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Self Improvement Newsletter
Improve Your Life Today!
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9/30/13 issue: Time Robbers & Financial Organization
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* Self Improvement and Personal Growth Weekly Newsletter *
Issue #786, Week of September 30-October 1, 2013
Publisher: David Riklan - http://www.SelfGrowth.com
In this issue:
-- Quotes of the Week
-- Recommended Resource of the Week
-- Article: Put an End to Time Robbers - By Laurie Dupar
-- Article: Got Messy Financial Piles? - By Leslie Cunningham
-- Book Review: How to Get Everything You Want - Secrets Revealed - By Mick Hawes
-- Inspirational News Story of the Week
-- How to Subscribe and Unsubscribe from this Newsletter
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*** Quotes of the Week ***
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A man in earnest finds means or, if he cannot find, creates them. - William Ellery Channing, 1780-1842
I not only use all the brains I have, but all I can borrow. - Woodrow Wilson, 1856-1924
Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. - Lord Chesterfield, 1694-1773
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*** Recommended Resource of the Week ***
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*** Article: Put an End to Time Robbers - By Laurie Dupar ***
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Time is a finite resource. As much as we would like to solve the problem of "not enough time" by adding another hour or two to the day, it is not possible. We are always limited by this fixed, yet elusive commodity which is why it can be so frustrating when we feel robbed of the time we need.
Time robbers steal valuable time away from us. Some of these time robbers are imposed upon us by others or by circumstance, and are less in our control. Other time robbers are self-inflicted. In other words, we allow our valuable time to be stolen. However, no matter how time is lost to us - an unexpected situation or something we cause ourselves - we still can minimize the damage.
Let's begin by looking at these time robbers and what we can do about it:
Interruptions- Life is full of unexpected surprises. Some are completely unnecessary, some are inconvenient and others are essential to our daily lives. Two of the biggest types of interruptions are personal or mechanical. Personal interruptions are usually requests from other people. Mechanical time robbers are things like when the car won't start or is running low on gas, when traffic interferes with our typical commute or the ink runs out on the computer printer.
Solution: The solution to minimizing the time lost by these interruptions is to plan for them. 1. Take care of them or reschedule the request and get back to what's important as quickly as possible before it robs you of even more time in the way of stress or priorities, and 2. Plan ahead for mechanical 'glitches' by keeping extra supplies, repair numbers, etc. on hand.
Waiting- So much time can be wasted while we wait for someone or something. This time robber is one of the most frustrating because it feels like we are at the mercy of someone else's schedule, senseless request or disorganization.
Solution: The trick to not wasting time while waiting is to 1. Either directly convey to the other person the need for promptness of their response, or 2. Take advantage of the time by having other tasks you can complete. Again, planning ahead with things to do will help you not waste the time by waiting or worrying about things that are out of your control.
Time Optimism- Some would say that procrastination is the greatest time robber, however, equal to the time actually lost putting something off, is the time lost when we take on too much. At the core of time optimism is often the challenge people with ADHD have of underestimating how much time something will actually take to do. We set aside a half hour for something that take twice that long. It's important to learn how to gage how long it will take to do something or get somewhere. When we know the time frame and then accurately plan for that time, we will actually accomplish more.
Solution: If you think you might be a "time optimist," try keeping this time log for even a few days >>>>>>>>>>>> You may be amazed at how different time "feels" than how you use it.
Procrastination-If putting things off is your time robber MO, try addressing "why" you are putting something off. Initially, putting something off might be due to lack of interest, confusion, perfectionism, or not enough time to complete it. However, if you continually waste time being unproductive because you put something off, consider this: Procrastination is a learned habit. Over time we come to believe that we actually function better at the "last minute." Yes, the stress of procrastinating until the 'last minute' releases adrenaline and dopamine allowing us to focus and concentrate better. However, the reality is stress causes damaging wear and tear on your body that far outweighs that extra last minute boost.
Difficulty prioritizing- Unbeknownst to many people with ADHD, prioritizing is another key challenge with ADHD which leads to robbing us of an enormous amount of our time. Often we can "know", have the big picture of what needs to be done, but are challenged by where to start and what to do next. A key to prioritizing is to remember what is "important" verses what is "interesting". Important things are meaningful to us. They include things like being productive, doing a good job, following through, etc. Interesting things that distract us and steal our time typically do not support these "important" things. They may include surfing the internet, watching TV for hours, etc.
Solution: Remember that urgent, interesting and fun are typically not important when prioritizing. Key characteristics of a priority is something that has a deadline. When asked, your boss, family, friend will tell you it is important to them. You can write it down.
Overwhelm-When things seem "too big" or "too hard" or "too stressful," our ADHD brains shut off and very little if anything gets done. Being able to stay out of overwhelm is essential to protecting our time.
Solution: Ways to protect ourselves from overwhelm include: Breaking larger projects up into smaller tasks and setting hard deadlines for those. Minimizing paperwork by handling it as little as possible. If you can do it quickly, do it and get it off of your plate. If it can be put away, file it. If it will take longer, write it down on your to do list with a deadline for when you can do it later.
Perfectionism- "100% done is better than 200% perfect". Perfectionism seems to stop everything on the "get it done" track. It is also one of the sneakiest and most rationalized ways our time is robbed. How can doing a "the best job" not be a good thing? Making something perfect doesn't equate to getting it done and robs us of endless amounts of time. Perfectionism is also a strong kin to procrastination and difficulty prioritizing. When we are stuck in perfectionism, what we are really doing is putting something off or doing something that is more interesting, but not important.
Solution: If perfectionism is one of the ways you are robbed of time, the first step is to know it. The next step is to go back and get clear about what is important whether that is checking in with yourself or those around you.
Ineffective planning- We are robbed of so much time when we haven't planned effectively. This is different than when we have no plan. Typically people with ADHD have considered a plan or thought about a plan. What makes a plan effective is that we follow it.
Solution: Being able to follow a plan is more likely if it is 1. Created according to our priorities, 2. Realistic in that we have thought through how much time it will take to complete, 3. It is written down, and 4. When we refer to our plan frequently.
What are some other solutions to the time robbers that keep you from reaching your goals?
** To comment on this article or to read comments about this article, go here.
About the Author:
Laurie Dupar, Senior Certified ADHD Coach and trained Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, is the SelfGrowth.com Official Guide to Productivity and specializes in coaching clients who have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD. Through individual/group coaching, speaking, and writing, she helps clients and loved ones use effective strategies to minimize their ADHD challenges and experience success. She is also the co-author/editor of 365+1 ways to succeed with ADHD, 365 ways to succeed with ADHD and author of Brain Surfing and 31 Other Awesome Qualities of ADHD and Unlock the Secrets to your Entrepreneurial Brain Style. For more information, visit http://www.selfgrowth.com/solos/lauriedupar.html
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*** Article: Got Messy Financial Piles? - By Leslie Cunningham ***
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I am often amazed at how many financial books neglect to focus on the critical issue of how to get financially organized.
So many of us are desperately seeking the one quick-fix step that will turn our financial lives around (like investing in the right stock) that we neglect to take care of the seemingly smaller life-changing step of simply getting organized.
When it comes to organizing our financial messes, we groan, procrastinate and justify. Meanwhile our piles of bills and financial papers continue to grow, taking on a life of their own, just like Audrey II, the carnivorous plant in the film, Little Shop of Horrors.
This film is about Seymour, a nerdy florist, and Audrey II, the plant that appears in his shop one day, having come from outer space during a solar eclipse. Seymour accidentally cuts his finger and learns that Audrey II thrives on blood. With a supply of blood, Audrey II grows bigger and bigger (making Seymour a local celebrity).
Then she begins to grow uncontrollably, demanding more and more blood in the process.
Our various financial piles and rooms of disorganization are like Audrey II, slowly growing until they become out of control, sucking the blood and life force out of us by leaving us feeling disempowered, overwhelmed and in denial about our financial situation.
I've had entrepreneurs in my classes who would begin to giggle nervously when I brought up the topic of good financial house keeping. They couldn't deny they had an issue when it came to financial organization.
Do you have piles here and there with important financial information (like bills that are due, bank statements that need to be looked at, overdraft notices or parking tickets that need to be addressed)?
Perhaps you have an entire room designated to financial chaos that you simply close the door to so you can live in denial a little longer.
If you're starting to feel a little uncomfortable being reminded about your own financial blood-suckers, that's great! I want to motivate you to get off your butt and to do something about it. It is pretty much impossible to successfully move forward financially without putting yourself through this deep-cleaning process.
Get Financially Organized Action Step
Clean up your financial messes and piles. Most of us have some sort of financial mess or pile that is requiring attention. Some of us have more and bigger piles than others. Take a moment to mentally identify your financial messes.
You may be feeling overwhelmed or even slightly nauseous thinking about all that needs to be cleaned up and organized, and all the bad habits that need to be done away with.
In tackling the problem of financial chaos, keep the following tips in mind:
1) Be willing to do it poorly. Many of us procrastinate because we don't want to tackle a project until we can do it perfectly. Get past that.
Give yourself permission to do the task poorly--especially if that's what it takes to get you started. You'll find that once you break past your initial resistance, you'll discover new energy, excitement and motivation.
2) Take baby steps and be realistic. Take baby steps and remember you don't have to accomplish it all at once! And be realistic about what you can accomplish in a given period of time. Instead of insisting you get your office totally cleaned and organized by the end of the day, decide that for a certain period of time you'll work on sorting through and organizing one pile.
3) Get support. Call a friend and have them help hold you accountable to whatever you decide to do. Agree to call them when you're done to report on your success.
4) Just do it & do it first thing. Don't ask yourself how you feel about the task--just do it. Decide to do it first thing in the morning, before you do anything else.
If you do it later in the day, you may be filled with anticipation and anxiety long before you actually begin the task.
5) Don't get distracted. I promise as you go about cleaning up your financial mess, you'll find other things that draw your attention--emails, magazines, catalogues, whatever is lying around near your piles of chaos.
Don't allow yourself to get distracted. I want your "distraction alarm" to go off loud and clear as soon as you notice this happening, and get yourself back on task.
There's a light at the end of the tunnel though. Once you go through the financial housecleaning process you'll feel as if you've been given a new life. You'll experience new energy as you reclaim your position of financial organization and clarity.
** To comment on this article or to read comments about this article, go here.
About the Author:
Leslie Cunningham, the SelfGrowth.com Official Guide to Women and Money, specializes in working with women entrepreneurs who experience fear and self-doubt in their ability to consistently make more money in their business. The end result that women achieve through following Leslie's advice and expertise is that they are able to permanently get off the emotional financial roller coaster ride and break into six-figures and beyond. http://www.selfgrowth.com/solos/lesliecunningham.html
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*** Book Review: How to Get Everything You Want - Secrets Revealed - By
Mick Hawes ***
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I want to be very blunt and straight forward. The majority of people who read personal development books only read the first few pages and then put the book on the shelf and continue on trying to find the next quick fix for all of the problems in their life. To save you the trouble of reading this book I want to tell you that there is no quick fix. Getting what you want out of life means you have to make an investment and the more you are willing to invest the better the returns. But the bottom line is it's up to you. The good news is in this book you will find answers to many of life big challenges and you won't have to travel the globe spending hundreds of thousands of dollars for decades as I have done. You just need to simply put the ideas in this book into action. Inside you will even find ways to make that easier SO -- GO FOR IT!
*****
The list price of this book is $9.97. To purchase the Kindle version from Amazon.com, go here.
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*** Inspirational News Story of the Week ***
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* Karma's a Pitch: Bean Balls, Bad Hits Spark Sports Fines That Fuel Good Works *
Whether hurling slurs or throwing fists, as athletes misbehave this summer and draw financial slaps from league brass, those forfeited funds are being funneled to charity -- whether the recipients know it or not.
Go here for the complete news story.
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