Sam and Gina discuss their own challenges with getting things done and explore breaking things down into chucks and having “medium milestones” to help keep things on track

If you think something should take 45 mins then setting an alarm for that time not only keeps you on track but also serves as a reminder that you need to focus on what you are doing. It’s also great for making sure you take breaks that will actually add to your motivation rather than hinder it.

Chris and Gina reveal many other tips to help you make a conscious effort to keeping on track and on time.

We all have times when the going gets tough, it’s all a part of the ups an downs of life. If you feel you are going through, or are about to, a period in your life that could be a bit of a burden, then this podcast is for you. Packed full of tips, tricks and ideas you might like to try yourself.

• Learn how to reduce the burden of long distance and frequent traveling
• Develop how to take a break, even when work is demanding a lot of your time
• How to cope with over indulgence, either self imposed or as a result of a host’s hospitality
• Techniques on how to stick to what you know is good for you
• Dealing with repetitive tasks

Find out your own ways to relieve the pressure and then let us know what works for you!

(As mentioned in the podcast here is he photo of Chris at the Pyramids!)

In this podcast, Gina and Chris discuss ways to make sure you do keep a healthy balance of taking care of yourself, while still being strong, supportive and available for your friends and colleagues.

If you have downloaded the podcast from iTunes remember to post a review and visit our website at ActionPodcast.com to leave a comment or contact one of the presenters directly. Sign up to receive the podcast directly to your inbox, plus an additional weekly blog post! You’ll also be the first to receive a copy of our new e-Book.

As part of being a member of the BNI (Business Networking International) I’m entitled to some quite good training events. I’ve recently attended their new members training and during that session they also talked about how to prepare for your 60 seconds. The type of information you should be looking to cover and how to structure it best. So with my new found leaning from the course I went home and put together my 60 second speech.It really surprised me at how differently I had to write to make it work. Writing for an article to be read, is totally different to writing something that is going to be spoken out loud. I had to really simplify my language so that each word flowed into the next. Any time I practised the speech I would find a spot that I would have difficultly in saying, so I’d see if I would simplify it more. I tested the speech out on a couple of friends who helped me tweak it some more and timed me to make sure I was hitting as close as possible to the 60 seconds.

Last Friday I went to the BNI group again and used my 60 second speech. I was almost dead on the 60 seconds and had just a few seconds to ad lib at the end. I was delighted. It wasn’t the most exciting 60 seconds, but it was effective, it covered all the points and was fluid. So how does this relate to personal development you ask?

Well this type of action is a fantastic way of building your confidence in an area that you feel needs a bit of work. By giving it a format, a structure that covers everything it needs, you are giving yourself a basic template also known as a Boilerplate. The purpose of this isn’t to then use it permanently unchanged. The idea is that once you have the basic format in plate you DO change it.

Your boilerplate is your base line, your starting point, not your end point. From your boilerplate you know what must be in place, from there as you grow in confidence and your skills develop, you can adapt it. Either with some additional preparation or, if you feel daring enough, on the fly and ad lib some new bits into it each time you use your boilerplate. That way you have something to fall back on it things go a bit wry.

Have a think about some of the places you are already using a boilerplate. Maybe cooking your favourite meal, each time you make it, it’s somehow a little different. Going to the gym, you have a basic routine that you follow, but each time you go you do something else to liven it up. Even at work you may produce the same report on a regular basis but each time you do it, you find a new and more efficient way to do some part of it. By having that boilerplate, a base line to work from, you know what to do. After a while of using that base line your creative side starts to kick in.

Although having the boilerplate may initially seem a bit restrictive and even dull, it helps you put in place the foundation upon which you can build. By having the initial structure in place, your creative side is engaged, and before you know it, new ideas are flowing. You begin to tweak things here and there. If you can think about an area of your life or a task that you need to do and you are struggling with it, think about creating a boilerplate for it. Then watch it blossom into a creative and unique tool that you can flexibly use everyday.

Just for a giggle, I’ve recorded my speech onto YouTube. I still need to use it a few more times and be able to recall it without having to read my notes. The important thing is it’s a start and from there it can only get better.

ENJOY! And please do feel free to comment, I’d love to get some feed back on how to improve.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYVBOYXFnng

During a recent session it quickly became clear that I was on the verge of taking on too much. Over the last few months the power of being coached has resulted in some significant changes in my life and how I view situations. I’d been actively putting in a lot of work, spinning a lot of plates and generally been about as busy as I could physically be.

What surprised me was that I’ve now reached a point where pretty much everything is going to plan, on track and on schedule. I found myself looking for that extra thing that would put me back into the sensation of feeling, well rushed, busy and on the edge of coping.

I had become so used to “working my butt off” that now I had been able to schedule things better, automate them or even outsource them (my new favourite thing!) I was presented with a strange feeling of “what next?”!

Thankfully working with my coach I was able to see that, I was busy, very busy in fact. I was however, working smarter, better than before and I was now producing the results without having to work 16 hours a day. Ultimately I want to keep it this way, working at a pace that is healthy and even FUN!  As long as I’m still progressing, make moves in the direction that I want to go at a pace that works, then I’m doing the right thing.

I’d love to hear from others that have almost become so used to feeling rushed, that they often end up missing that feeling when everything is going to plan. What do you do to make sure you don’t overload yourself, just because you feel you should. How do you know when enough is enough?

Chris and Paul work though some of the tricks people use to make them think they have more time than they really do, and how to ultimately stop being late for everything!

If you have downloaded the podcast from iTunes remember to post a review and visit our website at ActionPodcast.com to leave a comment or contact one of the presenters directly. Sign up for our newsletter to receive the podcast directly to your inbox, plus an additional weekly blog post!

If you have downloaded the podcast from iTunes remember to post a review and visit our website at ActionPodcast.com to leave a comment or contact one of the presenters directly. Sign up for our newsletter to receive the podcast directly to your inbox, plus an additional weekly blog post!

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

What would you have done differently?

I was visiting a team of administrators this week to give them a presentation on how to work more effectively with another department. Whilst I was fine tuning my presentation I over heard two people having a conversation that really wasn’t going anywhere. Lets call them A and B for simplicities sake.

A wanted B to do a piece of work. B was in the middle of doing something and states that he cannot do that right now. These two points of view were repeated a few times with out much more being added or taken away. The result was A walked away saying “fine whatever”.

Both A and B were clearly trying to convey a message that didn’t seem to be resonating with the other person. So it got me thinking what was going wrong and how could they have had a more productive exchange?

It really boils down to one factor. Time.

• Time to think
• Time to converse
• Time to agree
• Time to action

Some people say that Time is the most valuable thing you have. I must say that it’s pretty difficult to deny. No matter how hard you try, time is basically linear. The only choice you really have is what do you spend your time on, not whether to spend it at all.

So let’s review the conversation again. Person A has already spent time on thinking about the piece of work he wants to give to B. He approaches B and spends time detailing the subject. B becomes somewhat defensive and is unable to spend any time thinking, agreeing, taking action and even to some degree even conversing! What would have been great to see at this point is A recognising this and restarting his own time process.

1. Think – why is B not able to just accept what I’m saying and take on this work?
2. Converse – ask them, now that A has given himself time to think “what’s wrong here, what have I missed or not considered?”
3. Agree – during the agree section, A must allow B time to take to two previous steps to think about what is being proposed and to converse over any issues or questions they may have. Once both A and B have been able to Think and Converse they can agree how to move forward.
4. Action – A’s action will be to check after the time allotted that B has been able to complete the work assignment. B’s action will be to carry out the work or if something happens to start the process again so that he can explain what stopped them.

Now here comes the punchline. If you miss a step what happens?

• Think, but nothing else. You’re left wondering what went wrong and start to assign blame.
• Converse, but nothing else. Conversing with someone without thinking, agreeing or taking action? That’s sounding awfully like an argument!
• Agree. Agreement has to be on both sides.Without the others, this isn’t agreeing, it’s demanding!
• Action, with out the rest is throwing your hands up in the air and saying “fine whatever!”

So the next time you find yourself in a situation and can sense it’s not being as productive as you had hoped, consider the four steps to time. Start from step 1 and see what happens if you just had time…

Paul and Sam talk about our perception of time, its impacts, and how to keep a reality check on the things you need or want to do. With loads of tips and tricks on how to keep track and make your life that little bit more organised – or at least measurably more realistic!

For more information on The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, and the process of Morning Pages (one of its pivotal Basic Tools), visit The Artist’s Way site where you can even download a PDF chapter of the book that details why Morning Pages are so powerful!

Also available from Amazon
Artist’s Way, 10th anniversary edition

It’s not just leaving my 20′s that causes me to ask: So what does age really mean/matter? Is there any significance in the quantity of our birthdays other than to mark the passing of time?

I’m totally tickled to be celebrating 30 today! Some of the defining thoughts that shape my views on age are:
- the older you get, the quicker time flies.
- each year, your definition of ‘old’ increases!
- what is ‘middle-aged’, and when are we *meant* to have our mid-life-crises??
- the older you get, the less an age-gap matters in a relationship.
- my Dad always says ‘you’re only as old as the person you feel’
- age-based goals are often just an excuse to put off taking action right now.
- these days, age doesn’t necessarily mean greater wisdom nor even broader life experience.
- age discrimination somehow occurs both when you are ‘too young’ and ‘too old’ (so leave your DOB off your CV!)

We live in a world where the rate of change is so extreme, that 7 years is now a long time to stay in one career/role – let alone the same job; where technologically obsolete can be a matter of months or years, rather than decades; and our communication is (paradoxically) isolatingly instantaneous!

Our needs and wants change constantly, and our dreams and goals are either upgraded before they’ve even been celebrated, or are lost in the flux of time.

Yet – it is not like we are privy to the sand remaining in the hourglasses of our lives. What impact does it have, knowing that any of us could die this minute, yet many could feasibly live another 30, 50 or even 70 years more? We could ask: Is that motivating? Does it affect our impetus? But I’ll ask: WHY WAIT?
It is a sad reality in which it takes a major crisis to bring each individual truly to life.
That said, I’m thankful mine happened when I was still really ‘young’; but it is scary the number of times I’ve had people say ‘I wish I knew what I know now at your age’. What I’ve decided though, is that it is more about what you DO with what you know, than just how much you’ve learnt.

A few years ago I heard the phrase ‘Dead at 30, buried at 60′ and it really struck me. How many of us go through our daily lives without really living, but simply counting the passing of time?

I feel younger now, than I have ever done. The last couple of years have seen me rediscover the childlike senses of awe, curiosity and fun that were missing for most of my ‘childhood’. As an adult I’ve been blessed to look younger than I am. I’m considered an ‘old soul’ who has always been wise beyond my years (even if I didn’t always behave like it!). And my friends range in ages that fit most varying definitions of ‘young’ and ‘old’.
So I’ve always felt that age was a very subjective perception.

Sometimes I think that the only age that matters is the one on the bottle of wine I’m enjoying – and even then, that isn’t a certainty!

Spending is an activity that some of us love, and some of us dislike – yet we do it in some form or another every single day, whether we are conscious of it or not. It is usually associated with the notions of consuming, disposing of and exhausting (the object or resource) – and there is often a sense of trade – ‘this’ for ‘that’, to meet an immediate need or want. So, if we are not talking about money – then what other resource do we spend daily?

How do you spend your time?

Having an awareness of where and how you spend your time can be more revealing than you may initially think. What proportion of your regular 24 hour day is consumed by sleeping, eating, email, working, travelling, chores etc? How do these proportions vary for the days of your weekend?

Saving is often something we wish we did more of, yet here is the sticking point – time flows continuously and there is no bank account that we can save it in each day… or is there? We can arguably ‘save’ time by doing things more effectively and being more efficient; but you can’t necessarily say “I’m not going to spend this two hours today, I want to add it to my available hours tomorrow”. Many a lament has been made with the wish to turn back time.

In what ways do you currently save time?

On the rare occasions when we do manage to save some time through efficiency or luck, it quickly seems to get siphoned away by other things on our To-Do lists, or even just ‘disappears into thin air’! It would be easy to assume that spending time is somehow the ‘wrong’ thing to do; yet this assumption could lead straight to a trap – spending time worrying about how or how to avoid spending our time. Some amount of spending our time each day may be unavoidable, the difference is the conscious choice; so let’s change the question:

How could you enjoy or respect your choice of what you spend time on today?

Investing can be simply another way of spending resources, however the generally accepted meaning of this term is to commit a resource in order to gain a return (where there is the potential for profitable returns, financial or otherwise). Is a job is spending or investing time? Even in an ambitious career path whilst you can work harder, win promotions and pay-rises, and build a team of people around you – the job value or return is still directly proportional to the time you put into it. With the exception of limited sick leave and holiday pay, if you don’t work in your job swapping hours for income, then you don’t get paid. You may have built up a wealth of experience and skill-base, yet those things will only primarily enable you to get another job.

How much of your time do you currently invest?

If we consider the example of investing money, how likely would you be to invest 10% of your income in something without adequate information and understanding of the benefit (profit or return) you would receive? What if you were considering investing 25% of your income? Or 50%? The idea of committing almost any sum of money without exploring the benefits (and risks) is not something many of us would even entertain; yet we do it every day with our time.

10% of your daily time is 2 hours and 24 minutes! Unlike money – which can be replaced – once time is gone, there is no getting it back. How does that shift how you think about your day?

To really shine a spotlight on this… would you agree that with every second of every day each of us is moving closer to the moment where our time here has run out? Regardless of age, beliefs or circumstances – there comes a point when our ‘time is up’. This does not necessarily imply that our time is scarce. Whilst immortality may (physically) elude us, we have a fundamental choice over how we spend or invest our time each and every day. So whilst we may not have forever, we certainly have this second, this minute, this hour and this day; and our decisions made for previous spending habits do not need to constrain our decisions right now. All change starts from a place of awareness.

When did you last invest in yourself?

How would your life be different if you made one choice to invest an hour of your day instead of spending it? That is less than 5% of your time today. The exciting part starts with deciding how to invest it in the best way for you!

(© Seraphima Coaching 2007-2008, www.seraphima.com, L3 Messages Extract: August’07)