Are you making every hour in the day count?

“Don’t count every hour in the day, make every hour in the day count.”

Where Is Your Time Going?



Time – it’s one of the most precious things we have and yet we often use it so frivolously. Take a moment to consider how you spend your time – are you using it wisely or are you spending time on busy work that isn’t truly productive?

Time management is an important skill necessary to succeed. As adults, we assume that we know how to manage our time and often become indignant at the suggestion that we could improve. However, as with many things in our lives, we can always go from good to great. Think about how your life would change if you had 2 additional hours in every day to spend as you pleased. What would you do with that time? What if I told you that you could get that time?

Oftentimes, we are misusing and misappropriating time without realizing it. I’ve always considered myself a “productive” person, but I recently came to the realization that e-mail is a huge time sap for me. In light of this discovery, I’ve decided to begin limiting my e-mail usage to three times per day: first thing in the morning, mid-afternoon, and just before bed. There are few e-mails that I’ll receive that will be so urgent that they cannot wait. What is your time sap? Is it the phone? Do you look up after a phone call and wonder where the time went? Maybe your time sap is social networking, long lunches, or poor meeting planning. Whatever it is, consider taking control of your time and you’ll observe that you have more time than you did before!

Here are some tips for effective time management:

Map out the day on paper before you begin. Planning the day’s activities is a great way to improve efficiency. Time is often wasted wandering aimlessly from one activity to the next. Setting an intention for the day is a powerful way to get clear on your purpose and be sure that your activities are productive, not just busy. Plan 60% of your day then leave 20% for unanticipated developments and 20% for a buffer.

Make lists. Lists are a productive person’s friend. Think about the amount of energy you spend trying to remember a grocery list or trying to remember the things you needed to take care of before you leave the house. A list frees up your mental energy to be used on something more profound. Use lists as miniature assistants that keep you on track and remind you of the details.

Budget time with people. Networking is important. We need to create and maintain relationships with people. However, as you begin to assess how you’re spending your time, consider the return on the investment of spending time with certain people. In his book, The Slight Edge, Jeff Olson noted that there are people you should spend 2 minutes with and others you should spend 2 hours with. The key is to know who is who. Be honest with yourself about whether you are growing, flourishing, and expanding in the presence of those you spend your time with and make adjustments accordingly.

Get organized. Are you spending hours and hours trying to find things? Organization is essential to moving quickly from task to task. Clear the clutter from your home, car, and office, and not only will be thinking more clearly, you’ll observe that it’s easier to find things. Form the habit of putting things in their proper place once you’re doing using them.

Do it, delegate it, or dump it. Instead of putting things off, sit down and consider the task and what should really be done about it. Either do it right away, pass it off to a helper or partner, or get rid of it altogether. Using this method will free up much of your time and energy. Do what needs to be done to relieve yourself of any obligations that are no longer important to you or are not moving you in the direction of your goals.

Freeing up time in your schedule means more time to serve others, do the things you love, and spend time in God’s presence. Remember that your time, like your body, is a gift. Unlike money, once we spend our time, we can’t get it back so always spend wisely.

Super Sunday Quote

“Let nothing disturb thee; Let nothing dismay thee; All thing pass; God never changes. Patience attains All that it strives for. He who has God Finds he lacks nothing:God alone suffices.” -St. Theresa of Avila

Super Saturday Quote

“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions” -Raina Maria Rilke

A Stumble May Prevent A Fall!

Celebrating Divine Protection

Throughout our lives, we’ll have our share of ups and downs. As we mature, we appreciate that both the good times and the bad times are important in the fabric of our lives.

I was recently coaching a client who had a setback in her business. She was frustrated because an unanticipated event happened and though she was prepared, she was angry. As we discussed the event in more detail, I asked her if it was possible for the event to have evolved into something much worse. She paused for a moment and then said yes. There was a stretch of silence after that, and I could tell she got my point.

As inspired people, we need relevant strategies to help us keep life in perspective and stay on track. One of those strategies is what I call “catching ourselves before the fall.” Have you ever been walking along and tripped on something and almost fallen but didn’t? You stumbled and may have been embarrassed, but you didn’t fall. What if you had fallen and injured yourself badly? The embarrassment of a stumble would have been the least of your worries.

As life throws curve balls and we “stumble” on the rocks on our paths, we should reflect with gratitude on our stumbles because it is often the stumble that prevents us from falling flat on our faces. You may have heard someone say “It could always be worse.” And while this is true, we rarely appreciate that we are indeed being divinely protected. God’s timing, plans, and ways are perfect. His ultimate goal is to show love to us.

While lamenting a stumble, let us not forget that our stumbles may be preventing our falls. God’s love never fails.

Self-Control: An Unsung Essential to Success

Self-Control: we know we need it, but when temptations and frustrations are looming, we struggle to exert it. This week, I want to share some new perspectives with you on self-control and inspire you to exercise more self-control in your life.

When we think of the need for self-control, we often think of issues with anger and overindulgence. These areas certainly require attention, but let’s dig deeper. Do you find yourself angry when people criticize you? Do you get defensive and then decide to seek revenge on people who may attack or wrong you? As inspired people, we have to remember that the only taste of success some people will ever have is when they take a bite out of us! Revenge weakens us because we cannot harbor resentment and negative energy and make progress at the same time. When we carry the burdens of anger and the need to control other people, we put on a 50 lb backpack that slows us down as we run the race of life.

When criticized or attacked, you have 2 choices: strike back or allow your work to speak for itself and leave vindication in God’s hands. Because God’s ways are so much bigger and better than ours, we often plot schemes that are illogical and unfair, not realizing that God is just and will serve any punishment that is due. We separate ourselves from Him when we engage in combative and malicious behavior.

The best revenge is a life well-lived. You may be thinking, “Well that sounds nice, but some people really get on my nerves!” And to that I reply, “This is why self-control is necessary.” It’s the people and situations that irritate us the most that serve as measuring sticks of our commitment to self-control and excellence. Remember that your life is about being a builder, not a destructor. Outstanding people throughout history have faced violent opposition from jealous, envious, unwise people. Don’t let a lack of self-control dissipate your energy and take your eyes off the prize. You are living an inspired life – there is no time for petty disputes and time-sapping resentment. You’ve got to be the amazing, self-controlled being God created you to be so that others will be blessed. Live well and prosper!

Wordless Wednesday - Feminine Leadership

Worrying Is Praying For What You Don't Want!

Worrying is praying for what you don’t want.

I have theories about the power of thoughts and words that have been confirmed countless times by myself and millions of other people. I want to address what I call the push vs. pull approach to living life. This concept is essential to living a life free of worry, resentment, and anxiety. I submit that our thoughts are efforts to either push undesired situations away from us or pull desirable situations to us. As we grow in our understanding of the Law of Attraction, we recognize that our perception of the world around us colors our experiences.

Oftentimes, we worry, almost incessantly, about various issues in our lives. Interestingly enough, the things we often worry about are the things over which we have no control. Worry is a backstabbing friend in that it makes us feel as if we’re doing something about a situation although worrying brings us no closer to a solution. We spin the wheels of our emotions by worrying and then we’re left with little to no mental energy to approach issues in an intelligent and creative way.

This week, I encourage you to make worry a thing of the past. Worrying is not truly serving you. When you feel tempted to worry, affirm a positive outcome or concentrate on confidence-raising visions of the future. If you feel anxious, take action. Action is fear repellent and provides a constructive outlet for anxious energy. By taking action, you are exerting some degree of real control versus passively attempting to change the situation with negative thought and emotion.

Instead of using worry to try to push negative outcomes away, try using positive thought and affirmations to pull a solution to you. Imagine chasing a butterfly; it’s fickle and difficult to catch. You may find yourself frustrated and out of breath. However, if you sit still, it will come and gracefully land on your shoulder. The things we desire most often work in the same way. When negative, debilitating thoughts creep in, cancel them and replace them with positive thoughts that serve us. We must set the positive intention of bringing forth wonderful outcomes by praying, consulting with wise & trusted friends, and being honest about our feelings. Then we can rest knowing that God will not withhold any good thing from us.