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Six Strategies to Create More Time by Dinyah Rein There’s never enough time. It’s true. This year seems to be zipping by. My gosh, at this rate, 2010 will be gone before we know it. It may be over before you even figure out what you want your goals for the year to be (so sit yourself down and get those spelled out, before any more time rushes by. Perhaps you’ve heard the rumors about time speeding up, or at least the relative experience of time. And perhaps your personal experience adds evidence to the theory. What to do? How can you create time for the things that matter to you? Plug the Energy Drains What is an energy drain? It’s all the things you think you should have done, but haven’t. It’s the things in your environment that annoy you. It’s the projects you feel badly about not completing. All of these suck energy, and even time (often spent on negative self-talk). You’d be amazed how much of your time and energy is spent not doing. Put them on a list, and start getting them done, or else abandon them completely. Make a game of it. Involve other people. Enroll your friends, and work together on each other’s lists. Delegate. Getting momentum here will literally add time, and energy, to your life. Just Say No It’s time to give up being every else’s go to person. Stop the automatic “yes” habit. Of course it feels good to help others, but not at the expense of your self, and your own priorities. Start by delaying your yes. Let the person know you’ll sleep on it, and ask them to check back with you. Often, they’ll find another way to handle it in the time between. Meanwhile, you need to evaluate the cost to you, and your priorities, of saying yes, and make a more considered choice. There are tactful and considerate ways to tell others no. They include, “Thank you for asking me, however I just don’t see how that fits for me at this time,” “I’m sorry, but I’m just full up with other commitments right now,” or “I trust that you’ll find a way to get that accomplished, and right now I just don’t see that I’m the one.” Don’t Multitask, MultiPurpose! I’m a big believer in having everything you do fulfill multiple needs you have. Never do something that fulfills just one purpose, if you can help it. Cook a meal with someone, either in person, or on the phone, so you’re also catching up and deepening your connections. Cleaning the house? Put on headphones and listen to something educational or inspirational. Same with exercising – add a buddy to make it also social, get out in nature and/or add educational or inspirational audio to the mix. Apply Leverage Perhaps you’ve heard about using leverage in the context of investing – Robert Kiyosaki and others talk a lot about leverage as a key tool to get out of the financial rat race. Well, it’s the same with the time rat race – to stop running and running with no sense of ever getting anywhere, apply leverage. Furthering more than one objective with an action is a form of leverage. Teaming up with others is another form of leverage. For example, trade off grocery shopping and errands with a friend – you do it this week, I’ll do it next. Form a supper club, in which you cook a meal for two families tonight, a little more work, but then they cook for you another night, a big savings. Delegating is another way to leverage your time – pay someone less than what you earn in an hour to do work for you. Eat the Frog This recommendation comes from Brian Tracy, in a well-known book by this title. Basically, start with the biggest, most confronting and highest impact projects or tasks first. Resist the temptation to pick off the small, easy tasks, and save the more imposing ones for later. Eat the frogs first! After you have you’ll be energized by your accomplishment, and everything else will be easy by comparison. Wait for Inspiration Waiting sounds counter to everything else I’ve recommended here. However, there are times when it is a vital strategy. This is especially true when contrasted with attempting to force something to happen. If you’re out of sync, and what you’re doing, or trying to do, feels hard, if there’s struggle, try waiting. While you’re waiting, turn your attention somewhere else, get something else accomplished. Do something that will change your mood, that will uplift you. Listen and be open to inspiration. Perhaps that wasn't the best possible way to approach the situation, and as you back off and give it space, a new inspiration will come to you. As you apply some or all of these strategies, you’ll find yourself with more time, and more energy. Time and energy that you created, and that you can use for your own purposes, and your priorities. Dinyah Rein is a transformation catalyst with a passion for helping others spark their passion, especially when that passion is to empower others and to help create a sustainable future. For more on how to create more ease, flow and success in your life go to http://www.CoachDinyah.com

 

 

 

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