Schedule Your Day to Reflect Goals and Priorities - Part 4 - Align Your Time
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Free Download - Even When It Is Quiet. . . We Should Listen By Stephanie Calahan |
Scheduling your day can be challenging for many. (This is especially true if others add activities to your calender! I have had others adding to my calender for over a decade now!)
Today I'll talk about how you put the pieces together to schedule your day.
Schedule the Boulders First
I'm sure that you have heard the story of the college professor that talks with his students about boulders, rocks, pebbles, sand and water.... The end result is that he teaches them how to focus on priorities. It cycles internet email forwards about every year or so. However, no matter how many times you have read it, it is still true. Check out the video below where I have attempted to recreate the experiment.
When you look at your schedule, what do you consider the most important chunks? When you worked through your priorities and goals, did you check to see how much on your calendar matched what you said was important?
Schedule Appointments with Yourself
So often we put things on our calendars that are appointments with others, but not with ourselves. Is that you? I have to admit, I was not good at this, however now that I have others that add to my calendar I have gotten much better.
By writing priority activities to your schedule, you are giving them the honor they deserve.
Recognize Activities for Their Value
Pagers, iPhones, PDAs, Instant Messaging, Twitter, email, phone... the list goes on and on. Why, with all of the ways that we can connect with one another, it is amazing that we get any sleep at all! Now, don't get me wrong, I think that all of the ways to communicate are fabulous if they are used in the appropriate balance with everything else. For some, these tools are a connection to the lifeline of their business. For others, it is a distraction from what will really take things skyrocketing.
Your Priority May be Someone Else's Goofing Off
"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time." ~John Lubbock
I had a boss once that felt that taking time off from work was the sign of a non-dedicated person. I disagreed with her then and I do now.
I'm a workaholic by nature, but my sons are very important to me. So, activities with them are equally important. One activity that my son loves to do is walk to the "resting rock" after dark.
There are many nights where I tell him no and decide not to do it in lieu of other things, but those are the nights I regret. You see, when we go to the "resting rock" (a big boulder that is flat on the top - we usually lay on our backs and look in the sky...) I learn all kinds of things about my son. We have amazing conversations. At the "resting rock" he feels free to share his innermost feelings. I am such a fortunate mom to be able to take part in that. Had I not taken time in my schedule for those few minutes, I would have never known...
What do you do to make sure that the right things are on your calendar? How do you make sure to focus on the important things and less on the lemonade?
To your success!
Steph
@StephCalahan
Schedule Your Day to Reflect Goals and Priorities Part 4 Align Your Time - To learn more about this author, visit Stephanie Calahan's Website.
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is North America's leading authority on team culture. She is an author and professional speaker and president of the leading team culture consultancy, TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Crampton has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down or to subscribe to TIGES Free monthly e-newsleeter go here. Dianne's contribution to the 2010 Pfeiffer Consulting Journal (an imprint of John Wiley and Sons Publishers) entitled TIGERS Hearted Teams is available in November 2009. Her new book TIGERS Among Us: Winning Business Team Cultures And Why They Thrive, Three Creeks Publishing will release in March 2010. To receive publishing discounts, subscribe to the free TigerTracks Newsletter here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
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Productive and Organized - Stephanie is a nationally known speaker, productivity consultant and founder of Calahan Solutions, Inc. She has worked with hundreds of clients, and understands that every person is unique and requires systems that work for them.
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