It’s About Time
Ever find yourself wishing you had just a few more hours in the day to get it all done? Between work and family responsibilities alone, it can be challenging to juggle time for everything. Surely we were created for more than a life on a continuous treadmill where we never seem to catch up.
Futurists predicted that, in the 21st century, work would be done in virtual organizations and paperless offices. Some even said that the work week would drop to 35, or even 30 hours, and that too much leisure time could become a problem.
Has that been your experience? It's not what I see happening with the busy professionals I work with everyday. Over the past quarter-century, the number of hours spent working has continued to rise. The constant pressure to reduce costs and to do more with less often leaves employees in an unending cycle of overwork and overwhelm which ultimately leads to decreased productivity and efficiency in the organization. With the extra work and increased pace we strive to keep up with, we are quickly catapulted into a world of stress, exhaustion and even health problems if we don't make our self- care a top priority.
What is the solution? Time management can help. Or rather, more effective use of time can help. When you think about it, you don't really manage time, you manage yourself and how you choose to spend each 24 hour day you are given. By having tools and support available, you can better manage yourself and the choices you make.

Top 5 Tips for Managing Time
1. Stop using time as an excuse. We all have the same 24 hours in a day You choose how you use your 1,440 precious minutes each day. If someone - or something - else is determining how you use your minutes and hours, now may be an excellent time to look at changes you need to make.
2. Find out where you spend your time. It may sound odd to suggest taking time in an already busy schedule to assess how you are using time, but do know where you are spending your time? Try tracking your time for the next week and see just what you are doing with your 24 hours. This exercise will help you identify opportunities for changes to alleviate time pressures.
3. Simplify your life. Clear your schedule of time-consuming activities that are not essential. Over-volunteering, doing other people's work, relationships that are not working... these are a great place to start simplifying and reclaiming valuable time.
4. Be intentional about scheduling. If you want to accomplish a task, you must be intentional about scheduling it. For example, if you want to go to the gym to workout, you must put it on your calendar and plan for time to get there and back as well as for your workout. Insert it into your schedule, and then guard the time carefully to make sure nothing gets in the way of you getting it done.
5. Zap Time Wasters. Time wasted can never be regained. A few examples... browsing the Internet, email, chatting with co-workers, looking for things, and talking on the phone. Zap these time bandits by: scheduling a time to return phone calls and email, getting organized so that time is not wasted looking for tools and papers or using an Internet reminder service to keep track of important dates or events.

"Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein." ~ H. Jackson Brown

Pat Morgan, MBA and Executive Coach, helps clients maximize their potential in today’s fast-paced environment. Her unique coaching programs inspire clients to achieve goals they may never have thought possible. Her focus draws from the inside out – helping clients become the best version of themselves they can be. Get your free copy of my special report, GET RESULTS NOW! when you subscribe to my newsletter, Smooth Sailing Success. Visit http://www.SmoothSailingSuccess.com


EXPECT SUCCESS
Did you know that February is International Expect Success Month? What a great time to focus attention on the power of your expectations to create a successful outcome. Expecting success at the beginning of any endeavor not only makes you feel more energized, inspired and ready to take action, but also helps you attract the people, tools and resources you need to be successful.
As we discussed last Tuesday during Power Lunch with Pat, my monthly teleconference where I share tips and ideas for success, your thoughts and attitude shape the outcomes you produce. The universal "law of attraction" is at work all the time drawing to you what you think about and expect.
According to Jack Canfield in his bestseller, "The Success Principles," when you begin to believe that what you want is possible, your brain will actually take over the job of accomplishing that possibility for you."
If you want good things to happen, expect success and work like there is no other option. When you set out expecting success, you subconsciously strive even more to achieve your goals and dreams.
Why not celebrate International Expect Success Month by expecting more success in your life? Here are my tips to help you succeed.
1. Think success from the start. Why would you set a goal or plan to do something thinking about the reasons you will not be successful? Focus your thoughts on all the reasons you will succeed and watch your doubts fade away.
2. Set yourself up for success. Surround yourself with the people, tools and resources that you need to be successful. If your environments do not support you in accomplishing your goals, change them now.
3. Get into action. If you feel stuck and unable to get moving, focus on your most important goal first. Write out three action steps to help you clarify what you need to do next. Decide that you will do at least one thing every day for your goal.

"Whether you think you can, or think you can't, you're right." Henry Ford

Pat Morgan, MBA and Executive Coach, helps clients maximize their potential in today’s fast-paced environment. Her unique coaching programs inspire clients to achieve goals they may never have thought possible. Her focus draws from the inside out – helping clients become the best version of themselves they can be. Get your free copy of my special report, GET RESULTS NOW! when you subscribe to my newsletter, Smooth Sailing Success. Visit http://www.SmoothSailingSuccess.com


Lessons from the Super Bowl
It is an exciting week here in Miami where activities are in full swing for Super Bowl XLI, the American football championship game. Thousands of fans will crowd into Dolphin Stadium on Sunday, February 4 for the event. Millions more will watch on TV.
Since the first Super Bowl was played on January 15, 1967, it has grown to be an incredibly popular event and the most-watched television program of the year, in part because of those great commercials that often generate more hype than the game itself.
With all the hubbub surrounding the Super Bowl, I was curious to know more about it. I "googled" Super Bowl and the next thing I knew I was on the Wikipedia website reading about its history. I found many fun facts in my stroll down Super Bowl memory lane. Here are three of my discoveries along with life lessons I extracted from them:
1. The name originally proposed for the championship was "The Big One." During discussions around naming the game, Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt jokingly referred to it as the "Super Bowl" after seeing his daughter playing with a toy called a Super Ball. (The ball is now on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio). Hunt only meant the name to be a stopgap until a better one could be found never dreaming that it would stick and become a household name around the world.
Lesson: Don't discount an idea! How often do you have an idea that you think sounds silly or that you decide would never work without even trying it? Give your ideas a chance to germinate and see where they lead. Like Lamar Hunt, you may have a hit.
2. Videotapes of the first two games are said not to exist and to have been taped over by soap operas. In the early days of TV, broadcasts were routinely erased, mainly because nobody thought anyone would want to watch the same show again.
Lesson: Capture your successes. You don't have to video tape all of them, but acknowledge your successes, big and small. Write down 5 things you are proud of each day before you go to sleep at night. Keep a folder of clippings or other memorabilia that remind you of your successes. You may want to see them again!
3. No team has ever returned the opening kickoff or a punt for a touchdown in a Super Bowl.
Lesson: You don't have to score on the first play of the game to be a winner. Success comes by staying in the game and making the next play. Don't be discouraged if your first try fails. Just take the next step, make the next phone call, write the next letter, whatever you need to do to move toward your goal.
“Winning isn't something that happens suddenly on the field when the whistle blows and the crowds roar. Winning is something that builds physically and mentally every day that you train and every night that you dream." ~ Emmitt Smith

Pat Morgan, MBA and Executive Coach, helps clients maximize their potential in today’s fast-paced environment. Her unique coaching programs inspire clients to achieve goals they may never have thought possible. Her focus draws from the inside out – helping clients become the best version of themselves they can be. Get your free copy of my special report, GET RESULTS NOW! when you subscribe to my newsletter, Smooth Sailing Success. Visit http://www.SmoothSailingSuccess.com