Time management intrigues me. Way back when, when I was a bed and breakfast innkeeper, I learned from a time management expert that everyone needed to block their time, and be committed to those time blocks. Since then, I’ve felt there has to be a better way. That was further reinforced when I was a real estate agent. My broker followed the advice, blocking his time — and that meant we couldn’t get his input on contracts except during specific times. That seemed just as crazy. I felt then that when you are in the service industry, time management took on a different tenor than it did for those in traditional office jobs.
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Mean What You Say
Having clarity supports clearer communication. When you aren’t clear with your thoughts and wants, you can fall into shaming patterns, garble your messages to others or not be forthright, and you can give away your personal power. Surprising what a lack of clarity can do to your life, isn’t it.
Fences Make Good Lives
The advice you give others may apply to yourself more than you think. For example, I’ve coached people for years to establish rules, boundaries, and limitations in their businesses — for their clients and staff. That advice is good for you, too!
The Grasshopper And The Ant
The fable of the grasshopper and the ant paints the picture that play is bad and work is good, or at least that living for today gets you into trouble, and planning ahead lets you thrive. Depending on the version you encounter, you may hear morals of prepare for lean times or die, plan for the future, help the needy with your resources, or even something like there’s a time for “work” and a time for “play”. You can’t disagree that having fun is much easier and more satisfying in the moment than working all the time.
Reward Yourself When You Change: Watch Out for This Big Pitfall!
Rewards are an interesting concept. You reward yourself on a job well done. A job can be something like passing a test or class, completing a project, earning a promotion, maintaining a healthy dieting, or adopting a permanent exercise program.
Living My Three Words
The evolution of “my three words” has been fun to watch. Your three words describe how you want to be seen by others, and who you are or want to be. Do you know your three words? Close your eyes, breathe in and out a few times, and see what three words come to you.
Insure Better Aging For a Joyous, Energetic Life
Have you ever thought about who’s going to take care of you in “old age”? Things like financial management, technology challenges, daily living issues like shopping and doctor visits, and end-of-life decisions. Whether you have kids or not, it’s important to start thinking about it right now.
The Secret to Better Sleep
Friends and clients repeatedly ask me how they can improve their sleep for better energy. I have offered pat answers, gleaned from articles and books, and now want to give more concrete answers and explanations than those answers have offered. The one shared suggestion that has been most resisted is the one to turn off your technology — specifically, your blue-light-emitting technology— a “few hours” before bed. Both professional and personal advice for what a few hours means ranges from 90 minutes to three hours.
Why Do You Need Ikigai?
You probably don’t get asked that question very often, do you? Why do you need ikigai?
First, let me explain what it is so you can better contemplate why you need it. Ikigai is Japanese for “your reason for being” or “why you get up in the morning”. It further expands to your reason to enjoy life.
Bumblebee Passion
This “Week of Passion” started after watching a speech Elizabeth Gilbert gave with the suggestion of not living a life of passion but instead to be willing to flit among your various interests. Her message is more complex than that, yet I think my summary is adequate for my present purpose here.