Make Sure You Manage Your Time, Rather Than Your Time Managing You

So life is full of irony, right? And we must remember to laugh. Like last week. My blog editorial calendar has “time management post” for Monday, April 2. But, of course, I couldn’t find the time to write that post!

I always say that one of the best ways to manage a busy schedule is to delegate some of your tasks. That is what I’m doing here.  Here is my short post — with a link to Phillip Taylor’s longer and helpful article on time management. The article provides information on free online tools for time management as well as five really good tips for mastering your time.

I hope you find it helpful!

Read Full Post »

The Importance of Quieting Your Mind

Here’s a great post by Jeff Gitterman on the importance of meditation. It is adapted from his book “Beyond Success: Redefining the Meaning of Prosperity” © 2009 Jeffrey L. Gitterman, published by AMACOM Books (www.amacombooks.org).

As you’ll see, he’s not necessarily talking about “sitting crossed-legged on a cushion” but rather he’s referring to any activity that allows us to stop listening to the endless chatter in our heads. Some people call it the “monkey mind”; I know my “monkey” is very chatty most of the time and meditation will help “get me out of my head” and out of my own way so that I can accomplish things.

Here’s an excerpt from his article:

“When I use the term meditation, I don’t necessarily mean sitting cross-legged on a cushion but rather participating in any deliberate activity that helps us to disengage from a compulsive relationship with our stream of thought. There are numerous books that have been written over the years on the subject of meditation and how to disengage from the thinking mind or, more simply put, how to stop listening to the voice inside our head. It’s important that each of us find our own method that works best.

The benefit of learning how to disengage our attention from the thought stream is that we can then apply our minds more readily toward more constructive things, such as accomplishing tasks and connecting with other people and our own true purpose. It creates space within us — an opening that allows more energy to flow into us. In this seemingly paradoxical way, having more space in our minds allows us to accomplish more and more things in the world.”

Read the full article here.

Read Full Post »

Searching for Balance? Ask for Help

If you are like me, you are constantly trying to find that ever elusive BALANCE in your life. That (apparently unattainable) place where you are able to spread your time and talents across all parts of your life and take care of yourself, eveyone you love, be a great person, and never feel like your TO-DO list is longer than a piece of paper stretching around the world four times! One thing I have learned — especially since becoming a mother — is this: if I want to get closer to balance (and not feel overwhelmed), then I need help.

Of course, asking for help is not part of my DNA. I have to work at it. Sometimes it doesn’t even occur to me that I could ask for help. I could spend lots of time trying to figure out a way to fit just 30 more minutes of productive time into my day, rearranging my schedule, staying up later, skipping the gym, or many other unfruitful ways to make 24 hours into 24.5 hours. But how about this?

Instead of trying to figure out how you can do even more, how about trying to figure out who can help you so that you don’t need to do more?!

For example, who can I ask (or pay) to:

• clean the house
• do my shopping
• watch the baby
• do my administrative tasks
• organize my closet
• cook dinners
• pick up dry cleaning
• walk the dogs

These are just some of the things that I could use help with. I could ask my husband, babysitter, friends, and neighbors to help. I could pay them, or barter. Or I could hire someone who does these things for a living, like  a cook or virtual secretary or dog walker. Get creative!

What can you use help with, and who can help you?

Read Full Post »

Happiness Tool Kit

Here’s an article written by Gretchen Rubin (of The Happiness Project fame) that I recently revisited. It is entitled Emergency Tool Kit for Happiness: Take a few measures now and you’ll save yourself stress later. I like it because it is simple and helpful:

When we are stressed out, we tend to become even more stressed out. Why? Because when we are rushing around putting out fires, we don’t take the time to do the little things that can end up saving enormous amounts of time and trouble.

Here’s a list of preventive measures to save yourself stress later. These tasks don’t seem particularly important, and they’re  easy to skip when you’re rushed, but if neglected, they can snowball into major stress. Remember: A little effort now means a lot less stress later.

• Keep stamps in the house.
• Keep extra cash in the house.
• Have a good book to read.
• Bring a hat and an umbrella.
• Don’t wear tight pants or uncomfortable shoes.
• Don’t let yourself get too hungry.
• Make a list.
• Always keep your passport in the same place.
• Always put your keys away in the same place―and keep an extra set of keys.
• Keep a Band-Aid and a small bottle of pain reliever in your purse.
• Make your bed.
• Never let your car’s gas level fall into the ”empty” zone.
• Have at least one friend who lives in your neighborhood.
• Go to bed 30 minutes earlier than usual.
• Get up 20 minutes earlier than usual.
• Laugh at yourself.

Read Full Post »

Upcoming Event: Healthy Eating Tips for Busy People

I am a panelist for this upcoming event: Healthy Eating Tips for Busy Lawyers on Thursday, January 12, 2012 from 9:00 am-10:30 am at the New York City Bar Association. Because the seminar is being sponsored by the bar association, it is geared toward lawyers. However, you don’t have to be a lawyer to attend and the information will be useful for anyone who is busy and trying to eat healthy despite a hectic schedule. The cost is $15 for bar association members and $25 for non-members.

I will be discussing the Ten Principles of a Healthy Diet. My co-panelists will also have great information to share.

Find all the details and register here.

Read Full Post »

You Can’t Do Everything!

I have a hard time accepting this fact, mostly because there are so many things that I want to do. But every time I try to do too much, everything suffers. I get a lot done, but  nothing is done particularly well, and no matter how much I accomplish, there’s still a bunch of things that I didn’t accomplish, so even when I’m working really hard (and efficiently), I can sometimes feel like a slacker or failure or some other less-than word.

Now that I have a baby, it is becoming even more difficult to accomplish things (other than taking care of the baby, which I think is a huge accomplishment!). So I am reminded of a tool that I used in law school, another time when there were too many things to do and not enough time to do them all.

This tool involves priorities and ensuring that we focus on what is most important to us. It also recognizes that our priorities change as our challenges change. For example, for the last five weeks, I’ve been studying for the bar exam (took it last week!) so all my other priorities (other than the baby) fell to the wayside. Only the mandatory things were accomplished. No house cleaning, no exercising, no blogging, no shopping (other than for groceries), and no reading anything other than study materials.

My tool is low-tech and simple: I write my priorities on index cards, one on each card. Then I post them in the order of importance somewhere that I will see them every day, like on my desk or the bathroom mirror or inside the kitchen cabinet holding my coffee cups.

Right now, my priorities are

FAMILY – meaning my husband, daughter, and dogs

BAR APPLICATION – I must finish my application soon

EXERCISE

BLOGGING

VOLUNTEER WORK – meaning therapy dog work with Emily, Board of Ed, and the ABA

LEGAL – meaning a business plan & other legal work

For now, that’s the order. I’ll re-evaluate next month to see if I need to change the order. Everything on the list is important. If it’s not really important, then it doesn’t even make the list!

What will you write on your cards? And will you modify the tool to a more high tech version, like putting your list as your screensaver on your computer or wallpaper on your blackberry?

Read Full Post »

Sorry for the Absence: I’ll Be Back Soon

I’ve been MIA for the last three weeks because I’ve been studying for and taking the Connecticut bar exam. It was Tuesday & Wednesday of this week. Now I’m studying for the ethics portion to take the test on March 5. I hope everyone is doing well and I’ll be in touch again as soon as these exams are behind me. Every day I think of things that I want to share with you, but since my time is so limited with my four month old daughter, I stop myself from blogging and instead study.

If you are really jonesing for some Daily Balance information, please look through my archives, by month, tag, or category, or search the blog for specific information.

Thanks for your patience, and wish me luck! I look forward to blogging daily for you soon!

Read Full Post »