February Balancing Tips Has Gone to the Dogs

But first, some tips I learned from time mangement expert Julie Morgenstern about how to navigate the new realities of managing time in an economy that's giving us either way too much time on our hands, or way too little.

Let's stay balanced!

Pat

It's About Time

Julie Morgenstern is one of my favorite time management gurus, so I was excited to get in on one of her teleseminars in January, in which she addressed the new time management challenges of the new economy.

As she pointed out, we now need to take more time to be frugal and more time to watch our finances. The days of automatically spending money instead of spending time may be gone as we nervously watch savings and jobs dwindle. But on the positive side, the economy may force us to get back to basics.

She offered some guidance to stay in balance, though, reminiscent of her book Time Management from the Inside Out . In a nutshell, (1) do a self-assessment (where did I get off track? (2) estimate how much time each item on your to-do list will take; (3) practice the 4 D's, i.e., delete things you can't get to, delay doing certain things till a more appropriate time; delegate and diminish the task; (4) develop a big picture view; (5) make a time map of your day; and (6) park to-do's on your calendar, occupying the appropriate amount of time, not on a separate list.

As I confessed in January's column, I've gotten caught up in the giant time-sucker of social networking. So I asked her how to manage time and Twitter, too. To learn Julie's take on Twitter, go to my blog and feel free to register your own opinion there.

Name That Dog and Win a Sketch of Yours!

Thanks to Michael H. Whiting, a caricaturist from Newark, Ohio, there's a lovable, shaggy dog about to sit on the cover and run through the pages of my upcoming book The Dog Ate My Planner.

The dog has charm, panache, and all the unnerving, mischievous attributes of the dogs that romp through our lives and wreck havoc with what we thought were our plans. There's only one thing missing. The dog needs a name. And that's where you come in.

Send in an e-mail by March 15 with your name, address and phone number and your nomination of a fitting name for The Dog, and the reason you chose it. Just one entry per person, please. The winner will receive not only an autographed copy of the book, but a sketch drawn by Michael of you and your dog. Or, if you don't have a dog, another pet. Or, if you don't have a pet, a friend and his or her pet. Or a sketch of just yourself. Whatever suits you. The sketch will be drawn at a local book-signing and displayed in this newsletter.

Leash Law No. 2: The Getaway

I don't need to tell you that at this time of year especially, getting away from the home or office can be magically refreshing. With icicles hanging from the eaves here in Central Ohio, many roads still unplowed and temperatures many days in the teens, it seems like the perfect time for a tropical vacation.

If the cost of airfare and hotel are an issue, try the increasingly popular stay-cation. Take a day trip or stay overnight with a friend or relative. No time? An excellent resource for quick self-led retreat exercises is Rachel Harris' book 20-Minute Retreats: Revive Your Spirit in Just Minutes a Day with Simple, Self-Led Practices. Remember. Where there's a will, there's a getaway!

New Humor & Creativity Workshops: Laugh Away Your Stress

There's no better time to look for the funny in life than when the news is full of gloom. So give yourself a break from the mid-winter doldrums.

There's still time to sign up for my new three-part workshop, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Page," from 7 to 9 p.m. February 18 and 25 and March 4, at the UA Seniors Center, 1945 Ridgeview Rd., Upper Arlington.

Whether you want to put more humor in your writing, your public speaking or your life, this is a workshop that will help you find the funny stories that surround you every day and use the techniques that humor writers use to take them from amusing to amazing. Come share your stories and laugh with us! It's the next best thing to being at the beach!

Speaking of which... thanks to the ice and snow on January 28, the one-night "Belly Laugh to your Aha! Moment" workshop has been re-scheduled to Wednesday, March 11, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the UA Seniors Center. In "Belly Laugh," we'll experiment with laughter and humor techniques to break through creative blocks in writing and other projects. Come Ho! Ho! Ha! Ha! Ha! your way to an Aha! moment.

Both workshops are offered through the Upper Arlington Center for Lifelong Learning and Leisure. Go to my website for sign-up details.

Strained Values Stressed Your Holidays Most

Finally, it was a close race, but reconciling holiday activities with personal values (35%) was a nose ahead of budgetting for holiday expenses (30%) when you took January's Balancing Tips post-holiday survey on what stressed you the most. Dealing with other family members came next (25%), well behind preparing the food (10%). And not one of those surveyed said finding the right gifts was the most stressful part of the holidays. Sounds like the best preparation for next year's onslaught might be a post-mortem on what felt right, values-wise, and what did not, plus an agreed-on budget before the shopping starts.