Three Easy Steps to Taming Your Time Talk

Does your relationship with time empower you?

Here's the Truth

You are never, ever, ever going to get it all done! There will be items on your to-do list and mail in your inbox when you die! How does that make you feel? If you are like most achievers, this reality is one that causes stress and anxiety. And, for most people, stress, and anxiety are not positive emotions. There are, of course, the "I get my best work done under pressure" people. And I know some of you are addicted to adrenaline. The problem is that you get sick and feel burned out when the adrenaline subsides. Want to check this out?  Take the Adrenaline Test.
 
So, if it can't all get done, what's the solution? The magic word above is empowered. This is true with life beyond our perception of time, as well, of course. As a coach, looking at what you are doing to empower or disempower yourself is often one of the most impactful areas I work on with people. Quite simply, asking yourself the question "What do I need to do to feel more powerful in this situation?" can yield alternatives to the internal dialogue that accompanies not getting it all done!
 
Here are Three Easy Steps to Taming Your Time Talk :

1.    Begin each day by identifying the three most productive actions for the day. Most people do a lot of easy, little things that aren't the highest and best use of their time and neglect the more important. If you shift this by starting with the most important or at least keeping your eye on those three things, at the end of the day, you will feel satisfaction in having gotten some important things done or moved forward.

2.    Each time you notice you are beating yourself up for not getting enough done or just fostering a belief that there is not enough time for you, STOP. Then reframe. What I mean by this is to think about what other possible way you could look at the same situation that would bring positive energy instead of negative thoughts. 

3.    Leave 20%-30% white space on your calendar every day for the unexpected. That white space needs to get planned in daily just like your appointments. The feeling of enough time, because everything isn't jammed together all day in and of itself, will create some subtle new feelings of enough time. 

Practice these and I guarantee you will see a shift in how you feel about what you are accomplishing.

Joeann Fossland, PAST Certified e-PRO Trainer, GRI, PMN, is a Master Certified Coach and Founder of the Web Women Giving Circle. Joeann is the Creator of The Real Estate Game®, the most effective group coaching available.