowed to freak out and cause other people angst of any kind.  Not your family members or the poor unsuspecting store clerk who gets stuck waiting on the cranky-freaked-out you or your loved one who doesn’t receive the really nice gift they deserve.  If you don’t plan ahead now and take care of business, you don’t get to be crabby, or whine that the holidays just crept up on you and now you are too busy to get things done.

However, if someone else’s lack of planning causes you stress, you have my permission to say “No” to bailing them out, or at least expect a little something extra in your stocking for your troubles. 🙂

I was at Mass this weekend, and two of the three scripture readings said “Wake Up! Be Alert!  Be Prepared!”  Now is the time to wake up. Now is the time to prepare.  So let’s go!  Here is some tough love, friends.  You can get everything done, yes you can.  But you have to start now and you have to keep moving.

Take a couple of deep breaths, remind yourself It’s all Baby Bear, and get busy.

  1. Make a Plan – There is still time.  State your purpose.  Schedule the big stuff, put the events and necessary tasks on the calendar, assume that you will need to step up your usual pace for a few days to get things started.
  2. (Here is my purpose:  I am celebrating the gift of the Birth of our Savior.  I will open my home and heart to friends, family and strangers.  I will remember that the gift of my time      is the most unique gift I can give to friends, family and strangers, and plan accordingly.  I will give of myself and my resources joyfully, in the example of God and Jesus.  My mantra remains God, Family & Community.)
  3. Santa was right – make a list.  Make that list and check it twice.  As I sit here writing this, random ideas are popping into my head.  Work related – follow up with that client, remember to (fill in blank here). Holiday related – text sister-in-law about gift idea for (insert name here).  If it’s a quick task, do it.  It if requires a little more time, put it on the list.  Keep those ideas from getting lost, and then act on them.
  4. If you have something you need to do, Do It Today.  For goodness sake, why would you wait?  If you have the idea, and a little bit of time, take action!  Make the phone call, order the gift, run the errands, hang the lights, etc. Do it today.
  5. Do Good.  Donate your time or money or stuff to a worthy cause.  It is always the right time to do Good.
  6. Be prepared.  But be prepared to be surprised.  Prepare for work and life and the holidays, but expect that the unexpected will happen in the next month.  There will be big and little emergencies and surprises.  Prepare as much as you can, but expect pitfalls.
  7. Go to bed on time (Click here for my friend Erin Dubich’s Facebook page for more motivation:  https://www.facebook.com/erindubichnutrition.  And get out of bed on time.
  8. Make a January List.  There are already a number of tasks on my to-do list that I realize I won’t get to until the New Year.  So I’ve moved those tasks to January already, to clear more space in December.

Get busy, friends, get things done and make some progress towards great holidays this week!

Quiet That Critic In Your Head. It’s All Baby Bear.

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Ya’ know – Baby Bear?  From Goldilocks and the Three Bears?  Baby Bear’s chair was not too hard, not too soft. His porridge?  Not too cold, not too hot.  His bed?  Not too big, not too small.  It was all Just Right.

Baby-Polar-BearAre you feeling things a little too strongly lately, or maybe not enough?  Or perhaps some days it feels like time is just dragging, and then suddenly deadlines or holidays loom up right in front of us?

Hang out with me this week in Baby Bear – It’s all Just Right.

You see, my mind was swirling last week, spinning wildly through to-do lists and client projects and kid activities.  My nagging internal voice kept whispering “there’s not enough time, you haven’t done enough, you’ve done too much, you’re going to be late, what did you do… blah, blah, blah.”  Swirl, swirl, swirl.

The everyday demands of work, home, family and health are enough to keep us busy most days, but then toss in the extra thoughts – albeit good and wonderful thoughts –  about travels and holidays and special meals and logistics, and, well, your brain may be swirling too.  Is it?

It’s OK, friend.  Everything will be fine.  It’s all Baby Bear, Just Right.

Looking at the story, of course we want to be Baby Bear!  Papa Bear was big, gruff and cranky, from sitting on a hard chair and eating overly hot porridge.  Mama Bear was sort of mushy, from sitting in a squishy chair and eating cold porridge.  And Goldilocks was the worst house guest ever: ate all the food, broke stuff, took a nap and then ran screaming out the front door.

Yep. Baby Bear had it right.  Say it with me.  It’s all Baby Bear.  It will all be Just Right.

Now, don’t misunderstand me:  I am NOT suggesting that the next month or 6 weeks will be all sunshine and lollipops and sugar-plum fairies.  No way.  Some days we will be cranky like Papa Bear, or squishy like Mama Bear.  We may even break stuff, need a nap or run screaming from the room like Goldilocks.  If we allow it, our internal critic will whisper words to trip us up, and diminish our joy and purpose this Holiday season.

But we can remind ourselves that every day is a mix of hard and soft, cold and hot, big and small.  That’s life and there is no way around it.

And let me suggest – be grateful for the ups and downs and all-arounds this season.  A friend got a flat tire this morning on the way to church.  And when I saw her, she said she was ready to cry.  But cry tears of joy, because as she was calling friends to help, a tow truck pulled up behind her, the driver helped her with her tire, and got her on her way with a “God Bless You”.  God is so good.  See, it really can be All Baby Bear, Just Right.

So, change your internal critic’s monologue.  Or play Christmas carols so loud you can’t hear that insidious whisper.  You DO have enough time, you CAN get the important stuff done.  You might be late, but is that so bad?  You ARE smart enough, skinny enough, talented enough, wonderful enough.

Take a couple of deep cleansing breaths and tell that critic’s voice in your head that sounds remarkably like you to back off, get lost and let you get to work.

It’s all Baby Bear.  Things will turn out Just Right.

Healthy Time Management: 10 tips in 5 Minutes or Less

breakfast2The Holidays are a wonderful time of year!  Unless you come down with a cold or flu, and then you’re miserable, regardless of the decorations and parties.  Your best time management would be to not get sick or rundown this time of year, right?!

I worked with a very wise client today – one of the first goals she mentioned is “making time for self care around the holidays”.  Awesome!!!

Make room in your schedule for these healthy habits.  Use your time better, be organized and less stressed, feel and live better.

  1. Drink a large glass of ice-cold water every morning when you wake up, to stay hydrated and boost your metabolism.
  2. Make a habit (maybe buy a pill sorter?) to regularly take your medications and supplements – with breakfast?  Dinner?  At bedtime?  Just make the habit.
  3. Clean out your briefcase, stand straighter and travel lighter.  Clean out the backpack, handbag, etc.  Pare down to what you really need.
  4. Strapped for time in the morning?  Grab a healthy and portable breakfast, like an apple and granola bar, on your way out the door.
  5. Pack your lunch – saves money, saves time, is much healthier!
  6. Every week, grab an antibacterial wipe and wipe down your computer area, keyboard, desk phone and cell phone.  And if you or people around you are sick, do it every day!
  7. Grab your calendar, and make your medical appointments for your annual physical and screenings, and twice annual dental visit.
  8. Take the stairs / park farther from the door
  9. Floss.
  10. Go to bed.  Early.  You know you want to, so just go to bed!  You’ll feel better, be more productive and more positive tomorrow!

Use your time better, feel better, live better – Enjoy!

What will you do with the next 8 weeks, the final months of 2013 (no pressure!)?

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hourglass-hiThis article is not about the holidays.  Nope.  Not shopping, turkey or decorations.  Clear those from your minds

This is all about you.  You.  What will You do with the rest of Your year?

I attended a workshop this past weekend, where I met wonderful women doing great things,  explored creative writing and encountered inspiration!  One article our speaker mentioned was “The Final Stretch of 2013: Three Questions to Ask Yourself” (www.eatyourcareer.com) .

The three questions are:

  1. What have I accomplished so far?
  2. If I had to choose just two priorities for the rest of the year (one personal and one professional), what would they be?
  3. What intention do I want to set for the next two months?

So……

Accomplishments so far?  (This is often really tough for people.)

Recall your new year’s resolutions, if you can.  I won’t share my whole January self’s list, but I am proud of what I have accomplished this year:

      I raised over $1,000 for children’s cancer research by shaving my head for St. Baldrick’s, and registered to be a bone marrow donor through Be the Match (www.BeTheMatch.org).  I went “back to school”, taking coaching classes to expand my mind, business and skill set.  I met with and shopped with a wardrobe consultant.  I said yes to people and invitations. I’ve worked regularly with my accountability partner to move my business forward in great ways.

Next – Priorities and intentions.  These are very important, but you have to determine these for yourself.  Let me share a few suggestions, to help You determine Your priorities and intentions:

  1. Turn your thinking around.  My client today admitted to fearing the unknown. Just last week, a client, making a huge life transition, was fearful of ‘what could happen’.  She stated “This could be the worst situation ever.”  But it’s the ‘unknown’, right?  Which means it could also be the best, most amazing situation ever.  We just don’t know.  So let’s assume the best for a change.
  2. Find self-care that works for you.  I’ll never tell you to take a bubble bath, drink more wine or carve out “me” time.  Look instead for small and regular moments to nurture your spirit.  A friend mentioned getting together with friends to put together a self-care calendar for the next few months.  Just meeting with friends would count, right?!  Personally, I head to a local coffee shop and spend an hour with pen and paper, letting creative ideas flow.  And in this moment, I promise myself that I will blow off an afternoon and see a movie in the next 8 weeks, something that no one else in my house would ever see.   And I’ll eat all the popcorn myself.
  3. Who do you want to spend time with?  Spend the time.  Honey, can we watch more movies together?  Watching the scary one last night, and having you laugh when I hid my face behind a blanket made me laugh, too.  We need to do that more often.
  4. Get connected.  The word “connected” keeps coming up.  Listen to it.  Reach out to a friend you’ve lost contact with.  And I mean actually reach out, and not just on Facebook.  Hand-write some thank-you notes this month, to people you are thankful for.
  5. Forgive yourself.  I’m forgiving myself in advance for not getting through my reading pile by 2014. I am confident that it will not happen.  But I will read more of what I really want to read, and less extraneous stuff that just appears in front of me.  To that end, this moment I just purchased a kindle book for my IPad from one of my favorite authors.  Can’t wait to start it!
  6. Here’s a thought – take on less!  Perhaps you don’t take on more for the next 8 weeks – how about you take on less?  Get more sleep, take more breaks.
  7. Get just a little uncomfortable.  Stretch, try something new, feel just a little nervous.  Nothing new will happen unless something new happens. Get it?

So, what’s it going to be?  How will you choose to make the most of the end of the year?  Share!  And talk to you next week.

It’s 6 pm – Do Something to Help Today & Tomorrow!

I presented to the parents in my local school district last week.  We discussed tips and ideas to help our students get organized.  What a great group!  I loved speaking to all of them, and I also loved how everyone was willing to share challenges and ideas to support each other.

A Question I ask in my presentation is “Why should we bother getting organized, especially if we have kids?” We realize we are the parents, the Adult, and we set the example.  We want our children to do well in school and in life.  We want our lives to be less complicated, less stressful and more enjoyable.  And we want to be able to say “Yes” to new things. 

So, how can we set the example?  Get organized, be less stressed, enjoy life more.  This week and the next two, we’ll look at busy family times of day, evening, morning and after school.

Let’s say it’s 6 pm.  What can you do tonight that will make tomorrow run more smoothly?  Try one of these:

  1. Pack lunches for tomorrow (for the kids, and for you!!).  We use our lunch packing time to discuss nutrition, and what goes into a healthy meal. I have also found that the kids are more likely to eat a lunch they had a say in packing!  We pack lunches after dinner, so often the boys will pack leftovers like refried beans and cheese on a tortilla, or a piece of chicken.  And since we’re in the kitchen cleaning up from dinner already, it takes just a few moments to pack lunch for tomorrow.  If I have clients the next day, I will pack a lunch for me, since my lunch will always be healthier and cheaper than the fast food that is available between clients.
  2. Look at tomorrow’s Schedule:  Typically, our after-dinner adventures lead to checking out tomorrow’s schedule.  We check to what’s on the hot lunch menu, who has to be at school early or late, and who has what activities.  Checking tomorrow’s schedule provides an opportunity to place band instruments by the back door, and pack sports uniforms, a snack and water bottle for practice.
  3. Make time once a week, like Sunday night after dinner, for a family meeting /      planning session.  Review together projects and events for the coming week.
  4. Pack up the backpack tonight, after homework is done, and set it by the back door.
  5. Check the weather forecast, and pick out tomorrow’s clothes.   If you have small children, lay out their clothes on the floor in the shape of a person, facing down.  Then they can climb right in!
  6. Solve tomorrow’s problems today.  Because there is still time to go to the grocery.  Maybe this only happens in my house, but have you ever heard at 7 am, “Hey Mom,      by the way, I need 4 2 liters of soda for the band party.”?  The obvious mom response is “When is the party?”   And the answer is… wait for it….  Today.  So start the conversations early!  Another example:  the oldest son mentioned late last Tuesday that he needed to wear his black suit coat to his concert Wednesday night.  That would be the black suit coat he wore to homecoming, the one that was at the dry cleaners.  So first thing Wednesday morning I retrieved the now clean coat.  I am very glad I found out about it the day before, instead of at 5 pm Wednesday!
  7. Get to Bed on time!  All of You!

So, take a look at just this one part of your day, and how to make it better by being more organized and less stressed!  Let me know what works!

7 Tips to Run Errands Better!

I don’t know about you, but with 5 busy people in my house, I run a lot of errands.  Dropping off, picking up, shopping, occasionally returning.  And between errands and shuttling my family here and there, I spend a lot of time in my car!  Few things irk me more than having to re-run an errand because I forgot something or didn’t plan ahead, and so I make every effort to run my errands well and get things done the first time.

Here’s how:

If you know something needs done, do it soon.  I encounter “all or nothing” people, who don’t take care of personal business for weeks and then expect to run 20 errands ranging over 40 miles in 3 hours.  This is unrealistic, inefficient and destined for failure.  If time is an issue for you, consider shopping or returning on-line.  It may cost you money in shipping, but saves hours in errand time!

Have a Master To-Do List.  I always have my Master To-Do list on my phone.  Several times a day, I update it with errands and tasks and synchronize it with my computer.  Errands on the list include:  Routine / weekly errands (farmers market every Thursday, dry cleaners every Friday, pay Kohl’s bill on the first of the month); and episodic errands (drop off flag, purchase clarinet reeds, new dress shoes for A.).  I attach a date to all of them, then group them based on my schedule.

If you’re in your car a lot, too, run your errands on the way to somewhere else.  For example, when I used to work in the city, I frequented the post office, dry cleaners and grocery store that were on the way to my office.  These days, I am more likely to lump my errands into bigger blocks of time, based on a free hour or two some weekday morning.

Make a plan:  Think through today’s to-do list and each errand.  This past Saturday, I planned to shop for myself at one store, return stuff to another, shop for a gift at a third, and buy groceries at a 4th.  As I planned, I pulled my gift certificates and coupons for the first store, and located the receipts for the returns.  I packed shipping materials and labels for the gift, so I could box it up and ship it out as soon as I purchased it.  Then I made sure my cooler bag, reusable grocery bags, coupons and grocery list were in the car.  I had quite a pile of stuff to go, but I got everything accomplished in the time allotted!

Bring your tools.  I have an errand basket at the back door for returns, receipts, items to go to other people, etc.  Right now it contains a CD to go back to my brother and a flag to drop off to a fellow scout leader.  My Iphone is also a tool, to google store locations and directions.

Keep details with you:  I keep regular purchase details on my IPhone.  Along with the contact info for my local Office Max, I list the printer ink I use, to reference if I need to pick some up.  Attached to the contact to my local music store is the type of clarinet reed my son uses (I never remember).  In addition, I have my family’s current clothing and shoe sizes, plus gift ideas, in case I find myself with motivation and opportunity to shop.

Remember you are super but not superhuman.  Take a snack.  Take a water bottle.  Take a deep breath, take a break.  Then get back to it.

I wrote this for a friend I chatted with last week about how to make the most of her on-the-road time. I hope it helps you with that, too!!  See you on the road!

Welcome to my House Hour. Now excuse me while I start some laundry…

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001In last week’s blog, I mentioned my House Hour.  I didn’t give it a thought, it’s just what I do.  However, two readers asked “What do you mean by your “house hour”? Is this cleaning, straightening, laundry? Is it one hour everyday or when you can fit it in? Hmmm…”

Let me explain.

Last Friday morning, moments before receiving my friend’s email, I was wiping down my bathroom sink.   

Why? 

Well, because it was Friday.  That’s what I do on Friday.

Why 7:30 am?

As mentioned, “Clean the Bathroom” is a Friday chore.  And my Friday was shaping up to be busy, so 7:30 am was a good time to complete the task.  Also, everyone was already showered and ready-ish for school, so if I cleaned the bathroom at 7:30 am, there was a pretty good chance it would stay clean for a while.  Bonus!

My House Hour is the hour I spend on routine cleaning tasks every day.  For many years, I would wait and clean my whole house one day a week.  That worked for a while, but I hit some snags:

  1. My schedule rarely allows for an entire day dedicated to staying home and cleaning. 
  2. After 6 or more days of inattention, my house dirt and clutter really bothers me.
  3. There are some tasks that require repeating multiple times during the week, like laundry and vacuuming.
  4. As a child, Saturday was our cleaning day, but that absolutely doesn’t work with our schedule.

Here’s my cleaning schedule: http://www.peaceofmindpo.com/DailyCleaningChart.pdf

      This system works for us because I have a small and organized house, and my family is pretty good about cleaning up.  If my house was bigger, I would probably have to spend more than an hour.

       In addition, my House Hour does not always include things like laundry (a never-ending cycle), or cleaning up the kitchen after a meal.  Those are routine chores.   When the two go together, like when kitchen cleaning is on the House Hour list, too, it’s nice to get things done faster!

      Cleaning different areas of my home a little bit every day allows me to skip a day if I need to, so long as I catch up the next day.  And since the house stays relatively clean, I can be flexible and spontaneous for events or friends stopping over.

If you like this idea, make it your own.  Determine the list of things that need to be done every week, then distribute the tasks over a few days. 

  1. Be prepared to work around external motivators:
    1. Weather:  today I ditched my regular House Hour so that I could take care of yard work after a few rainy days.  In addition, when you only have an hour to spend, and you spend it shoveling snow or raking leaves, you have to be flexible!
    2. Garbage day is a great motivator for clearing clutter and recycling, and emptying all the trash!
    3. Pay day – my hubby’s pay schedule changed recently. Now Menu planning occurs every other Friday instead of twice a month on arbitrary days, which links nicely with the kitchen cleaning day.
  2. Take your schedule and your family’s rhythms into account – I like to knock out my tasks in the morning (though that doesn’t always work!!), but perhaps you prefer an hour in the evening every other day or so. Great, go for it.
  3. Leave room for large projects.  We have a few Fall projects to accomplish in the next few weeks:  put screens on the gutters, fix the fence, wash the windows, and I really need to strip and re-wax my kitchen floor.  This weekend or next, we need to clear an afternoon for these bigger projects.
  4. Determining your plan ONCE and sticking with it means you’ll never have to feel overwhelmed and searching for a starting place again!

So, pick an idea or two from this week, make your plan and make your cleaning schedule your own.

Prioritize Your Tasks And Get Them Done!

Our Daily To-Do lists can overwhelm us, so it is important to Prioritize our tasks.  We juggle many responsibilities, each with it’s own set of to-do’s.   To avoid planning more 001that we can actually, feasibly accomplish in one day, here are a couple of tools that I employ –

  1. Put the Three Things that absolutely have to get done today at the top of your list.  At many times during the day,  I stop and ask “Is that what I really want / need to be doing at this moment?”  (preempting mindless email checking or web surfing!).
  2. Spend 5 minutes, and move non-essential tasks to    a different day’s list.   Divvy up your to-do’s into:
    1. Today
    2. This week
    3. Next week
    4. Someday
  3. Time allotments.  Once you have today’s To-Do list, allot time estimates for tasks.  This helps me plan my work flow and determine if I can really get through everything.
    1. Time allotments let me decide how long to dedicate to a task.  I could easily spend all day writing my blog, but there are lots of other things that need done, too. I block out a couple of hours to get it done well, then I move onto something else.  Conversely, some tasks really only take 5 minutes.  So get them done!
    2. If the time allotment for a task is just too big, break the task into smaller pieces.  For example, re-vamping my website is a time-consuming task.  But this week, I can complete the first couple of steps, “Review site and determine what stays / goes”, and “check out links recommended for templates / hosting”.
  4. Put your tasks in order of intended completion.  Order them as you like:
    1. Shortest to longest.  Complete the quick and easy tasks first, to motivate yourself and clear the way for the more time-consuming tasks.
    2. Order of importance: Get the Three Things done first, so you are sure they get       done.
    3. Work for others first, and then yourself.  If you have timely work that matters to others, complete those tasks first so the other people can get started on their tasks.
    4. Prioritizing to the Revenue Line (from Julie Morgenstern).  I own a business, and businesses are supposed to make money.  I can order my day based on income – make the bank deposit, complete the client hours, teach the class, book more client appointments and classes, etc.  When all of those are complete, THEN I can look at non-essential tasks like website research.
  5. Stop wasting time and energy on Avoidance and Dread.  Pick a day, Man Up (I have sons) and do the 2 or 3 noisome tasks you’ve been avoiding.  Allot the time, set a timer, get them done, then move on.  “Avoiding something” is still an action, and drains our energy.  Just do it.
  6. Be Kind to Yourself.  I will not vaguely suggest you “Should make time for You”, because being told that just irks me.  But add a few things to your daily To-Dos that are kind to You, that give you strength to complete your tasks.  The top of my To-Do list every day reads “Proverbs 14:15 says, ‘A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps.”.  Also at the top is a list of tasks I complete  every day to live a better life.   They’re habits, but I like the reminders: “Take vitamins”, “exercise”, “read Scripture”, my household tasks for my home hour, etc.

So, the next time the Daily To-Do List gets a little out of hand, try one of these ideas to help you focus in and Prioritize what you really need to do today!

Some days, It’s All Too Much (and what to do about it)!

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We can stuff a bag only so full before it bursts.  The same goes for our schedules.

A friend emailed me last week “I ran 8 miles this morning and was thinking about blog ideas.  Could you write something about people cramming too much into their day? One of the best things I ever did was cut back on the volunteering and get back to the things that I really wanted to do. I cut out [xxxx] after way too many years, and now I finally have time to train for the marathon.”

My response:  “I can write that article, and what’s really interesting is that yesterday, a client had the same epiphany. The client was supposed to fly cross-country for a family event.  Her husband was unable to attend due to a work deadline, the kids were stressed about missing back-to-school activities, she was just stressed.  And she stopped and said ‘No, we’re not going.  It’s just too much’ and cancelled the trip.  On our coaching call, instead of strategizing about how to get everything done in a short time, we strategized how to Un-make travel plans and determined what her family could say ‘Yes!’ to, since they would be staying home.”

I may not dare something as extreme as these friends (Thanks K&K!), but I respect their awareness that “It’s All TOO MUCH!” sometimes, and how they made the tough decision to let one thing go, in order to make room for something else.  Here are some suggestions, if you, too, feel “It’s all TOO MUCH!”:

1.  A wise friend says “Don’t ‘Should’ on yourself”. Don’t let others “Should” on you, either, telling you what you should or shouldn’t do.  Don’t “should” on others. We need to be kind to ourselves and to others.

2.  Find ways to say Yes, on your own terms.  I received an email today regarding an upcoming fundraising car wash:  washing the towels afterward and returning them clean counts as volunteering!  I can’t help at the event because I’ll have houseguests, but Laundry?  Oh, yes, I can do laundry!

3.  Don’t moan over being too busy to do anything, it becomes a self fulfilling      prophecy.

4.  Say less.  Practice “No, Thank You.”  You don’t always need to give an explanation.

5.  Make a list of your responsibilities, in broad terms:  Work and professional involvements; Family responsibilities (e.g. parent, daughter of aging parents, caregiver for my niece on a school half-day); Household / Life Management Responsibilities;      and Organizations with whom you volunteer, with roles or positions held.

6.  Looking at that list, ask yourself these Questions:

  • “What can Only I Do?”  There are some things that only you can do.  Be a parent to your children, and a spouse to your partner.  I can sing and organize better than  many, so I stick with those.
  • Be honest here, “What Can Someone Else Do?”  In the past, I have let go of roles that others could do as well as me. It’s not easy, to admit that someone else could do an adequate or better job on something, but if you’re looking to pare down, this is where we begin.
  • “What will I look back on fondly?” Playing pick-up sticks with my youngest.  Driving the teenagers to activities, since we have good conversations in the car.  Travel.        Making music.  Spending time with my hubby, and having all 5 of us together.  Guess what – Those are the things I need to make time for.
  • “What will I never think of again?”  I spend a lot of time menu planning and grocery shopping because we need to eat, but I can happily forget every moment spent on those, and be fine.  So I try to do both efficiently and effectively, so I can do them less often!  (I do love to cook, though, as well as sitting down for a family meal, or with friends.)

No one else will protect you from “TOO MUCH!”  That would be lovely, but it’s not going to happen.  So you have to step up for you and your family.  I can’t tell you what to      pare down, but I can help you determine that for yourself.  I don’t have all the answers, but YOU DO!

So, if this week you feel compelled to yell “Stop!  It’s all TOO MUCH!” be assured that you are not alone, and that there are specific steps you can take to make life better – and try one out!

How Will You Declare Your Independence?

I had a fireworks moment this morning, in respect for our Independence Celebration last week!  An article I read recently made a whimsical statement to “declare independence from eating food you don’t like”, like the usual cook-out food, for the 4th of July.  I happen to like traditional 4th of July food, so we trotted out all the favorites: BBQ pulled pork, coleslaw, corn on the cob, and ice cream at a local ice cream place for dessert.  But the article made me smile, and it makes me re-think other things, like what I would declare independence from if given the opportunity.

Then I read a LinkedIn post about a mid-year goal / New Year Resolution check-in.  I really liked that idea, so I ruminated on that for a while.  Then the two ideas collided in my head!  Pow, fireworks, etc!  (ok, not really, but you get the picture…)  So, Time Management ideas for this week…

Back in January, I decided to ask “Why Not?” instead of “Why?” for 2013.  I resolved to Say Yes! to things and people and ideas, in my personal and professional life.  And so far, I have achieved or am making progress on a number of goals for 2013.  So what else do I need to declare independence from?  And how will that allow me to say Yes! to?

Independence from being sedentary. 

Few people who know me would consider me sedentary, but when it comes to formal exercise, I am.  At least I am more sedentary than I would like, or than what is good for me.

How much time and mental energy could I free up if I just went out and exercised like I know I am supposed to?  I would also be declaring independence from pain, tight fitting clothes, sense of failure, cholesterol and cholesterol medicine in the long term, evil prostaglandins, and a host of other things.

And I say Yes to living a healthier, better life.

Independence from our hectic schedule.

This started out as “independence from busy weekends”, but truly, I would like to work on the whole schedule.  I have spent some time this past weekend with wonderful life-long friends.   And the recurring theme of many conversations is how busy and burned out we have become.  My family and I deserve better, as do my friends and their families.

So I will say yes to time for my family and myself with more intentional scheduling. Now, bear with me, this is the declaration of independence from our hectic schedules, but I still have to work out the implementation plan!  Did our founding fathers outline and strategize such things?  I wonder!

Independence from Judgment, of others and of myself.

My internal soundtrack (my own voice inside my head) is often very judgmental.  I make snap judgments of others based on appearances, perceptions, my own state of mind, etc.  And I quickly and harshly judge myself for any slight failing or slip-up.  I usually catch myself, and then try to turn things around, but the negativity exists.  I don’t share or act on the judgments, but they are still there, and they taint my thoughts and my happiness.  So, I will work on being open to others without judging, and also accepting others and myself more readily.

So, now I have shared my Time Management suggestions for this week.  My question to you is “For the second half of 2013, what will you declare your independence from?” Let me know!