DO YOU LIKE TO BE EARLY?

Arriving early at the community centre recently to wait for my daughter and young grandsons to arrive, I thought about this concept. It can be said if you are early you are anxious while if you are late than you are aggressive. It really does not fit. I am usually early as I like to be not only early for events but definitely on time. While I was waiting I was able to take in the whole scene. View the road, the stores, the parents coming and going with their children as well as reassuring my daughter I was available to her. She did not have to wait for me!! At a recent workshop downtown, I could experience the ambience of the streets-even taking some photos, find a comfortable chair in the meeting room and scan the area for the participants arriving. Rather than rushing and being frazzled, being early gives time to calm my energy and be aware if the circumstances change. Recent flights west let me be early! Find the washroom, sit near the ground agent in case of flight changes, read or just contemplate life! At any dinner/dance with an appetizer bar, allows for the best selection of food! Perhaps it is annoying to my spouse who does not like to wait! Why wait at home? But if we have somewhere to go why be late and arrive on the dot!! Being early gives flexibility for any change of plans and the ability to roll with it!! Like traffic!! How about you, do you like to be early? Do you run late for events? Do you think if you are early you are anxious? Is it just good and efficient time management?

TWENTY MINUTES-WHAT CAN YOU ACHIEVE?

Committing to 20 minutes of activities can help to achieve something in your day. I remember an exercise program called the 20 minute workout that many people put down. I followed it for awhile and yes the program did help my body. It was actually 30 minutes because one was supposed to keep moving during the commercials. My body became toned. My walk to work is 20 minutes. My power walk on the weekend is 25 but if I try to walk faster I could probably reduce it to 20 minutes. Getting ready to go out and you have 20 minutes- empty a dishwasher, fold some laundry, write cheques for some bills- well you get the picture. Pockets of 20 minutes can occur throughout the day where there are many achievable tasks. Usually if we start with a small period of time for exercise, for example, there is incentive to do a little more. Personally I can not commit to drive to a gym and work out for two hours. I have bought exercise equipment for home use and will commit to the shorter time. Starting with one session in the morning and working on another at night becomes a good start. Yes, what often happens is the time increases.The time it takes to write my average post is 20 minutes-dedicated time first thing in the morning. My husband organizes his meal items in the morning and often it takes 20 minutes to finish the meal before it is ready to be served at dinner time.Unless he is making homemade egg noodles!  I organize my worksheets in the morning at work-usually about 20 minutes. The day is full of 20 minute intervals to use. If you are having a lazy or depressing day, saying to yourself-"well I could do something for 20 minutes." Sometimes it just helps to get started. 20 minutes is such a little part of the hour. Of course there are many activities that are 60 minutes long, a half day or a full day. By breaking them into shorter intervals, may help to get going! The garden- it can seem overwhelming but if one patch, 20 minutes at a time is attacked then work does get done. Biting off the little bits of any job eventually leads to the whole job being finished. There are 3 - 20 minute intervals in each hour of each day. Be creative in how you can use them! So what can you achieve in 20 minutes? Surprisingly, quite a lot!

TIME-FRIEND OR FOE?

We alll have the same twenty-four hours in a day! But how many times do we hear- " I would do that but I just don't have the time!"

There are time management consultants that help us jam more in our day. Prioritize! Organize! Declutter your life to make time! All great pieces of advice! However, if we really want to do something we will not only find the time but we make the time for it! It is very simple! Routines in our lives help us to get the necessary tasks done- for me- change the bed Saturday and two loads of laundry, Tuesday- garbage roundup, Wednesday-laundry catchup and try to vacuum the main floor twice weekly, etc. There are seasonal tasks like Spring and Fall cleaning. Let's face it those tasks are really boring at times but we do them because they need to be done. Making time for activities we love to do can also become a routine. Like writing a post every day for my Blog! It was very difficult in the beginning as my standards were higher. Now I sit and write every day! Like the ad- just do it! I know that sometimes the posts are better than others. I want to finish some knitting projects. Looking at them does not get them done. Putting them in my hands and knitting one row at a time does! Let's face it- we do not make time for things that we really do not interest us! So don't feel guilty that someone else does an activity more than you! Do we really need to cram more into our lives if we do not want to! What is wrong with living and doing less rather than more! Can we live with a little clutter? Probably! We will clean up if company is coming, won't we? I have written about time previously and used my clock picture. Each clock is different-just like we are! So is time your friend or foe!

CHANGE IS AS GOOD AS A REST

Is a popular saying! Changing areas in your home! Adding a new picture to a wall! Awakening at an earlier  time! Becoming more active! Deciding to add one more activity to the day! It takes the first step to get started. Make change easier for yourself. Arrange the "tools" you need in your workspace! For more pictures, have your camera handy! For writing, dictionary and thersarus by the computer along with paper, pens, pencils! For exercising, weights, step, skipping rope, balls! Rearrange your closet! Organize your drawers differently! Always ask the question-why do I want to change? Is it me? Is it the redundacy of the day? Am I bored? Am I understimulated? Am I wasting time looking for things? The larger components of our lives- our job, our relationships, our home- are huge changes that may come with too much anxiety! So change may be avoided! Or small changes help us to start to face the larger ones! Seasons are a great way to tackle change. We are forced to change our clothes closet to accomodate the new season! Actually, it feels good to try something new and know we can do it! Are you trying to change some area in your life today? Share your thoughts or stories!