Do You Have the Habit of Being In Charge of Your Time?

There are a few things in my life I have resisted over the years and being in control of my time, really utilizing any type of ‘time management’ system, i.e. being organized, was way at the top of my list of 'I don't want to do it'. I consider myself to be a free spirit and I hated the perceived restrictions I assumed came with any system of managing my time.

That has all changed - I love being in conscious control of how I use my time and energy - it's freeing!

When I came back from Argentina, where I lived for almost three years, my life was upside down and I had to do something different. Because I was going to begin working as a coach for the Tony Robbins organization I felt it was important to personally utilize some of the tools I would be sharing with clients. One of those tools was a time management program but I had never consistently utilized any form of time management system. Sure, I would write down appointments but that was the extent of it.

Tip #1: You must have a strong enough reason ‘why’ to change a habit. For many people lack of time management is their habit.

Frankly, I didn’t want to do it. Somewhere in my mind I thought it was probably a good thing and yes, I had gone to various time management programs but after a week I was pretty much back to my old disorganized patterns. This time was different because I had a strong reason to do it - I needed to be an example to my clients and to speak from integrity about it so I actually implemented a system that has truly revolutionized my life!

Tip #2: It’s important to have an easy system with which you resonate. You need a system that makes sense to you and one that is flexible enough to work with your life.

As I began using Tony Robbins’ program, Time of Your Life, I resonated with thinking about things I hadn’t thought about for years. I re-connected to what was most important to me and I began taking purposeful action toward realizing those things. It was helpful to me to play with the system to make is easy for me and to adapt it to the technology I use i.e., my computer, iPhone, etc. In some cases my clients are still using various versions of paper to manage their lives and to me that’s part of a system being fantastic – you can make it work for you!

Tip #3: You must stay with it for a minimum of two months or more to build the new habit.

The hard part came into to play for me in building the habit of doing it. It takes time and focus to build a habit. Some say 21 days, others say 30-40 repetitions, but I just make it simple and tell my clients two months or more. It’s critical to stick it out for at least two months of uninterrupted habit building because after that it gets easy. Unfortunately many people keep starting and stopping which in itself just becomes a habit, however it’s a very frustrating habit that doesn’t get you the result. Do whatever it takes to get through the temptation to stop before you build the habit so you can get to the easy part!

The payoff: Since I started this almost three years ago now, I have accomplished almost every goal I set out to accomplish but for me what’s even more important is that I feel an ease and balance in my life that is completely new!

If you want or need help in any of the above three, you may want to participate in my upcoming teleclass, Find More Time: Five Easy Steps to Greater Productivity and Balance. You’ll address any limiting beliefs you may have around the subject, learn a very simple system, and most importantly have support and accountability to build new habits for a full three months.

The teleclass begins August 24^th. For all of the details and to enroll, go to http://www.debrarussell.com/seminars.htm

Your Coach, Debra