5 Myths about Time Management

by Mona Raglow

I see that it’s a common habit to lie about how we spend our time. “I didn’t have enough hours in the day” or “my day got away from me”. Really? Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t really think people intentionally lie about how they spend their time, but they do make a boat load of excuses as to why they are behind in what they (think they) want to accomplish.

Here are 5 Myths about Time Management:

1. I can manage my time. – False.

What is true is that many people have mastered managing the events in their life, but they can’t manage time. Sixty seconds, or sixty minutes are going to come and go at the same pace for everyone. You can’t manage it. But think about the events in your life, the errands you have to run, the projects to manage and the tasks to complete. We CAN manage those. And one of the tricks is to prioritize and schedule. More on that in a future blog post.

2. I run out of time everyday. – Again, FALSE!

What might happen is you have unrealistic expectations for what you can accomplish in a day, meaning you didn’t leave yourself enough down-time, or unplanned time. Or maybe you’re an expert at planning and organizing your day, but someone unexpectedly blind-sides you with an urgent and important request, or you have a health emergency with a young child. A good rule of thumb is to only schedule 2/3 of you day. Leave the other 1/3 for taking care of the unexpected. Because the unexpected will happen. Expect it.

3. I can remember what I need to do. – WRONG!

One of my favorite sayings is “Poor handwriting is better than a good memory”. The human capacity to absorb information is huge, but it’s finite. We’re inundated with excess information daily. Think about it. The radio, TV, print media, email, websites, music, billboards, social media…the list goes on and on. Now wonder we forget to pick up a gallon of milk at the store, or worse, we forget to stop at the store altogether. Solution – have a way that works for you to capture your projects and tasks, and WRITE down what you need to remember, when you’re thinking about it. Chances are HIGH you won’t remember later.

4. I have to help others before I can help myself. – Huh? I don’t think so.

Some people wear their accomplishments like a badge of honor. Everyday. But when we ask them about their list, we hear “Oh, I promised so-and-so that I would help them, or “my brother-in-law’s daughter’s boyfriend called and really needed some help”, or “I have to bake 65 dozen cupcakes for the church social tomorrow.” So many people are doing everything for everyone else, but not enough for themselves. Don’t get me wrong. Giving back is VERY important (in my opinion) to leading a meaningful life. But when we consistently do everything for everyone else, and not enough for ourselves, we’re short-changing our self-worth. Think about the flight attendant’s message: “Secure your oxygen mask on yourself before helping others.” Same thing in your day-to-day activities - make some time for yourself, everyday. Start by spending 15 minutes alone in the morning, just with your thoughts (or lack of thoughts…it’s called meditation). Yes, you might have to get up 15 minutes earlier than the rest of your household, but wow, what a difference this can make.

5. I have to get more done in less time. – Wrong again.

What you should do is get the RIGHT THINGS done at the RIGHT TIME. Does this take a bit of planning? Sure it does. OR, you could waste your time by playing meaningless computer games or reading mindless fiction over and over and over, and then wonder why you’re behind on your life’s goals. What?? You don’t have any Life Goals. Well, that’s another blog post. Stay tuned.

Preparing for Change

by Jay Liebenguth

As people are getting ready to learn how to Create More Balance in their lives we asked one of our subject matter experts, Daniel Wallach, to help us understand some techniques to help us prepare for growth.

“Many people are trying to see the direction of their lives in moments of great activity. That’s like trying to find something in a pond when the bottom silt is all stirred up. No amount of 'clearing activity' will help you accomplish your goal of seeing more clearly,” says Daniel. You need to have patience and be still.

He suggests we work on “centering” in our daily practice. By eliminating all of the distractions, we’re able to put more focus and energy into an intentional life, whether it's growth, clarity or balance. The effort also shows a willingness to make an effort to move molecules. Find that quiet 15 minutes or so every day to sit quietly with yourself, turning off distractions and being aware and mindful of where you are and where you’re heading.

All of this helps to set the direction of our lives, much in the same way that a rocket's trajectory is impacted by where it's aimed.

Daniel says that surrendering and letting go are equally important to the process. He uses the analogy of paddling a kayak in a river. “Going with the flow is much more productive than trying to actively control where you're going the whole time. It’s a tremendous waste of energy. Guiding is better than directing. You have some control, but you're not restricting your progress.”

He goes on to say that when you're in that efforting place you're actually constricting your energy and, more importantly, your intuition. “The most important thing to do is relax. Balance is really a way to optimize our life’s productivity and realization of that which is our deepest desire.”

The crazy thing is that when you're in the flow, you don't even do most of the work, you're aligning with it. Continuing the kayaking metaphor, "when you are riding the current, you are effortlessly moving down the stream. It’s the natural way. If you're the type of person who likes more control, you're not going to enjoy the sensation as much. And, you will choose to actively work against it.”

Those that will get the most benefit of being in the flow are those who relax into it and enjoy the ride.

Here are three things Daniel says will prepare for growth in your life:

Number 1: Relax – Go with the Flow. Let your intention be free of the how(s), when(s) and how often(s). Realize that everything has a time and a place and it all serves you. Listen and be at peace.

Number 2: Make space – Bringing home a new puppy or a pool table will take up space and you’ll need to make room. Same with a new habit. Clear time from your overbooked schedule, open up room in your head and heart and be ready to discard old beliefs and habits that no longer serve you.

Number 3: Clarify your priorities - intentions can shift and evolve. Re-visit them often. They may have become bigger, or seemingly less important or maybe a trajectory needs to be realigned.

Daniel Wallach has spent a good part of his career selflessly serving others. Most recently organizing ideas and people at Greensburg GreenTown, a non-profit established after the devastating tornado hit the small Kansas community. Daniel, the GreenTown Staff and a team of volunteers set about informing citizens about rebuilding “sustainably” and in the process, garnered international attention and donations for their efforts.

Daniel’s thoughts on Abundance are part of Balance to Succeed’s Creating Balance 101 curriculum and you can look forward to a lot more of his wisdom in Week 7.

Creating a Balanced Business

by Jay Liegenguth

Jason Grill of the Entrepreneur KC radio show interviewed Mona Raglow, founder of Balance to Succeed about the launch of their first program offering called, Creating Balance 101. And, while it’s mildly self-serving, we thought you might like to learn a bit about it. And, you can listen to the interview here.

About 12 months ago, a client approached Mona and asked if she could put together a program that helps people overcome their negative thought patterns and self limiting beliefs.

She said sure. And then set out on a long and winding road to make it a reality. Many months and many meetings later, Balance to Succeed is launching an 8-week curriculum called Creating Balance 101. It’s meant to be a quick view of several tools and techniques that help people achieve more balance in their lives.

The course covers topics as diverse as Meditation to Setting Boundaries and saying No. They have segments on Abundance, Gratitude and even Feng Shui. The course is multimedia, with the video lesson delivered each Monday, plus a companion workbook and online forum. It's an opportunity for folks to sample some of these newer and ancient modalities that can help bring some perspective back to their lives.

As Queen of Implementation, Mona's role is to help people get the right things done at the right time. She assembled the team that brought together a talented group of Subject Matter Experts from around the area. They in turn, delivered valuable content in exchange for an opportunity of promoting their practices.

Many of us have struggled by jumping from one solution to the next, making and breaking resolutions and promises to ourselves. “We know that many people have the best intentions. And what we want to do is to put a little reality in that. We know we're not perfect. That we're not going to be able to stay focused on all those things. We look at this as a Cliffs Notes journey into different topics.”

Customers will be introduced to enough about the topic that they say, “Hey for 7 days, I can do that.” Whatever the topic for that week, they can make incremental improvements that may ultimately add up to being a huge shift in their lives.

We’re all busy people, who already have over-scheduled lives. What can we expect as a time commitment? Mona estimates that 15 minutes every Monday to absorb the new lesson, plus an additional 10 -15 minutes daily will help the student get maximum value and determine if there’s a reason to go deeper.

“Just like anything in life, people will get out of it what they put into it. If they only watch the lesson and don't do the work, they still may stretch a little bit.”

Initially the program will be offered to individuals. Eventually, Balance to Succeed will be offering the course to businesses who want to see their employees achieve balance in their lives, knowing that it will show up as a happier, more productive workplace with positive effects to the bottom line. 

Learn more about the Balance to Succeed curriculum by reviewing the first lesson absolutely free. Start here. Then click on the Try Now button at the bottom.