TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS: NEVER TOO EARLY OR TOO LATE
I had the good fortune of meeting Estienne De Beer; The Meerkat Motivator. He interviewed 18 Accomplished Professionals on how to manage their time. You’ll find me listed as Number 3: Working From Home: It’s Okay to say “No.” I think you’ll find the article to be just what you need right now. Enjoy!
Here’s a little secret you need to know if you’ve been trying to win the war on clutter.
The key to overcoming your clutter challenge has a lot to do with follow-through. And the only way you will be able to do that is if you make it a priority. Plain and Simple.
A thing that is regarded as more important than another.
(i.e., that thing is your clutter)
Saying something is important and then choosing to do something else is a conflict of interest. So saying you want to be clutter free, yet not making it important enough to make it a priority, will not cure your clutter.
So what to do, what to do….
First we need to understand why making something a priority helps us.
Here’s 4 Good Reasons:
1. It helps us organize our time
2. It helps us make daily choices that reflect our values
3. It helps us set boundaries with others
4. It helps reduce stress
Knowing something and implementing it is another story though, right? I get it. Especially when so many other “things” pop up.
But this is when you need to get real with your situation. How important is being clutter free to you? So the next time you’re in the “throws” of decluttering and something else feels like it’s taking precedence over being clutter free, ask yourself this:
If I say yes to this, what am I saying no to?
Now really think about this. Because you’re saying “no” to so much more than an organized space. You’re saying no to saving yourself time, reducing your stress, honoring your values and establishing good boundaries for yourself. Yes?
Life can be busy and at times it feels as if we are being pulled in too many different directions. But if you can honestly answer the above question it can work wonders and help you keep things in perspective.
I think you get the idea!
Here’s to saying YES to living an organized life – for good!
You may not realize it, but everything begins with a decision. Think about it. You might be saying right now, Yes, I know, but the problem is I can’t make a decision. And my answer to that is, Actually you are making a decision. You are making a decision to not take action. That’s why you are stuck and not moving forward.
Now mind you, a little procrastination can be healthy. Especially when you are giving yourself permission to figure things out. But if you find yourself in an endless loop of stalling, chances are pretty high that you are stuck in a rut.
For example, let’s say that you really want to unclutter your life but you’re feeling stuck. Begin by asking, Why do I want to simplify my life? And your answer will probably be something like, Because I don’t want to feel so weighed down by this stuff anymore. It’s overwhelming.
Now think about how simplifying your life is going to make you feel once you are more organized and clutter free. I’m going to assume you will start to feel much better. Somewhat lighter and perhaps it will be easier to breathe…ah yes, less is best!
By asking yourself the “Why” you enabled yourself to get emotionally involved with the idea of living clutter free. You began to desire your true outcome. – i.e., to find relief.
You must understand the reason behind the “why” to make your decision.
Now all you have to do is hold steadfast to that feeling and take action. Believe in yourself – accept that it is indeed possible to live clutter free. To make absolute sure that you live out your decision, it’s best to get yourself an accountability partner or a life coach who can help you stay true to yourself.
As an overview this is what you need to do next time your feeling stuck:
It’s Time To Take A Look At Things
Wouldn’t you agree that purging our “things” lends us to ask certain questions?
Questions such as:
Do I like this?
Do I love this?
Do I want this?
Do I need this?
Do I…?
Should I keep this?
Should I toss this?
Should I donate this?
Should I sell this?
Should I …?
And when we ask these questions, wouldn’t you agree that it prompts us to take a more serious look at our life? I think it does. In a sense, purging encourages us to “let go” of whatever is no longer serving us, as much as it enables us to see what we truly value.
In my upcoming event, Fall Into Life, (a 6 week coaching program) we will take a deeper dive into some of these questions and a more serious look at how you want to live your life.
I hope you will consider this event, especially if you have been “thinking” about “things” for a while. Now is your time to take action.
|
|||
|
|||
|
I am sure many of us (myself included) have passed on this advice to someone who was hurting – “Time heals all wounds.”
However, I have recently been rethinking this. Do we really need time to heal us or is there something we can be doing in the meantime? I’m not suggesting that we deny our reality of what may have caused the emotional pain. What I am saying is that perhaps there is something else we can be doing while waiting on time.You see, it’s not necessarily that time heals all wounds – it’s what we do with the time that heals. I believe that action is the best course we can take for ourselves during the healing process.
If you think about every other aspect of our lives, we have to take the initiative to do something to cause something to happen. Therefore, why should a hurtful situation be any different? Why should we wait for time to pass for our feelings of sadness, anger, guilt, anguish, and yearning to decrease. Remember, we do not have a clue how much time we are talking about – six months, one year, two years…or more.
Let me give you some examples of why I believe taking action can help the recovery process.
Example One
It was about three and a half years since I last heard from Sally. Before that, she would periodically update me on the status of her cluttered home, the children, and her pending divorce. During this time, I would encourage her to participate in a workshop or an online course that I thought would be helpful for her. She would always decline. When I stopped hearing from Sally, I would email and telephone her, but she would never return my messages.
During the time we didn’t talk, Sally became more and more depressed. Her house became cluttered to the degree that all surfaces and furniture were piled high with everything and anything you could imagine. There was not a sacred place for her to rest and relax. Sally literally had to carve out an area to lay her head down in order to sleep at night. She no longer could cook or bathe in her home. She could not receive guests at her house and her children refused to come see her unless she got help. All social life for her shut down. In a sense, Sally became homeless in her own home.
Then Sally reached out for help. I knew immediately the best thing was to take swift action! She needed relief not only from her environment, but also from her feelings of shame and guilt. Time clearly was no longer an option. We rapidly (within 24 hours) put a plan into place that included decluttering her home, getting Sally the medical support she needed, and enrolling her into a Life Recovery Coaching program. I am happy to report that Sally is doing very well at this time and is now in touch with her children.
Example Two:
My first impression of Basel was that he was a very proud man. I remember the stories he would tell of being a young boy and the adventures he would go on with his father. Not far from their home on the outskirts of their farm, they would venture deep into the forest for days. It is here that Basel’s father taught him how to climb mountains. I recall with every tale he related that he catapulted me back into time. He had a knack for making you feel as if you were experiencing it with him. I found him to be deliriously intoxicating.
With each feverish story, I noticed that Basel’s voice would change. His tone and pitch would intensify and you could hear the ascent of the mountain in his words. As he would get near the story’s final descent, a gentleness and tenderness would seep into his voice. His words became soothing, like a lullaby, innocently rocking you to a safe landing. Yet, there was a sadness that he could not disguise with his words. Deep down, I could feel the sorrow radiating.
At the age of 45, Basel could no longer bear the weight of carrying around his pain from the loss of his beloved father. Never having the opportunity to grieve as a young boy, Basel shouldered the brunt of his pain by making a career out of climbing the world. In every foreign country where he climbed, he would build a new romantic relationship. Since he knew there was always a future destination in sight, it was the perfect alibi for not having to commit to one person for too long. It was the ideal set-up. At least until he fell in love.
According to Basel, although he was accustomed to his lifestyle on the run, the idea of leaving it for the woman he loved made him feel an array of emotions ranging from guilt, shame, anger, frustration … and he didn’t know why. He was accustomed to living his life alone and figuring things out by himself. Although he told himself he was okay with it, he suspected that was not the truth.
No amount of time or distant mountain could heal Basel’s pain. Like any young boy who lost their father, Basel began to grieve. The outpouring of emotion startled him and he longed to be with the woman he turned away from. He vowed from that day forward to begin the process of change – beginning with not running from his feelings any longer.
In these examples, you can clearly see that there is a difference between taking appropriate action to begin the healing process versus the act of running to hide from the emotional pain.
If you are going through a difficult time, please know that there are alternative ways for healing to begin. We do not necessarily have to wait for time to heal all wounds.
When Timothy first contacted me, he shared with me that it was difficult for him to get out of bed in the morning. After he got his kids off to school, all he wanted to do was go back to bed and sleep the day away.
Self-employed and working from home, Tim was struggling financially. He left a good job to work from home so he could take care of his children after the passing of his beloved wife. On top of the normal bills, he was also accumulating college tuition debt while pursuing another degree.
Tim was literally worried sick over how he was going to manage it all.
(The above is an excerpt from Life Recovery for the Cluttered Soul)
After reading a little bit about Timothy, what do you think he needs the most that would shift things for him immediately? It could be time, money, love, – perhaps all of these.
But what if I told you that the very thing that helped Tim right there and then, was something so simple, so pure, yet so absent from what we typically might offer someone.
That single thing was “encouragement.”
You see, if we take a look at what this word really means to us as human beings, we will see that we all need it. Not just sometimes, but all the time. Encouragement is about offering unconditional support.
I personally believe that support is a natural motivator and the cornerstone to healing. We all need to be encouraged along this journey we call life – in good times and in trying times.
Can you just imagine what our world would look like if we were all encouraged on a daily basis!Imagine just for a minute what that would look like – just how different “things” could be for us.
Today, my dear friends, I encourage you to consider how you can support someone starting right now. Maybe this person is a friend, a co-worker, a loved-one, or perhaps it may be someone you do not know at all. Be open, be aware, be encouraging and watch the magic!
I was reading an article the other day that stated 70% of American workers struggle with finding a work-life system. If that is the case, then I would think there are a lot of people trying to find balance in their life.
It is understandable then why most people feel overwhelmed, stressed out and believe they never have time outside of work to do the things they enjoy. It also makes a lot of sense why people are challenged with excessive clutter – physical and emotional!
In spite of these staggering statistics, there are those that have managed to live meaningful lives outside of their work with ease and a great level of satisfaction.
How do they do it?
Join me next Tuesday, July 14, 2015 when we will review the 7 Habits of People Who Have Achieved Work-Life Balance authored by Harvey Deutschendorf . I will share with you what these highly successful people have in common and how you too can create a life outside of work without worry of clutter build-up.
I am going to give it to you straight up – you BELONG in this training program. There’s no doubt in my mind.
How do I know this? Because you have proven over and over by attending my classes that you not only desire and want to have a better environment, but you NEED it!
I also know that FEAR is holding you back from getting what you truly deserve. But the good news is that I can help you fight through that fear so you can take control over your home, office and gosh, your life for that matter!
Over and over you provide the same reasons why you cannot commit to a program – and they are all EXCUSES! You continually convince yourself that you do not have the time, the money, the resources, and the list can go on. Please DO NOT do that to yourself anymore. You are programming yourself for continual failure.
I make all my events, workshops, programs, extremely affordable and time efficient – and all of them are jam packed with valuable content, techniques and strategies. I do this because I BELIEVE in what I do and I know I can help you!
Here is the preliminary outline:
June 22, 2015
Kick-Off On-Line Workshop
Workbook Included
8:00 – 9:00 PM ET
June 22-26, 2015
Intake Sessions
One Hour
June 29 – August 7, 2015
Private Coaching Sessions
30 Minutes
Group Coaching Calls
To Be Scheduled
I would like for you to PUT DOWN all the excuses, all the doubt, and register for this program. It’s going to be like no other, I promise. Once you register, you will receive all the information needed to participate and I will contact you to schedule your sessions.
Please take note, this program has limited availability. All of my programs sell out – so you should act NOW! No gimmicks, just the truth!
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
|
And a very special offer to go along with it!
