Latest Time Management Articles

Time Management, Energy Management, & The Entrepreneur

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 01:53:01 -0700

Time management is an old school paradigm. Energy management is the new way of the entrepreneurial activist.
Energy management has nothing to do with trying to manage petroleum, coal, electricity, solar or wind power. Energy management is the foundational approach entrepreneurs must learn, understand and cultivate within themselves, their staff and their products and services. Entrepreneurs who do not embrace energy management will soon be, Going Out of Business.
Time management has little to do with the challenges entrepreneurs face today.
Time cannot be managed. People cannot be managed. Leaders lead. Managers manage. Leaders lead people. Managers manage things. Time is not a thing. People are not things. Time is not people. People are not time. Entrepreneurs who think they can manage people are in for a rude awakening! How does the hollow sound of, Going Out of Business, resonate? People are energy. Energy is the fuel which powers employees, customers, products and services either toward or away The entrepreneur who is insightful enough to manage and balance high-quality energy levels will be leaving his or her competition in the dust.
Time is needed to cultivate and manage the high-quality energy levels customers are starving for. Toxic energy will drive employees and customers away. This comes with a guarantee. Look around Does this ring true? Are employees and customers taking their business elsewhere? We begin hearing excuses coming from toxic energy types who blame the economy, the housing market, or fuel prices for what is happening. This blame is the beginning of a slow death for many entrepreneurial ventures. Those who stop trying to manage time, but instead, begin managing energy will discover untapped markets. Enlightened energy managers provide opportunity for all stakeholders. Energy managers must be authentic, however. Employees and customers are not as stupid as some entrepreneurs may think. High-quality, balanced energy cascades from the being of the awakened entrepreneur. Toxic energy also cascades from the being of the greed-centered entrepreneur. Profits are more important than ever! Still, it is the energy behind the profits that fuel and separate the authentic from the unauthentic.
Time management and the wilted concepts of managing people are over. The future is now! Energy management is now! If you want to become the awakened, highly successful entrepreneur, begin by cultivating and managing high-quality, balanced energy levels within your self.Do whatever it takes to become WHOLE and healed. A person cannot give what he or she does not have. If the entreprenuer is infected, the toxic-energy virus infects leadership, management, systems, protocols, employees, customers, products and services. If the entrepreneur recognizes he or she is infected with this deadly virus, but does not know what to do, seek help. The good news is, Everything a person needs is within reach.The bad news is, recognizing the toxic energy virus exists in the first place. Not knowing, is a symptom of the disease. In the case of many toxic entrepreneurs, the more infected he or she is, the less aware he or she is as carrier of the disease.The Cosmic Two-by-Four, however, always wins. Clunk! Over the head Going Out of Business, signs begin littering the landscape.
Time is the energy we do not fully understand. Yes, there are clocks. We use clocks to measure one hour to the next. Albert Einstein explains time and energy in his Theory of Relativity. For those of us who need some assistance in better understanding some of what Albert was trying to tell us, here it is: If you are with the one you love an hour seems like a minute. If you are sitting on a hot stove a minute seems like an hour.
Time is affected by the energy a person puts behind it. The energy a person brings to time is the winning or losing force. Whether you are the entrepreneur or not, make it your mission to cultivate and manage high-quality, balanced energy levels or not it is not up to anyone but you. Here are some choices to consider: Great energy! Good energy! Bad energy! Toxic energy! Just know, all energy is contagious.

TIME is the Essence of this Remarkable Journey

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 01:30:48 -0700

TIME is of the essence... TIME is an important piece that creates our Remarkable Journey of Life... And, every Moment of our Life, we can create TIMELESS memories...

Recently, I posted a question on my BraveHeart Women Global Community’s BLOG at: braveheartwomen.com/bell; because I was Inspired by something I read. I’m not sure what I was reading at the time, yet these words were vibrating deeply within me...

"How Will I Seize This Moment?"

Now, let’s go back to the essence of TIME... TIME does not stand still for anyone ~ not even for a moment. Life continues... The Journey continues...

• No matter where you are...

• No matter what you’re doing...

• No matter where you’re going...

• No matter who you are with...

TIME does NOT stand still.

So, as I reflect on this question... "How Will I Seize This Moment" and the essence of TIME, I began to write & write & write... And, these words began to FLOW effortlessly...

Life Is A Remarkable Journey

~ Which consists of precious Time, and as Time passes us by, it creates Moments each & every day of our lives, up until this very Moment...

So, I ask myself,

"How will I seize this moment" right here, right now?

I’m seizing this moment In Gratitude

~ For my Life as it is today, and for the Journey as it unfolds each & every moment...

I’m seizing this moment On Purpose

~ Knowing that my Purpose is "Bigger" than mySelf. As I allow mySelf to step into the depth of the Purpose to which I was born...

I’m seizing this moment In Empowerment & Inspiration

~ Allowing mySelf to Empower and Inspire thousands of women all over the world to "choose" to create their own Destiny...

I’m seizing this moment In Peace

~ Being in Harmony & in-the-flow of this bountiful Universe we live in...

I’m seizing this moment In Abundance & Prosperity

~ Allowing my Valve to be wide Open to Receive, and embrace that which flows within & around me...

I’m seizing this moment In Joy

~ Allowing mySelf to BE in Joy deep from within, because I "choose" to...

I’m seizing this moment In Trust

~ Having unshakable Belief and Letting Go,

that which does not Serve Me...

In closing, I would like to leave YOU with this question... "How Will YOU Seize This Moment?" Be open to being more Aware of what is right in front of YOU... Be Willing to Seize every precious Moment of YOUR Remarkable Journey... And, ENJOY every Moment of YOUR Life!

How to manage your Time more effectively

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:17:18 -0700

It is always a surprise as to how a simple homemaker is able to manage a myriad of different activities without any formal training whereas a manager is not able to do it even with all his/her fancy degrees. How do they do it? The homemaker knows a simple technique – time management. Managers can manage people, budgets, etc but when it comes to time they are not very good at managing it. Management training programs and management training courses can help you learn the skill of time management.

As any management training manual will tell you, time is a very precious resource. The reason why it is so precious is because it is a limited resource. Once spent you cannot get it back. That is why it is very important to use it as judiciously as possible. Unfortunately one thing that the management training manual will not tell you is that managing time is not that difficult if it were not for one factor - people. For example you go into a meeting thinking it will last only ten minutes and come out an hour later. All your planning goes haywire. So, how can you manage your time effectively?

Attend any management training program or management training course and the first tip that they will give you is – Planning. ‘If you fail to plan, you plan to fail’, goes an old saying. That is very much true in time management. Planning involves setting time limits to your tasks. It can be a minor one or a major one. This is specially needed if you are a procrastinator. You cannot afford to be one if you are going to be a manager. Prioritize your tasks. Obviously, you can’t do everything at once so decide on which task is most important and needs to be completed fastest. Also, set it right. For instance sometimes your personal tasks may coincide with your professional. It is up to you to decide as to which is more important; personal or professional.

Or if both cannot be avoided, you can at least decide as to which can be postponed. Delegation of work is something that most of us avoid doing. Ask anyone running a management training program or management training course, it is just a sheer waste of time to try and do everything yourself. You have subordinates to whom you can delegate work. They are there so that you can delegate work to them. Nobody expects or wants you to do all the work yourself.

That is only going to harm your productivity. Helping others is great but as anyone who has attended a management training program or management training course will tell you it is a waste of time if you have not finished your work. You have to learn to say no. You can help others provided you have the time for it. You cannot do it at the cost of your work suffering. And, what about the waste of time when you are making calls to your friends or taking an extended break at the coffee machine. Everyone needs a break but it should be a break and not become a session by itself.

You may have seen people managing time effectively by other people and you too can be successful. Management training will teach you that time management is different for different people and so is it for different projects. You cannot drive a car like you ride a bicycle or a bike. Similarly you cannot use the same time management strategies that you use for small projects in large projects.

The inadequacies that can be ignored in a smaller project will appear bigger in a larger one and cannot be ignored. So it is imperative to use different strategies for different projects. Long term objectives cannot be ignored just because you have some immediate task to be finished. Your time management strategy should be such that you can allot some time for achieving your long term objective as well. If you feel that you are not able to manage your time effectively then it is a better idea to take help from a professional. Sign up for management training programs or courses which will help you in devising strategies for time management.

Manifesting Excellence, Eight tips to organize your life

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 02:02:33 -0700

If you are currently experiencing overwork, overwhelm and burnout on a regular basis, you can learn how to energize and empower yourself and manifest your excellence.
By manifesting a fulfilling, effective and efficient day, you will be able to move from frustrated, irritated and scattered to calm, focused and energized. You will build confidence and be able to maintain your poise in the midst of daily stress.

The following 8 tips will help you to increase your daily efficiency and effectiveness, cut through mental fog and manifest personal excellence simply by learning how to more effectively organize your life.

1. Discipline yourself. Explore the actions that you take on a daily basis and discover where you can have better discipline, a little more orderliness or efficiency and better self-control. Check the amount of time you spend around the coffee wagon, talking on the phone or getting bogged down with your e-mail. Catch these habits before they sneak into your daily affairs. Today what we call discipline, tomorrow we can call a natural and spontaneous habit.

2. Delegate. When you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, do not identify yourself with your limitations. Find support for areas in which you are either too busy or have limited talent or skill. Do the best you can and leave the rest to the Universe. The Universe gladly supports us as much as we allow. Time spent in setting intentions plus time spent in silence will be rewarded by letting go of your perceived reality and visualizing your ideal reality, your excellence.

3. Say ‘No’ to yourself as well as to others. Before saying ‘no’ to someone else, you must decide inwardly that you intend to do so. To say ‘no’ one additional time each day would allow you extra time-freedom to use in creative ways.

4. Set your intention(s) for the day. Make a list each morning, or preferably the night before, of the top three things you want to accomplish. These actions should move you closer to your goals. If your list spills over to 6 or 8 things, write them down but keep the top three at the head of your list. Manifest excellence by having a laser focus on each task at hand until it is totally completed.

5. Write it down. Keep one small notebook handy so you can keep track of missed calls and other details as needed. Having all information in one place saves precious time and increases efficiency.

6. Get rid of the clutter. Paper and other clutter is an energy drain and has a way of sneaking up on busy people. Design a simple system to handle your paperwork or hire someone to come in and design it for you.

7. Take a break. All animals, machines and even humans need a rest between intense spurts of expended energy. After completing each of your priorities, get up, walk around, get a drink or simply flip through the magazine on your coffee table. Think of this time as preparation for your next task. Continue in this way until you have finished all top three priorities.

8. Reward yourself. Especially after completing your top three actions, a small reward is in order. This helps to build your self-esteem and begins to lock in your process or way of accomplishing your goals. By having your day a little more organized, a little more disciplined and efficient, you will be manifesting your excellence and will gain greater peace of mind, and that in itself is a reward.

Commit to claiming your power, not your perceived limitations. Limitations we feel when we are not ‘in the flow’. In order to go beyond the feeling of powerlessness, pay attention to feeling more connected with your inner Source, your higher power. Once you identify with your unlimited Source, your own personal limitations will melt away into nothingness.

Enjoy an effective, efficient and fulfilling day. No more overwork, overwhelm or burnout! Organize your life and claim your power. You will feel more dynamism, have greater mental clarity and will be manifesting excellence.

How to manage people who want a little of your time?

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:31:36 -0700

Do you have to deal with people who just love to waste your time? They will creep up on you and talk nonstop for hours on a trivial subject, or maybe they just want to gossip.

I used to get a lot of these, until I said enough is enough, and I actually went and got a sign made which I hung over my cubicle. Want to know what it said? It was quite simple. All it said was "If you have nothing to do, Please don't do it here". Alas, that became a talking point too, and I had to start explaining what was the meaning of that sign itself, ie the fact that you cannot do the "nothing" over at my cubicle seemed to tickle them rather than to make them go away. Most of the time, it really seems like they had nothing to do.

Be careful when someone says that they want to talk to you for a little while. That little while usually turns out to be about a quarter to half an hour, and may even stretch long beyond that. So the next time someone asks for a little while of your time, ask them how long it is going to take, and when they give you an answer to that question, you look up your calendar/planner and tell them that you are busy right now, but that you have an open slot in your schedule at such and such a time for that few minutes that they have said they need to talk with you.

This will immediately reduce your exposure to these time wasters, as many people will not have the patience to wait for an appointment, and they can usually resolve whatever it is that they had to consult you by either solving it themselves, or by talking with someone else. So long as they get their issue resolved, they will not find the need to disturb you again.

The other effect of actually setting up an appointment to discuss things, even be it just 5 minutes of your time, lets people know that you take your time seriously, and that they should not waste it. Since you have scheduled a time period to them, they will have to focus on getting their point acros, without rambling on and making idle talk instead. And since they have some time to clearly think about what they are going to talk with you about, this gives them a laser focus and makes them able to formulate their questions to you in a better way.

The key thing is not to allow others to rob you of your time. Dan Kennedy in his book "No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs calls these people Time Vampires, because they literally suck the time out of you and your schedule.

So don't give in to people who just want you for a "little while". If it is really important, they will have to be content with speaking to you about it at a later time.

Wealth Building at 55 plus - Changing Your Time Priorities

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 05:36:03 -0700

One of the facts of life is that building wealth requires a daily allocation of your time. By this stage of life you probably have some well established time habits that will need reviewing in order to free up the time required to provide financially for the future.

It always amazes me that people are willing to allocate 40 hours each week to their job so that they can earn a basic survival income yet those same people will resist when you suggest that they allocate a couple of hours each day to getting rich and having a magnificent life.

Those people are stuck in the belief system that basic survival and mediocrity is all that they are ever going to get in life. If you want to break out of that rut you need to accept that it is going to take a couple of hours each and every day.

If you are somewhere around the 55 year mark then one of the realities of life is that you may be forced into retirement in around 10 years time whether you are financially ready for it or not. Your decision on how you spend your time over the next 10 years will determine whether you spend your retirement years in luxury, basic survival, or total poverty.

You need to find time to learn the skills of wealth creation. These skills start with retraining your style of thinking and believing and then go on to include specific skills of creating capital growth and passive income.

So where are you going to find two hours each day in your busy life? Let's look at some of the possibilities.

Firstly you can find the times where you can get a two for one use. For example when you are traveling to work you could also be using that time to listen to educational audios or, if you are not the driver, reading educational material or writing your goals, strategies and action plans.

Secondly you can reallocate some of the time you are wasting now. Do you watch television? I firmly believe that television if the great poverty maker of the modern era. It is not what you are watching that is the problem; it is the fact that you are spending time in front of the television set that you could be spending on far more rewarding and interesting activities.

Groucho Marx once said that television was a great tool for education for him because every time someone turned it on he went into another room and read a book. If you take a leaf out of Groucho's book and reassign you television time to wealth creation activities you will find life far more rewarding.

If you are serious about getting rich, and at your stage in life you should be very serious about it, then you will make a list of how you are using your time now and decide how you can reallocate two hours each and every day to building a wealth portfolio that will provide you with a passive income in your retirement years.

Two hours each day for 10 years is about what it should take. The 10 years are going to going to pass anyway whether you are ready for them or not. It's your choice to make sure that you are ready financially when retirement comes.

Can You Stretch Time To Get More Done?

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0700

If you had a time machine would you use it to see what the future will bring or to go back and do the important things you didn't do when you had the chance? Your success in life, your happiness, your health and your prospects for success will be largely determined by what you choose to do with your time. Needless to say, you'll never have enough time to do everything that you want to or have to do. You will always have to choose between competing alternatives. The accuracy of your choices will determine much of what happens to you in life, how things turn out in the end. Having read Think and Grow Rich and all sorts of other similar books and having practiced their principles over the last quarter or a century, I am living proof of their accuracy. It has been proven true in my life and the lives of numerous other people I have met over the years that no action is neutral. No matter how small or inconsequential it seems, it is either propelling you toward success or failure. You need to be good at many things in order to be successful. The number one thing, after your ability to perform at your profession, is to become an expert in time management. Time management is perhaps most essential for the person who owns his or her own business. As you become more focused on time management, doing the right things, you will also become more efficient. You will begin making better contacts with better prospects and consequently making more sales of your products or services more profitably. For over thirty years numerous academic studies have shown that a major reason for success in life is the development of a long-time perspective. People who achieve the most are those who take the future into consideration in every decision they make in the present. This long-time perspective is key when setting priorities, because doing things right is not as important as doing the right things. And doing the right things right is the ultimate result of successful time management. The more time we take when considering what's important, while planning and acting today, the more likely it is that we will achieve our goals. To work efficiently and at the same time effectively we need to work on the most important, highest value tasks. Consider the difference between a family owned company that plans today knowing the rewards will come years in the future, or a farmer who plants today knowing that harvest is months if not years in the future. A long-time perspective is an essential key to setting priorities for them. Compare them with Wall Street companies who manage their vast organizations from quarter to quarter to meet the expectations of their investors and bankers. Often their short time thinking damages their long term success. You can usually tell how important something is today by measuring its potential future impact on your business or your life. Something that is important right now is something that has a high potential impact on your future. Something that's urgent has limited or no future importance at all. If you choose to spend time with your family rather than watching TV or reading the paper you have a long-time perspective. You know that investing time in your the health and happiness of your family is a very valuable high priority use of time of the long term implications for everyone. Taking additional night courses to upgrade your skills to make yourself more valuable to your customers demonstrates a long-time perspective because learning something practical and useful can have a long term impact on your career. But if you do what is fun and enjoyable in the short term with little of no concern for the long term consequences of your actions then you are operating with a short time perspective. For example someone who reads the sports pages every day and watches ESPN Sports Center more than once a day is operating with a short term perspective. Will knowing the details and the game track of all the games have an impact on their life and career? If you want a positive impact, the answer is no. There are some things that you can do for countless hours, like watching Cops on TV, and because they are of low priority relative to where you are and where you want to go - they will have no possible future positive impact on your life. These activities are like coasting through life and we all know that there is only one direction you can coast. Actually the key word in setting priorities is "sacrifice" because setting priorities usually requires sacrificing present enjoyment for future fulfillment. You will be required to give up a short term pleasure in the present in order to enjoy a far greater and more substantial pleasure or reward in the future. Economists have concluded that the inability to delay gratification, which is the natural tendency of individuals to spend everything they earn and a little bit more besides and waste away their time doing what is easy and enjoyable is the primary reason for both economic and personal failures in life. On the other hand having the discipline to do what you know is right and important - even though it's difficult, is the high road to pride, self-esteem, and personal satisfaction.

Time Management Tips - How to Be a Good Friend in Need

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Time management tips to nurture important friendships are top priorities for many of us. Usually action steps like setting aside time for lunch or social evenings, or keeping in regular contact via telephone or email, head the list for maintaining connections. But finding ways to support a friend in times of crisis is rarely explored. A Friend in Crisis can Create a Time Crisis! When a friend needs your immediate help, your ability to make good time choices is tested. You will encounter opportunities for growth and insight. Remember one fundamental difference between social contact and helping a friend in crisis: When a friend's need for support is immediate, the timing of the contact is not flexible. Suppose a close friend of yours unexpectedly loses her job. She contacts you, feeling angry, frightened and hurt. Her need for your support can't be addressed by matching up schedules for lunch or for an hour on the phone. 3 Traps You Must Avoid When a Friend's Crisis Occurs How do you deal with the immediate stress of finding time to be a good friend right now - not tomorrow or next Tuesday, when you might have free time? The single most important thing you must do may be the one thing you push out of your mind. You must examine your own feelings about this event. Are These Your Traps? 1) Feeling obligated 2) Feeling pressured 3) Feeling guilty thinking about how supporting your friend will complicate your plans Any of these can push you into seriously over-committing yourself. If you answer 'yes' to any of these, your next step must be to modify your mindset. 3 Time Tips for Truly Helping Your Friend: 1) Let go of guilt! The more conflicted you feel, the harder it is to provide support for your friend. So, the best place to start finding the time to be the friend you'd like to be is to clear your mind of all sense of obligation or guilt. They can never be good motivators for realigning your schedule! 2) Remain realistic about your ability to shift your existing commitments. It's essential that you take the time to explore how much time you can genuinely offer and follow through with. If you don't have a to-do list, create one now and block out the time you to meet your responsibilities. Then you'll see when - and how - you can offer support to your friend. 3) Share your feelings of caring and concern, but don't create expectations that you may not be able to meet. Communication is key. You can always express deep concern and caring, and that is always a great help to friends. Only offer suggestions and ask questions about how you can help after you're clear on your limits. What Matters the Most? When you offer your undivided, unhurried attention and genuine caring, you provide FAR more support than you could by 'sacrificing' more extensive time while feeling distracted, resentful and over-extended. Friendships deserve our very best efforts. With extra care and thoughtfulness, you can deepen significant relationships and retain the control you need over your time.

Product Creation: Suggestions to Help You with Creating Your First Products!

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 02:30:12 -0700

Successful production creation is not easy. However, there are a few things that will improve your chances of success. The following tips are key elements in the successful creation of any product line. Incorporating them into your plans is sure to guarantee results with which you will be most pleased.

Market research is the most important part of creating a new product. Studying your market gives you a clear view not only of the potential for profit, but also what those who would purchase your product demand in reliability and performance. Without extensive research into the potential markets you are working blindly, for more detail www.explosive-product-launches.com without knowing if you are reaching those whom you seek. The first step that you want to take into consideration when it comes to product creation is the importance of market research. Before you can undertake a strategic product creation effort, you need to understand the marketplace generally and specifically. You need to identify that market niche which will be most responsive to your product.

The next factor that you want to keep in mind when it comes to strategic product creation is the need to develop a strategic product creation plan consistent with what you've learned through your market research efforts. Product testing is the stage in which you find the so called in your product and fix them. This can involve testing by consumers as well as laboratory tests for safety and for durability. These tests will allow you're to refine the performance of the product and offer better working merchandise.

Your marketing plan can and should be created along side your product testing. A strong marketing plan will allow you to hone your efforts to reach the largest possible target audience. This is where you promote your product and publicize its benefits and strengths. The stronger your marketing plan is, the more people you will reach. More people mean larger revenues.

Last but not least are the professionals and consultants available to assist in your efforts of product development and marketing. Engaging the services of such persons can make the difference between success and failure of your product line. Remember that not everyone is reputable as they may seem. Again, for more detail www.instant-cd-products.com it is imperative that you do you home work and check out each person to ascertain their credibility and expertise in the field. Do this, before you hire them or agree to pay them for services, as it is costly and very difficult to undo the damage after it is done.

Effective Time Management Exercises - How to Use Short Visualizations to Add Value to Your Day

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Time Management can be dramatically improved by tapping your power of visualization. The visualization can be short, and no prior experience is required. In fact, one of my favorite exercises, "Your Ideal Day Visualization" takes only 15 minutes. You can start right now by participating in creating "Your Ideal Day". This simple, quick visualization helps you make fulfilling time choices, because you immediately focus your energies on 2 essentials: 1) You clarify, through daily experience, which time choices genuinely increase your satisfaction in your life, and which you can let go of with few regrets. 2) You introduce necessary changes in small, easy steps over time. These are the kinds of changes that can be sustained, fine-tuned, and perfected. You can also revise them whenever your circumstances change. Do you ask why the first step is even necessary? And have you wondered why most people don't feel that 24 hours a day really is enough? A recent book entitled "Happiness: The Science Behind Your Smile" offers surprising answers. Author Daniel Nettle, a biological psychologist, conducted extensive research to discover what truly brings life satisfaction. A review of his book in Scientific American reports his findings: human beings are simply not hard-wired to instinctively grasp which pursuits bring ongoing contentment. This confusion leads to time wasted by going down blind alleys for years, and sometimes for a lifetime. What a needless tragedy this is. Thankfully, you can find your path through daily "happiness experiments" offered in this visualization. You will be rewarded with much pleasure in small pockets of time. You can also clarify common misconceptions about what activities deserve your valuable time. All you need is to engage in the visualization and to keep an open mind. Participating in the Ideal Day visualization will help you answer these questions: 1) What do you want, above all else, to do with your time? 2) What do you care about so much, that you are willing to change old habits? 3) What time choices can you look back on, at the end of your life, with satisfaction? Here's the visualization. Simple, short and sweet: "Your Ideal Day Visualization:" 1) For a month, set aside 15 minutes a day. Select time when you will be uninterrupted. If needed, divide this exercise into three five-minute segments. 2) Sit back and relax for the first 5 minutes. Imagine your ideal day. In 5 minutes, you can imagine a lot! Envision yourself waking up, stretching, and going about your ideal day. What are you doing? How are you feeling? The more vivid your imagination, the better! Sense the sounds, the tastes, the smells, and the sights as the day unfolds before you. Most important, experience the pleasure! 3) In the next 5 minutes, pick out portions of this ideal day when you are alone. You are selecting these images because they are completely within your power to bring about, without other people's participation. 4) Then identify a 5-minute time slice that you can duplicate today. Select something that you don't currently do, or something that you generally don't allow yourself to fully enjoy. 5) Take the third 5-minute segment and do it. Let yourself be totally in the moment. Pick the time of day when it will be easiest for you, and when this activity (or even lack of activity) will mean the most to you. Does this seem simple? It is! Yet engaging in this exercise provides you with 5 profound benefits: 5 Lifetime Benefits from Practicing "Your Ideal Day Visualization" 1) You develop your powers of visualization. As you open to your power to visualize, you will experience firsthand why even the traditional medical community now explores the mind's potential to create a new level of wellbeing. You can call on this skill to reduce stress, enhance creativity and even promote healing, in tiny slices of time. 2) You clarify your values about how you want to use your time. The more often you visualize, the more you learn about what time choices fulfill you. Become the expert on your happiness. And experience for yourself how much pleasure you can cultivate today, in just a short period of time. Enjoying yourself now is one of the best ways to undercut human's hard-wired, destructive tendency to perpetually yearn for something just out of reach. 3) In just 15 minutes a day for a month, you create a pattern that's easy to maintain. A month of continuous daily practice establishes a new life pattern. What an easy way to add daily pleasure to your life! You can, of course, continue to use this visualization to modify more and more segments of your life. Successful small risks and experiments prepare you to take more new steps. And you have built the discipline to carry them out. 4) You demonstrate your power to improve your life through basic time choices. Nothing helps foster self-reference like experiencing simple pleasures you provide yourself. As you increase your own happiness, you naturally place fewer demands on others, and your relationships will proceed more smoothly. 5) You cultivate the gift of being in the moment. You'll experience firsthand how this focus stretches time and multiplies your capacity for enjoyment. This is your moment, and all your power resides here, where you make your time choices. Remember that the way you use your time is the way you live your life. It works if you work. What other ways can you take control of your life and your time?