Break Time! Time for planning...

At the beginning of every month, when I put the new Franklin Covey calendar into my planner, I take a look back at the previous month just to make sure I haven't missed anything, forgotten to do something, or didn't follow up on something that should be followed up on.  This month I went to my favorite coffee shop to enjoy a skinny vanilla iced (decaf) latte while I went down memory lane.  This ritual of taking a break from the daily barage of emails and phone calls - ok, I haven't experience a "barage" lately, but the good news is that I am getting busier as the economy slowly inches toward improvement - where was I?  Oh, yes, taking a break allows me to get focused and actually be strategic in my planning for the days and weeks ahead.  Leads and follow up calls get listed as "to-do"s in a neat single sheet and my travel plans usually all get ironed out while doing this simple 20 minute exercise.  What rituals do you have to help get you re-focused?  Please leave a comment....

How to Create Time When There’s No Time

I'm going to make this post short and sweet :  1) because last week's post was a long one and 2) I have the day off today and after a mostly  successful day at the zoo with my kids, I have about an hour and a half to myself to "get stuff done" while they nap.  So without further ado...another great post from Mindful Time Management blog by Janet Bailey...

Giving yourself permission to do things less perfectly.... interesting concept...read more: 

How to Create Time When There’s No Time

Empty Your Inbox

This post was inspired by my friend Emily, who updated her status on Facebook as "crawling out of an "inbox" mess" a few weeks ago. I've read where the looming backlog of messages in your inbox can create unnecessary stress. Who needs that? I found this article by Janet Baily, whose company is Mindful Time Management (http://www.mindfultimemanagement.com/). You should check out her website for other great time management suggestions. The link below offers a great methodology for cleaning out your inbox...so I gave it a try:
http://www.mindfultimemanagement.com/2009/10/approaching-the-inbox-with-a-shovel-or-maybe-a-bulldozer-tea-and-lots-of-chocolate/

I didn't have tea or chocolate...I drank a Michelob Ultra and ate pizza instead. It took two hours to file and delete my way to a better state of mind. I left 21 emails that will serve as my to-do list when I return to work on Monday. I'm afraid if I filed them, I'd just probably forget about them. Now, I just need to commit myself to keeping this practice up. Cheers!