Possibilities

 Another 24 Hours?

More time – “I need more time” comes out of people’s mouths every single day.  Would adding another 24 hours a day to your life make a significant difference to your life?  Did you ever think about that question?

In what other areas of your life did you have a wish for more?  “If I had more . . . .”  – money, more “stuff”, more leisure, more clothes, more jewelry, more education, more friends, more love  . . . “I would be . . . . ” happier, better off, feeling good, earning more, be smarter, etc.

How many of you have ever thought that way?  Likely, everyone.

For most of us, we do get “more” only to find that we haven’t found what we thought we would realize from having “more”.  Why do you think that is?

The Trap of “More”

When we want more, it’s because there is something inside us that is unsatisfied.  Instead of “fixing” that dissatisfaction internally, we look externally for something to fill the void.  Externals don’t.  Externals don’t fix a thing and, in fact, will likely only increase the dissatisfaction inside.

The Key

We have all we need. 

The key is understanding that we don’t need “more” of anything.  Instead, we should be maximizing what we have – our talents, our relationships with family and friends, our experiences and our connection to our world.  That’s what will pay the dividends.  Being all we can be.

If you don’t believe it, drive or walk in wealthy neighborhood alleys on garbage days.  You’ll see the carnage of “having more” – a physical representation.  The wealthy have a lot of money, buy many items, and what we find in the alleys on garbage day is waste – expensive bikes which have never been used, clothes with price tags still on them, collectibles, usable electronics . . . . has “more” solved anything?  Buying, buying, buying for the sake of buying the latest and greatest and yet what is purchased is obviously not appreciated and not used.  Ever wonder what they are looking for? 

This waste is symbolic of what we all do in some way in our lives. 

We are all rich, we just don’t know it.  We squander what we have and wish for something else.

Adding another 24 hours in anyone’s day wouldn’t make a difference at all to our lives because we would live it precisely the way we are living our current 24 hours. 

The Gift We All Have

Time management is not about how many hours we have, it’s how we use those hours to maximize the possibilities of our lives.  We come into this world complete. 

We each are very special with our very own particular “blueprint” by which we can define for ourselves.  We have the freedom of will to utilize our special attributes our way.

Won’t you give yourself some time today to think about what an incredible being you are.  Won’t you take the time this week to seriously look at your talents and abilities and put them to use for the life you want?  You’re amazing – believe it – live it – be it – whatever “it” is for you in particular!  Uniqueness – we all have it – for a reason.  What will you do with yours?

Lorraine Arams
http://www.wizetime.com

September 30th – the Holiday Season has arrived.

• October presents Thanksgiving
• October also offers Hallowe’en
• November is Remembrance Day
• December presents us with Christmas and all the socializing and activities accompanies that time of the year – for some, a vacation is included and, of course, let’s remember Christmas Eve and Boxing Day – each a splendid celebration!
• January opens a new year for us but New Year’s Eve hits a high note not long after Christmas

Are you ready?

Most people might be miffed by that question and yet now, the end of  September is the time to look ahead and plan now because once Thanksgiving hits, it’s one event after another all the while keeping up with everything you do now.  If you have relatives in the US, then you need to account for one more holiday, the November Thanksgiving.

Also, for most people, October and November are incredibly busy times in their workplace.  There is an intensity about those months. 

Now is the Time

Good time management means looking ahead to what seems a long way away.  You’ll be happy you took the time now to discuss and plan events. 

For instance, will you be giving a party for Hallowe’en?  Who will be on the guest list?  Decorations?   Food?  Drinks?  Games?  Costumes? If not now, when – it’s 31 days away – not long.  You know how time flies!

At the same time, plan the other events – what will you be doing for Thanksgiving?  That’s just 2 weeks away – will you be going out for dinner, having people over, and what does that entail?

Remembrance Day – will you attend services?  If so, will you take people with you?  Who?  Where will you meet?  What will you do afterwards?  Or will you go away?

Christmas activities – mid-November onwards – gifts? parties? shopping? baking? Christmas Eve?  Christmas Day? Boxing Day?  What will you need for the activities you plan? 

The Best Planning

Discuss and decide what you will do on each of those events.  Decide what you’ll need to do and have  for each of them – make lists — brainstorm with others. 

Then work backwards from the date of the event, adding tasks to your schedule leading to the event.  The scheduling at this time will assure  that you have all you need on the day.  September 30th week-end is the perfect week-end to plan and schedule before the winter sports begin, classes, meetings, fundraisers and increased workloads. 

You’ll be glad you did.  You’ll reduce your stress around the holidays, you’ll enjoy them more and everyone else will too!

Lorraine Arams
http://www.wizetime.com

Is Time Management Static? 

It would seem so when people talk about time management.  “I adopted this, it works well” 

However, time management needs to be fluid.  No person is a robot.  Everyone’s life changes constantly even when we think it remains the same. There’s nothing, absolutely nothing, static of about anyone’s life.  What works well at one point in life may not be so effective under different circumstances.

Ebbs and Tides – the colors of life

The ebbs and tides of life require adjustments and that’s why so many people get into trouble with managing their time. 

24 hours – that’s all we have – 24 hours – no more, no less, no matter what circumstances have appeared in your life.  The big mistake people make is simply not adjusting for life’s ever changing tides, not even the expected ones.

For instance, a couple expecting a baby reel with excitement.  They are told by friends and family that their lives will change.   Armed with this valuable knowledge, do most couples think ahead?  Most of often not.  Baby comes and exhaustion sets in.

What if these soon-to-be new parents sat down ahead of baby’s arrival and mapped out their time commitments – what will change, what will each person  give up and how will everyone’s needs be accommodated?  Remember, baby is an “add in” – something has to be taken out to make space.  Baby doesn’t much care.  Baby needs what baby needs when it needs it and, if anyone around them is stressed and anxious, so will baby.  Baby will pick up on the “vibes” of the parents and react accordingly.  Everyone’s stress rises even more!

Stress

I sincerely believe that if people did more of this kind of give and take planning with their schedules before major events  in their lives, people would reduce their stress levels.  

Every time something new enters our lives, we must give up something else -  two separate objects cannot occupy the same space.  For instance, if you have a couch in your living room, your chairs cannot occupy the same space as your couch.  Chairs will take up a certain amount of square footage and so will your couch.

As fluid as our lives are, time management must work in tandem with this ever changing landscape.

Lorraine Arams
http://www.wizetime.com

Do you alter how your time management with the seasons?

Did you ever think about it?  Did you ever think that the management of your time needs to be adjusted for each season?

It should.

Things Change All The Time for Everyone

Everything changes with each season.  Everything.  Your business, personal, family, social, and your day-to-day lives change as the seasons change.

Yet people don’t adjust their schedules and wonder why overwhelm or underwhelm happens.

All businesses have ebbs and high sales activity periods and more people are away at certain times of the year than others.  It impacts everyone in the business – covering for people away on vacation, directing workflows during peak times, connecting with clients during holiday periods, etc.

Every person’s social life is affected – summer presents a whole gamut of change from family reunions, bbqs, outdoor activities, vacations, etc.   It changes how we spend leisure time.

Every person makes changes in their routines – they might walk to and from work every day rather than take the bus in the Spring, Summer and Fall.   They might go for a walk after dinner during the Summer time but when school starts, it’s homework and extracurricular activities which pour onto the time table.  Each change is a time change.

Time Management is Never Static

Though most people think that time management is static, it is not.  People’s lives are constantly in some form of flux.  When a person looks at their calendar, changes must be reflected in how time is allocated.

For instance, at work, an individual may choose to be highly disciplined in the way time is used and yet, in their personal lives during the  summer, “go with the flow” time management is adopted with very few absolutes – bed and meal times are flexible, activity planning is random for the most part and a lot of “beach” time is included.  Alternatively, in the winter, everything is scheduled at work and at home to the minute.

When people have kids, going back to school poses new challenges fitting in school, homework and activity slots.  Today, parents find they must drive or accompany their children to most activities for a variety of modern day reasons; the parents’ time becomes very compressed after hours.  A more imaginative approach needs to be designed in order to fit in parents’ needs too.

During the Christmas period, people often find themselves exhausted and get sick as a result.  Why?  Because they haven’t made the adjustments in their schedules for all the seasonal activities which take place at that time of the year from gift buying to entertaining – they try to do it all as if nothing has changed.  It has.

Those who can anticipate and plan ahead aren’t frazzled by seasonal changes.

Why should this be important to you?

If you realize and understand this concept, you can plan ahead and avoid the fatigue and stress.  Choose the activities and adjust your schedule  – take some things out and put others in – it’ll get you in the “mood” for what’s to come!

Simple.

Can you see how beneficial this can be for your health and  your ability to enjoy each changing season fully?

At first, it can seem awkward to think of altering your schedule this way, but when you reap the benefits, you’ll be happy you took the time to plan your time according to the seasonal differences.

Lorraine Arams
http://www.wizetime.com – sign up and get more tips delivered to you as they are published!

Lost in Facebook?  What do you do about it?

So many people get caught up in social media.  It’s fascinating!  All the people you can meet – the conversations you can have – the opportunities are boundless – you can talk about any of your interests with someone who shares that interest – what a cornucopia of options!

Then, we look at the clock . . . . . . . oh! my!!!! – 6 hours have gone by!  Where has the time gone!  And your to do list is still waiting!

Facebook can steal your life – it’s even possible to get addicted to Facebook and other social media!

After all, it’s exciting – there is always something new –

Can you live your life by Facebook?

That’s a choice for you to make.

But . . . .

If you need to live more life, then Facebook needs to be put back into the box with all the other social media.  I know you don’t want to miss anything . . . the question is what are you missing in other parts of your life because you are spending so much time on Facebook?

Are your friends neglected?

Do you spend enough time with your partner or your children or your parents or other relatives?

Are you exercising?

Are you getting enough sleep?

Are you eating regularly?

How addicted are you?

Put the Genie Back in the Bottle

Facebook and all other social media, like anything and everything in your life, needs to have a place – a place allocated in your schedule just like everything else.

Along with scheduling time for social media, it’s important to be very disciplined about the amount of time spent on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other sites you love.  Love can become an enslaver if you don’t control it.

The Solution

• Allocate time, say 1 hour a day.
• Book it in your calendar.
• Stay within those parameters.
• Put a timer on your computer to time yourself.
• And, no matter how much your hand shakes when you’re reaching for that mouse, turn it off at the allotted time!
• Put Facebook and other social media to bed on time!

You’ll love yourself for it!

Lorraine Arams
http://www.wizetime.com

Can it get worse?

Can it get better?

What do you want to believe?

There are lots of reasons to think either way.

Life is about creating your best life.

Your best life is built on deciding what you want, taking care of yourself and living every day in pursuit of the right life for you.

You can live a life of misery complaining about everything,  angry at everyone and nothing is ever satisfactory no matter how wonderful.  Seeking to identify  “what’s bad” about everything and everyone gets you nowhere.

“Woe is me” will never ever get you to move forward.  It will keep you stuck in the past.

On the other side of the coin . . . .

“The world is a wonderful place.  I love everything and everybody.”  will keep you stuck in la-la land!  This is not positive.  It’s just another extreme.

What’s the real deal?  Where should you spend your time?

Creating the life you want.  Look at the pros and cons – decide on a plan of action and move on it.  The first few things you do might be totally wrong but you’ll be able to correct and keep moving.  If you really, really want the thing you’re after then never, ever give up.  It means that when you meet obstacles, find ways to go around, over, through or under them.  Ask people questions.  Today, it’s so easy – get on a forum and ask questions – observe – listen – contribute.

What will you find?

Fun!  You’ll have fun getting to where you want to go.  You’ll find life rewarding.  You’ll find excitement and understand there will be problems.  Using your creativity to overcome issues generates high levels of energy and connecting with others who can help you.  Let life enter your life and you’ll see how getting what you want may not be a straight road but an adventure!  Believe that your life will always get better no matter the obstacles – the stronger the winds, the stronger the tree!

Lorraine Arams

http://www.wizetime.com

Time is Free – really???

A comment was made recently on social media that “time is free”.  I was stunned!  It shocked my brain!  Time is free!  How would anyone come to that conclusion?

I’ve been wondering why so many people are quite nonchalant about time management.  It dawned on me it’s likely because time is simply not valued – the prevalent thinking out there is that “time is free” – an attitude which may explain many things about people’s lives.

It’s perhaps why so many people live lives of quiet desperation or lack consciousness about their lives because a fundamental principle is missing – time is your life – are you not valuing your life?

Your life is not free either.  Every single second you spend either enhances your life or doesn’t and it’s costing the earth a lot – the food you consume, society’s resources to grow that food, the oxygen you breath, the space you consume, the raw resources used to provide clothing and transportation, etc – being alive is expensive to the earth and society!

Time is Money

Let’s put time into terms that most people will understand – earned money!  Let’s see, Stephen J. Hemsley of United Health Group earned $101.96 million plus owns $111.4 million.  How much tv do you think he watched climbing to that height of earning power?  That’s around $8.5 million per month,  $4,408.70  per working hour (based on 1928 hours of work, $73.48 per minute.  How do you think he looks at time?  Do you think he believes that “time is free”?  Of course not!  Time is extremely valuable.

Most wealthy people understand that time is money – literally – every second they spend in their work is “managed” for the greatest return on investment.

They invest their time into activities which afford them the greatest return – that’s money.  What activities do you think that might be?  Do you think it might involve watching tv every night or playing video games?

Time is Relationships

Okay, so money is not your bag.  Let’s think about people who are family oriented – they value family and their world consists of being totally and absolutely involved with family members.  What are they earning?  Love, caring, support – a whole host of important factors in that persons life.  They are involved in order to get what they want from the relationships they value.  They earn enough money to care for their families well but the majority of the time is spent working on the relationships.  Is time free?  Again, it has a price.

What if they said they said their most valuable asset was family but they spent all their time working?  Would that make sense? Would they get the return they claim they desire?

Tangible or not, time has a price.

What are your actions and words saying about your attitude towards time?

Without time, there is nothing – a void – nothing exists.  Like Carl Sagan said -  to bake an apple pie, you need to create a universe first – think about it.  If the universe didn’t exist, the earth wouldn’t exist.  If the earth didn’t exist, then there would be no animals or plants or rain or people – there would be nothing with which to bake an apple pie and no one to figure it out.

How are you building your universe?

Time is not free – it’s a resource, a tool, for which you pay a dear price if you don’t use it to achieve your goals.  For instance, if you have always wanted to be president of the company but you spend as much time away from work as possible, you don’t network, you won’t get the degrees needed in your particular company or don’t do the type of work which may get you the top job, then your time is costing you a great deal – you’re missing out on the multi-million dollar salary and benefit package of being president!  In accounting it’s called a loss – you’re in the red until you get to be president – in Stephen Helmsley’s case, you’d be losing $73.48 every minute of every working day (less what you’re making now, of  course – how much is that?)!

Think about how your attitude towards time – it may just surprise you!

Lorraine Arams
http://www.wizetime.com
coming soon – program to set you on course!

What Exists

There are thousands of pages written about time management – books, reports, articles, and now, of course, time management is on video.  There are hundreds of people giving time management workshops every year and yet . . .  people generally avoid the whole idea of even implementing the slightest technique into their world.

Why?

Because like going to the dentist, you know you should but you don’t want to and you don’t like it.  You don’t want to feel restricted and likely don’t want to change either.

Why?

Pain.

Is There Anyone Who Doesn’t See It That Way?

Yes.  Many.

People who are inclined to very precise work such as accountants, researchers, organizers, certain types of managers, military, teachers, etc.  There are many, many people who will take time management courses and apply the principles to the letter.  That’s the way they are.  But, the majority of the people don’t think that way and time management seems like drudgery than a solution.

There’s a second reason – the particular time management system they’ve adopted fits.  It fits what they do, their lives.

Not every time management system fits everyone.

Is There Another Viewpoint?

Time management is never associated with fun – it’s always associated with getting more out of us rather than giving us something – higher productivity, scheduling, prioritizing, planning, etc. Yuck! Who wants to be caged?  By the time you’re finished planning, prioritizing and scheduling, the day is over and your work is still to be done!

Our resistance is based on our psychological need to be free and our need to have a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day.

Time management is most always presented as restrictive – an invisible jail cell!

Actually, time management can free you to have more fun, more money, greater success in relationships and more “kick the can” type of days.

Why Don’t We Use It at Work?

Because work takes up 8 hours a day not counting the commute.  Whether you’re efficient or not with your time is irrelevant.  You have to stay at work for the prescribed time set by your employer.  So why bother being efficient and effective — if you finish your work early, you still have to sit there until the end of the day.

So, people get into bad habits because time management really doesn’t matter.  They meet the deadlines but stretch the work to meet those deadlines.   Everyone stays at work between such and such hours and that’s it, effective or not.

Your Other Life

But . . . .  you have another life . . . . outside of work.  And this is where time management can really put a “zing” into your life!  You’d love it if you could see the reward – fill your life with satisfaction, fun, and making it count.  If you were effective and efficient in personal life, imagine what you could do.  All you need do is have a conscious view of how to spend your time.  It’ll make you happy where it counts!

So think of time management, not by thinking how much more work you can fit into your day, but how much more fun!

Lorraine Arams
http://www.wizetime.com

Extreme Time Management

- I thought you might be interested in reading this article about time management – some interesting comments and twists.

Look how easy it is to set priorities and support those priorities with action.  This is one of the simplest approaches I have found – with time, waste as little as possible and this quick approach crystallizes quickly what’s most important to get done.

And the tasks – so many of us simply don’t realize that we don’t have to do many tasks we “think” we need to be done or done by us – often, others can do them.  In some cases, there are no ramifications from not doing certain things.

Best of all – honor your time – we most often take time for granted – what do you think?

How will your week go this week?

Will it be fun or constructive or profitable or pleasurable?  How do you know?

Everyone knows that no two weeks are identical.  Some pleasures and some problems may exist through several weeks or months but the results of each week are quite different.  We just never know what is lurking in the next minute, hour or day – it’s a big surprise every single day we awaken and begin living the day.

Are we puppets?

To some extent we are.  There really is no way to predict what will happen to us during any particular 24 hours no matter how organized we are, no matter what great time management system we use and no matter how we “think” we control what happens in our world.

Why?

Because we simply cannot control everything in the world.  We can’t control other people.  People and events unfold in their own time and space.  Some people feel they can control people and events and their power is omnipotent.  Actually, it’s very limited.  They create a tiny sphere in which they have the illusion that they are “in charge”.  They are not.  No matter how long someone has been “in charge”, it’s finite and limited.

How can you make your week the best it can be?

Control what you can.  Calm down, smile and relax.

Watching the Masters this week-end, one young player seemed as though he was just having a game with his buddies during the four days of the competition.  On the last day, when the pressure was the most intense to win, the “wheels fell off” as they so often do in sports.  A sure thing can turn sour very easily.

The minute that tension is uncontrolled, it’ll “get you”!  Things you wouldn’t normally say or do, you say and do.  Like this young man, his weakness showed up as his mind let go of all it had learned and practiced during the weeks and months prior to the Masters.  A tendency towards directing a particular stroke showed up.  A massive lead disintigrated in minutes.  Once the negative mind takes over, the game is lost.

4 things you can practice every day, all day long to keep you on top of your game:

a)  take 3 deep breaths several times a day – don’t let tension build up. Put a recurring event in your electronic calendar to remind you every half hour.

b)  exercise every minute you can – take the stairs instead of the elevator, take your coffee “for a walk”, walk for 10 minutes at lunch

c)  have a picture on your desktop or on your wall or both which reminds you of relaxation – a beach you love, a mountain you hike all the time, your boat, a tent or campfire, etc.  Change the pictures often so you don’t stop “seeing them”.  Our mind gets used to something and we don’t notice it anymore.

d)  control the thing you can control – your mind.  Check your thoughts several times a day – how?  By what you’re feeling.  If you’re feeling dark and somber, your thoughts are negative.  If you’re feeling light and airy, your thoughts are positive.  Stay on the positive side – you can see so much more clearly from that vantage point!

Relaxation takes practice.  Tension no so much.

Little things you do consistently throughout the day, every day, will help you make your week the best it can be no matter what happens.

Lorraine Arams

http://www.wizetime.com