Time Management Advice: Swap Time-Saving Devices for Time-Savoring Devices
By Karen Salmansohn
Is your BlackBerry really helping you live a more efficient life? Author Karen Salmansohn explains why you need to spend less time finishing your to-do list and more time doing what matters to you most.
True story. Lately I have been finding myself cutting down on the massive amounts of coffee I love to drink, not for health reasons or to cut back on caffeine, but due to time management issues. These days, I often go from one conference call to another, then head from one meeting to another, and I barely have time to pee.
It seems every morning I wake up to face a list of 20 things to do, with time only to do 10, and somehow I always wind up squooshing in 30.
My life often reminds me of the society in Ray Bradbury's book Fahrenheit 451, where you must drive over 55 mph so you cannot see the world around you clearly. In this blurry, fast-paced world, porches have been banned, so you don't have a place to sit and feel what you may sit and feel. And books have been burned, so you cannot be inspired to think deeply.
Unfortunately, I barely have time to sit, feel and think deeply. I know, I know, I need to get better at time management, balance, relaxation and just plain old sitting—especially since I'm a best-selling author of books about happiness. Plus, to reveal an unknown factoid about myself: I'm also the person who invented the word "multitasking." Yup, that was me. (If only I'd thrown a little TM on my invention, I'd be a very rich woman today!)
Our world has truly sped up since "multitasking" hit the scene, along with supposed time-saving inventions like the Internet, cell phones and BlackBerrys, oh my! Highly ironic, huh? These time-saving devices have become our time-gobbling devices instead.
In The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, author Sogyal Rinpoche writes about the human tendency to be in denial about death, thereby not living our most fulfilling lives. He warns not to become "unconscious living corpses." Meaning? If you're not careful, you can sleepwalk through our time here on this planet, causing you to avoid feeling your deepest feelings and risk going after your truest desires by busying your days with total nonsense.
Rinpoche describes a Western tendency of "active laziness": the need to compulsively cram your life with a myriad of unimportant activities, leaving little time to confront what really matters. He jokingly renames the petty projects called "responsibilities" as "irresponsiblities."
What Rinpoche describes is reminiscent of what author Milan Kundera philosophized about in his book Slowness, a slender volume I ironically sped through in a night. Kundera explains how we live in a highly sped-up culture, and that our need for speed promotes forgetting. For example: If you want to forget something, you will pick up speed walking down the street. If you want to remember something, you'll slow down your steps.
With this in mind, Kundera warns how speeding up your life not only keeps you from remembering daily details like "Oops! Forgot to pick up more milk," but also keeps you forgetful about overall life values and how to live your most enjoyable, passion-filled life.
Meaning? The next time you find yourself racing quickly down the street, know that you're not only running to your next appointment, you are literally running from contact with your truest feelings, needs and insights.
I know right now there are some very smart inventors out there trying to create more fancy-shmancy devices to save you more time, like "time-saving" resources on the Internet and "time-saving" doohickeys for cell phones and BlackBerrys. But you don't need any more time-saving devices that quickly morph into schedule-clogging, mind-clogging and feeling-clogging devices. Instead we need more "time-savoring devices" which help us slow down, sit still and become more mindful of who we are and what we value for a fulfilling, happy life.
Karen Salmansohn is a best-selling author known for creating self-help for people who wouldn't be caught dead reading self-help. Get more information on finding a loving, happier-ever-after relationship in her book Prince Harming Syndrome.
What are you wasting your time on instead of savoring it with people and things that truly matter? Share your thoughts with us below.
MY THOUHGTS
Lost time. Can't be regained. But can be avoided. What matters most is we know what matters most. Life, no matter how complicated we've made it, can still be simplified. And reaaranged. No matter what state of the art gadgets we get to make us more efficient, we could me missing alot. Especially if "time-saving" is taking us away from "time-savoring". What I've learned (and still learning) is we cannot always multi-task. Sometimes we get too good at multi-tasking we miss out on the most important things in life. Sure, we get so much done - working with the laptop while the kids are doing their homework, reading emails while wathcing tv, cooking while doing the laundry, texting while driving. And then at the end of the day, you cannot even remember what made you so tired.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Saturday, October 3, 2009
10 ways to simplify your life
10 Ways to Simplify Your Life
from Beliefnet.com
By Paul Borthwick
"Adapted from "Simplify: 106 Ways to Uncomplicate Your Life," by Paul Borthwick. Copyright 2007. Authentic Publishing. Used with permission.
One hundred years ago, "burned out" referred to the campfire. "Chronic fatigue syndrome" occurred only in insomniacs. People described an automobile on ice as being "out of control," but they wouldn't refer to their lives that way. Times change. Our lives get cluttered. As we face an ever-increasing pace of life governed by email, instant messaging, and 24-7 busyness, we may become paralyzed looking at the options. These tips, based off of Christian principles, are designed to help you uncomplicate your life.
Buy Slowly
When considering any major purchase, wait. Pausing before we purchase can keep us from buying on a whim, which is one of the causes of credit card debt in our country. Credit cards give us an illusionary buying power, and purchasing things over the Internet or through catalogs serve our impulses ("see it; like it; buy it").
If our credit card statement tells us that we have $5,000 in available credit, we can spend $5,000, right? Buying slowly keeps us from being duped into thinking that "plastic" and real money are synonymous.
An interesting note here: A major credit card advertisement touts the slogan "Master the Possibilities." What it fails to explain, however, is that using any card without forethought or planning may result in the debts mastering us. Remember Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 6:12: "I will not be mastered by anything."
Cut a Firebreak
When a forest fire burns uncontrollably, firefighters do not fight the fire directly. They move ahead of the fire's path and cut the trees down so that the fire has nothing to consume. When the fire reaches the firebreak, it burns itself out.
When our schedules burn out of control, we look ahead and plan a day we can stop to regain our sanity. These days off function as firebreaks. Or, to change analogies, they allow us to "come up for air" after we have been submerged too long. The anticipation of the day off ahead (or the vacation ahead) helps us persevere until a break is possible. Note: To avoid out-of-control demands on our time, Christie and I schedule our days off three to six months in advance. Even if we cannot honor every one, planning ahead keeps us from going for weeks without a break.
Exercise Smart: Start Small and Be Sensible
Feeling fat and out-of-shape, I started an exercise program doing 100 sit-ups. I accomplished my goal, but the next day my stomach muscles went into a spasm that gave me hiccups for four days. I finally had to go to the hospital to get a muscle relaxant. A hasty start decreased my desire to exercise.
Last year, I started with ten sit-ups three times per week. Then I added ten per week with a goal of 100. I learned to start small--the hard way!
Schedule a Family Meeting Each Week
It will help coordinate the various meals, chores, and functions of the household. As children get older and start keeping their own schedules, a regular family hour can be valuable to establish contact. It keeps each family member communicating with the others and brings everyone together.
Defeat Boredom
Address your boredom rather than trying to solve it by eating. This is especially difficult for those who live in colder climates; in the winter when you're feeling cooped up, eating can seem like the only fun available. It takes creativity and a little more preparation, but trips to the library and museum, or a brisk walk stimulate your spirit, mind, and body better than that extra donut!
Don't Be Squeezed
The J.B. Phillips translation of Romans 12:2 reads, "Don't let the world squeeze you into its mold." That is a great summary of the countercultural challenge. Ask yourself if the world is influencing your values, attitudes, or behaviors in the following areas:
* Relationships--in the home, the church, or the community.
* Possessions--want versus need.
* Values or dreams--our priorities, our personal "mission statement."
Do The Hardest Tasks First
Put those dreaded tasks at the top of your "to do" list and take care of them first. Procrastinating only makes them seem harder and can keep them on your list for weeks.
Whether it is paying the bills, going to the dentist, or calling Aunt Mabel, do yourself a favor by tackling the tough assignments first.
Evaluate
To what extent do you need to be "up with the latest fashions"? Following Jesus may mean you feel a little out of date at times. Remember the term "planned obsolescence"? It means that marketers intentionally design things to go out of style. If three-piece suits are in style, marketers are creating plans to promote double-breasted blazers. Whether skirt length, wide ties versus narrow, or carpet color, advertising creates a hunger for something. But after a short period, any material purchase will leave you dissatisfied again.
Thinking counter-culturally frees you from being a slave to clever marketing.
Don't Fuel Covetousness
Don't watch shopping networks or television shows--or subscribe to magazines--that create "the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, or the boastful pride of life" (see 1 John 2:15-17). Obviously, this includes pornography, which is designed to make us want something we cannot have. But it's also true of certain TV shows and any manner of other visual imagery that make us dissatisfied with what we have, covetous of others, and prone to spend beyond our means.
Pray For Change
Pray about every choice you make. External exercises to simplify must be complemented by inner spiritual change to help us deal with the clutter within. Howard Macy writes, "No doubt overcommitted people find help in better time management techniques, as I have, but many of them will use their newfound skills to pack more obligation into their lives rather than to step back from the madcap pace. As they get better, they also get worse, mostly because they are ignoring causes while dealing with symptoms." (Howard R. Macy, "Just Say No," Discipleship Journal (Issue 60, 1990), 29. Used by permission. All rights reserved)
My thoughts
Our lives get cluttered because we don't watch it. We get too wrapped up in our everyday lives, trying to run (not walk) from one thing to the next until we find ourselves running straight into a wall. When that happens, consider that a blessing. God is giving you the second chance - to unclutter and simplify your life.
from Beliefnet.com
By Paul Borthwick
"Adapted from "Simplify: 106 Ways to Uncomplicate Your Life," by Paul Borthwick. Copyright 2007. Authentic Publishing. Used with permission.
One hundred years ago, "burned out" referred to the campfire. "Chronic fatigue syndrome" occurred only in insomniacs. People described an automobile on ice as being "out of control," but they wouldn't refer to their lives that way. Times change. Our lives get cluttered. As we face an ever-increasing pace of life governed by email, instant messaging, and 24-7 busyness, we may become paralyzed looking at the options. These tips, based off of Christian principles, are designed to help you uncomplicate your life.
Buy Slowly
When considering any major purchase, wait. Pausing before we purchase can keep us from buying on a whim, which is one of the causes of credit card debt in our country. Credit cards give us an illusionary buying power, and purchasing things over the Internet or through catalogs serve our impulses ("see it; like it; buy it").
If our credit card statement tells us that we have $5,000 in available credit, we can spend $5,000, right? Buying slowly keeps us from being duped into thinking that "plastic" and real money are synonymous.
An interesting note here: A major credit card advertisement touts the slogan "Master the Possibilities." What it fails to explain, however, is that using any card without forethought or planning may result in the debts mastering us. Remember Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 6:12: "I will not be mastered by anything."
Cut a Firebreak
When a forest fire burns uncontrollably, firefighters do not fight the fire directly. They move ahead of the fire's path and cut the trees down so that the fire has nothing to consume. When the fire reaches the firebreak, it burns itself out.
When our schedules burn out of control, we look ahead and plan a day we can stop to regain our sanity. These days off function as firebreaks. Or, to change analogies, they allow us to "come up for air" after we have been submerged too long. The anticipation of the day off ahead (or the vacation ahead) helps us persevere until a break is possible. Note: To avoid out-of-control demands on our time, Christie and I schedule our days off three to six months in advance. Even if we cannot honor every one, planning ahead keeps us from going for weeks without a break.
Exercise Smart: Start Small and Be Sensible
Feeling fat and out-of-shape, I started an exercise program doing 100 sit-ups. I accomplished my goal, but the next day my stomach muscles went into a spasm that gave me hiccups for four days. I finally had to go to the hospital to get a muscle relaxant. A hasty start decreased my desire to exercise.
Last year, I started with ten sit-ups three times per week. Then I added ten per week with a goal of 100. I learned to start small--the hard way!
Schedule a Family Meeting Each Week
It will help coordinate the various meals, chores, and functions of the household. As children get older and start keeping their own schedules, a regular family hour can be valuable to establish contact. It keeps each family member communicating with the others and brings everyone together.
Defeat Boredom
Address your boredom rather than trying to solve it by eating. This is especially difficult for those who live in colder climates; in the winter when you're feeling cooped up, eating can seem like the only fun available. It takes creativity and a little more preparation, but trips to the library and museum, or a brisk walk stimulate your spirit, mind, and body better than that extra donut!
Don't Be Squeezed
The J.B. Phillips translation of Romans 12:2 reads, "Don't let the world squeeze you into its mold." That is a great summary of the countercultural challenge. Ask yourself if the world is influencing your values, attitudes, or behaviors in the following areas:
* Relationships--in the home, the church, or the community.
* Possessions--want versus need.
* Values or dreams--our priorities, our personal "mission statement."
Do The Hardest Tasks First
Put those dreaded tasks at the top of your "to do" list and take care of them first. Procrastinating only makes them seem harder and can keep them on your list for weeks.
Whether it is paying the bills, going to the dentist, or calling Aunt Mabel, do yourself a favor by tackling the tough assignments first.
Evaluate
To what extent do you need to be "up with the latest fashions"? Following Jesus may mean you feel a little out of date at times. Remember the term "planned obsolescence"? It means that marketers intentionally design things to go out of style. If three-piece suits are in style, marketers are creating plans to promote double-breasted blazers. Whether skirt length, wide ties versus narrow, or carpet color, advertising creates a hunger for something. But after a short period, any material purchase will leave you dissatisfied again.
Thinking counter-culturally frees you from being a slave to clever marketing.
Don't Fuel Covetousness
Don't watch shopping networks or television shows--or subscribe to magazines--that create "the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, or the boastful pride of life" (see 1 John 2:15-17). Obviously, this includes pornography, which is designed to make us want something we cannot have. But it's also true of certain TV shows and any manner of other visual imagery that make us dissatisfied with what we have, covetous of others, and prone to spend beyond our means.
Pray For Change
Pray about every choice you make. External exercises to simplify must be complemented by inner spiritual change to help us deal with the clutter within. Howard Macy writes, "No doubt overcommitted people find help in better time management techniques, as I have, but many of them will use their newfound skills to pack more obligation into their lives rather than to step back from the madcap pace. As they get better, they also get worse, mostly because they are ignoring causes while dealing with symptoms." (Howard R. Macy, "Just Say No," Discipleship Journal (Issue 60, 1990), 29. Used by permission. All rights reserved)
My thoughts
Our lives get cluttered because we don't watch it. We get too wrapped up in our everyday lives, trying to run (not walk) from one thing to the next until we find ourselves running straight into a wall. When that happens, consider that a blessing. God is giving you the second chance - to unclutter and simplify your life.
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