Achieving Personal Fulfillment Ezine (sm)

"Positive Psychology to the Rescue" (sm)
June 2008

Published by Maurine D. Patten, Ed.D., CMC
Founder & CEO, Patten Coaching & Consulting
www.pattencoaching.com

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In This Issue:

1. Preview

2. Too Busy?  Try These Tips

3. Getting into Action

4. Looking Ahead

1. Preview

Achieving Personal Fulfillment Ezine explores how to progress rapidly from dreams to action.  It is a free monthly email newsletter written by Maurine Patten, life/business coach and clinical psychologist.

Using Positive Psychology, topics are presented from the perspective of Maurine Patten and are provided to help you get the results you want.  It will help you manage change, improve your Emotinal Intelligence, and make better decisions with less effort.

More and more, I am hearing clients talk about not having enough time to get everything done they need or want to do.  This issue gives you 6 tips that will help you balance what is important and manage your time more effectively.

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2. Too Busy?  Try These Tips

As we have entered the Information Age, life has gotten more complex.  There is an endless list of things to do in the various roles we have.  It is common to hear people say, "I need more time."  But isn't being busy suppose to be a good thing?  After all, busy people seem needed, important, and successful.

Being busy can fool us; it can be a trap.  As we race through the day, many times the activities we end up doing do not help us be who we really want to be. 

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3. Getting into Action

Time is often talked about in financial terms and referred to as a precious non-renewable resource.  We save it, spend it, or waste it.  We often feel we never have enough of it. 

However, this analogy doesn't help us use time more effectively.  Authors Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz believe energy, not time, is our most precious resource and that it is renewable.  In their book "The Power of Full Engagement" (2003), they stress the need to balance expending our energy and renewing our energy (time for rest/play) to be at our best. 

There are several methods for scheduling your calendar for high productivity and minimal stress that will often work when other time management systems do not.  They can be used separately or combined.  Choosing from the following tips will help you have the energy you need to manage your time effectively:

  1. Think of life as a series of sprints rather than a marathon.  This allows you to push during crunch times followed by rest.  The downtime is seen as necessary for your body and brain to process the information and prepare for the next task.  Constant busyness is seen as a threat to success.  Rest/play are necessary and celebrated.
  2. Limit your to-do list to the two or three things that are most important for that day.  Plan to schedule 60-70% of your day for tasks.  Leave at least 30% for "other".
  3. Schedule according to the task when you are able to group tasks into more general categories for a week, i.e. work, commute, exercise, appointments, email, spiritual, self-care, spouse, family, etc.  Grouping your weekly tasks into blocks of time relates to the four energy sources (physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual) and helps remind you of the need for balance in your life.  Then place more specific tasks in the appropriate category for a particular day.  For instance, you can take your day at work and break it down into specific tasks. 
  4. Schedule by the day and type of time when you can establish certain days for specific tasks.  Days can be full days, half days, or a couple of hours.  Begin by thinking of 3 categories:
  •  Focus Time - when you need to accomplish a task that requires thinking, planning, writing, etc.  To eliminate distractions, turn off phones, close your door, or do whatever else is necessary for you to focus.  You can start with one hour and increase the time as needed.  Educate co-workers and family about this uninterrupted time and that you will be available later. 
  • Flexible Time - when you can handle interruptions, i.e. phone, email, etc. that do not require as much focus.
  • Free Time - no work; time for recharging without feeling guilty.  Start with a couple of hours weekly, gradually adding moretime until you can take one whole day several times a month or weekly.
     5.  Put specific tasks in the Focus, Flexible and Free time areas to combine the two different ways to schedule time.

     6.  Combine the idea of money and energy by imagining that every morning you have $20 worth of energy for the day.  When
          your $20 is gone, your energy is gone for the day.  (Fortunately, you get another $20 the next day.)  How do you want to spend your
          energy?  What tasks will get the most energy, the smallest amount of your energy for that particular day?

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4. Looking Ahead

When you know what is important to you and you know why, the choices of how you spend your time become easier.  Understand your core values and strengths.  Consider what you can delegate or drop.  Instead of taking a look at your list of things to do, take a look at the outcomes you desire.  What do you really want?  What are you here to do?  Spend time in the areas that will bring you the desired results.  Following one or more of these tips, you will find that you are accomplishing and enjoying more of what you do.

I wish you the best of success on your journey.

Need a gift for someone.  Consider a coaching call.  Check my website, www.PattenCoaching.com/Resources for more information.

If you need a coach to help you be more successful, I would love to hear from you.

Referrals are always appreciated.  It is how I grow my business - with great people like you.

Maurine Patten
mdpcoach@pattencoaching.com

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With advance permission, we are happy to edit an issue to fit your space requirements. Republication also is encouraged under other circumstances. However, the advance permission of Patten Coaching and Consulting must be obtained in the event that changes in the text are desired.

Mission

Achieving Personal Fulfillment Ezine is dedicated to inspiring and expanding your perspective in order for you to move forward in your personal and professional life.

Achieving Personal Fulfillment Ezine is a publication of Patten Coaching & Consulting; CEO, Maurine D. Patten, Ed.D., CMC; mdpcoach@pattencoaching.com

We would like Achieving Personal Fulfillment Ezine to be as interactive as possible. If you have feedback, comments, topics you would like addressed, or can suggest additional resources to benefit us all, please email us at any time. Send your e-mail to ezinefeedback@pattencoaching.com.

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Archives

You can read previous issues of Achieving Personal Fulfillment Ezine in our archives on our archives page.

About Maurine D. Patten, Ed.D. CMC

Maurine Patten is a clinical psychologist and certified life/retirement coach.  Her professional career includes: independent business owner (27 years), Assistant Professor at Chicago State University, and consultant for education and business. She is a certified graduate of the MentorCoach program, a member of the International Coach Federation and the International Positive Psychology Association. She is experienced in training and management development for large national and international firms. She has a strong background in working with individuals and couples on clarifying and achieving goals.

Dr. Patten has training in coaching, cognitive and family therapy and health psychology. She has published articles, made presentations, and conducted workshops about:
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Creating a Fufilling Retirement
  • Retirement Reality Check
  • Anxiety and Achievement
  • Stress Management
  • Setting and Achieving Goals 
  • Self-Esteem
  • Communication Skills
  • Marital/relationship Enrichment
  • Wellness Issues
  • The Psychology of Happiness 
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