Issue No. 66

Spring 2015

Not Enough Time?

Dear Friends of Balancing Act,

A universal challenge for clients - and me - is not enough time.

Our Spring cleaning issue will take a look at why that is and what we can do about it.

One perspective is that it's not a matter of poor productivity but of overcommiting. We'll help you do the math to avoid overbooking your life.

And while we're talking about time, I'm going to save you some some by including all the links to Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant's wonderful New York Times Sunday Review series on Women at Work.

And finally, in case you're a fan of Aristotle ("We are what we repeatedly do"), you'll be happy to know that happiness guru Gretchen Rubin has just come out with a book to help you make excellent habits more easily.

Pat

Your Time By The Numbers

If you are mathematically minded, you will probably not be surprised that 80 hours of work will not fit into 40 hours. But you may still feel guilty that you couldn't pull it off.

Enter a time management coach, Elizabeth Grace Saunders, with a mathematical formula for projecting just how much time you should budget for your "internal" expectations (aka "me" time) and your "external" expectations of work, family and community.

Likening time investment to money investment, she points out that you'll likely want to invest more money than you actually have and will need to scale it back.

If you're more visually than mathematically inclined, another approach is to block out (generously) on your planner the amount of time you expect each activity will take. That way, you can plan the day more realistically and also stave off guilt.

And finally - and powerfully - you might just need to change your perspective on how productive you've been. According to an article in Inc. Magazine, someone who just focuses on checking things off a to-do list may be looking at productivity the wrong way.

Women At Work

Sandberg and Grant

Earlier this month Facebook CEO Sheryl Sandberg (Lean In) and Wharton business professor Adam Grant (Give and Take) wrapped up their excellent four-part series on women at work in the NYT.

In case you missed any of them, click on the article headlines below.

When Talking About Bias Backfires: Adam Grant and Sheryl Sandberg on Discrimination At Work

Speaking While Quiet: Why Women Stay Quiet At Work

Madam CEO, Get Me A Coffee: Sandberg and Grant on Women Doing Office 'Housework'

How Men Can Succeed In the Boardroom and the Bedroom

How Are Those Habits?

If those new habits you wanted to create in 2015 haven't happened yet, you might want to take a look at Gretchen Rubin's new book Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives.

Rubin, of Happiness Project fame, believes your habit-forming style depends on whether you an Upholder, a Questioner, a Rebel, or an Obliger.

She provides a quick test to determine your dominant tendency and a habit-forming strategy to fit your type.

In This Issue

Quick Links

Pat's Website

Dog Journal

Latest Column

PAT'S NEW BLOGGING VENTURE

In February, Pat started blogging for Ms. JD, a non-profit, not-partisan organization devoted to the success of women in law school and the legal profession. Her posts are geared toward women lawyers, but many of them could be of help to women in all professions.

Check out her first post, "Learning To Give And Take At The (Law) Office."

LEASH LAW

Finding Time To Exercise

Like it or not, there's time. The trick is blocking out regular, reasonable periods to do a variety of exercises you like (or at least don't hate) and building exercise into everyday activities like parking farther away or walking faster. Your doctor can recommend exercises to fit your needs and abilities, and so can a personal trainer. But a friend, committed to exercising together, can be the key to keeping you on track.

This is based on one of the 74 leash laws offered in Pat's book, The Dog Ate My Planner: Tales and Tips from an Overbooked Life.