Even Better Than Time Management!

Even Better Than Time Management!
What would happen if you stopped managing time? Picture it
in your mind for a moment. Would everything around you
start to fall like glass breaking in slow motion? What if
it didn't?

Although time management is at the top of most
entrepreneurial women's priorities, few are able to do it
to their satisfaction. I've spent many years working with
women who become frustrated and overwhelmed, all while
struggling with the accepted "good ways" of managing time.
So many of us — whether working from home, a favorite
coffee shop, or a professional building — end up
blaming ourselves as we struggle with trying to organize
our lives in ways that aren't a good fit. It's not unusual
to find ourselves flailing when we take on someone else's
idea of how things should be done. The secret, as
counter-intuitive as it seems, starts with an invitation to
stop managing time altogether. We can't really do it anyway
— it's an illusion.

We are all unique people with our own set of perspectives
and innate strengths. We run at different speeds, on
different fuels, using different engines.

Compare two successful business owners at the start of
their day:

Owner #1 wakes with her wheels already spinning. Jumping
immediately into her day, she works in high gear until
early afternoon. Lunching late and alone, she prefers music
and long walks in the park to business lunches. Once
refueled, she's back into high gear until early evening,
closing deals in other time zones until stopping for a late
dinner with friends.

Owner #2 begins her day with a good stretch. She faithfully
keeps to an exercise routine before work, all the while
planning and strategizing what she will accomplish later in
the day. At work she remains calm under stress, attaining
her goals while remaining in low gear.

So, how can both women achieve meaningful success? Their
secret lies in how they use their energy throughout the
day. Owner #1 has learned how to ride the big energy waves
when she feels them; owner #2 knows her best can be
elicited by sustaining a steady pace that keeps her clear,
focused and efficient. The comparison shows us two
distinctive styles of maximizing the power of effective
personal energy management.

Everyone has a picture of success they hold in their minds,
along with a list of what they think achieving it requires.
These beliefs about how we "should" get things done can
blind us to better ways of accomplishing what we want.
Becoming too focused on managing time can channel needed
energy and creativity away from the goals themselves.

What if you started over? What if you took your focus off
managing time altogether and instead looked at your natural
energy rhythms. What if your new attempt involved a fresh
look at the hours in your day as a space to fill with your
inherent energy pattern?

While not all of us have the luxury of designing every
moment around when we feel like working, most of us do have
more choices than we perceive. If you feel ready for more
energy, efficiency, and a greater sense of accomplishment
when you lay your head on your pillow at night, it may be
time to stop focusing on managing time, and start focusing
on managing your energy.

Ignoring our feelings for more pushing-through erases
opportunities where we can manage our energy. It's time to
shatter this tiring, brittle habit. Responding to our
body's needs is like replacing this fragile routine with
tempered glass — a material with improved resiliency.
Managing time requires us to focus on time, while managing
our energy creates instant self-care, keeping our attention
on what will actually support us in our greatest personal
and business success. These can become the new habits
— ones that fit perfectly.

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If you're ready to switch your focus and increase your
energy, you are invited to pick up a complimentary copy of
"Seven Steps to Effortless Energy" by visiting
http://www.lifecometrue.com/EE7steps.php .
Valerie Thomson is a success through self-care coach and a
writer who maintains her joy and energy by helping other
women "come true." To contact her, and find out more about
personal energy solutions and support, visit:
http://www.lifecometrue.com .