Five Ways Top Execs Make Time to Exercise

The number one reason given for not exercising is, "I just don't have the time". However, just like the other reasons we have for not doing what we know we should do, this "reason" is really just an excuse. And here is why:

There exist two facts about time. The first is that we all have exactly the same amount of time each day. The second is that we find time for the things we truly care about doing.

There is also a paradox involving time which says that it is usually the busiest individuals among us who make the time to do what needs to be done. In particular, they make the time to exercise.

In his research, Dr. James Rippe, Director of the Rippe Lifestyle Institute and Associate Professor of Medicine at Tufts University, interviewed 1,000 top executives. Among them were 128 CEO's of Fortune Five Hundred companies. Of these extremely busy individuals, 75% of them exercised at least three times per week - and you can too!

Successful people know that to maintain high levels of performance, they have to stay in top shape. They use their planning and organizational skills to carve out short periods of time for brief, yet effective, exercise sessions. You will have to make some changes in your schedule but you can do the same thing.

Remember that several short bouts of exercise have a cumulative effect and so ten minutes here and fifteen minutes there can add up to get you fit. Because the only strategies that work are the ones that you put into practice, try these "exercises" now and see what happens.

1. Evaluate your week.


Mentally relive a typical week and record your activities: working, commuting, sleeping, eating, watching TV. There are 186 hours in your week. What do you do and when do you do it?
Now, evaluate your schedule and prioritize, looking for segments of time that you can re-allocate to the more important job of getting some exercise. For example, how about dumping one or two of your least favorite TV shows? There, you just found an hour.

2. Begin early.


By the evening you have already had a long day. Turn off the TV 30 minutes early; have a good night's sleep and get up just 30 minutes earlier than usual, on two days of the week. When you get accustomed to that, try rising early on three mornings.

3. Keep it simple.


Choose physical activities that don't require special equipment and that you can do anywhere. Take a power walk at lunch and later, eat a sandwich at your desk. Do a set of push-ups and deep knee-bends in lieu of a coffee break. Either will do more to invigorate you than a fast-food lunch or a shot of caffeine.

4. Choose a "physical" week-end activity.


Stay off the sofa and away from the TV. Involve the family and consider an outing to a park, a hike or bike ride followed by a picnic. Begin a new hobby or resume an old one, providing that it keeps you on your feet. Sign up for a charity 5K event. Use this as a reason to get in shape.

5. Schedule exercise appointments in your planner.


Things that are not written down tend to never happen. On Sunday evening schedule all of your exercise times in your planner as #1 priority appointments with yourself. Next, as you complete each session, record the results and track your improvement.

Now that you have made the time to get the exercise you need, assume a new identity. Re-brand yourself as the "exercise gal/guy" or the "health nut". If anyone asks what's going on, tell them that you're sick of being in rotten shape, feeling older than your years and…. you're not going to take it any more.

The amusement will turn to admiration as the pounds fall off and you get really lean, strong and healthy.

Problem of Procrastination

Procrastination is a great disaster to mankind. Some experts would want to disagree on this and have you believe that Procrastination is beneficial. I will sound this note – Procrastination is only beneficial if it helps you avert some unforeseen trouble. I have dealt extensively with this aspect on "Reasons for Procrastination". The problem of Procrastination cannot be measured. It is the foundational bedrock upon which other failure accelerators are laid.

When Procrastination sets in, it can completely destroy ones outlook towards life. If you make a plan, and do not take action definitely because of Procrastination, odd are that you'll blame it on some kind of abstract things that has happened in your life, the environment of circumstances. After a while, you let go, another plan sets in and you do the same – you do not act on it, friend, your life is dwindling, it is drifting! At a point, you tend to look at the world as unfair. Your attitude and perceptions towards life drastically portrays negativity.

Imagine a world without light – how it would be like if Thomas Edison had procrastinated on discovering a light bulb; if Henry Ford or Eiji Toyota had procrastinated on developing a motor vehicle; how communication would have fared if Graham Bell had procrastinated on giving the world the telephone set. The list can never be exhausted. Imagine a world void of these few things I have just mentioned. In fact, this medium of data transference (the Internet) would have been completely impossible! So you wouldn't have actually been able to read this piece of information if someone somewhere had procrastinated in something. Now it is human nature to think that other alternatives would surface. Think of the numerous persons that conceived the idea of discovering and producing such things (I do understand that an idea is not peculiar to one man on the planet at the same time. There are pockets of sparsely distributed ideas to different persons in different location at the same time) and were not able to.

Procrastination is the driving force, the destructive catalyst that empowers such unproductive returns. The cost and effect of procrastination can be extremely grave in all spheres of life – the personal, spiritual, psychological, professional etc Now pause for a minute to think of the lost relationship as a result of he few contacts you refused to act upon immediately. The latter you push off keeping contacts both in business and personally, the easier it is to loose important customers and people. Think of the disputes you never got settled because of the constant delay – "I will call him and get over with it tomorrow". And a new today keeps bringing in a new tomorrow till it becomes too late.

The effect of procrastination can cost you too much in business – the lost opportunities to cash in on , think of the cost of not being proactive, of not being the market leader – nobody ever wants to be associated with the second best – even you! Lost opportunities definitely will cost you money. Now, you wouldn't tell me you do not know how it feels not to have money on you or at least in the bank. You are as good as dead friend. You'll definitely be angry all the time. It gets a lot easier to be infuriated once you don't have money. This all compound to instigate dispute in the family. Your spouse or children suddenly become the cause of your trouble. Your mental health starts to deteriorate as stress sets in, so is low self-esteem and confidence guilt and feelings of inadequacy.

This is just a tip of the iceberg on what problem Procrastination can cause you.

That's it on problem of Procrastination, for more on a complete idiot guide to overcoming procrastination, see www.procrastinationstop.blogspot.com .

Wedding Time Line Management

When planning a wedding it is always best to take the time needed to do make sure that everything is in its own place and wedding friendly while the wedding is taking place. Therefore, it is best to keep a wedding notebook to help you stay organized while progressing with your wedding plans. With the help of your wedding notebook, you will be able to keep up with important issues that especially pertain to your exclusive wedding. Such as making and keeping appointments that, involve everything from making the announcement to arriving at the honeymoon destination.

Sticking to a set of personalized wedding time lines and checklist are one of the easiest ways to stay organized, and have aided many couples to be. Here are some traditionally simple guidelines to help you get started.

Twelve months before the wedding, the engagement announcement should be given, as well as setting the date of the wedding, then you should sit down together and create a budget for your wedding and then compile your list of wedding guests. It would be wise to invest some time in making a list of ideas that interest you when organizing your wedding, however you should keep the budget in mind, and be open to changes as needed to provide your day with the best quality of attitude as is affordable.

In this first twelve months, you will need to determine where, when and who should be involved with your wedding. You will need a location, someone to officiate, as well as cater foods for your wedding. You will also need to arrange for all the needs of bridal attire. As well, as attend to the music, floral and photo opportunities concerning your nuptials. You shall register for shower and wedding gifts. Selecting your wedding attendants is also a consideration to give others time to make their plans to suit your own. At this time, any issues of planning the honeymoon shall be attended.

Within six months of your wedding, you fill need to finalize your guest list while you decide on the time line and other details of the wedding ceremony and reception. All wedding stationary should be ordered now, as well as making traveling accommodations for the honeymoon. The wedding cake, florist and catering needs should be booked at this time and remember to make all transportation needs at this moment. This is also the time to shop around for any wedding party rentals.

Three to four months before you wedding day, you shall mail out all invitations while you confirm all details and contracts of any supplier of wedding services. Now is the time to pick out the wedding attendant gifts and set the time and date of your rehearsal dinner. Your wedding attire should be in the final stages of fittings and alterations as you make the travel arrangements for your out of town guests. This is also the excellent time for spending time with your photographer for engagement and bridal portraits.

As time is growing closer to the day of your wedding, the month before your wedding shall be spent choosing your wedding rings and applying for the license of marriage. You can make your insurance arrangements now as well as finalizing the entertainment issues and attending respective showers.

The second and first week before your wedding, the issues of rehearsals and hair appointments should be made. Placing the wedding announcement to the newspapers and attending to change of addresses as well as finalizing any details or sending reminders are best taken care of now. Any payments for wedding services rendered should be done at this time. Take time to pack for your honeymoon now, so you do not leave something behind.

The day before or of the wedding, all personal care issues of hair or nails are now taken care of as well as attending wedding rehearsals and dinner also check to see that your ushers have their copies of the final guest list and then relax, it will all be beautiful memories.

Reasons for Procrastination

Whatever may be said in the praise, favor or reason for Procrastination, the simple truth is that Procrastination is a dream killer; for the reason, whatever, does not justify its grave effects, little of which is the pain of regret. Procrastination is a failure accelerator like I'd always say. If you want to speed up your rate if failure, then allow Procrastination to becloud you, to control your being.

I'd like to make this impression, where Procrastination may be good or rather its beneficiary. Procrastination is advantageous when it helps us avert some disaster; when decisions are critical and we have little knowledge on our intended course, when the market is not ready for our goods, when you have no concrete "reason why" to embark on a project…

Procrastination can be beneficial if it accomplishes these objectives. But on the contrary, which is in 95% of cases, you do not Procrastination because of the beneficial reason, you do for fear of failure, for difficult tasks, for indecision, for perfection, because you think there is enough time, for the fear of starting, because you do not have enough reason why you should embark on the project, you do not really know what you truly want, you do not consider the consequences of putting off tasks, you're not motivated, your attitude is not right, you're not in the mood, you're afraid something might go wrong, you're not committed to your goal….you can decide to go on and on to give reasons, excuses on why you think you should Procrastinate.

Procrastination leads to a drifted life. A drifted life, you will never desire to live. Let's quickly get some knock-out remedies for those reasons.

• You're not in the mood to get started – then you must be in the mood to do just about anything. Get on it, in a moment, you'll gather enough courage and momentum to enable you pursue that dreaded task

You're a perfectionist – you'd have to understand that first, human nature is imperfect. I actually put off starting a web business two years ago because I wanted to get it right the first time. Now all around the web, I see my ideas littering without a dent of perfection. Folks, they are recking in millions yearly! And I am sited here, watching and waiting till I get it right the first time – who's loosing? I am the fool who's regretting all the way. Now I said to myself, the information you have is enough to get you started on something, just go ahead – you'll discover more as you progress. That's how I got started. It was out of necessity anyway. I was hungry and needed to feed my stomach and there was no supports – so – just get started! Right Now! Please start this minute. I am on my knees for you. I cannot wait for you to launch that million dollar idea for the benefit of mankind, to reconcile with that old friend, to save yourself ten more years if you quit smoking now, to look sexier if you fight obesity now, to check on your tooth with your doctor or whatever.

• Fear – eliminate fear by getting more that needed information about your project, what is the worst that can happen, list them out and prepare for them. You also need to understand that the more you fail, the quicker it is to reach your destination because you learn more ways not to do it. Failure is a success accelerator. Everybody fails, so knock out the fear of failure.
• Difficult tasks – break them down into bits and get them over with. The idea is this – you only delay to compound problems in the future, so why not just do it and avert disaster. Whether you delay or not – you'll still have to do it, so? Why not. Become proactive by doing it early enough.

Remembrance

Dear Loved Ones,

Welcome to Spirituality Inside and Out. We honor your presence.

Great day to you all as I wish you a magnificent day of Peace and Remembrance.

I love you. I love you. I love you. FOR WE ARE ALL ONE.

Blessings to the whole planet.

Tools for life.

Remembrance

Remember? Do you Remember? Do you want to Remember? Or do you want to forget?

Please take a few deep cleansing breaths in and out and allow yourself to be present.

Remember the time, any time, a specific time where you felt sooooo goooood?


Remember that specific time where you felt at ease and you were?


Remember that specific time where there was no time. Only you and you only.


Remember that specific time where you were yourself? Really yourself!

And as you were finally feeling good you were interrupted with distractions.

Do you Remember? Do you want to Remember? You know, feeling soooooo gooooood!!


You were feeling so alive and then what happened? You know, what happened?


You were energized and relaxed at the same time? Sooooo goooood.


Were you a baby running so freely? Or where you a child living so freely? Or were you simply living in the present? You know, being present! With all that is!

And you loved each breath you were taking! You know being alive!


Remember it was soooooo goooood! As if God was present and Yes God was!

Oh! Yes, and your loved ones and all the strangers were amazed at how clear and free you felt. Even you were amazed with yourself. You know, amazed at your True Self!

You Remember! Right! Now! You know, really clear about it all.

And then something happened and you disconnected! Do you Remember what happened? Do you want to know? The answer can really save you a lot of future grief. And that is, if you really want to know!
Do you? Want to know? To be saved from the distractions and the blocks.

And when you have the answer what will happen next? You are definitely aware and you can give some positive affirmations to your un-conscious mind about what state of mind you would like to be and live in.

Yes! you can and Yes! you will. Are you ready to move forward that is? Are you? Do you want to be?
Good! Now as you recall the Wonderful times in your life your energy is increasing. You know that you have the Power of your mind to create a perfect scenario for you any time you feel weak, sad or disengaged. You know that you have the mind to create the perfect opportunities for you.

You know NOW what is distracting to you and above all you are your own True Self. Bravo! You are Free. Free of what? Free of the unknown. Free to move on with a clearance.

Yes! Yes! Yes! You are Powerful as to the way you choose to live your life with the Possibilities of Limitless Possibilities in the realm of all Possibilities. Hard to Understand? Not at all because it just Is.

Go forward knowing that you can Heal any part of your life with the Right attitude. The Right attitude of and with God and the Oneness. You are gorgeous as your True Self.

And so it is. Amen.

I love you. I love you. I love you.

Please feel free to forward and share these Insights with your family, friends, teachers, students, associates and enemies to Create the Oneness that this Planet is in search of. For we are all one.

May the love and light of God and the Universe surround, protect and heal you, your loved ones and the planet earth.

With Love, Gratitude and Respect,


Michelle Morovaty


Truly, With God All Things Are Possible

© Copyright 2007 Spirituality Inside and Out, LLC

For Healthier and Happier Employees, Hire A Funny Speaker!

Insurance Companies in the United States spent over 300 billion dollars in stress-related compensation claims last year. It is estimated that in Britain work-related stress is responsible for six million days of sick leave a year, with stress also being linked to many minor and major illnesses. Technology and globalization was supposed to make all of our lives less stressful and simpler, but the opposite is true. Every day thousands of employees sit through boring, poorly planned and stressful meetings to hear about "Making the Numbers" or "The latest Benefits cut".

Why not make your next meeting or event less stressful and add some humor by hiring a "Funny Speaker". Laughter is the great connecter to all people regardless of race, gender or religion. Laughter also has significant health benefits that can reduce work related stress, they are:Helps control high blood pressure and heart disease. While there are many factors for these like heredity, obesity, smoking and excessive intake of saturated fats, stress is one of the major factors.

Laughter definitely helps to control blood pressure by reducing the release of stress-related hormones and bringing relaxation. Increasing stamina through increased oxygen supply Alleviates pain and gives a sense of well being by releasing endorphins, the body's painkiller hormones. Effective antidote for depression, anxiety and psychosomatic disorders: laughter boosts the production of serotonin, a natural anti-depressant. Gives an excellent internal massage to the digestive tract and enhances blood supply to important internal organs like the liver, spleen, pancreas, kidneys and adrenal glands. Brings a happy glow to your face and makes your eyes shine with a thin film of tears which are squeezed from the lachrymal sacs during the act of laughter.

Laughter helps to remove the negative effects of STRESS, which is the number one killer today. More than 70% of illnesses like high blood pressure, heart disease, anxiety, depression, frequent coughs and colds, peptic ulcers, insomnia, allergies, asthma, menstrual difficulties, tension headaches, stomach upsets and even cancer, have some connection to stress. So, next time you want to add some more mirth to your meeting, consider hiring a "Funny Speaker!

Why Slowing Down Actually Makes You More Productive

Do you want to learn how to get more done, and have more time for what is truly important to you? Among busy professionals and business owners, there is much emphasis placed on "time management." The focus usually is on arranging your priorities, delegating, and choosing what really needs to be done. All of these are important components to time management.

However, there is one important perspective that often is left out of this equation...we don't manage time--we manage ourselves within time. When we talk about time management what we are really talking about is self-management. We all get the same amount of time each day, and we are left to choose how we manage ourselves within that period of time. If we don't manage ourselves well within that time, we feel scattered, stressed, and pulled to meet the multiple demands placed on us by others. We feel our lives are out of balance, and we go searching for ways to experience more balance. We complain,"There just is not enough time in the day to get it all done!"

Instead of feeling pulled to meet all of the demands you feel are placed on you, let's take another perspective. Envision the next 24 hours as a blank slate. You are in control of how you will manage yourself within that time period. You get to choose. Ask yourself, "How do I really want to experience the next 24 hours?" Notice I did not ask you what you want "to do" in the next 24 hours, rather I asked you how you want to experience the next 24 hours.

Given the conscious choice, most of us would choose to relax and enjoy the next 24 hours. Yet, in actuality, we tend to focus on the "To Do" list, which opens the gateway to feeling rushed and pressured. We always have a choice. We can choose to enjoy the next 24 hours, or we can choose to feel rushed and pressured. Slow down, turn on some soothing music, put some flowers on your desk, take a few deep breaths, and have a better experience of your time!

You can still work through tasks on your To Do list, but if you shift your focus from how much you are getting done to how you want to experience your day, it feels a lot better. You will be more relaxed. When you are relaxed, you are focused, more effective, and more productive.

Can You Stay Calm

When life, relationships, and events create chaos, how do you stay calm? You don't have to stay calm. There is no law that says you must remain calm and collected. You certainly have the ability to throw a fit any time you choose. Yet the key word in the last sentence is choice.

When you are in the check out line and the cashier stops what she is doing and begins talking to a friend, you have a choice. You can yell and scream, throw your food at her, storm off to your car, or you can remain calm. I like the idea of a food fight but cans can do damage to a person's face so in reality the best thing to do is learn to stay calm in the midst of chaos. But, can you stay calm in all situations?

Staying calm really sounds good but how do you stay calm when your heart starts racing, your body prepares to run or fight and staying calm is the last thing you really want to do. However, it is always best for all involved if you take a deep breath; say a prayer, count sheep, or anything else, which helps you stay calm.

Regardless of what you do in the middle of a chaotic situation, God still loves you and wants the best for you. The truth is you might cuss; fight or run from situations involving chaos but God still cares deeply for you. Unless you are, a robot there will come a time in your life when you lose your cool. Some time in life, you will ultimately fail to live up to others or your own expectations.

Maybe no one on earth has told you that it is ok not to be perfect. You do not have to be perfect in all situations, even in the midst of chaos you do not have to behave exactly the same way each time. It is ok to get angry. Wow, what did you say? I said it is ok to get angry in the middle of chaos. It is not ok to hurt anyone, throw things, or create damage in anyway. Yet, it is ok to be less than. If you can stay calm in every situation in life, you are a better person than I am.

Maybe you have the perfect way to stay calm, all the time, in the middle of chaos. You are to be congratulated and honored. However, I doubt any one can boast of keeping cool in every situation. The point is God loves you in your failure to reach perfection. He loved you so much because you are imperfect. Actually, He sent His perfect Son to die for you because He knew you would never reach perfection on earth. So, to stay calm in every life situation is impossible but you are still loved by God, even when you fail.

Developing A Personal Time Line

Simplistically, our life breaks down into three parts: Work, Sleep and Leisure. Most of us feel we have far too much work, inadequate rest and nearly non existent leisure. Sound familiar?

Here's a concept for you to consider to help you gain control over the work phase of life. Develop a Personal Time Line, and then find ways to make it work. Here's how to do it.

Draw a line across a sheet of paper. Make it 6 inches long. This line represents the 24 hours each of us has available every day. Each inch equals 4 hours. Those 24 hours are the equalizer. The richest person can't buy more and the poorest can't afford less.

How much do you sleep each night, 8 hours? That would be 2 inches on our scale. Figure your normal sleep time and mark it on your Time Line.

Next, set a maximum number of hours you will work per day. You set the number. Yes, there are days when the unexpected thwarts our plans. However, we want those to become the exception and not the rule. After you set your workload, including travel time, mark it on your Time Line. If you work 12 hours, that is 3 inches.

The remaining length of your line is the combination of leisure and non work related activities. If you sleep 8 hours and work 12, you have a 1inch, 4 hour space remaining.

Here are the two goals of the Time Line.

Contain your work within your allotted amount. If you find you habitually run over your work time block, consider expanding it once.

Quarterly, shorten your time block by either 15 or 30 minutes. This will give you and extra 1 to 2 hours by year's end, to either put into your leisure or rest sections. You will eventually hit a limit on how much you can tighten your work block. I believe it will be 2 to 2 ½ hours shorter than now.

To accomplish these two goals learn to combine activities, let go of unnecessary habits and rituals. Some work will carry over until tomorrow. And learn to say no, when and where appropriate. Your Personal Time Line will force you to become more efficient. It will make you question every action you take and every procedure you follow. "Is this the best use of my time now?" "Is this the right way to accomplish this task?" "What would happen if I quit doing this?" Your honest answers will surprise you. Do you want more control over your life? Do you want more time for yourself? A Personal Time Line can help you reach these goals. It takes practice, discipline and patience. However, that extra afternoon at the beach or at a ball game with the kids makes it worth it.

Confessions of a Time Management Failure

Okay I'll admit it. In my pursuit to get more done, save time, be more efficient and all of that, I've made horrible mistakes when it comes to effective time management. But really, who hasn't? Life is for living and living sometimes involves making mistakes. Personal development is about recognizing those mistakes and improving upon them.

A more empowering way of looking at this is that mistakes really aren't mistakes at all. As long as you are willing to learn, what some people might call mistakes are really just confirmations of what not to do in the future. Laboratory workers at Edison's lab tried nearly 10,000 combinations of materials to create a filament for the modern-day light bulb. When interviewed, Thomas Edison did not view these iterations as mistakes. Instead he viewed it as important scientific data that led to a high quality product.

Some of the homerun kings, in the sport of baseball, are also the strikeout kings. Some basketball stars have a low percentage of baskets, but they're still the top point earners. By not focusing on individual failures but instead moving forward to better achievements, these sports stars set a great example for perseverance.

What does any of this have to do with time management?

All too often the biggest challenge in getting more done in using the time that we have more wisely comes down to honesty.

Honesty with ourselves.

When I feel like I'm in a slump something that is helpful is to get out a blank day planner sheet and log everything I did during the day in 15-minute increments. Sometimes I'm not proud of myself when I see an hour or two of completely wasted time staring me in the face. But this information is very important because it gives me a realistic look at where I'm spending my time.

With that awareness comes the opportunity for improvement.

Every day I also write in my journal. This gives me an opportunity to reflect on my day. I describe my perception of events and I also painted a picture of how I would've liked to have seen certain events transpire.

To keep a journal, you can write passages as a letter to yourself or as a report to a person that you wish was your mentor; like Albert Einstein. At the end of each entry describe your intent for your next day or the rest of the week.

Time management is an interesting phrase because it implies that we can manage time, but of course we can't. What we really learn is how to manage ourselves. As we strive to become more effective the time we have seems more fruitful. It's because of this learning that I no longer call myself a time management failure.

Time Management - 5 Effective Techniques To Improve Your Life

Time, while short and fleeting, is something that can be handled even by simple human beings like us. The best way to deal with it is to know early on what we want to happen to our lives and which directions we would like to go, in order for us to map out a more effective life plan. If we do not know what our plans are, then it would not really make sense to get into time management because we will just end up with one big mess of activities. The man who fails to plan, plans to fail.

Determine what you want first and then try to manage your time with an effective time management software and time management tool. Remember, every day is precious, so you need to speed up. It is for your own sake, anyway. You must improve your time management skills to survive in todays' world.

One of the tasks we often fail at is managing our time well. There really is no excuse for this, since there are several effective time management tips, training, software, training, courses and strategies. These techniques can help you with your most valuable possession - your time. Time spent is gone forever. In spite of what we often believe, we cannot save time. Time never stop and it is used one way or another.

If we waste time, there is no bank where we can withdraw time that we lost. To come to terms with our mortality is to recognize that our time is limited. Given this realization and probability that you would like to organize your time better, here are four time management techniques.

1. Assess how you spend your time

As a first step in managing time better, you might want to analyze how you manage your time now. To do this, divide your day into fifteen-minute segments, then record what you are doing every fifteen minutes. Afterward, review this time diary and total the time spent on each activity throughout the day.

For instance, you might that you spent three hours watching television, one hour exercising, one hour studying, and two hours shopping. Next, evaluate the use of time. You might decide you spend too much time watching TV and too little time studying. Based upon this evaluation, decide on an adjustment, but make it specific. A good way to make this change is to draw up a contract with yourself that includes a reward for being successful.

2. Set Goals

The most important thing you can do to manage time is to set daily, weekly, monthly, yearly and long-term goals. If you do not have a clear sense of where you are going just yet, you will not be able to plan how to get there. Improve your time management skills and organize your use time in order to maximize the chances of achieving your goals.

3. Learn to prioritize

Once you have set your goals, you need to prioritize them and your activities. Not all of your goals will be exactly important. Focus on those goals that are the most important to you, and work on the other goals secondarily. Likewise, focus on activities most important to the achievement of your highest goals and on other activities afterward.

4. Keep a schedule

Once you have prioritized your activities, you can then schedule them into you daily routine. When will you go to the bank? When will you buy groceries? Do not forget to schedule some relaxation and recreation time, as well.

5. Maximize your rewards

In scheduling all your activities, remember what some time management experts say: we obtain 80% of our rewards on only 20% of our activities and, conversely, acquire only 20% of our rewards on 80% of the time we spend. What this states is that we need to make sure we recognize and engage in the 20% of the activities that give us 80% of our rewards before we move to the other activities. Maximize your rewards by organizing your time.

The fact that you are reading this article means you have time to do the above time management tips and apply these time management skills to your personal life.

Promotional Items - Any Time is a Good Time

If you are thinking of adding promotional items to the scope of your marketing techniques, congratulations. The statistics prove that promotional items increase the effectiveness of several aspects of any business. They can assist you in establishing your brand, enhancing brand identity, encouraging would-be clients to choose you over other competitors. They also have the power to generate fresh leads and raise the response rates for direct mail strategies. Furthermore, promotional products add to the success of trade shows and in the end facilitate customer loyalty.

The next opportunity for you to invest in a promotional product campaign is just around the corner. Reflect on the following examples for inspiration on your next marketing strategy.

• Build customer loyalty. Promotionals can help your clients establish positive associations about your company. Free products make an impression and increase the likelihood that people will return to your business. The studies show that most individuals will choose you over your competition after you have donated promotional products.

• Reinforce your brand. Advertising frequently and demonstrating it equals visibility. The more exposure the public has to your brand, the more familiar people become with it. It takes multiple instances for a person to remember and respond to an ad.

• Launch a new product or service. You can also use promotional products to help introduce new aspects of your business. Grab the public's attention by giving them a useful item; then take the opportunity to make your sales presentation. Not only will the customer be pleased at receiving a free item, but he or she will be more open to listening to your new availability of products and services.

• Create employee incentives. Promotional items work well in motivating staff for sales contests. Many businesses plan competitions with a theme in place and creatively spice such events with related promotional items.

• Safety programs are more effective when used in conjunction with promotionals. Research has proven that accident rates can actually be decreased with the development of a consistent program that features products. Keeping your staff aware of and informed of potential hazards is key, and by incorporating thematic items into a safety campaign, the monotony of such regulations is eased.

• Give awards and recognition. For your hardworking staff, show your appreciation by giving products. You don't have to wait for holidays like "administrative professional's day" or "celebrate teacher's week" to let employees know how much you value them. Items like key chains, tee shirts, flashlights, and writing padfolios are quality pieces that can reward the dedication of the people helping to make your company a success.

• Promotional products function for corporate gift giving. For the employees, potential clients, and affiliate businesses and their staff, free items help promote the nature of the corporation. More importantly, for entities like hospitals, treatment centers, and educational institutions, giving promotionals to the public creates awareness of the corporation, its purpose, and its image. Open houses, orientations, walking tours, and consultations are all ideal situations for reinforcing the name through free products.

• Show your support for charity sponsorships. When your business participates in any fundraiser, charity event, or benefit, you are making a contribution to a cause. At the same time, the public should be aware of the effort. It works in your company's favor to let people know that you are giving back to the community. Keep the generous energy moving by offering promotional items at the event free to the public. This will definitely add to your company's image.

• Brand commemoratives. For holidays, special events, important occasions, imprint promotional products, from holiday ornaments to coffee mugs. People enjoy memorabilia that reminds them of celebration. Any national observance, religious day, calendar holiday, sporting event, historic happening, or influential person's birthday is a fitting time to imprint commemorative products for donation to your business' key people

• Increase direct mail response rates. Experts say that you can make your sales letters more effective by including a free product in addition. The chances of people responding to your offers are higher when promotionals are involved.

Any business related situation is an opportunity for you to integrate promotional products into your advertising and marketing. You may already be taking advantage of some of these techniques, and if so, consider these pointers an affirmation of your educated strategy. On the other hand, maybe one more of these suggestions have spoken to you, and you have been inspired to begin a new advertising venture. Either way, there is surely another avenue for you to approach in keeping with the power of promotional material.

3 Secrets To Conquering Procrastination Forever

Are you one of the many people who procrastinate, and put off the things you need to do in your daily life? Does your basement, garage, office, closet and other areas of your home need some (or a lot of) tender loving care? Everyone delays doing their "chores" from time to time, but if you find yourself becoming overwhelmed with more and more unfinished projects, then you're probably a victim of "procrastination."

This can become a very demoralizing situation. If you'll accept and deal with the challenges you face in your life, you're much more likely to live many years longer than people who spend their entire life stressing out about "getting things done", but never make the necessary steps to accomplish the stuff that needs doing.

If you're not being challenged enough in your daily life by your work or living situation, then maybe fear is what is holding you back. Fear takes a hold of you and you're not able to accomplish what you want to, so you set it aside for "later" and continually make excuses to not complete the project. Sooner or later, this becomes habit in every situation of your life. So the purpose of this article is to get that spark back, and enable you to take chances - to overcome rejection and step up to the plate when you know there are things that need to be done.

Below you'll find 3 steps to finally overcoming the procrastination demon.

1. Get organized. Believe me, I know this is a difficult goal to accomplish. But if you start out small you'll be able to accomplish the larger goal. Organize your day with a "To Do List", and write everything down as quickly as possible. Then go back and rank each item in order of importance. Circle the item, make a star - anything to note it's importance. What you don't get done one day will be added to the next days list.

2. Split up major projects into small tasks. If a large project seems too overwhelming, then have a major project list and divide each segment into small, manageable tasks.

Example: Say you want to empty out and organize the garage. (At my house, that is a HUGE project!) On the first day, you'll go through everything that should be taken to Goodwill and stick it in boxes. Then the next day, you'll take it there. Simple enough. Third day, arrange all of the similar items into their own piles. Example - patio furniture, sports stuff, household tools, etc. The day after that, you'll figure out how much room to allow for each category.

Perhaps you have a lot of patio furniture but not a lot of sports equipment. So that category will have more space in the garage. Next day, take all the stuff you plan to keep and take it out of the garage while you clean the floor, shelves, windows, etc. Then when you put it all back, arrange it neatly based on what you planned. And on the last day, enjoy actually parking your car in the garage. At last! It's all a matter of breaking up large projects into manageable tasks.

3. Just get it started - If you catch yourself making an excuse and putting something off, then you can stop from being led down the road to being a prisoner of procrastination. Don't let yourself get away with the excuses. Start with the easiest possible tasks and go from there. You'll feel a greater sense of accomplishment when you take small steps toward the larger project than if you don't do anything.

It is now or never - Get up and JUST START!

Time Management: the Secret to Life Balance?

Each year, companies shell out thousands upon thousands of dollars to send employees off to time management seminars. They bring in outside consultants who specialize in time management issues, to get their teams up to speed and drive sales more efficiently.

Do you ever feel like you could use a few time management classes? Not just on the job... but in all aspects of your life? I think it's fair to say that most of us feel like we aren't managing our time to the best of our ability. And if you're searching for work-life balance... the time issue can really put a crimp in your plans.

Having better control over one's time is one of the key issues explored here at REFLECTIONS Coaching. We can't help noticing that an onslaught of technology and an ever-pervading sense of "be more, do more" is stealing our precious hours. Seems that no matter who you are or what you're trying to accomplish, someone is seeking you out at this very minute, ready to take up "just a few minutes" of your time. When you add up all of those "few minute" interruptions, it's no wonder that the day slipped away.

So what's the solution to the "time is the new currency and we need more of it" issue?

Perhaps the first step is realizing that no matter how many time-saving conveniences are available to us... there are still only 24 hours in a day. If someone is feeding you the promise that they can give you back time lost, they're probably lying. Because the truth is... no one can help you manage your time more effectively than you.

Often, it helps to step back and take an objective look at ourselves. What activities are we filling our days with? Do you try to make the best use of your time-management skills? (And an even more revealing question: do you actively follow through on the promises you make?)

Consider the following means for maximizing your time each day:

• Sitting down and marking your plans on the calendar, then keeping those plans


• Segmenting your day, week, month, season into routine activities that are easily managed


• Sticking to the schedule that you mapped out for yourself (and not the one someone else prescribed)


• Setting and adhering to time-sensitive goals


• Deciding what's truly "urgent" and what can wait until later


• Setting boundaries that prevent you from becoming distracted


• Being gentle yet firm when others try to encroach upon your time


• Respecting others' time, being patient and willing to wait

The second step involves recognizing the limitations of technology. Yes, there are certain tools out there that serve as "shortcuts" to getting things done faster... but they also lead us down divergent paths.

If time is slipping through our fingers, there must be a reason for it. Last time you looked at the clock it was 7:30 a.m. Now you glance up again, and somehow it's twenty minutes past your lunch hour. Where did the time go? Here are some ideas on where it might have snuck off to. Think about:

• The total minutes you spent answering "non-urgent calls and emails" this morning.


• The coworkers who pulled you away from whatever you were doing because of matters that needed immediate attention


• Every single time you stopped to check email or "research something" on the internet


• That captivating news headline or announcer's voice on the radio that lured you away from work

Time management challenges stem from the following fact of life: most of us allow our days to be driven by what happens to us, instead of taking charge and deciding what's going to happen. We fail to prioritize what's important to us. We fall into the trap of doing and being all things to all people.

Remember:

• It's okay to say, "I'll call you back at a more convenient time."


• It's a smart idea to shut off your email for three hours and simply focus on one task.


• In decades past, people didn't have answering machines, let alone cell phones - and they survived.


• Teaching our children to put down their technology and listen with all five of their senses is a GOOD thing.

Got a few ideas on how to budget your time your way? REFLECTIONS Coaching LLC would love to hear from you. Send your thoughts to David Bohl - dbohl[at]reflectionscoachingllc.com and we'll consider publishing your article in an upcoming issue of our ezine.

Copyright 2007 David B. Bohl, REFLECTIONS Coaching LLC. All rights reserved.