Fear and Time Management

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By Beth Beutler

One of my biggest time management challenges is allowing enough time for each errand or task of the day. I am not strong at estimating how long something will take, or allowing for the inevitable interruptions or setbacks (i.e. from technology) that come my way. Sometimes I think there is a deeper reason for this than simply underestimating. It can become a heart issue, based in some fears, such as the following:

Fear of boredom. I am the kind of person that really enjoys being reasonably busy--meaning that I have plenty to do but like to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I think I fear being bored, so I enjoy having valuable tasks ahead for the day. But I can easily reach the tipping point of having too many tasks on the list and then get stressed trying to meet all the self-imposed expectations.

Fear of insignificance. I like to do things that cause people to think, to change, to grow in their walk with God and others. In a strengths finder assessment, one of my strengths is significance--the desire to be important to people and do important things. But I can allow my personal drive to prove myself significant to cause me stress and pressure.

Fear of failure. I get a rush out of accomplishing a lot in a day. So I keep going because I don't like the feeling of things being left undone. I was valedictorian in high school and have always been at least somewhat driven by achievement. I don't like to fail at something and want to do a lot of things naturally well.

Fear of work. this may sound counterintuitive since I have workaholic tendencies. But, sometimes, hidden in that, is a laziness. For example, I can be on Facebook for an unreasonable amount of time each day. I can get a lot done because I'm fast, but that doesn't mean I always do things well or give them enough thought in the process.

I could apply some time management principles to this, but the bottom line is that my fear interrupts me from receiving the love and grace God has for me, and finding my value simply in being His daughter, not in what I accomplish.

Does any of this resonate with you?

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Serving Others More Easily

Being organized helps you serve others more easily. One time, I attended a jewelry party with several friends. At the last minute, I offered to drive the group. Thankfully, my vehicle has been remaining pretty clean interior-wise for awhile now, due to some regular habits (i.e. whenever I get gas I empty the trash and check for stuff on the floor, etc.) My husband and a couple of other guys had been in the truck on the weekend, and he had graciously cleaned it out before I needed it again on Monday. There was only one stray zip lock bag on the back floorboard.

I also keep an air freshener in the vehicle. One of the gals said, "It smells nice in here."

It was gratifying to be able to provide a ride on the spur of the moment and not be embarrassed by the condition of my vehicle. It only takes a couple minutes each week (and less than a minute each day, to make sure it is all picked up when I arrive back home) to have the vehicle be "company ready" at any time.

This is the type of thing to help you serve others well...not being distracted by a messy car, for example!

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Take It On Tuesday! with Karina Whisnant - Home Office

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I think most of us in this day and age have a home office of sorts where we go to work on the computer, pay bills, process paperwork and do any number of other things.  What is the atmosphere like in your "computer" area this fine Tuesday? 

How about we do something today that will help us enjoy that area more than we did yesterday?   I am going to give you three specific things to do in that area today.  

First, clean the screen of your computer.  

Second, clean the keys of your keyboard.  

Third (and this last one is the hardest!) -- I know there has to be at least one task that is sitting on your desk that you keep meaning to get to that still hasn’t managed to get done.  Maybe it's some filing you haven't finished, or a bill you haven't paid, or that graduation card you keep meaning to send. I want you to stop and “tackle” that one task before the end of the day.  With that done, you will be clearing what I like to call “mental clutter!”  A task is done that you didn’t even realize was taking up mental space!

Congratulations!

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Sometimes You Need a Coach: Part 3 (Beth Beutler)

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Takeaway Three: The Importance of Social Relationships

I'm not a person, sadly, that has a lot of hobbies that I get lost in. I'm more of a dabbler. One of the things I do enjoy doing is participating in fun things like 5Ks, or going to a baseball or hockey game, or going to a play (movies, not so much.) I like trying new restaurants, or taking drives, or biking on bike trails. And a lot of the time, I enjoy doing this with friends. I like to organize fun times for friends and am often the person who coordinates get-togethers, potential trips, etc.

So in my coaching session, Stephanie helped me identify that this "social planning" needs to be an intentional part of my life. I agreed to talk with my husband about an idea and he agreed that a social event once a month would be enjoyable. That may not always happen, but now that I've identified it as something important, I can lean into enjoying the process. Now, that doesn't mean that my satisfaction of the event depends on everyone else being able to make it. No, with this commitment comes a "hands off, treat them like adults" approach that gives them freedom to say "no" and me to truly enjoy whoever God decides should be part of that particular social time!

So now, when I have an idea about a fun outing, I will contact a few friends by email giving them the date and details. If it involves getting tickets (like for a baseball game) I usually let them know when we are going and where we are sitting, or if I'm willing to get all the tickets at once, give them a deadline by which I need their response. Depending on the situation, I try to keep my involvement in the logistics to a reasonable level so as not to get stressed over planning something fun!

The other decision I am committing to is to not let my emotions and enjoyment of the outing depend on who is there with me. Certainly, I'll enjoy the company of the friends who can come. But if it ends up just being my husband and myself, then I'll enjoy a nice date. Keeping expectations realistic goes a long way to avoiding resentment or frustration.

So that is the third of the major takeaways from one coaching session. Just having focused time with an objective person helped me sort through some of my priorities. We talked about other things in the middle of this, such as desire to work out, etc. and I'm probably not even remembering everything we dealt with. But I found it so valuable to carve out time to truly consider the current elements of my life and how God wants them all to fit together, and what modifications may be needed.

I have a key word of "Margin" this year, and this was a concrete step toward developing that healthy margin.

Thanks, Stephanie!

I encourage you, readers, to explore the idea of coaching. Check out Stephanie's site at www.lifeinabundance.com. She coaches people all around the country--you don't have to be able to meet her in person.

Take It On Tuesday! with Karina Whisnant

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What does your “plastic container” cabinet look like in your kitchen?   I know for me there is always some random piece in that cabinet that needs to be thrown out even if I organized it in the last six months.  I hope you enjoy getting that part of your kitchen back in order today.  If you tackle this task today, I hope you will post about it, even if you just say “Did it”!  We all need some encouragement and seeing others take action is SUPER motivating! 

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Sometimes You Need a Coach, Part 2 (Beth Beutler)

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Last time I shared that I had a very helpful session with Stephanie Baker, Certified Master Christian Life Coach. I mentioned the first of a few takeaways from the session, that of better defining the types of writing I do.

The second takeaway that came from the session had to do with “An Ideal Morning.”

Stephanie helped me define for myself what an "ideal" start to my day would look like, and what it would take to see that happen more often than not.

For me, we determined that I need about two hours to allow time to awaken, get ready, have quiet time, have an adequate transition time (i.e. to pack up stuff for the day) and have some moments for a short time in the home office to take care of small, but important to me--daily tasks.

The office time was the obstacle a lot of times, because I'd end up getting distracted and it would expand to fill more than the allotted time. So we determined that I may need to pre-do some of those daily tasks on the days of the week where an outside requirement (such as a business meeting) required me to leave at a certain time. (For me, that is always on Tuesday and Friday, and sometimes on Wednesdays.) The other option is for me to be very disciplined about getting on the computer just for a very limited time on Tuesdays and Fridays so I get out the door on time. That can mean having everything else done--and I mean everything--so once I step away from the desk I am literally heading out the door.

One other component of this was to try to do some client work first thing one morning a week and hold off on my personal/business list of administrative/communication tasks until after that has been completed. I tried that the first week and it felt great to have that responsibility finished early in the day!

I'm also thinking more strategically now about whether I need to work ahead on a morning task if I expect the next morning to be tight. One week, I'd forgotten about one possible addition to one morning that week. It happened, but it all still worked out fine. 

I think in part, just by thinking intentionally, we get a little more disciplined and can reduce some of the stress we create for ourselves.

Next week, I'll share the third and final takeaway from my session, but in the meantime if you'd like to explore what it means to be coached by someone to help you reach a goal, determine direction, or make some needed changes, I recommend you visit Stephanie via her site, www.lifeinabundance.com. 

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Take It On Tuesday! with Karina Whisnant

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I am going to ask something different from you today that doesn’t even seem like I should call it a task.  I hope it will remind you of really the important things in your world and maybe even the “why” behind why you would want to have a home that is organized and reflects the order that we so appreciate in God’s character.  Today, I just want you to pause and thank God for your home and how He has given you the opportunity to serve others in your home, first of all your family.   Thank Him for each member in your family, maybe even go to their room and just kneel by each bed and pray for that person.

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Sometimes You Need a Coach, Part 1 of 3

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One of my dear friends (and co-author of Organizing From the Heart) is also a certified master Christian life coach. Earlier this year I asked if I could schedule a time with her to work through the idea of keeping projects--and a busy life--in more order.

Yes, I've written a book about time management as well as written on other topics related to being organized. But this is a journey for me. Seasons change and so does life. I find myself in a season of cultivating a life that is like a tree--one life, with several different, yet complimentary limbs and branches. Sometimes though, the branches run into each other and get tangled up in my mind and I needed some help untangling.

My husband often acts as a helpful coach to me, too, so I am blessed to have people close to me to whom I can turn to "think out loud" with.

My time with Stephanie turned into about a three-hour discussion, where she asked a lot of the right questions. A good coach actually helps YOU discover the answers and needed action points to move forward on the challenges that face you.

We had fun together. Yes, fun. It was need to feel the "light bulb" going on and getting clarification about expectations, schedule, etc.

I thought it might be fun to share with our readers three main takeaways I got from the experience that are very practical in nature. These takeaways uniquely fit MY life. You may not get the exact same conclusions if you talk with a coach.

Takeaway 1: Understand the difference between the types of writing I do

As a writer, I have a LOT of material in my files that can be enhanced and repurposed into blog posts, articles and books. Sometimes it's overwhelming to know what to reach for in that (yes) clutter. This session helped me define my writing as "Compilation" or "Creative."

Compilation writing is effort spent on "compiling" or gathering work from material already written, and molding it into blog posts or a book. In general, compiling work happens best when I am sitting at a desktop because it involves cutting and pasting or moving things from one place to another. That's hard to do on a smaller piece of equipment such as my iPad, plus my files are not all on the cloud.

Creative writing, refers to new or being edited, posts sand projects. This type of work is best done in an environment outside my home. So I decided I needed to have a  "Writers' Block" appointment with myself at a favorite coffee shop (I have about three of them so far) at least twice a month for at least an hour, preferably two. That's when I gather my iPad, keyboard, and inspirational, artistic bag (see photo) and hammer out the new stuff with minimum distraction.

Next week, I'll share another takeaway from this coaching session!

In the meantime, if you'd like to explore what it means to be coached by someone to help you reach a goal, determine direction, or make some needed changes, I recommend you visit Stephanie via her site, www.lifeinabundance.com. She's not limited to in-person or in-state coaching!

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