Ah, a luxurious bubble bath, scented candles flicker,
relaxing music in the back ground,
and you float on a cloud of lavender scented warmth.
You sink deeper into the water and let the heat caress your flesh like a lover.
You sigh. Tired muscles unwind, your spirit rejoices as peace seeps into your bones.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
You bolt upright, tranquility shattered along with your nerves.
Pound. Pound.
"Hey mom, are you done yet? I need to pee."
Sound familiar?
We all need time off, our own space, and we need to treat it as sacred.
Because it is.
What does that mean?
Sacred is anything set apart from the usual or ordinary in life.
Sacred time doesn't allow the mundane to insert itself and overtake it.
Your emotional, mental and physical health depend on your achieving sacred time for yourself.
It's not negotiable.
What qualifies as sacred time?
Anything that centers on you, feeds your soul, rejuvenates your mind and body.
It can take many forms:
A walk around the block.
Reading a good book.
Writing in your journal.
Meditation.
A massage.
Playing with the dog.
Lunch with friends.
Attending your writer meetings.
It's time set aside to honor the unique gift you are to the world.
Don't roll your eyes.
You are a gift.
Stop ignoring the box, unwrap the darn thing and enjoy it.
Look at it this way, you put gas in your car, change the oil, get a tune up.
Doing those things doesn't make you hang your head in shame and feel guilty.
Filling the gas tank so you can pick up the kids from school doesn't cause remorse.
Of course not.
Sacred time for yourself is the same thing.
You're like a car and require regular maintenance to keep running.
Most of us ignore this until we break down.
Didn't your mother tell you to take care of your things?
If you never put oil in the engine you'll burn up the motor.
Sitting on the side of the road with an empty gas tank doesn't help anyone.
Yet, we expect our selves to push forward,
never filling our tank or oil or changing the spark plugs.
Does this make any sense?
A well oiled machine runs smoothly and years longer than one that's neglected.
You can't help anyone if your battery is dead.
This week, write five things in your journal that fill your tank.
Do them.
Schedule time at least once a week to take part in these activities.
Do not allow other things to intrude.
Sacred time is not to be flouted.
Write down how doing these things makes you feel.
If you come up with more than five things, great, go for ten.
It's terrific if you schedule three times a week seeing to your maintenance.
And it is maintenance.
As always, let me know how you do.
Showing posts with label time management. success. Show all posts
Showing posts with label time management. success. Show all posts
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
But I Don't Drink!
Distracted driving.
We've all heard the term. Studies have shown that talking on your cell phone while on the road impairs a person as much as driving drunk.
Really!
I know this personally. Taking my morning walk dressed in a bright pink shirt, thus easily visible, I looked both ways and crossed the street.
A block away, I spied a car barreling toward the crosswalk.
They will slow down. They have to see me.
The car roared up, slammed on its brakes mid-intersection missing me by inches, and only because I leaped from the iron jaws of death.
If I'd been pushing a stroller, this oblivious young woman would be defending herself in court.
You get my point.
Other than driving distracted being a very bad idea, doing anything with less than our full attention ends in less than satisfactory results.
Yes. I start a load of laundry and let it wash, while I check my e-mail for fifteen minutes. But I don't answer the phone or watch television when I'm writing. No distracted writing.
I call it, writing drunk.
We like to think we're saving time by multi-tasking. That talking on the phone, while unloading the dish washer, and stirring the pasta sauce for dinner is a great use of time. See how productive we can be?
I once believed that.
We may also miss an important part of the conversation, misplace utensils, and burn the sauce.
How's that multi-tasking working for ya?
Yeah, me too. Not so well. I had to search for the vegi peeler. The phone call took longer because I had to ask her to repeat, and the sauce was a loss. I had to toss it, incuring more expense and using time to start over. Ugh!
You can see this was a difficult lesson for me.
I love to feel busy and productive. When I decided to focus on one thing, I found I saved time.
This week, try focusing on one task and then move on to the next.
You'll feel more peace.
The girl who'd nearly run me down didn't feel any peace. She shook life a leaf once she'd realized what almost happened.
Distraction is imparement.
Jot down in your journal how you feel durring this week.
Are you distracting yourself from situations and thoughts you don't want to deal with?
Face them in your journal.
Where in your life are you driving drunk?
We've all heard the term. Studies have shown that talking on your cell phone while on the road impairs a person as much as driving drunk.
Really!
I know this personally. Taking my morning walk dressed in a bright pink shirt, thus easily visible, I looked both ways and crossed the street.
A block away, I spied a car barreling toward the crosswalk.
They will slow down. They have to see me.
The car roared up, slammed on its brakes mid-intersection missing me by inches, and only because I leaped from the iron jaws of death.
If I'd been pushing a stroller, this oblivious young woman would be defending herself in court.
You get my point.
Other than driving distracted being a very bad idea, doing anything with less than our full attention ends in less than satisfactory results.
Yes. I start a load of laundry and let it wash, while I check my e-mail for fifteen minutes. But I don't answer the phone or watch television when I'm writing. No distracted writing.
I call it, writing drunk.
We like to think we're saving time by multi-tasking. That talking on the phone, while unloading the dish washer, and stirring the pasta sauce for dinner is a great use of time. See how productive we can be?
I once believed that.
We may also miss an important part of the conversation, misplace utensils, and burn the sauce.
How's that multi-tasking working for ya?
Yeah, me too. Not so well. I had to search for the vegi peeler. The phone call took longer because I had to ask her to repeat, and the sauce was a loss. I had to toss it, incuring more expense and using time to start over. Ugh!
You can see this was a difficult lesson for me.
I love to feel busy and productive. When I decided to focus on one thing, I found I saved time.
This week, try focusing on one task and then move on to the next.
You'll feel more peace.
The girl who'd nearly run me down didn't feel any peace. She shook life a leaf once she'd realized what almost happened.
Distraction is imparement.
Jot down in your journal how you feel durring this week.
Are you distracting yourself from situations and thoughts you don't want to deal with?
Face them in your journal.
Where in your life are you driving drunk?
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Just Give Me 15 Minutes Of Your Time.
I don't waste time. Never. I'm busy every moment.
I'm sure you are.
We all fill our days with things, some worthwhile, some not.
But can we be more efficient and achieve more?
Of course!
I've taken time management classes that had me block 15 minute intervals through the day.
Excellent idea!
It sounds daunting, but it can change your life.
You can eat an elephant one bite at a time and you can accomplish your goals in 15 minute increments.
If you don't have time to read the slew of e-mail, set your timer for 15 minutes, read what you can, and when the bell rings, walk away.
Yes, it's difficult, but it gets easier.
You do not have to do everything. Really.
If you can't find a moment to blog, set the clock and write. When it buzzes, stop.
Do the same tomorrow.
This works well with housework, gardening, returning phone calls, most anything.
Don't put your lover on a timer in the bedroom.
Neither of you will appreciate it.
Smile.
When you give your self a deadline, you push to accomplish.
That's what we're trying to do here.
Having a critique group makes you finish those pages to be read.
NANO, Write A Novel In 40 Days, and Book In A Month, are all based on this concept.
They work!
People tend to use the time allotted, so tighten your schedule.
Create incentives, deadlines, be accountable to someone.
You've heard it said,
when you want something done, ask a busy person.
Why?
Because they have figured this out.
Push yourself to accomplish more in less time.
You'll be amazed how productive you'll become.
This week, try the 15 minute blocks. Write in your journal what you want to get done everyday and then allot time for it. Working in 15 minute segments can become a habit.
Example:
1:15-1:30 e-mail
1:30-1:45 laundry
1:45-2:00 write blog
2:00-2:15 outline scene
You get the idea.
Let us know how you do.
I'm excited to hear your success!
I'm sure you are.
We all fill our days with things, some worthwhile, some not.
But can we be more efficient and achieve more?
Of course!
I've taken time management classes that had me block 15 minute intervals through the day.
Excellent idea!
It sounds daunting, but it can change your life.
You can eat an elephant one bite at a time and you can accomplish your goals in 15 minute increments.
If you don't have time to read the slew of e-mail, set your timer for 15 minutes, read what you can, and when the bell rings, walk away.
Yes, it's difficult, but it gets easier.
You do not have to do everything. Really.
If you can't find a moment to blog, set the clock and write. When it buzzes, stop.
Do the same tomorrow.
This works well with housework, gardening, returning phone calls, most anything.
Don't put your lover on a timer in the bedroom.
Neither of you will appreciate it.
Smile.
When you give your self a deadline, you push to accomplish.
That's what we're trying to do here.
Having a critique group makes you finish those pages to be read.
NANO, Write A Novel In 40 Days, and Book In A Month, are all based on this concept.
They work!
People tend to use the time allotted, so tighten your schedule.
Create incentives, deadlines, be accountable to someone.
You've heard it said,
when you want something done, ask a busy person.
Why?
Because they have figured this out.
Push yourself to accomplish more in less time.
You'll be amazed how productive you'll become.
This week, try the 15 minute blocks. Write in your journal what you want to get done everyday and then allot time for it. Working in 15 minute segments can become a habit.
Example:
1:15-1:30 e-mail
1:30-1:45 laundry
1:45-2:00 write blog
2:00-2:15 outline scene
You get the idea.
Let us know how you do.
I'm excited to hear your success!
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