Selfishly selfless – what does that mean exactly? Well, for starters it means taking care of all your personal needs before anything else. Yeah, I know, sounds great eh? But the question I get over and over again, how? How exactly do I ‘do’ that?

Not unlike making any change, you have to begin with an audit, in this case of yourself. Do you even know what you would need to change in your life to be selfishly selfless? For me, I need a lot, but here’s a sample:

1. Food – I don’t know about you, but, if I’m hungry, I don’t cope well.

2. Sleep – unlike Tiger Woods, 5 hours doesn’t do it for me – I need 7-8 hrs

3. Exercise – I LOVE working out (I know, I know, you can punch me in the face now), but, I’m serious, I really do. For my entire life I’ve been an athlete. Athletics and working out my body is so much more to me than just staying in-shape. I’m the first to admit, I like the side effects, but moreso, I like the adrenalin rush, the connection with my body, feeling powerful and the confidence that comes as a result of exercising and challenging my body.

4. Music – it’s a constant for me, can’t live without it.

5. Money – I have a certain lifestyle that I enjoy, and that often requires a monetary exchange. Managing mine (both in my business and personal life) is a must.

I could go on and on, but you get the point.  Now it’s your turn.  This week I want you to identify what your non-negotiable needs are. Write them all down.  Then…

Tune in next week for the next step: Communicating Your New Rules

All the best,

Heather White, CEO, 2020 Communications Inc.

In my last post, I emphasized the importance of using your time according to the 80/20 rule, where you focus your efforts into your most profitable efforts. But how do you know which efforts are really paying off?

You’re going to have to log all your activities and how much time you spend doing non-productive work. For that, you’re going to need a spreadsheet.

Put together a simple Excel grid with two columns showing time range and the type of activity. Start recording the actual work that you do, going into some detail as to the types of tasks involved. This will help a lot later, when you’re not just focusing on what activities provide the most benefit, but also how efficiently you’re doing them. There may be ways to reduce the number of steps to produce virtually the same output.

If you’re being interrupted, record that as well – who’s doing the interrupting, who called you on the phone, who instant-messaged you, why you left your desk and so on.

Do this for at least one day, though if your week varies significantly, you may need to do this exercise for the entire period. This will also help you to arrange more consistent routines.

Finally, you get to the most important part – go through the logs you’ve recorded and note the activities that are providing a real measurable benefit to your business. This can also be the hardest part. You may want to consult with a business coach or time management expert to provide feedback on the best use of your time that you’ve recorded.

Now you’re on your way to designing a better time management system that you can use for the long term. You know what to do. There’s no time to waste.

Linda Chu
CEO – Out of Chaos, Professional Organizing Solutions
www.outofchaos.ca

With the theme of New Beginnings and the spirit of the New Year in the air there’s no question that this is a time of change. The local gym that I go to is always a total gong show in January as everyone who’s ever thought about working out is there trying to start fresh and give themselves the healthy body they desire. What so many people miss however is that whenever you make change in your life, it’s not like flicking a light switch. You will not wake up, having not exercised for the past 5, 10, 15 years and begin a five day a week work-out regime from now to forever. You will be enthused and energetic in the short term, and then something will inevitably happen and you’ll miss a day, then you’ll miss two, then three, then you’ll think – ahh, screw this work out thing – I’m too busy to keep this up.

What I see happening too often when women try to make healthy change in their life is they take the ‘all or nothing approach’. You’re either leading the aerobics class, or, you never go to the gym. You have great intentions of a healthy diet, have two oreo cookies, beat yourself up, figure you’ve lost the battle and eat the whole box. This ‘all or nothing” b.s. doesn’t work. Here’s some tips on ensuring success for whatever changes you want to make this year.

1. Be gentle and kind to yourself as you attempt to change. You are going to fall off the wagon – it’s a given – and when you do, don’t beat yourself up, see it for what it is, a slip up, and get right back on the wagon. Don’t use a blip on the radar to give up all together.

2. Keep a record of your progress. It’s too easy for your ego to get you all wrapped up in keeping you dissatisfied with your progress. By keeping a record you can silence your ego and it’s ridiculous banter by looking back to how far you’ve come.

3. Get an accountability partner. If you can’t afford to hire a personal coach, business coach, personal trainer, wellness facilitator (depending on what changes you are making this year) get yourself an accountability partner.- click here to read an extended post on how to get a great partner.

4. Set a goal. It’s important for your sub-conscious mind, your ego and your motivation to ensure you know exactly what you’re working towards. Click here to read more about how to set effective goals.

Wishing you a successful, healthy 2009!

Heather White, CEO, 2020 Communications Inc.