You’ve heard it all before: “Stay positive!” “Don’t let negative thoughts bring you down!” “Focus on the good or else you’ll create more bad!” Yikes. What a drag. In my experience, this intense focus on forcing positive thinking accomplishes two things: we become more fearful of our thinking and subsequently we have to work harder at controlling
The Problem “I have a paperwork problem.” This was how my client Sarah, a teacher, started our most recent coaching session. “For the most part my system works well.” She continued, “But when a student doesn’t show up for class I have to track the papers another way so they can catch up their work. Typically I have to chase them down to actually do
I often ask groups I speak to what they think of when they hear the phrase "time management". Most often I get these kind of responses:
Strict. Rigid. Impossible. Perfectionistic. Helpful. Hard. Not creative. Rules. Discipline. Overwhelming. Etc.
Geez! It's no wonder we all have a love/hate relationship with time management. We want to be
Do any of the following scenarios feel familiar? Scenario #1: Paper You’ve just got the mail and are staring at the latest donation request. You start to feel decision-paralysis creeping in. Should you keep it? Send them money now? Toss it and feel guilty? Suddenly, your attention is caught by a bill that needs to be paid. You know right where
In the summer of 2008 I had a small but powerful epiphany that helped me get a glimpse of how to accomplish goals more quickly and easily. Maybe you will hear something useful inside this story as well. I had made it a goal for the summer to run all the way up a massively steep hill near my apartment in Arlington, VA. After months of trying I was still
Can you feel the love I’m sending your way? I hope so. If not, tune in now. It’s flowing right toward you. This love has no judgment for whether or not you finished your to-do list today. This love doesn't care whether you feel productive, lazy, excited, apathetic, or overwhelmed. This love doesn’t depend on how much you do. Only that you
I’ve written
before about how our brains are wired to forget all that we’ve accomplished and remind us of tasks left undone.
While this is a handy little biological back-up system it also reinforces our human tendency to be forever focused on what more we have to do, the next goal we need to master, the next rung up the (endless) ladder to
Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/notarim/
The other day I burned my tongue on some delicious-but-too-hot green tea.
I was left with a painful reminder of my own impatience.
