Question # 10: "How am I spending my time?"

We all have 24 hours each day. We cannot manage ‘time’, yet we can choose how we manage ourselves with the time we have. Time is your most valuable resource. You only have a limited supply.

What is your present relationship with time? Does it give you the satisfaction and fulfillment you seek?  Do you feel there are never enough hours in the day to achieve what you want? Do you sometimes feel that others are managing your time?

How you choose to spend your time is how you spend your life.

The way you spend your time tells you much about your priorities and what you value in life.
Do you know what your core values and priorities are? Have you decided what the top ten things are that you want to spend your time on in the New Year?

"If you want to make good use of your time, you've got to know what's most important and then give it all you've got."  (Lee Iacocca)

Take some time to reflect on the larger areas in your life, such as your work/career, health, relationships, finances, personal growth, fun and recreation.

How can you manage yourself more effectively allowing you to spend more time in those areas that are most important in your life? What choices will you make? What will you say 'no' to in order to gain more balance and experience more fulfillment in life?

If you choose to live a more balanced life, you must redefine your relationship with time, to shift the emphasis from quantity to quality, from frustration to fulfillment, from lack to abundance, from pressure to peace.

Managing your time is a choice!

We all procrastinate. It’s a problem we all face.

1) Write down all the things you are procrastinating about. Prioritize your list in order of importance and urgency. To help you prioritize your list, ask yourself the following three important questions.

• What will it cost me in terms of time, (emotional) energy or even money if I keep putting things off?
• What are the benefits of getting the job done?
• How will waiting serve or benefit me?

Sometimes there could be a positive reason for you to put something off. Perhaps if you wait long enough, the circumstances might change and you may no longer need to take this action. Or perhaps you might get an important piece of information that could change your course of action.

Can you come up with any valid reasons for putting things off or are they merely excuses?

2) Create a timeline to get things done.  Set target dates and create time in your schedule. What will be a realistic assessment of the time it will take? Is there someone you could delegate this task to?

3) Accountability can be a good way to deal with procrastination. Work with a friend, a colleague or a personal life coach to keep you accountable.

4) Take action. What is a first things you can do right now that will move you forward?

Break the task down into smaller pieces and commit yourself to doing whatever it is you are procrastinating about for only 5 minutes at the time. This will help you build the habit of getting things started. You’ll be surprised how much you can accomplish in only a few minutes.

5) Take time to celebrate. Once a task or project is completed, reward yourself. This will give you a sense of achievement and reinforce the feeling of accomplishment so that next time you find yourself procrastinating, you will remember how good it feels just to do it.

Successful organizations understand that the key to increased productivity and profitability lies in the ongoing professional and personal development of people.

These companies create an environment where people can grow, develop their unique talents and align their values with a corporate vision.

Your answers to the following 10 questions might illuminate some areas for improvement.

1. What is your level of commitment to the personal development of your staff?
   
2. Do you know what motivates and inspires your staff and/or employees?
   
3. What are your company’s vision and core values, and how do you communicate them within your organization?
   
4. Are you confident your top people will be with your organization 1 year from now? How do you know?
   
5. If you would be asked to rank your leadership skills on a scale from 1 to 10, how would you rank yourself? How confident are you with your answer?
   
6. How do you empower your staff or employees to help them co-create your company’s culture?
   
7. Does your organization inspire creativity and open dialogue?
   
8. Are you getting the results you want?
   
9. Do your managers and/or employees have the necessary tools, skills and commitment to help others develop their true potential?
   
10. What do you want more of within your organization? What’s missing?

More and more companies hire a coach to work with individuals or teams within their organization to facilitate changes within the context of the organizations’ culture to achieve extraordinary results.

Coaching is focused on individuals, not business systems. It allows you to move your organization to the next level by investing in your employees at the highest level: in them as people.

Coaching is about developing the most important aspect in business today: leadership from within. It is only when people can effectively manage themselves that they can effectively manage, inspire, encourage and lead others.

Companies hire a coach to work with individuals or teams within their organization to:

• Improve individual performance and self confidence
  
• Increase effectiveness and productivity
  
• Establish open dialogue and creativity
  
• Improve communication skills (interpersonal and negotiation)
  
• Retain employees
  
• Align personal values and beliefs with a corporate vision
  
• Create a leadership attitude
  
• Gain clarity to make objective and thoughtful decisions
  
• Assist in developing measurable goals and taking responsibility
  
• Improve time management
  
• Build leadership, management and team building skills
  
• Manage work related stress
  
• Increase energy and overall well-being