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David Bohl Articles
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PRODUCTIVITY, EFFICIENCY, EFFECTIVENESS, and FOCUS – Doing the Next Right Thing - Click To Read Article I've recently been asked by my coach and several coaching clients the question: "What could someone have said to you when you were working 80+ hour weeks, and enjoying every minute of them, to convince you that there was a way to live a more balanced life?" To answer this question, I've had to take a stroll down memory lane. I don't hide my past. It's part of me, and I gladly share it with anyone who might relate to the path I traveled to become the family-always-comes-first, home-office solopreneur that I am today. Do You Have a Strategic Lifestyle Plan? - Click To Read Article Every business has, or should have, a strategic plan. It endows the business with the fundamentals from which to exist and grow. In its simplest form, a strategic plan means realizing an organization's ultimate goals. Does this plan apply only to business? Absolutely not! Let's look at individuals. The Truth About Information Overload - Click To Read Article There's good news and bad news about "information overload." The bad news is, you probably have some overload effect in your life. The good news is, it's probably not as bad as everyone says it is. Human Beings vs Human Doings - Click To Read Article Have you gotten caught up in "doing" instead of "being?" It's easy to "do" in modern-day America, where we're constantly bombarded with messages urging us to run out and buy the latest sexy sports car or super-duty truck, or to deck out our spouses or ourselves with the finest diamonds and Rolexes. But as they say, money can't buy happiness (although it CAN alleviate a lot of misery). If you want true freedom, you should take the steps to free yourself of the psychological baggage you've built up about doing versus being. How to Win the Balance Battle - Click To Read Article Over the course of the last generation, we’ve all seen a very dramatic change in the way Americans coordinate the dual responsibilities of work and home life. Prior to the 1960’s and early ‘70’s, structures, rules and boundaries were clearly defined—men went to work, women stayed at home, and kids behaved. Today the lines have become blurred, if not erased completely. This upheaval has created almost dire circumstances where we are forced to reexamine our approach to working, living, raising our families, and even tending to our own basic needs. If Time is the New Currency... is Technology Robbing Us Blind? - Click To Read Article Time is money... the expression is as old as the day is long... and yet these days, "the day" is not nearly as long as we need it to be to get everything done that we want to do. If that sentence made your head spin a little, chances are it's because, like most of us, you're caught up in the usual rush, rush, rush that has become your expected mode of operation. No matter where we turn, it seems like everyone has an amazing new product or tool that's designed to make life easier and save everyone a ton of time. And yet, our precious minutes just seem to slip away, despite our every effort to "own" our own time. Time is the New Currency - Click To Read Article In today's frantic world of double income parents and internet/cell phone access that keeps us within easy reach, it seems that work is competing for more and more of our time. We take business calls during our child's bedtime story, carry our laptops along with us on vacation, and learn to multi-task dinner prep with client projects. But despite this perceived "efficiency," we must ask ourselves: is our productivity really increasing? Or are we just busying ourselves, running from here to there, juggling too many priorities and compromising our standards as we do so? Through all the rushing and ticking off of items on our never ending to-do list, we can't help but sense that the boundaries between work and private life are all but evaporating. Finding Inspiration - Click To Read Article Creative people are often asked, "Where do you get your ideas?" or "Where do you get your inspiration?" What people usually mean by these questions is, "How can I find my own inspiration?" What's Your Motivation? - Click To Read Article It's become a joke to wonder "what's my motivation?" like an actor, when we have something in front of us to do and just can't seem to get it done. We may complain that we just can't get motivated to do something. Take What You Need and Leave the Rest - Click To Read Article You've probably heard the expression, "Take what you need and leave the rest." This sentiment is often heard in connection with meetings and with other people's opinions, in terms of taking what you can use from what is said, and leave the rest. WorkLife Balance isnt a PR Slogan Its LIFE - Click To Read Article There are companies out there on that embody philosophies that allow their employees to lead well-balanced, fulfilled lives. They have paid attention to what is most important - the needs of their workforce - and designed situations and opportunities to enable individuals to create more time for family, community, and themselves. These corporations have benefited immensely from these cultures. There are other employers however, who adopt work-life balance as Human Resources directives or Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), but not as overall corporate strategy or a way of life. These corporations are increasingly being left behind. For all parties involved, there is still much work to be done, and at many levels. For further solid progress to be accomplished, several truths must be agreed upon by employees and employers alike. Entrepreneurs and small business owners need to take ownership of worklife balance discussion - Click To Read Article The mantra of the late 90’s and the first decade of the 21st century is “Be proactive.” And corporations are doing a fine job of being proactive in claiming ownership of the “work-life” discussion. They’re doing this because when they launch the discussion first, they get to define the parameters—they get to make the rules. Entrepreneurs and small business owners should not try to emulate what large corporations do. Instead, you should look towards owning your own work-life discussion. Why Money Can Sometimes Buy "Happiness" - Click To Read Article We've all been told since we were small children that money can't buy happiness. And many of us rely on this maxim throughout our lives, but perhaps not in the way we should. Work Life Balance for Men - Click To Read Article Sometimes it’s tough being a man. You’re expected to do your job or run your business, support your family, be a good husband and father…and all while keeping your mouth shut about any emotions you have, especially if they’re negative. But here’s the thing—the key lies in that little word above, “expected.” Your Life Might Be Unbalanced If... - Click To Read Article Living an unbalanced life doesn’t feel good. It feels tense, like you’ve got stress all the time…like you’re developing an ulcer, because you may well be. And it feels nervous and like something is missing. So how can you tell if any of that applies to you? Your life is probably unbalanced if you experience one or more of these feelings: Uncovering Your Passion - Click To Read Article You want to know what your career passion is, because it's draining to work a job or be in a career that just doesn't do anything for you. How do you know if your career isn't doing anything for you? Well, it's a dead giveaway if you wake up tired, find yourself arriving chronically late at work, drag through the morning, clock-watch all afternoon...and the high point of your day is lunch. So where do you start in determining your passion regarding your career? Where does that passion lie? You know you must have it somewhere. The key is to focus on what matters to you. Sometimes Balance Is About Figuring Out What Doesnt Work - Click To Read Article Have you ever sat down and tried to sort out your priorities? It's tough, isn't it? You try to figure out what is working in your life and career...but nothing comes to mind. If that's the case with you, I've got good news. You can't always figure out what's most important to you – what you're passionate about or where you want to invest all of your private time and energy, so sometimes it helps to determine what's NOT important to you– what you're just putting up with or enduring. Life Balance What Is It - Click To Read Article You’ve probably heard the term "life balance”, and maybe you’ve had a nagging feeling about it... like that maybe it applies to you. Perhaps you suspect your life might be out of balance, but you don’t really know for sure. So first off, let’s make sure we define our terms. What is life balance? The Art of Changing Your Mind Before You Change Your Life - Click To Read Article In a recent issue of my newsletter, Lifestyle and Workstyle REFLECTIONS, I touched upon the concept of a strategic lifestyle plan. Much like the strategy an entrepreneur might use to develop a sound business model, the strategic lifestyle plan serves as a tool to manage one's life more effectively. The key, of course, being that the lifestyle one carves out for oneself is in alignment with one's values, goals and priorities. It's Never As Bad As You Expect - Click To Read Article Our minds play tricks on us, and one of the tricks they play is imagining that something will be absolutely horrible. This turns out to be a useful trick, because in fact things are rarely, if ever, as bad as we expect, and we are always able to deal with them more easily because of that. Happiness or Fulfillment? - Click To Read Article We often hear someone say they're "happy and fulfilled" at a new job, with a new living situation, even as a new parent. And they surely are, or believe themselves to be, happy and fulfilled. Getting to Know Yourself - Click To Read Article Most people think they know themselves pretty well, but how well do you really know yourself? Do you know exactly how you feel about certain things and why, or do you tend to judge how you feel by how you think you should feel? Are you comfortable with your feelings and the "inner you," or is that uncomfortable? Old Creeds vs. New Creeds - Click To Read Article Life balance. How do we attain a balanced life today amid all of societal expectations? Many of us were raised and lived our lives believing: I’m the man. In order to be a man, I have to shut my mouth and keep things to myself. I have to bury my emotions, and I can’t make mistakes. If I do, I certainly can’t let anybody know that I did, and, above all, I have to quietly solve my own problems without anybody knowing that I had any in the first place. If I show fear, that’s a sign of weakness, making me something “less” than a man. Not only should I remain stoic, but I’m also expected to put up a front that everything in my world and in my life is great, especially to those who are closest to me. Making Time for Your Creative Self - Click To Read Article "I'm not creative." "I don't have a creative bone in my body." "As creative as you are, that's how uncreative I am." These are all real comments from real people who don't believe they're creative. It's All About Passion and Purpose - Click To Read Article Productivity seems to be the Holy Grail of the twenty-first century. We spend tons of money, and even more time, on things like effectiveness training, time management, planners, goal setting instruction, and general productivity tips. 5 Ideas for Managing Change - Click To Read Article We all deal with change, well or poorly, every day. The challenge for most of is not so much that we have change to deal with, but how well we manage it. Managing change well means less stress, less work, and more time to feel content, joyful, and fulfilled. Why Time Management Is Overrated - Click To Read Article If you visit any library or bookstore, you'll see shelves full of books on time management. It seems we all want to "manage" our time, "get control" of our time, and start doing "what we're supposed to, when we're supposed to." 7 Ways You Can Start Balancing Your Life - Click To Read Article When you go to parties, do you start talking business with new people before you even exchange names? Or perhaps you refer to yourself as "Mike--the insurance guy," or "Sue--the medical billing person." Do you realize what you're doing? You're defining who you are by what you do. And if you've reached the point that you're sick and tired of it, then this article was written for you. Is striving to live a balanced life an impossible goal? - Click To Read Article We are constantly being bombarded with the notion that work-life balance is crucial to leading a happy life. Self-help authors share with us their precise points of view as to what our lives should look like. We’re warned that there’s a perfectly balanced state that we can achieve if only we work more intensely, are superior at managing our time, are more efficient at every task we undertake, have each of our “spaces” organized, and/or are more adept at saying “NO” and standing for it. Structured Procrastination - Click To Read Article You probably know what procrastination is, but have you heard about "structured procrastination"? This definition, from Stanford philosophy professor John Perry, casts structured procrastination as something even "productive" people tend to do: Is it possible to have it all and do it all? - Click To Read Article Turn on the TV or the radio, or pick up any newspaper or magazine, and you’ll fall prey to a form of systematic and repeated societal conditioning posing in one corner as promotional marketing (commercial advertising and infomercials) and popular culture in the other (in the case of morning “news” shows and Hollywood tabloid programs). You’ll be told what you should look like – what to wear, what to eat, and what to use on your body for personal hygiene and attraction. You’ll be instructed on what to drive, where to live, and where to be seen. You’ll be trained on what is expected of you and what to fear. Balance Your Life Simply By Changing Your Attitudes and Beliefs - Click To Read Article If you’ve got your life in balance, you will be a much happier person because then you’ll be living the life that you choose. At this point, you might be skeptical…wondering, “Hey, if life balance is so great, why isn’t everybody looking for it?” Actually, everyone is looking for life balance in some aspect, even if it’s only subconsciously. The problem is that there are any number of things that get in the way, and when a person gets into a rut, it is difficult to get out. Even if the rut isn’t fulfilling, even if it rubs you the wrong way at times, inertia tends to keep us in our ruts. And that’s a real shame. Life Balance for HomeBased Business Owners - Click To Read Article If you have a home-based business, you might not be as efficient as you’d like to be, because there are some built-in challenges to working out of your home. Pushing the Edge of Life Balance - Click To Read Article In this article, we’re going to push the edge of the envelope. I’m going to challenge you all to take hard looks at your lives as they are today – the internal and external factors So let me ask you…do you really feel fulfilled with your current career path? Are you happy? Are your personal and professional lives everything you want them to be? No? Then you need a life plan that clarifies your priorities and creates goals that match your priorities. How to Get What You Want in Work and Life - Click To Read Article Many of my life coaching and business coaching clients express a certain dissatisfaction and ineffectuality in both their professions and their personal lives. A feeling that yes, their credentials and accomplishments appear impressive on paper. And yet, somehow they are removed from the entire situation... almost a spectator, as events unfold that they have little to no control over. Why is this? How can a grown individual who has clearly "made it" in the traditional sense, hold the belief that they have no say in what happens to them? Is this an imagined perception? Or is it really true that other people are calling the shots while they sit there in passive acceptance? I'll Be Happy When... - Click To Read Article We seem to spend a lot of time predicting what will make us happy (we call it daydreaming) and what will make us unhappy (we call it worrying). What we're really doing is wanting. We "know" what we want and don't want, and what will make us happy and not happy. Time is Money: Strategic Lifestyle Planning and Return on Investment - Click To Read Article I have always advocated that people should create Strategic Lifestyle Plans for themselves. What is a strategic lifestyle plan? Very much like a business’s strategic plan, a strategic lifestyle plan is a way to develop a thoughtful design for your life that delineates what you most want out of life. Living a Life of Voluntary Simplicity - Click To Read Article We've all heard of "simple living," and we see the magazines and the news articles and the web sites. I often advocate what I call "voluntary simplicity," by which I mean determining what's important to you and designing a life in support of your values and beliefs. Like this article? Share it with your friends
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