Published by Kathy Paauw

Productivity Consultant
Certified Business & Personal Coach

Paauwer Tools is a Monthly Ezine
November 2004
Issue 57


In This Issue...

w Take Back Your Time
w 50 Things That Really Do Matter

w Special offer to management staff

w Kathy's Upcoming Teleclass Offerings


Take Back Your Time


"You will never find time for anything.
You must make it."

-Charles Buxton

According to the organizers of Take Back Your Time Day, which was held on October 15, if Americans quit working on that date and didn’t work for the rest of the year, we would be working the same number of hours as the average European.  Even with high unemployment, America has experienced near-record mandatory overtime. 

The October 11, 2004 issue of Time magazine reports that on a typical day office workers are interrupted about seven times an hour -- 56 interruptions a day -- 80% of which are considered trivial. "We pride ourselves on being multi-taskers, but the truth is, we're functioning at a state of partial attention," says John White, international program director with Priority Management, a training company based in Vancouver, Canada. "Because of constant interruptions, our memory, follow-up ability, flexibility and quality of work start to erode."

So how do we learn to slow down and enjoy our lives? 

Managing our time is about clarifying priorities and being masterful at taking action on our intentions, rather than becoming a slave to the constant flow of events and demands on our time.  When we operate in auto-pilot, we take action without thinking, which almost never yields the results we want. 

Time management is not just a tool like a calendar or a Palm Pilot.  It is a foundational skill upon which everything else in life depends.  Here are seven tips to help you manage your time:

  1. Prioritize your week.  Organizing your time without first clarifying your priorities is like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.  Ask yourself this question:  If nothing else happens this week, what are the most important activities or relationships I choose to pay attention to?  Without making plans to focus on these priorities, you will most likely not get to them…especially if they are not urgent.  Planning goes far beyond just making lists.  A plan is when you have carved out specific time in your calendar (an appointment with yourself) to do something.  Need help getting started with weekly planning?  Visit our planning tip sheet or participate in our Declutter Your Life teleclass series.
  1. Learn when to say NO.  As Stephen Covey says, “It’s easy to say ‘No!’ when there’s a deeper ‘Yes!’ burning inside.” When we operate from a big-picture view of our priorities, it becomes much easier to decide what to say YES to and what to say NO to.  Remember this truth:   Every time you say yes to someone or something, you are saying no to someone or something else.

    A good way to learn what to say NO to is to check your self-talk.  Are you saying “I should…” “I gotta…” “I have to…” or are you saying “I choose to…”? Be at choice!  Then write your not to do list and stick to it! 
  1. Limit your time for activities that consume you.  For example, if you find that you are overwhelmed by e-mail, limit how many times a day you check it and how much time you’ll spend to read and respond.  When I came back from vacation to more than 1000 emails, I was amazed at how unimportant some messages became!  Limiting your time can help you to prioritize.
  1. De-clutter your life.  My definition of clutter:  Anything you own, possess, or do that does not enhance your life on a regular basis.  By this definition, clutter can be things in your physical environment.  Clutter can also be activities, thoughts, and even relationships that don’t enhance your life.  Once you clean up the non-physical clutter in your life, you’ll be able to make better decisions about what to keep and what to remove from your space.

    As you de-clutter your environment, you can save a lot of money on your tax returns by donating items to charity. ItsDeductible is a tool that I have used for years to help me value what I donate.  Although it guarantees that you will save at least $300 on your taxes, it has actually saved me thousands of dollars on my taxes each year.

  2. Schedule protected time.  In your calendar, block out time to work on projects that require concentration without interruptions.  Perhaps your company can create some strategies for supporting co-workers when they need uninterrupted time.  Here are some ideas that have been effective at several companies:
    • CubeDoors — portable, retractable, mesh-weave panels from CubeSmart in Fort Worth, Texas block entry into cubicles, effectively saying "Busy" to those who stop by.  They also sell the QuietLight, a do-not-disturb light that hangs on the wall or door. Visit their home page or cublcle photos for more information.
    • At Pitt Ohio Express, a trucking company based in Pittsburgh, Pa., claims auditors take turns wearing a special black baseball cap to signal that they are absorbed in a project.
    • At Quarasan, an educational-product developer in Chicago, workers take "focus blocks" of up to three hours when they absolutely cannot be interrupted. In any given week, about 25% of the staff use this technique. Signs hang on cubicles, chairs or doors, that say something like this:  I AM FEELING TOTALLY FOCUSED RIGHT NOW. PLEASE RESPECT THIS PROCESS.
    • Employees at Basex, an information-technology research firm in New York City, use instant messaging. A simple switch to DO NOT DISTURB status signals that coworkers should not call, email or stop by to chat.
  1. Reduce stress.  Incorporate these into your daily habit:  exercise, play, meditation, relaxation or quiet time to still the mind, healthy diet, enough sleep.

  2. Separate work from your personal life.  If you are regularly taking work home or working overtime, develop skills to negotiate with your boss (even if that’s you!) about when, where, and how results are produced.  Manage by results, not by how many hours you are working.

Visit our resource page for more ideas about increasing productivity.

In closing, I’ll share something that one of my subscribers recently sent me.  I hope you enjoy it!

50 THINGS THAT REALLY DO MATTER
(Short Shots On Living An Exceptional Life)
© Lee Wise all rights reserved

In my opinion, these things matter...

1. Listening enough to care and caring enough to listen.

2. Being a dreamer but not living in a dream world.

3. Saying "It doesn't matter" and meaning it.

4. Being a positive influence in any way possible, to as many as possible, for as long as I possibly can.

5. Balancing justice with mercy and fairness with common sense. 

6. Being patient and patiently enduring.

7. Earning credibility instead of demanding compliance.

8. Valuing the wisdom of discernment, the danger of pleasure without restraint, and the joy of victory with integrity.

9. Being worthy of trust and trusting what's worthwhile. 

10. Enjoying all things small and beautiful. 

11. Words that heal.
12. Words that help.
13. And words that encourage.

14. Forgiving myself for what I've done and others for what they haven't.

15. Gaining what I desire without losing what I should gain.

16. Maintaining the passion of purpose while avoiding the pitfalls of making hasty decisions with little or no discernment. 

17. Watching "You've Got Mail" one more time.

18. Enjoying life for all it holds instead of holding out for all it has yet to become.

19. Giving praise without demands and encouragement without expectations.

20. Hugs.
21. Healing wounds.
22. And helping people realize their dreams.

23. Knowing when I can, can't and shouldn't.

24. Laughter for the sake of laughter!

25. Leading while not forgetting how to follow.

26. Honoring the honorable and avoiding the painful errors of the disgraceful. 

27. Knowing the power of commitment, the rewards of self- discipline and the meaning of faith in myself, God and others. 

28. Smiles -- lots of them.

29. Learning as much as I can for as long as I can.

30. Standing for what's right when everything's wrong, and saying "I'm wrong" when something's not right. 

31. Letting the music play. 

32. Knowing I can and seeking help when I can't.

33. Just doing nothing at just the right time.

34. Filling my mind with all that is excellent, truthful, full of hope, and worthy of thinking about again. 

35. Kisses that say "I love you" more than "I need you."

36. Treasuring ideas for their untapped potential.

37. Caring.
38. Giving.
39. And having fun.

40. Refusing to believe lies about myself or others regardless of the source -- including what I hear from within. 

41. Trusting enough to see good in people without blindly trusting in the goodness of all people. 

42. Success without self-absorption.

43. Showing I know the difference between keeping the rules and listening with understanding.

44. Winning with dignity.
45. Losing with grace.
46. And learning from both.  

47. Believing in all my possibilities -- and yours too!

48. Appreciating the wisdom of maturity and the beauty of childhood.

49. Avoiding the bondage of bitterness, the deceit of wealth without character, and the vanity of pride without gratefulness.

50. Loving for all I'm worth because in the end it's worth it all.

© Lee Wise All rights reserved.  You may freely distribute this article.  The copyright and this resource box must be included. mailto:Lee@motivation-for-daily-living.net

No Cost Ezine!  "A Beautiful Moment In Time" is an ezine designed to bring moments of encouragement and inspiration into your everyday world. For your free subscription go to http://www.motivation-for-daily-living.net



Our Paauwer Tools library contains past issues which contain more tips and suggestions on the topic of Time Management.  Visit our online library for more information.

Click here to read a touching short story called The Importance of Time.



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This article is by Kathy Paauw of Paauwerfully Organized. Kathy's web site is a comprehensive resource devoted to helping busy professionals and small business owners de-clutter their schedules, spaces, and minds so they can focus on what's most important. Kathy is an organizing & productivity consultant, certified business & personal coach, and speaker. Contact her at kathy@orgcoach.net. For free resources and valuable productivity tools visit http://www.orgcoach.net.

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Warm regards,

Kathy Paauw, Paauwerfully Organized
425-881-6627
kathy@orgcoach.net



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