Time Management – Time for Quiet Reflection
Time Management – Time for Quiet Reflection
"It's been weeks since I've had a few minutes of time for quiet reflection." my client said to me. Have you ever been so busy that you too had that feeling? I know I have.
As I begin to write on the topic of "quiet reflection" I can't help but notice the irony in the fact that I frequently talk to my clients about how to pack more into the day. I also write on time management techniques. You can find time management lists and articles that I have written on my website. So why am I focused on "quiet reflection" today?
It started because I noticed how quickly time goes by. Then I began to list what I had accomplished during this quarter and how much more there was left in my business plan to do this year. It gave me a bit of an anxious feeling. Not pleasant!
We're driven today by "to do" lists, goals and multitasking. Many people are so accomplishment focused that they brag about how much they got done in one day and/or how many hours they worked. It is often enough to make the listener dizzy or worse feeling a lot of anxiety.
I'm working on putting this all in balance so I can reduce my anxiety. Now there is a word we use a lot: balance. So much of what we do needs to be balanced but not in the way a scale gets balanced. We don't always want equal amounts on both sides. We have to find the right mix for ourselves. In this instance it might be equal amounts of work and relaxation or it might not be. My guess is what I call balance today will change over time based on my life situation.
As with my client however our lives get in the way of that "balance" and since society at least in the US rewards the accomplishment focus we are always racing to do "stuff". Sometimes it is hard to remember the reasons for "quiet reflection."
My client wanted to use her time to reflect on a business idea she had and what form it would take. (Visioning) I've been working on making time for a meditation practice so that I can rest my mind. Quiet time can also give you time to think about all you have to be grateful for - a much different internal feeling than "what do I have to do next?" or "what didn't I do?"
If this is something you are concerned about too here are some suggestions from the April 6th Careers section of the Boston Globe. Writer Maggie Johnson suggests these methods for "hitting the pause button."
1. Small doses - Start with a minute or two. Take breaks in small doses so that over time you form a new habit.
2. Reminders - Write a note to yourself and stick it someplace obvious like the bathroom mirror to remind yourself to just stop for a minute or two.
3. Disconnect - Have a no tech zone. Disconnect from the computer, Internet, TV, telephone and other electronic devices and just sit quietly. (If this idea scares you, then you really need to do it.)
If you would like to find new locations for quiet reflection, please read the following top ten list that I wrote in June of 2007 http://www.asparker.com/ppts0607.html
Time Management Time for Quiet Reflection - To learn more about this author, visit Alvah Parker's Website.
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Time Management – Time for Quiet Reflection
"It's been weeks since I've had a few minutes of time for quiet reflection." my client said to me. Have you ever been so busy that you too had that feeling? I know I have.
As I begin to write on the topic of "quiet reflection" I can't help but notice the irony in the fact that I frequently talk to my clients about how to pack more into the day. I also write on time management techniques. You can find time management lists and articles that I have written on my website. So why am I focused on "quiet reflection" today?
It started because I noticed how quickly time goes by. Then I began to list what I had accomplished during this quarter and how much more there was left in my business plan to do this year. It gave me a bit of an anxious feeling. Not pleasant!
We're driven today by "to do" lists, goals and multitasking. Many people are so accomplishment focused that they brag about how much they got done in one day and/or how many hours they worked. It is often enough to make the listener dizzy or worse feeling a lot of anxiety.
I'm working on putting this all in balance so I can reduce my anxiety. Now there is a word we use a lot: balance. So much of what we do needs to be balanced but not in the way a scale gets balanced. We don't always want equal amounts on both sides. We have to find the right mix for ourselves. In this instance it might be equal amounts of work and relaxation or it might not be. My guess is what I call balance today will change over time based on my life situation.
As with my client however our lives get in the way of that "balance" and since society at least in the US rewards the accomplishment focus we are always racing to do "stuff". Sometimes it is hard to remember the reasons for "quiet reflection."
My client wanted to use her time to reflect on a business idea she had and what form it would take. (Visioning) I've been working on making time for a meditation practice so that I can rest my mind. Quiet time can also give you time to think about all you have to be grateful for - a much different internal feeling than "what do I have to do next?" or "what didn't I do?"
If this is something you are concerned about too here are some suggestions from the April 6th Careers section of the Boston Globe. Writer Maggie Johnson suggests these methods for "hitting the pause button."
1. Small doses - Start with a minute or two. Take breaks in small doses so that over time you form a new habit.
2. Reminders - Write a note to yourself and stick it someplace obvious like the bathroom mirror to remind yourself to just stop for a minute or two.
3. Disconnect - Have a no tech zone. Disconnect from the computer, Internet, TV, telephone and other electronic devices and just sit quietly. (If this idea scares you, then you really need to do it.)
If you would like to find new locations for quiet reflection, please read the following top ten list that I wrote in June of 2007 http://www.asparker.com/ppts0607.html
Time Management Time for Quiet Reflection - To learn more about this author, visit Alvah Parker's Website.
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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