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No time? Put more life in your life
More Life in Your Life:
Time Management Strategies for Midlife Career Change
When people want to move to career freedom, often they don't
want a new career at all. They love their career -- but they
also want a life, too.
Here are ten questions to help you get started on the quest
for "more time in your life -- and more fun."
1. Where does leisure rank among your list of values? Are
you working to pay for something that ranks lower in your
list?
2. Can you seize moments during the day, evening, lunchtime
and weekend? Think "fun" in fifteen-minute segments.
3. Can you buy leisure time? Hiring a teenager to mow your
lawn may give you an hour or more, depending on the size of
your property.
4. Are you doing things that don't need to be done? I once
worked with someone who stopped answering requests for reports
from "senior management." When someone called to
ask, "Where is your report?" he would prepare one.
Most of the time, nobody noticed!
Same goes for housekeeping: do you need the "cleanest
house in town" award?
5. Are you setting limits effectively? Saying "no"
to invitations is a beginning. You can also define your scope:
"I will be happy to help as long as I can do the work
on Saturday."
I've role-played scenarios with people who think the earth
will cave in if they say "no."
Often they're amazed to find that nobody misses them.
6. Are you losing energy to procrastination or fear? If you
dread making that call or put off changing that light bulb,
do it now and enjoy leisure, guilt-free.
7. Are you surrounded by ghosts of, "everybody else
is doing it?" Chances are everybody else is miserable
-- or isn't doing it either.
8. Do you make time for energy boosters and time expanders?
Meditation, journal writing and exercise will increase your
energy and miraculously add hours to your day.
9. Can you take a large block of time each week to do exactly
what you want? Two hours? A whole afternoon? An afternoon
in an art museum (or an evening at a basketball game) will
often unravel the knots that keep you working late.
10. Too busy to follow any of these suggestions? Feeling
trapped by the "should" monitor? Call a friend,
counselor or coach -- someone who can offer you an objective
insight and clarify priorities.
Bonus question:
Very few people on their deathbed say, "I wish I'd spent
more time at the office," or, "I should have done
more dusting." Will you be one of the few?
Enjoy!
Want to talk about your specific time and life management
goals? Set up a complimentary get-acquainted
call to see if I'm the right coach for you.
Read more
articles on the site.
| Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D. is an author, career coach, and
speaker. She works with mid-career professionals who want to make a fast
move to career freedom. Visit her site http://www.movinglady.com
or call 505-534-4294. |
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