|
First Impressions
My husband's Grandma Gladys recently passed at an exhuberant age of 93. With a twinkle in her eye she would have said "almost 94"! She lived her life to the fullest. Her priorities were her family and her love for them. The eulogy was a reflection of her priorities. A celebration of how she made each family member feel by her unwavering love. I dedicate this month's newsletter to Grandma for her shining example of living her priorities! Thank you grandma.
With March comes spring and a time for rebirth. A renewed existence, activity, growth and revival. An ideal time to take stock of our daily tasks and re-examine our priorities. Do they match who we are or want to be at our core? My good friend and colleague Dr. Perri Kauls-Kilcoyne, suggests "don't make a To Do list instead make a To Be list." What are your priorities in life? Have you truly lived them daily? How do you want to impact others? Do your actions and words support your To Be list. If today was your final day what would be written on your epitaph? Today is the first day of the rest of your life. It's time To BE! |
|
Personal Inspiration
So now you have decided what your "To Be" priorities are. Do things seem to get in the way? For example: you want to be healthier for your family but can't find the time to work out. Really? Why not? Is there something you could do to create extra time in your day?
My friend and colleague, Katherine Eitel decided to change her hairstyle in order to allow for the extra time to work out when she was on the road. Now, not only does she have the time to exercise she also has a fabulous new hairstyle.
Here is another idea to reduce the time you spend getting ready for your day. Put together your outfits for the week on Saturday or Sunday including shoes and accessories. This can cut down your prep time every morning by at least 15 minutes. Think about all the things you can do to make room for your priorities! Once we open up our minds to the possibilities there are endless ways to find time for what matters most. |
|
Professional Inspiration
"Things that matter the most must never be at the mercy of things that matter the least." - Goethe
In order to live our priorities it's necessary to accomplish on a daily basis the things that matter the most to us. Often times we let other priorities get in the way of our good intentions. Following is a four step method for time management that can alleviate many of the distractions. Think about your day from start to finish. Divide all the things that happen in your day into 4 quadrants.
The first quadrant is everything that is important and urgent called Rocks. It includes: crises, pressing problems, deadline-driven projects and meetings.
The second quadrant is everything important but not urgent called Pebbles. This includes: preparation, prevention, relationship building, re-creation, values and clarification.
The third quadrant is everything not important and other people's urgent called Sand. This includes: needless interruptions, unnecessary reports, unimportant meetings - phone calls - mail or email, other peoples minor issues.
The fourth quadrant is everything not important and not urgent called Water. This includes: trivial busy work, irrelevant phone calls - mail or email, time-wasters, escape activities, excessive TV - internet or relaxation.
Think of your daily life and make a list and identify what are your Rocks, Pebbles, Sand and Water. Manage all the Rocks on your list first. Once you have completed the Rocks start to focus on completing the Pebbles. Finish by spending a minimal amount of time with the Sand and avoid the Water completely!
A great illustration of this would be to take a large glass vase and fill it to the top with Rocks. Next take Pebbles and and pour them into the vase. See how they fill in the holes between the rocks. Third take Sand and pour it into the vase. It sifts into the few spaces left and fills the vase even more. Now add the Water. There is little or no room for Water.
Your priorities are always the first two quadrants. If you were to fill the vase or your day with Water and Sand first it would be full. There would be no room for the things that matter most; the Rocks and the Pebbles.
|
