Don't You Want to Enjoy Life?

I wasn't one to compartmentalize.  

If you're not sure what this means, think of your cabinets with different compartments where you organize your things and put them in the assigned space.  

one of my compartments, taken by me

Not for someone who is always in a hurry, right? You will need to think of how much space you have, how much things you need to put in which space.  Then, you will spend time putting things in the right compartment.  

Hmmm.  Not very encouraging, I thought.  When will I find the time to compartmentalize?


I was more of a multi-tasker.  

In fact, I should say I have become an expert in doing several things all at the same time: 

• talking on the phone while reading emails
• eating while driving
• cooking while doing laundry
• ironing clothes while watching TV
• dreaming while sleeping  

Well, maybe not the last one.  Although I think I had lots of sleepless nights because my schedules got so hectic, I try to think while I sleep. So much so, that the minute I opened my eyes, I jumped out of bed and grab paper and pen.  

Crazy life!  I was speeding and just about ready to crash.

rushing in hanoi by errol papera

That got me thinking, seriously, of listening to experts who say that multi-tasking is crap (forgive my french!).  As my schedules got crazier and I got more and more stressed and tired, I sat back and look at the impact of multi-tasking on my time.  On my life.


How many times did I have to make another call to the same person because I wasn't listening?  I was reading emails while on the phone.


How many times have I missed important emails because I was talking to someone?  And I have to go back to my mailbox (with thousands of unread mails) and search and search and search.


How many road turns or street corners have I missed because I was busy chomping on a sandwich and a banana?  And how many times do I have to clean the car because food was all over the seat and the carpet?

I thought of the burnt dinners and the burnt clothes - I was busy taking the laundry out of the washing machine  or I was busy crying over a mushy, romantic movie.


And I thought of all my sleepless nights and I thought - enough! This multi-taking thing was not working.  My schedules were getting tighter because I had to re-do things or do other things I would not be doing otherwise.


It's time to manage myself better, to manage my time more efficiently.  

I found these tips from the article "Compartmentalizing Your Life" by Mary-Rau Foster of Monday Motivating Moments:

1. Make a decision about what tasks need to be accomplished and which ones do not.
2. Eliminate the "I shoulds" and replace with the "I wills."
3. Create a list of the "to do's." Categorize the tasks as "must be done now," "should be done soon," and "it would be nice to get this done."
4. Decide which job you will tackle first.
5. Compartmentalize the tasks of the project that you will be tackling.
6. Commit to spending a designated period of time, 30 or 60 minutes, on one task.
7. For that period of time, work as though you were under a very pressing deadline, putting all of your energy and focus into the task.
8. Use a kitchen timer to alert you when the time has ended.
9. Stop when the timer rings, even if you feel like continuing on. Why? Because one reason we do not tackle big (or even small) projects is because we are sure that it will take too much time right then. If we continue working, we will find that our prediction has come true. However, for 30 to 60 minutes, we can take time out of other civilities to begin to attack this project.
10. Pat yourself on the back for staying on task and take notice of what you accomplished.
11. Reward yourself for the accomplishment.

I can't say the transition was easy.  Old habits die hard. That's for sure.  But I was intent on making changes, of taking control of my time instead of my time controlling me.


I'm making progress.  With God's help, my life is more relaxing and I have more time for prayer and for things and people that matter.

Today, my work is as demanding as ever.  But I have time.

Time to enjoy the flowers.

'define fresh' by dominic de leon

  Time to play hide and seek.

'it's not a crime to peek' by errol papera

 Time to enjoy the colors of life.

'colors of caliraya' by jopie banzon

 Time to stare at the sunset.

'my very own lumban sunset', taken by me

And time to be quiet and still.

'as tgranquil as can be' by von de leon

I'm enjoying life as I never have before.

Don't you want the same thing?

ARE YOU LOLLYGAGGING?

Are You Lollygagging?
Daily Inspiration
By John H. Sklare, Ed.D, Lifescript Personal Coach
Published May 09, 2011

Please consider today’s Reflection as a motivational wake-up call for all of you who aren’t getting things done in life. Let me begin with a simple question: Are you lollygagging? To lollygag means “to waste time in trifling or aimless activity; fool around or dawdle.” I want you to think about the most important goal in your life that’s unfinished. Sure, there may be good reasons to waste time, but until you get going with this, it simply isn’t going to become a reality.

So today I ask you to think about that one desired goal in your life. Is today the day you finally begin to take honest action toward this objective? Or have you decided that lollygagging is a wiser use of your time? At the end of the day, it’s your life and time that you’re wasting!

Wishing You Great Health,
Dr. John H. Sklare
www.innerdiet.com

Follow Dr. Sklare on Health Bistro!

MY THOUGHTS

I think lollygagging is good-once in a while. Maybe 30 minutes a day opf vegging out will keep away the stress. But to lollygag for more than that is a serious problem. My biggest question, for now, is what is 'trifling and aimless'?. What you're doing for the moment may notlooklike something that will help you reach that one desired momentous goal. But not every small thing is trifle. If what you're doing is helping someone, even if it doesn't seem to contribute to your dream, I will not call that lollygagging!

Time Management Isn't Just for Crises

Time Management Isn't Just for Crises
By Jessica Stillman | July 14, 2010

Time management is a lot like studying if a new post up Time Management Ninja is to be believed. Just like preparing for a test, there are two ways to approach time management. The first is the rough equivalent of cramming for the test. In this model you wait for obligations to pile up and then when panic starts to kick in you pull out all your best time management practices to cope with the onslaught. Like cramming, this tends not to work.

What works better? According to TMN, the answer is the same as it in the academic world — a steady pull. Rather than turning off and on your time management A-game to suit the circumstances, the blog suggests you have an always-on approach to managing your work and offers several reasons this approach works better.

The Steady Pull. An even steady pull is much easier to bear and allows you to be more productive. Starting and stopping your productivity efforts only creates more work for yourself.

Habits vs. Extra Effort. If you make time management part of your habits, the effort disappears and time management simply becomes part of your lifestyle. If you try to “turn it on” only once in a while, it becomes an extra effort that you must bear.

It is a Skill. Time management is a skill that you must hone just like any other. It takes practice and experience like other skills and activities. The more you do it, the better you will be at it.

Myth of the Crisis. People tend to think they only need time management in a jam. But, the truth is that you need it just as much when you are not in a crisis. It is proactive action that prevents the problems in the first place.

All of this advice makes plenty of sense, but I also see a flip side. Turning off for a weekend or the odd day here or there might not make logical sense if humans were machines, but we’re not (not most of us anyway). A nice stretch of slacking may not be good for your email inbox, but couldn’t it do wonders for your energy level and creativity when you’re burnt out and need a fresh perspective?

MY THOUGHTS

i'm a crammer. i seem to work best when under pressure. crises seem to come with the package when deadlines are far far off, it's difficult to get things done. however, this won't work when there are other people whose tasks are intertwined with mine. i need to plan and manage my time.

Never Be Late Again: 9 Ways to Make It Happen

Never Be Late Again: 9 Ways to Make It Happen
By Jessica Stillman | September 1, 2010

For the perpetually tardy it sounds like mission impossible — reform your ways and never be late for an appointment again. But now that you’ve left behind your lazy college days and joined the working world, the inability to be on time can have a serious impact on your career. So can it you transform yourself into a punctual person?

Awesomely named blog Dumb Little Man thinks it’s possible. In a post written by the habitually late child of a habitually late father, the blog lays out the case that there are ways to become more punctual, even if your inability to be on time feels like a deeply ingrained aspect of your character. Here are nine tips to try:

1. The first step is acceptance. Admit you have a problem and enlist help.
2. Surround yourself with clocks (not just the one on your cell phone).
3. Bring something to read or occupy you, so if you arrive early, you don’t feel like you’re “wasting time.”
4. Give yourself a handicap. If you’re a bad estimator, double the time you think it will take to get there.
5. If you’ve never been where you’re going, look up directions beforehand (not at the time you’re supposed to be walking out the door).
6. Before you accept invitations for engagements, ask yourself if you really can, or want to, attend. If you’re hesitant, perhaps it’s better to politely decline than rudely arrive late.
7. Don’t try to do too much. Keep a detailed schedule and don’t be distracted by tasks not on it.
8. Fine yourself a dollar (to your piggy bank) for every minute you’re late.
9. Hypnosis. Hey, it can’t hurt, right?

MY THOUGHTS

hypnosis? oh, well, surrounding your self with clocks works. well, i think i've tried the rest. my problem is that the only really quiet time - without people dropping in and out of your office, no calls, no disractions- is in the evening. so, i end up working well into the night. stay up late, wake up late. an endless cycle i find hard to break. might as well try number 8. like the idea.