making time count
One fun thing about Stylebook is seeing how what’s old is made new again. Bellacara’s Elizabeth shows us how yesterday’s makeup is updated, and I’m grateful to Alicia and Rosana for showing us how to wear 70s style jeans that look like 2015…happy I still have my full-leg bottoms and gypsy tops – I love for great things to come back in style!
I’m sure you’ve heard the quip “if you hang around long enough, you’ll see it again.” And that does seem to be true with all things related to hair, makeup and clothing. But the one place it is not true is our time. We never get a second chance to spend our time wisely.
(If you don’t have time to read any more of this post but want to register for my webinar especially for Alexandria Stylebook readers, click here.)
Three weeks ago I wrote in this blog (my first guest post!) about the reality that we are now entering the second half of 2015, so consider it the perfect time to inspect and “shore up” your foundation. I hope you downloaded your Clean Sweep – a fun, classic coaching tool many people utilize on an annual basis to review and identify where they are, and some steps they can take to come from a place of greater strength. In doing so they can make better choices about how they spend their time. (If you didn’t download the Clean Sweep before, click here to access it now.)
As part of MY personal midyear review I have been thinking a lot about making my time count. And I know from conversations with clients and colleagues that the subject is important to them also. Their words may not be exactly the same but things like “I’m constantly behind, I feel so frazzled, stressed, can’t seem to ever get to what I really want to do, nothing feels balanced, everything moves too fast” and on and on…that making time count takes on new meaning.
The steps to take to ensure you are making time count are varied and certainly personal – what works for one will not work for all. But I do know that there are 4 universal things to NOT do to ensure you stay on the path of making time count…as you read through these, consider if and where you see yourself:
1) Focus on acquiring more things – Many people lose hours because they are trying to move around their physical clutter. Physical clutter = emotional clutter. Hunting and shopping for more “great stuff” to fill your home, closets, office and vehicle can be seductive, addictive and counterproductive.
2) Worry about everything – Just like #1 worrying is seductive. The list of things we can worry about is endless…current events, past mistakes, what was said, wasn’t said, what did and didn’t happen, and what tomorrow will bring. Learning to live in the present moment is imperative to letting go of worry. Worrying is a habit and breaking the habit can take practice.
3) Make inflexible plans with unrealistic expectations – So many aspects of today’s culture subtlety reinforce the idea that we can have, be and do “it” all. In our efforts to achieve this (unrealistic) state, we become rigid or create all sorts of faulty expectations about our time, our lack of need for support / accountability and consequences of our choices. Don’t lose sight of the role that a sense of humor plays when your plans are interrupted.
4) Compare yourself to others – How easy this is to do and what a total and complete waste of time! Besides keeping your mind and heart focused on your failures (adds to #2) and everything you don’t have in life, you will bounce between arrogance and discouragement and lose sight of your core values, who you are and what you can contribute to your world. The sooner you recognize the futile-ness of this exercise and simply stop the comparison game the better off you will be.
These 4 things are sure-fire ways to NOT make your time count and we are all prone to falling in their trap. How much space do these four things have in your life? (The Clean Sweep can help you have an objective determination.) They seem common sense, don’t they? But we all know that sometimes what sounds simple is another thing entirely to adopt, or in this case — let go.
I’m so pleased to have had the opportunity to write for Alexandria Stylebook, and because I have a heart for all things Alexandria – including the busy ladies who live, work, shop and play here, I am hosting a free webinar especially for the readers of Alexandria Stylebook.
On our call “Making Time Count in the Last Half of 2015” we will cover specific techniques to say “good-bye” to these 4 time-wasters, as well as looking at fun ways to ensure you are grounded and strong to make the absolute most out of August-December 2015.
Yes, this webinar will take an hour of your time! In return you will learn, laugh, be challenged, gain perspective and get some new ideas on managing your time and life – not a bad way to spend an hour, is it?!
To register for the call, click here and you will receive all pertinent information. The call will be recorded so even if you can’t join live go ahead and register and you will receive a recording to replay at your convenience. Also, when you register you’ll have the chance to ask a question you’d like to be answered during our time together.
Take some TIME to spend with me, and see how I can make your TIME more productive….and give you back some too! As a Certified Coach working with women in leadership (and those who want to be,) I commit to work hard to ensure our call is valuable for you. I’m looking forward to it!
To read more about me and my work, visit gigiblair.com.
To register for the free webinar “Making Time Count in the Last Half of 2015,” click here.
