Time Archives - Page 84 of 88

A Time And A Place

Posted on August 8, 2020

Everything belongs somewhere at some time. You might think of the Spacetime continuum when you read this. Having a time and place is natural. Though not everything will exist in the time and place of your preference.

At one moment a bowl will exist in your cupboard. Then it will be moved to the table for cereal or soup. It may then find itself in the dishwasher before being returned to the cupboard.

It may be your favourite bowl. However, someone in your house may have used it. So perhaps it wasn’t where you wanted it to be when you wanted it there. Let’s say it was dirty and in the dishwasher when you wanted to use it.

This is the way life is. Everything has a time and a place. But it may not be according to your desires. Besides, there seems to be too many places on Earth and in the universe for you to dictate where every single item should be and when.

So at those moments you find yourself trying to control too much with your Jedi capabilities, it’s time to let it go. Where focus goes, energy flows, as Tony Robbins says.

So put things in the best place you can at this time. Accept things are in the best place, if you can’t change them. And focus on the exact changes you wish to make.

Action Think About It Time

What’s Next?!

Posted on August 4, 2020

To keep a good pace going, you need to make decisions and move on. Decision velocity is important. Asking yourself and others, ‘What’s Next?!’ is a good way to keep things flowing.

It’s short and easy. It’s clear and concise. Ask this question as soon as you’ve finished your last item. Make this a habit. When you’re working, don’t let a second drift by without you starting on the next item.

You will build up quite a rhythm. You will also notice you get a lot more done. When you are asking yourself great questions like this, your mind can focus. It knows the answer to ‘What’s next?!’.

Your mind will sort, measure and assess what the options are and then let you know what is next. This is great because there is a natural flow and prioritisation to it.

It’s also a good signal to your mind, and to others, that the previous topic has been closed. You’re done with that and moving on. It feels engaged, decisive, and crisp. It feels like good leadership.

I like it better than, ‘Shall we move on’ and some of the other phrases out there.

Give it a try a few times today. Test it and see how you like it. Hopefully, it will work for you as well as it has for others.

Whats next?!

Action Reframe your thoughts Time

Everything Starts With A Decision

Posted on August 1, 2020

If you want your life to be different, you need to check off a few decisions. You know which ones. Everything starts with a decision so it’s time to get started.

What decisions have you been putting off? Let’s get into those topics and understand them better. You may even discover a few helpful things about yourself in the process.

Are you avoiding a decision? Have you said you would think about it and then promptly ignored it? What is it that is holding you back from making the decision and diving in?

Someone has to make a decision and if you don’t, someone else will. Don’t wait until the choice is no longer yours. Get determined. Become selfish, in a good way, by putting your needs ahead of all the other people and ideas rolling around in your head.

Stand up straight. Say what you want. Make the decision to go for it. Commit to it and move forward by taking the very next step right now. It will feel so good! It may be a little scary, uncomfortable or anxiety-inducing. However, remain calm and keep going.

Everything starts with a decision. Start making a few and get on with your new life today.

Do it now!

Action Time

Blast Through Your To-Do List

Posted on July 29, 2020

I believe many people have a to-do list that seems ever-growing. Of course, it could be just me. If you do to, blast through your to-do list every once in a while. See how much you can delete, delegate or get it done.

The more things you have or are involved with, the more there is to do. I do try to limit new items, events and commitments now, as there can be just too many to-do’s with them. One new commitment can bring 5-20 new to-do’s with it.

One way to deal with your to-do’s is to batch them all for a certain time or day. Wednesday’s from 9am-12pm is our time for to-do’s. Some things need to be dealt with when they appear. However, for those things that can wait, we let them simmer until Wednesday.

Occasionally though, too many items pile up and you need an extra session. We had a good one of those today. We didn’t get it all done. But we sure did get quite a few things into the rubbish and recycling. There were even quite a few items completed too.

Standing up and having two of you work through the list together can be a great and effective way to blast through your to-do list.

Good luck!

Action Financial Health & Fitness Think About It Time

Plan Ahead

Posted on July 27, 2020

It’s a good idea to look out beyond the hour, day and week. Some people plan important events years in advance. When you plan ahead, it changes your perspective on life, time and prioritisation.

Our life insurance broker rang me today. He wanted to check that I was happy with the cover we had. Was it the right amount, coverage and term (length of time)? All seemed fine.

However, it did get us running a few scenarios. How old would we be in 10, 20 and 30 years? We also needed to calculate how old the kids would be on those dates. The other point to consider was specific life moments falling in those time periods. Big events we considered were; helping with the children’s university costs, business start up costs and/or potential wedding costs.

Planning ahead does make you confront some brutal truths. In particular, it reminds you that you will either be much older one day, or the alternative. And you should consider that ‘much older’ comes with more than simply more candles on your birthday cake. Your health and wellness is likely to change somewhat.

You plan ahead for things that you want such as holidays, concerts and sporting events. So you should also plan ahead for those events that are inevitable, like ageing and the alternative.

Do it now.

Gratitude Think About It Time

I Like Hanging Out With People Like Me

Posted on July 26, 2020

It always depends on the moment and what I am interested in at the time. However, I like hanging out with people like me. It seems like a natural feeling.

When I listen to rock music, it’s more fun if I am with people who enjoy the same bands. It’s less fun if the people with me don’t enjoy the bands or music genre. And certainly it is not very enjoyable if they simply criticise it or complain about it.

When I go running, I prefer to go with people like me. I prefer to go with people who like running. And ideally they are ready to go in the early morning which is what I prefer. Additionally, it is better going with someone who runs a similar distance and pace too. Though I’m happy to be pushed to go further and faster.

Whether it’s food, sport, holidays or almost anything I can think of, I like hanging out with people like me.

And those people are oftentimes different people for each thing. This is great because they can bring other aspects into the mix too.

It’s great to get different perspectives. But when I want to enjoy myself, I like hanging out with people like me.

Gratitude Time

Your Day Of Rest

Posted on July 18, 2020

Sunday the 19th July 2020 is as good a day as any. It is time to be a traditionalist. Make this day your day of rest (if you don’t have prior, essential work commitments).

Everybody needs a bit of a break now and then. And, yes, that is what holidays are for. Also your birthday, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day etc. But all of those other days require preparation or working to someone else’s timeline and activity list.

On Sunday the 19th July, you could just put your feet up. No preparation or organising of any kind. There would be no need to go anywhere or do something at a specific time. Just have some relaxed downtime. And don’t even think of getting at that ‘to do’ list or job jar. There are 51 other Sundays to sort those things out.

If you can manage a whole day of doing whatever you want to do, that is great. If you can only get 60 minutes all in one go, that will at least be a good start.

It’s been an unusual 6 months. It’s probably a good time to decompress and let your mind relax. Get a smile on your face and enjoy this unique moment in time.

It’s your day of rest. Enjoy it thoroughly!

Progress Time

Those Super Productive Days

Posted on July 17, 2020

Some days everything just clicks. You know that feeling. Your mind is fresh, calls are succinct and effective. Those super productive days feel so good!

I had a day like that on Thursday. Everything I was doing seemed to be going so well. I was in that flow and made some great progress towards the outcomes I want.

It’s fantastic when we have days like that. It reminds us that we can. And it gives us a benchmark to compare with other days. By having less than wonderful days, we can certainly appreciate the brilliant days that much more.

Some of the key ingredients for those super productive days are: a schedule, a positive expectation of outcome, enthusiasm, focus and energy.

Some days can be harder when you don’t have a commute where you can slip into your superhero suit. And if you are able to set your own schedule, it can make it more challenging to maintain it with focused energy.

However, on the days that these things come together, you can make such significant progress, you want to do it again. That’s when the flywheel is set in motion and you get into a positive flow that you continue to build on.

Today was a little more about enjoying the heat and the sunshine. But those things I did do, went very well. I am going to surf this re-found flow for as long as I can now.

Health & Fitness Observe Progress Reframe your thoughts Time

Expectations v Reality Gap

Posted on July 8, 2020

It is wonderful to have great expectations. Having them also brings you hope for a better future. However, the expectations v reality gap (ER Gap), must be monitored closely as it can destroy your mind.

Our own expectations for our life, and the world around us, is often being recalibrated. This is usually in an upward trajectory. For example, it feels good to believe that I will make more money, have a better relationship, progress in my career and be healthier. The opposite is not very encouraging or motivating.

It is useful to have expectations surpassing our current reality. Doing this gives you hope and an objective to strive toward. This will help to motivate you to take action toward fulfilling those expectations.

However, there are two cautions to be noted.

Firstly, be careful not to let your expectations get too far ahead of your reality. It is easier to get disheartened if you are chasing the big dream and not seeming to make any progress. Remember to divide up your goal and expectations into steps or levels. As your reality reaches the next level you will gain momentum. Then you can recalibrate to focus on the next step in the process.

The second caution is to recalibrate your expectations downward when your reality is negatively impacted. So if your career, school grades, finances, health or athletic goals suffer a setback, recalibrate your expectations. You can do this by adding in a few more steps to your timeline. You can also extend your timeline out a little.

These two cautions are very important for your mental health. If the expectations v reality gap gets too wide, you will torment yourself and cause undue stress in your life.

Mind the Gap and stay out of the ER (A&E).

Reframe your thoughts Time

Watch The Moon Rise

Posted on July 5, 2020

The sky is quite amazing. A ceiling during the day and a vast glittery, endless black adventure at night. Watch the moon rise, as we did, as it’s a true wonder.

There are a few natural spectacles that are accessible to everyone. If you love a bit of natural magic, watch a sunrise, sunset and moonrise at least once annually. Do it more frequently if you can.

Watching these events can be quite awe-inspiring. It can remind us how incredible space is.

I find it even more amazing to think that we are spinning at 1,000 miles per hour. This is almost twice as fast as you’ve ever flown in a commercial airliner on your way to a holiday.

So the amazing part may not be the perception of the moon rising. Maybe it is the speed at which we can see it better as we spin around into a better position.

Either way, learn more about the event and celestial bodies and you will become even more amazed.

If you can get a chance to watch the moon rise, definitely take it. It is fun, exciting and fascinating. It is also free to do and requires pretty minimal effort.

Enjoy the night sky!