Posts Tagged ‘transitions’

The Rhythms of Our Days

Monday, January 23rd, 2012

The rhythms of our days: Some days are rushed, even more than others. Some days it feels like you have a bit more time to do what needs doing. Still other days, it feels as if you can barely breathe, only finding slivers of time.

This is about noticing the patterns or rhythms to our days. With that knowledge, we can figure out how to smooth out the rhythm a bit AND to let go of a too-high standard we set for ourselves sometimes.

Think about:

>Your typical Saturday: the activities, who is involved, the amount of time you have on your own, the time you work, the time you spend out of the house, your own energy level, how tie passing felt, what filled the time as planned, and what filled time unexpectedly.

>Now consider a typical Sunday.

What’s the Rhythm of YOUR Days?

>Or focus on the weekdays, each one of last week. Quite a different pace to it all, when you sit back and notice.

 

The days are really not alike when you look at them closely are they?

Some days, it’s about running and keeping up. For now, it has to be. So don’t even try to add in something you want to do. Just do what has to get done.

Other days, you have a slightly slower pace (it’s relative, right?). There’s more time to “fit in” something – whether it’s picking up the kitchen, several clients or prospective clients needing time, or starting on reorganizing your office or your quilting space.

It all fits in nicely, with some breathing space, and you’re less harried. It fits that particular day.

The point is this:

When you look at your day, if you know it’s a “running around and keeping up” day, let go of doing anything extra, proactive, big, or that needs a good chunk of time (> 15 minutes these days).

Let it go. Today’s not that day. But write down your thoughts and ideas so they’re not lost.

On another day, when you have that slightly slower pace, you can get these things done.

And please – not all of them – add in one and see how that goes. What many of us do is pile high the tasks and expectations and end up frustrated. One thing at a time.

Notice the rhythm first. Play with it. And soon enough, you may see ways you can change the rhythms of your days, creating that masterpiece of balance. If not, please reach out and let’s talk about time management together.

 

Fire Up Your Biz: Enrich Your Life!

Monday, January 9th, 2012

I’m on board as a featured expert!


When Life Interferes:

Making it through Life’s Transitions as a Business Owner.

Stephanie Calahan, coordinator of the telesummit and founder of Calahan Solutions, Inc. in Bloomington IL. has gathered 20+ internationally renowned business coaches and productivity experts, including me!

“We are passionate about sharing our decades of wisdom to guide you in increasing your business success so that you can reclaim your health, wealth and happiness.” Stephanie LH Calahan

So why is this so important for you? We’re living through a truly amazing time, and never before have so many people been called to own their own business and blaze a path to their dreams.

With this shift, we need powerful mentors – inspired communicators who model this new way of BEING.

 

Just the facts

FREE Fire Up Your Biz – Enrich Your Life Telesummit starting on January 18th through February 28th, 2012.

Three experts a week for six weeks.

My topic is  “When Life Interferes: Making it through Life’s Transitions as a Business Owner.”

In a hurry?  Go here for all the details:  http://www.fireupyourbizenrichyourlife.com

Sneak peak at the topics

  • Time Strategies for the Busy Entrepreneur
  • The 3 Surprising Keys that Open the Door to Small Business Abundance
  • From Procrastination to DONE!
  • We’ve Got To Stop Meeting Like This: How to Run Meetings that Actually Get Things Done
  • Mindset Matters: Secrets to a Powerful Mindset
  • Solopreneur Motivation Secrets: Create the Work Environment and Results You Want
  • A Busy Family’s Guide to Getting Organized So You Can Live Your Best Life and Still Enjoy Your Family
  • How to Overcome your Mental Money Barriers, and Break Free to Success
  • Networking for Success
  • Top Tech Tools for Busy Business Owners
  • 5 Keys to Social Media Success: Do it Right, Stop Wasting Time and Get Results!
  • Passion Management: How to Juggle/Prioritize all of the Passions We Have
  • Get the Right Support for Your Business, Inside and Out
  • Get Time and Tasks Managed Quickly
  • Five Secrets to Streamline Your Work Flow
  • Unlock the Secret to Achieving Your Profit Goals
  • Depressing Desks and Psychic Debris: Cleaning up the Work Space by De-cluttering the Head Trash
  • Conquering Your Fear with a Knockout Punch
  • Conquer Email Overload
  • When Life Interferes: Making it through Life’s Transitions as a Business Owner

 

Reserve your place at NO COST with 24 hour Replay access by clicking HERE.

Can’t make the calls?

Or, you want to access the information whenever YOU want? Then we have something else for you…

THE FIRE UP YOUR BIZ TOOL KIT – Only $97 per person
This includes 20+ hours of content-rich and inspired conversations with the expert guides from FIRE UP YOUR BIZ – ENRICH YOUR LIFE (MP3 Downloads & Action Guides)
PLUS  Over $900 in Valuable Bonus Gifts

Register now and order THE FIRE UP YOUR BIZ TOOL KIT Package! 

PS from Stephanie directly: The sessions are ALL ANSWERS and no fluff, meaning, we will give you solid actionable, innovative strategies, processes and tools that can take your company to the next level –not a big sales pitch.

Turning A Corner – Reorganize to Process Life Changes

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

Life changes and major events interrupt our lives in ways that we cannot imagine.

Whether the changes are joyous (welcoming a family member), unexpected (a job loss, major surgery) or tragic ( loss of a loved one), these changes leave us with homes, belongings, and schedules that no longer meet our needs or help us live our lives. Reorganizing is an important part of processing any life change.

Reorganizing is useful, because you’re changing your schedule, office or home to meet your new ways of living. Systems cannot be static, because life isn’t, and systems are what give you the time to deal with the life change.

Organizing, I often say, is a means to an end. The end is the results you want – to have more time,energy or a modified space to handle the life event.

How  do you know when you’re ready to shift, to change your systems, reorganize your space or declutter your past?

When you feel as if you’re turning a corner.

Turning the Corner – Michigan Forest Land

When you’re more often than contemplating creating physical and mental space for your next chapter – whether you know what it looks like or not. Decluttering your  home, your schedule, and creating the new.

Only you can judge that timing.

Take your time. Live with what you have until it feels like you’re “turning a corner.”  When the “old” truly feels like the past. When you want something new.

You’ll know it or you’ll feel it. You’ll see it clearly if you’re visual.  Listen to your voice and only yours. Because if you don’t, you’ll make decisions you may regret later on.

So wait until you know it’s time. Until you can see that last corner … just before you begin your next chapter in life. And then it’s time to reorganize and create something comfortable but new.

 

Stay tuned for details: On January 6th, I’ll be the guest on my publisher’s webinar “Help Me Organize after a Life Change.”

Heading into the Holidays – 5 Ways to Make it Easier

Wednesday, October 26th, 2011

I used to shake my head and procrastinate about pulling things together for the “holiday season,” which in my life, extends from October-ish through mid January. A victim of the holiday stress. Okay a little dramatic, but that’s what holiday stress does to some of us.

And then one year, I woke up, after attending a holidays/stress workshop at my local library. New perspective: Manage it instead of  giving up and letting it managing you. Or trying to do everything you normally do and THEN add holidays on top of it all.

So how can you turn this around in your life? Here are my five best suggestions – I don’t know your particular situation, but think about how one or more of these could work for you, even if you have to tailor an idea a bit.  

Realize that this IS more on you at this time of year.

What to do:  We have this magical thinking that despite feeling crazy busy much of the year, we can STILL handle more at the holiday season.

Stop the magical thinking; this is where the stress comes from, the difference between what you expect and what you can realistically handle.

Realizing this IS more and that you don’t have to do it all, especially for everyone else, is a big shift, but the most important one.

Decide what is MOST important.

What to do:

Less is more, right? When you go on vacation and you cram so much into the week that it’s all a blur, what’s that like? When you return somewhere you’ve been before and take the week at a slower pace, what’s that like? Slower. More mindful. More aware of what you really enjoy.

Discuss with your immediate household members – including children and parents who live with you – what they find most beautiful about this time of year.

These become your priorities for where to spend time and money. If you need to, set high/medium/low priorities or some relative measure. This way, if you have extra time, you can go deeper into the list. Or it’ll be easier to know what people said wasn’t really all that important. Maybe that becomes a high priority for next year.

For me, I know it’s: music, family, something meditative or spiritual, and the good and positive energy in the air, the smell of evergreens, the beauty of outdoors.

Use your calendar and planner – more now than ever.

What to do: Those priorities you just discussed – put those first into your calendar. Get them blocked in, before other invitations and “must do” events fill up your time.

It’s fairly predictable in my household that certain weekends are spent away from home. So now I block our events, block those away weekends, and then step back. I have figured out over time that I need one weekend a month at home, ideally two, to feel anchored. Anchored to me means I have my head clear, feel fairly well in control, not scattered – and just anchored to my own home. My head feels organized, so I feel calmer all around. Make sense?

Research shows that stress causes forgetfulness – since we know this, even if you’re not usually a list maker or planner/PDA person, now would be a great time to use both. Even if only for this season.

Organize your days differently.

What to do: I like to grocery shop on the weekends, preferably Sunday.  There are certain household management chores I prefer to do on weekends rather than weeknights. And that’s where I was stuck in my thinking that these were the only good times to handle these chores. That works pretty well for most of the year, but thinking differently at the holidays has been a sanity-saver.

Instead, just for these few months, I look at my calendar each week and get creative (which I like to do, it turns out – because I like variety). Each week the trip may be a different evening/day.

Ask for assistance.

What to do:  Times of stress, of change or overload are the best times – and easiest times – to give yourself and your budget some permission to hire out services.

Hire an organizer coach to help you plot out your season. Hire a personal assistant/errand services company to grocery shop with your list, do gift returns, or ship packages.

 

Are You Ready to Work with an Organizer ?

Wednesday, October 19th, 2011

It takes a lot to make a phone call to a professional. How we are raised, our experiences with reaching out, our desire to be successful on our own and practical reasons contribute to a decision. When  you have a good experience – or even a great one! – the next step out is easier. And then you realize that when you do reach out, you gain a new perspective on an old problem.

 

“The thinking it took to get us into this mess is not the same thinking that is going to get us out of it.”

- Attributed to Alfred Einstein

I’ve attached a useful article written by a colleague, Linda Samuels.  She is a fellow member of the Institute for Challenging Disorganization.

She walks us through the stages of change – in her own words…

Initial Rumblings

-Identifying Possibilities

-Reaching Out

-Beyond Talking

-Life Jolts.

 

If you’re not used to reaching out, that doesn’t have to be the case forever.

I reach out when I need: outside expertise or perspective on my life or business; I don’t have a strength or a skill to do what  I know needs to be done; I know how and what, but I need accountability to someone else — that was probably the most difficult for me, but it’s proven so useful personally and professionally.

We can’t be great at all things, so why not choose to be great at what makes us feel good and get some assistance with the other stuff. Nothing wrong with that and it gets us from point A to point B that much faster and more easily.

This, whatever “this” is, just doesn’t need to be such a struggle if there are others with great ideas and talents for it.

So take a look at Linda’s article, and while you’re reading it, think about a specific part of your life you’d  like to finally deal with.

And if it makes sense, let’s talk.  The article link: Readiness for Change