Tell me what problem you are facing in life we try to solve your problem ......................
ENJOY LIFE TIPS
HOW TO ENJOY LIFE
Life should be enjoyed. Hopefully the following tips will help you enjoy your life more.
Enjoy Life Tip No. 1
Always take time to smell the roses.
Enjoy Life Tip No. 2
Get up 30 minutes early and go for a brisk walk. Come home and have your favourite breakfast. Doesn't matter what happens after that - you've had a great start to the day !
Enjoy Life Tip No. 3
Every now and then it is OK to be totally selfish ! Plan a day that is totally indulgent ! Do what YOU want to do. Do it all day. Don't feel guilty about it. It is your day. Plan it so that you do as many of your favorite things all in the same day. It's OK - you've earned it !
Enjoy Life Tip No. 4
Exercise every day. A walk is fine (and at your own pace). You will be literally amazed at how clearer your thinking is and how less stressed you become. Try it for one week and let me know how you went !
Enjoy Life Tip No. 5
This follows quite nicely. At the end of each day congratulate yourself on what you have achieved - do not whip yourself for what you didn't get done. You will have another chance tomorrow. Focus on your positive achievements.
Enjoy Life Tip No. 6
Don't take life too seriously. That issue that you think is so important - isn't. Next week it will matter less, next year even less. Ten years from now - will you even remember ? One hundred years from now - will it matter ? Ten million years from now ?
Enjoy Life Tip No 7
In my humble opinion there are five secrets to happiness:
1. To love and be loved (unconditionally).
2. To believe in yourself and have someone else believe in you.
3. To have a dream and strive for that dream.
4. To live and eat healthily and consume everything in moderation.
5. To give to others.
You may notice that money or materialism isn't mentioned here...
TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS
Time Management is one of those things that is so important. In my day,
this wasn't taught in schools so I struggled in the early part of my career, spending more time than I should and on tasks that I probably shouldn't have even worried about in the first place. If this sounds even vaguely like you then you should find some of the following tips very worthwhile. In fact, even if you are incredibly organized I think that you will find something of use in the following paragraphs:
Time Management Tip No. 1 - Structure your "To Do" lists
This is a great reliever of stress too. So simple but it really works... Step 1. Write down all the tasks that you have to do. Go on - ALL of them ! Step 2. Head 4 columns with the following headings: A. Urgent and Important B. Urgent but not important C. Not urgent but Important D. Not urgent and not important Step 3. Allocate your tasks to a column depending on the tasks urgency and importance. Step 4. Carry out the tasks in the following order: A, C, B, D. I know B tasks are urgent, but they are not important - so who cares? If you have any tasks in D and do not get to them - they weren't urgent, they weren't important - so who cares ? Finally, at the end of the day congratulate yourself on the tasks that you did get done - DO NOT stress over the ones that didn't get done - there is always tomorrow and another list.....
Time Management Tip No. 2 - It's OK to say "No" !
This sounds too simple to be effective but please hear me out ! There are only 24 hours in one day. You cannot compress time. You cannot stretch time. You only have the 1440 minutes in any one day to do what you need to do. Very often in life we will take on an additional duty, whether at work, at home or somewhere else - and expect to "squeeze it in". This is fine but life is getting busier and busier and a lot of people are finding that they simply have too much to do and cannot "squeeze" anything else in. You need to recognise that by "squeezing" something in, something else has to give, that something ends up being "your" time, your time to relax, sleep, spend with your family or even spend on your own. Remember, you cannot compress, stretch or even squeeze time - it is finite! So how do you get around the problem ? Easy ! You say no - no to the next person who asks what ever demand is made of you that cuts into "your" time. You have the power to say "No". Trust me.
Time Management Tip No. 3 - Be Ruthless with time, gracious with people
Be ruthless with time, be gracious with people. Always make time for people, no matter how busy you are. You can always ask unexpected visitors to come back if you genuinely do not have enough time right at that moment. In life, whether at work or elsewhere, you can learn to spot people that are time users. They are the ones who stop by the coffee machine or just pop into your office "for a chat". Nevertheless, be gracious with these people, say things like "Hey, I haven't got time to chat right now, how about we talk about this over lunch?". This way, the other persons feelings do not get hurt, you get to get on with your work and you also get to talk someone at lunch !
Time Management Tip No. 4 - Set targets and measure progress often
Go and find that quiet corner. Have a good think about your life, where you are and where you want to be. Set down some numeric goals on paper i.e. I would like to be 10kg (22lbs) lighter in 10 weeks time and I would also like to have saved $500 at the end of that period. They can be weightier (excuse the pun!) goals over a longer period if you like, up to you. Now translate those goals into weekly targets i.e. if you are 80kgs now, by the end of week 1 you should weigh 79kgs, week 2 78kgs etc. I use a spreadsheet but a handwritten chart is fine. I simply put the week ending dates across the top and the individual targets under each column. Now comes the tricky bit - to achieve your goals you will probably have to change what you currently do on a daily basis i.e. more exercise, cut down spending etc. So please change whatever you need to do. At the end of the first week, write down your actual result(s) against the target(s). If you are on target, good - well done - keep doing what you're doing! If you are not, most important this - don't give up, just change what you are doing, changing it on a daily basis. Keep doing this until you are back on track. You may also have to readjust your goals if they were a little over ambitious in the first place i.e. I want to be a zillionaire in 3 weeks....What's this got to do with Time Management ? Simple, you will end up managing your time (and hence your life) to achieve what you set out to achieve. You will spend less time and energy on things that do not contribute to where you want to get in life !Please try it ! It really works ! Last tip - start with something small and achievable and then work up from there.
Time Management Tip No. 5 - Aim High
In previous months we have spoken about organizing your tasks into what is important and urgent. We have also spoke about setting targets and measuring your progress against those targets. These two tactics ensure that you spend your time wisely and focused on the goals you set out to achieve. At the start of this year I set two very ambitious personal targets for the first quarter. One was to lose 10kgs and the other was to attract over 5,000 visitors per day to the site. Well, now in the cold light of March I am PLEASED to tell you that I didn't achieve either goal. I have only lost 5kgs and I only have about 2000 visitors per day (from about 800 per day in December). Am I disappointed? Sure, a tiny, tiny little bit. However, I shot for the stars and I only reached the moon.But I still reached the moon (and this is a big but). I am 5kgs lighter than I was and I have more than doubled the amount of traffic to the site. The trick is to aim way high, even if you fall way short then you will still be high (in more ways than one).I am going to shoot for the stars again this quarter and I have changed quite a few things to enable me to get a bit closer to my goal. I even have my friend Josh patiently running me up and down the local hills. I'll let you know how I go.
Time Management Tip No. 6 A Personal Time Survey To begin managing
your time you first need a clearer idea of how you now use your time. A
Personal Time Survey will help you to estimate how much time you currently spend in typical activities. To get a more accurate estimate, you might keep track of how you spend your time for a week. This will help you get a better idea of how much time you need to achieve your goals. It will also help you identify your time wasters. But for now complete the Personal Time Survey to get an estimate. The following survey shows the amount of time you spend on various activities. When taking the survey, estimate the amount of time spent on each item. Once you have this amount, multiply it by seven. This will give you the total time spent on the activity in one week. After each item's weekly time has been calculated, add all these times for the grand total. Subtract this from 168, the total possible hours per week. Here We Go:
1. Number of hours of sleep each night ________ X 7 = _______ 2. Number of grooming hours per day ________ X 7 = _______ 3. Number of hours for meals/snacks per day - include preparation time _______ X 7 = _______ 4a. Total travel time weekdays _______ X 5 = _______ 4b. Total travel time weekends _______ 5. Number of hours per week for regularly scheduled functions (clubs, church, get-togethers, etc.) _______ 6. Number of hours per day for chores, errands, extra grooming, etc. _______ X 7 = _______ 7. Number of hours of work per week _______ 8. Number of hours on hobbies etc. per week _______ 9. Number of average hours per week socializing, dates, etc. _______ Now add up the totals: _______ Subtract the above number from 168 - _______ = _______ The remaining hours are the hours you have allowed yourself to achieve your goals outside of your day to day activity. There are only 168 hours in any one week. More on this in the next issue.
STRESS MANAGEMENT TIPS
Stress is literally a killer and can make life a misery. Use these stress management
tips to get and stay on top of stress.
Send this page as an e-mail to your friends and colleagues ! (Instructions below)
Stress Management Tip No. 1 - Two circles that could change your life !
These two circles certainly helped me sort my head out - I hope they work for you too.
Step 1. Firstly, find a quiet corner where you are not likely to be disturbed for about 30 minutes.
Step 2. Next, draw two circles, one inside the other, the larger circle should be the width of an A4 piece of paper, the smaller circle should be about half the size of the larger circle. Good, so now you should have two circles on your page, one inside the other which is about half the size of the larger one.
Step 3. Next, with a pencil, write down IN THE OUTER RING all the things that are causing you stress (THE CAUSES) ie too much work, not enough time etc., Think long and hard here and be open and honest - no one else will see this piece of paper (unless you want them to).
Step 4. Next, write down, on a separate piece of paper, the ACTIONS you need to take to reduce or eliminate the stress caused by each individual CAUSE. If the ACTION is within reach and you think that you can and will do it then move the CAUSE to your INNER CIRCLE, erasing it from the OUTER RING.
Step 5. You should now be left with three things: A list of stress CAUSES that you can do something about, they are in your INNER CIRCLE. A list of stress CAUSES that you CANNOT do one thing about, they are the ones left in the OUTER RING.A list of ACTIONS that you are going to take to reduce your stress levels.
Step 6. One of the most important steps. Complete your list of ACTIONS. If you cannot complete the ACTION for whatever reason then the CAUSE should be moved back to the OUTER RING.
Step 7. LISTEN BIG HERE. Stop worrying about any CAUSES left in your OUTER RING. You CANNOT do anything about them - so stop worrying - kick them out of your OUTER RING by either letting the issue go - or move it inside your INNER CIRCLE by doing something about it. Conclusion: To reduce the amount of stress don't let CAUSES get left in the OUTER RING - this is where stress is created. Change It !
I appreciate that there may be some big decisions here....
Stress Management Tip No. 2 - Get Fitter !
Exercise daily. Don't smoke. Don't drink alcohol. Drink lots of water. Eat vegetarian.
Don't believe me? Try it for 2 weeks (you might be a little grumpy to start) and let me know how you went.
PS I don't follow this advice most of the time.........but I feel very good when I do !
Stress Management Tip No. 3 - Set Goals
Go and find a quiet spot where you won't be disturbed for 30 minutes, preferably away from any distractions. Take a pen and paper. Sit for ten minutes and try to clear your head of any thoughts. Now, draw a line on your piece of paper, at one end of the line imagine one dimension of your perfect life. To define your "perfect" life may be difficult, so start with something simple - i.e. what type of car would you like to drive in your perfect life? Let's call this Goal A. Now draw a circle at one end of your line and write in the circle whatever you have defined Goal A to be. Now, decide how close you are to achieving Goal A in your real life. If you are close then place an "X" near to the Goal A circle, if you are a long way away in real terms, then place your "X" further away on your line. Next, imagine the steps that you have to take to move the "X" nearer to your Goal. In fact, don't just imagine them please write them down ! Each step might actually be made up of several sub-steps i.e. STEP = get money, SUB-STEP = find job etc. The further you are away probably means that there are more steps to take.
Order your steps and sub-steps into a logical sequence.
When you have finished this task you should now have a clear plan how to achieve ONE dimension of your "perfect" life. Can you achieve the steps ? If you can then start - the longest journey begins with a single step. If the steps are literally IMPOSSIBLE - then you probably need to redefine your GOAL.
The outcome of this exercise should be less stress because you have lined up your ACTIONS with your GOALS, or at least got them a lot closer.
More on this in the next edition......I'd be interested in your thoughts so far.....
Stress Management Tip No. 4 - THINGS I WISH I'D KNOWN......
Any and all compliments can be handled by simply saying "Thank you."Some people are working backstage, some are playing in the orchestra,some are on-stage singing, some are in the audience as critics and someare there to applaud. Know who and where you are.Never give yourself a haircut after three margaritas.When baking, follow directions. When cooking, go by your own taste.Never continue dating anyone who is rude to the waiter.Never refuse a breath mint when offered.You need only two tools. WD-40 and duct tape. If it doesn't move and itshould, use WD-40. If it moves and shouldn't, use the tape.If you tell a lie, don't believe it deceives only the other person.The five most essential words for a healthy, vital relationship: "Iapologize" and "You are right".Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.When you make a mistake, make amends immediately. It's easier to eatcrow while it's still warm.I've learned to pick my battles; I ask myself, Will this matter one yearfrom now? How about one month? One week? One day?Never pass up an opportunity to pee.If you woke up breathing, congratulations! You have another chance!Living as well as you can really is the best revenge. Being miserablebecause of a bad or former relationship just proves that the otherperson was right about you.Work is good but it's not that important.Never underestimate the kindness of your fellow man.And finally... Being happy doesn't mean everything's perfect, it justmeans you've decided to see beyond the imperfections.
Stress Management Tip No. 5 - Be True
If you really want to eradicate stress from your life then you need to be true to yourself and true to your family. Being true to yourself means doing a job that you enjoy, can handle within your capacity and one that satisfies your body, mind, heart and soul.
Try this little test: Mark on the line with a 'X' where you think your current job is in terms of your own personal motivation and satisfaction.
BODY MIND HEART SOUL
It also means exercising and playing regularly, eating properly and not drinking (at all if you can). Smoking is a waste of time, as is gambling. Being true to your family is fairly simple - it is about keeping promises and making time.
Stress Management Tip No. 6 - The Last Straw
Think of the saying "It was the straw that broke the camel's back." It wasn't the weight (or stress) of that final straw that caused the break, but the accumulation of many separate straws. It's the same with stress. So, the first thing to do if you regularly feel stressed is to DO LESS! Simplify. Set priorities. Prevent getting to the breaking point.
Next, do something to relax every day. Proven techniques include deep breathing, meditation, tai chi, yoga, journaling, prayer, guided imagery, and/or vigorous exercise. These all help reduce stimulation to the body and mind and regain a deep sense of peace and well-being. Think of them as taking "straws" off the camel's back so there is more room for more without breaking.
tips to get and stay on top of stress.
Send this page as an e-mail to your friends and colleagues ! (Instructions below)
Stress Management Tip No. 1 - Two circles that could change your life !
These two circles certainly helped me sort my head out - I hope they work for you too.
Step 1. Firstly, find a quiet corner where you are not likely to be disturbed for about 30 minutes.
Step 2. Next, draw two circles, one inside the other, the larger circle should be the width of an A4 piece of paper, the smaller circle should be about half the size of the larger circle. Good, so now you should have two circles on your page, one inside the other which is about half the size of the larger one.
Step 3. Next, with a pencil, write down IN THE OUTER RING all the things that are causing you stress (THE CAUSES) ie too much work, not enough time etc., Think long and hard here and be open and honest - no one else will see this piece of paper (unless you want them to).
Step 4. Next, write down, on a separate piece of paper, the ACTIONS you need to take to reduce or eliminate the stress caused by each individual CAUSE. If the ACTION is within reach and you think that you can and will do it then move the CAUSE to your INNER CIRCLE, erasing it from the OUTER RING.
Step 5. You should now be left with three things: A list of stress CAUSES that you can do something about, they are in your INNER CIRCLE. A list of stress CAUSES that you CANNOT do one thing about, they are the ones left in the OUTER RING.A list of ACTIONS that you are going to take to reduce your stress levels.
Step 6. One of the most important steps. Complete your list of ACTIONS. If you cannot complete the ACTION for whatever reason then the CAUSE should be moved back to the OUTER RING.
Step 7. LISTEN BIG HERE. Stop worrying about any CAUSES left in your OUTER RING. You CANNOT do anything about them - so stop worrying - kick them out of your OUTER RING by either letting the issue go - or move it inside your INNER CIRCLE by doing something about it. Conclusion: To reduce the amount of stress don't let CAUSES get left in the OUTER RING - this is where stress is created. Change It !
I appreciate that there may be some big decisions here....
Stress Management Tip No. 2 - Get Fitter !
Exercise daily. Don't smoke. Don't drink alcohol. Drink lots of water. Eat vegetarian.
Don't believe me? Try it for 2 weeks (you might be a little grumpy to start) and let me know how you went.
PS I don't follow this advice most of the time.........but I feel very good when I do !
Stress Management Tip No. 3 - Set Goals
Go and find a quiet spot where you won't be disturbed for 30 minutes, preferably away from any distractions. Take a pen and paper. Sit for ten minutes and try to clear your head of any thoughts. Now, draw a line on your piece of paper, at one end of the line imagine one dimension of your perfect life. To define your "perfect" life may be difficult, so start with something simple - i.e. what type of car would you like to drive in your perfect life? Let's call this Goal A. Now draw a circle at one end of your line and write in the circle whatever you have defined Goal A to be. Now, decide how close you are to achieving Goal A in your real life. If you are close then place an "X" near to the Goal A circle, if you are a long way away in real terms, then place your "X" further away on your line. Next, imagine the steps that you have to take to move the "X" nearer to your Goal. In fact, don't just imagine them please write them down ! Each step might actually be made up of several sub-steps i.e. STEP = get money, SUB-STEP = find job etc. The further you are away probably means that there are more steps to take.
Order your steps and sub-steps into a logical sequence.
When you have finished this task you should now have a clear plan how to achieve ONE dimension of your "perfect" life. Can you achieve the steps ? If you can then start - the longest journey begins with a single step. If the steps are literally IMPOSSIBLE - then you probably need to redefine your GOAL.
The outcome of this exercise should be less stress because you have lined up your ACTIONS with your GOALS, or at least got them a lot closer.
More on this in the next edition......I'd be interested in your thoughts so far.....
Stress Management Tip No. 4 - THINGS I WISH I'D KNOWN......
Any and all compliments can be handled by simply saying "Thank you."Some people are working backstage, some are playing in the orchestra,some are on-stage singing, some are in the audience as critics and someare there to applaud. Know who and where you are.Never give yourself a haircut after three margaritas.When baking, follow directions. When cooking, go by your own taste.Never continue dating anyone who is rude to the waiter.Never refuse a breath mint when offered.You need only two tools. WD-40 and duct tape. If it doesn't move and itshould, use WD-40. If it moves and shouldn't, use the tape.If you tell a lie, don't believe it deceives only the other person.The five most essential words for a healthy, vital relationship: "Iapologize" and "You are right".Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.When you make a mistake, make amends immediately. It's easier to eatcrow while it's still warm.I've learned to pick my battles; I ask myself, Will this matter one yearfrom now? How about one month? One week? One day?Never pass up an opportunity to pee.If you woke up breathing, congratulations! You have another chance!Living as well as you can really is the best revenge. Being miserablebecause of a bad or former relationship just proves that the otherperson was right about you.Work is good but it's not that important.Never underestimate the kindness of your fellow man.And finally... Being happy doesn't mean everything's perfect, it justmeans you've decided to see beyond the imperfections.
Stress Management Tip No. 5 - Be True
If you really want to eradicate stress from your life then you need to be true to yourself and true to your family. Being true to yourself means doing a job that you enjoy, can handle within your capacity and one that satisfies your body, mind, heart and soul.
Try this little test: Mark on the line with a 'X' where you think your current job is in terms of your own personal motivation and satisfaction.
BODY MIND HEART SOUL
It also means exercising and playing regularly, eating properly and not drinking (at all if you can). Smoking is a waste of time, as is gambling. Being true to your family is fairly simple - it is about keeping promises and making time.
Stress Management Tip No. 6 - The Last Straw
Think of the saying "It was the straw that broke the camel's back." It wasn't the weight (or stress) of that final straw that caused the break, but the accumulation of many separate straws. It's the same with stress. So, the first thing to do if you regularly feel stressed is to DO LESS! Simplify. Set priorities. Prevent getting to the breaking point.
Next, do something to relax every day. Proven techniques include deep breathing, meditation, tai chi, yoga, journaling, prayer, guided imagery, and/or vigorous exercise. These all help reduce stimulation to the body and mind and regain a deep sense of peace and well-being. Think of them as taking "straws" off the camel's back so there is more room for more without breaking.
How to "De-Stress"
Get more rest.
Develop a weekly schedule.
Learn to manage time more effectively.
Exercise regularly.
Do less. Simplify. Set priorities.
Cut down on drinking alcohol (or don't drink at all).
Reduce caffeine consumption.
Practice a relaxation technique at least 15 min./day.
Make an appointment with a health educator or counselor to learn effective stress management skills.
Get information on a yoga, tai chi, or medication class.
Laugh, laugh, laugh, laugh!