There just aren't enough hours in the day!
The last time I checked everyone had the same number of hours in the day, 24 to be exact. So why is it that some people seem to get so much more accomplished and have plenty of time for their family and to do the things they love? Are they just better time managers?
The truth is that it isn't about managing your time at all. It’s about managing your energy. The following five steps will help you on your way to reclaiming the life you want with plenty of time for everything.
- Know what you want
What do you value in life? Who do you value in life? If you found out that you only had a short time to live how would you want to spend it and with who? A lot of my clients tell me that family is top on their list but when we look at their day planner or PDA I rarely see family mentioned or any time left over for them. You have to make time for the people and things that are important to you. Go ahead and schedule them in just as you would an important client and remember, you would not cancel an appointment with your most important client would you?
- Set your intention
By setting the intention to make more time for your family, the gym, playing soccer or whatever is important you will help your mind to stay focused on what you want. I suggest that you write your intention down and/or say your intention out loud first thing in the morning. When you start the day with intention and focus it will begin to seem as if you had extra hours in the day. By staying focused on your intention throughout the day you will be less likely to get sidetracked; spending lots of time doing those things that ultimately will lead us away from those we love.
- Let your right brain come out to play!
Most adults have forgotten how to play. Chances are that you may find it a useless activity that you just don’t have time for. Think again! Have you ever been frantically trying to find a solution to a problem only to have the obvious answer appear after a good nights sleep. Wonder why you didn’t think of that before?
During the day you probably tried to tackle the problem head on from an analytical or left brain point of view. When you drifted off to sleep your brain waves slowed down moving you into your intuitive and creative, right brain way of thinking. It was in this state that your brain was able to finally let go of the end result and thus find a perfectly logical solution you simply had not thought of before.
Do you have to go to sleep to solve problems? Not hardly. You can move your mind into a more relaxed right brain pattern with meditation, breathing techniques, visualization and sometimes by forgetting about the worries of the day with play! Run, not to exercise but just for the delight of it. Blow bubbles, play with your dog or a child, fly a kite, now when was the last time you did that?
- Just say no
Say no to the things you do not want. My good friend Pamela Grant says “That just doesn’t work for me”, when someone asks her to do something she doesn’t want to do. I have adopted this statement and I suggest that you do also. You cannot possibly do everything for everybody and trying to will eventually make you irritable. Go back to #1 and remember who and what you value. Make sure those are taken care of first before you say yes!
- Notice the gifts of time
Clients often come to me telling me that they don’t have the time to relax. The truth is time is all around them, they simply fail to notice. Instead of huffing at the elevator for taking so long use this gift of time to slow your breathing down, offer kind words to the person standing next to you, or maybe even visualize a pleasant scene. The next time you are caught in a traffic jam give gratitude for the quiet time alone you have just been given. When your computer is down or you have to wait in line these are examples of gifts of time. You asked for time and here it is. The only difference is it didn’t come packaged as you imagined. Enjoy your time!
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