Paula Eder, The Time Finder Expert

The research on multitasking has shown that it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be. Many people assume that doing two or three things at once is bound to be more productive than doing just one thing. But in reality, there aren’t very many tasks that lend themselves to multitasking. In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb and assert that multitasking may be one of the biggest time wasters going.

It’s a commonly held myth that multitasking offers a reliable way for you to find more time. Intuitively, it sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? I mean, if you can do two or three tasks in the time allotted for one, aren’t you being more efficient and effective?

In my experience, the fastest and surest way to untangle tangles is by working with your feelings. Indeed, your feelings offer the most direct path to the heart of most matters.

One core take-away from the last podcasts encapsulated in these two sentences: “It’s always in your conscious choices that your power lies. Your ability to choose allows you to re-shape old habits as your circumstances change.”

Your choices are what moves you from where you are to where you want to be. Whether we’re talking about big goals and projects, or everyday activities, your choices are what keep you going.

Our last podcast offered an exercise to help you let go of your time clutter. That prompted an interesting question from a reader who is facing a common challenge about letting go. Listen to this, to learn more about her predicament and a way forward.

Non-judgmental observation always provides solid ground for moving ahead. So today we’re going to build on that solid foundation and take action, with an exercise to help you let go. Whether you’re talking about your ‘stuff’ or about your time, letting go of the old is a necessary precursor to letting in the new.

Today’s article kicks off an e-zine series where I’ll be digging into a subject that’s near and dear to my heart. It’s the impact of feelings on Heart-Based Time and Energy Management™. I’ll be sharing ideas about emotional decluttering.

I’ve been a long-time believer in the benefits of multitasking. But after reading your recent e-zines I’ve been observing myself more closely. At this point I’m questioning whether it’s ever a good idea to multitask. What do you think?

Clutter is a common problem in our world today. Whether it’s ‘stuff’ or information overload or having too many things on your to-do list, clutter is everywhere and it’s overwhelming.

Making promises and keeping them is largely a matter of setting boundaries. You need to have the time and space to follow-through on your commitments. And that’s exactly what you create when you set a boundary.

It can be hard to know when it’s important to stay steady and when to be flexible, especially when life feels unpredictable. In these times of turmoil, uncertain at best, it's important for us to be ready to move quickly, but not carelessly.

Self-care is key in times of turmoil. And at the core of self-care is the ability to make meaningful promises to yourself and follow through on them. So today, let’s look at one promise you can make and keep.

Uncertain times are challenging on so many levels.Depending on the nature and depth of the uncertainty around you, you may feel unfocused or disoriented or even threatened.

I had an excellent question from a reader, prompted by last month's exercise about setting boundaries. Her challenge is how to manage self-care in the midst of the busy holiday season's celebrations and expectations.

The subject of boundaries and boundary-setting is one that's near and dear to my heart. When it comes to developing self-reference, confidence, and finding time for what matters most, this is a most important skill to have in your time toolbox. So here's an exercise to help with that...

Everyone needs boundaries to survive. I mean that on a very concrete level. Think about how you would fare without your skin, or without the ribs that protect your heart and lungs? And what about the walls and roof of your house?

Your time choices and the rituals you create are the foundation for your stability and success, no matter what your goals may be. So today I share tips for taking care of yourself as the days, weeks and months ahead unfold.

We recently received a question from a subscriber in Atlanta. Prompted by our series about learning to manage your basket of time, her challenge struck a chord for me. I hope it will for you, too.

The choices you make about your time shape your direction and help define the quality of your moments. And, in the final analysis, whether you use time well or use it unwisely, it always gets used up. So I’ve created an exercise to help you make conscious choices about what you put into your basket of time.

Living in time as fully as you possibly can, no matter what your age, is something we all can do. It’s all about the choices you make – the small ones, perhaps even more than the large ones.

Here's a de-cluttering conundrum that one of our e-zine subscribers recently wrote us about. The solution may be helpful for you, too!

I’m sharing an exercise today that will really help you with letting go of clutter.

Do you sometimes feel like your life is riddled with competing priorities, impossible to-do lists, feelings that intrude and keep you up at night, and distracting information overload? You'll find practical help here!

I worked with the exercise you shared in your last e-zine but found that, no matter what I tried, I was not able to step beyond my feelings of overwhelm. Help! Can you give me some more detail about where I can go with this?

How you experience your time is affected both by your feelings and by your circumstances. While you may not be able to change or directly impact your circumstances, you are always making choices about your feelings. So, in today’s exercise, I am going to walk you through a brief scenario and then offer some questions to help you recognize your feelings and then affirm your power to make conscious choices about them.

When you’re overwhelmed, it’s hard to let go and stop working to overcome it, even for a second. But the reality is that as your efforts become more and more frenetic, you’re behaving like someone who’s drowning.

Time is an enigma. It is concrete. It is measurable. It is finite. We have the same 24-hours each and every day. And yet how those hours feel to us is powerfully subjective – so much so that their duration seems to vary.

In this podcast I’m enlarging our exploration of rituals with an exercise to help you shape a ritual for yourself — one that’s grounding and sustaining, no matter what.

Rhythm and repetition keep us going – and they can be comforting in their predictability. Rhythm and repetition also offer a platform for developing uniquely personal ways of interacting with time.

In the last Finding Tine E-zine podcast I walked you through an exercise for creating your own template. Did you try it out? Well, one listener did, and she ran into an interesting challenge from an unexpected source.

I recently heard a story that shines light on the cost of perfectionism in a new way, so I decided to extend our series on perfectionism with an additional podcast today.

Fear very often lies at the heart of Perfectionism, and more often than not, our knee jerk reaction to fear is to try to move away from it. But that impulse is precisely the opposite of what’s needed.

Seasonal chores have a rhythm to them. Rituals of work and productivity, they mark transitions and deepen your experience of time with each passing year. These chores also offer excellent opportunities for using time-saving templates. And today I’m sharing an exercise to get you started on creating your own!

As you’ll see in today’s podcast, when you make the choice to meet your perfectionism head on the results are surprising and powerful.

In this season of new beginnings, I’m excited to start an exploration of this insidious poison called perfectionism. I know it’s always been my nemesis, and it keeps so many people from realizing their potential.

One thing that's a universal, when it comes to transitions, is that they are often quite disorienting. And there are aspects of transitions that are predictable. So the more you hone in on the foreseeable and manage that, the more in charge and empowered you'll feel!

When you're facing a challenge like clutter, how do you get yourself going? And once you're going, how do you maintain your focus and momentum? And what if it's not your mess to begin with?

Does your clutter feel like an invasive weed that appears and proliferates overnight, taking over your office or living space? We might like to think that we are victims here, but the truth is that we always have a hand in the clutter that accumulates in our lives. And that's actually the good news!

Clutter, is a big and firmly entrenched challenge for many of us. And I don't just mean clutter in your living or working spaces. Your time and energy and emotions can also become cluttered. And no matter what the venue, clutter makes your life a lot harder than it needs to be.

Childhood lessons about time can turn into time myths that we carry into adulthood. If you don't explore those beliefs, you find yourself thwarting your own efforts and not understanding why. You do the same things over and over, working against yourself and not knowing how to stop!

In last month's Finding Time E-zine we started to explore the baggage that we all carry -- messages and myths about time that we learned when we were younger. But things you learned and believed 10, 15, 30 or more years ago won't necessarily serve you well today. So what I'd like to do is give you a tool that you can use over and over to shine a light on some of your own, personal time myths.

Your history, your family values, and the behaviors you observed as a child all contribute to the ideas and feelings that you bring to your time today.

I am not afraid of big projects at all, but where I get stuck is in knowing when I am finished. Sometimes I miss a deadline, not because I haven’t done my work, but because I am still editing and polishing it. I want to do the best job I can – so how do I know when I'm done?

Once you start moving toward your goals, how do you maintain your momentum? The key – and what I'd like to explore in the exercise that follows – is to give yourself what you need. And you can do that by creating your own, personal Empowered Compassion™ Toolbox.

Whatever your age, and whatever tasks you have on your to-do list, do you sometimes find it difficult to stay energized and on track? What do you do when you feel stuck and discouraged? What helps YOU get moving again? Listen for some ideas from The Time Finder ...

I like my job well enough. It's comfortable and I'm good at it, but it's no longer very challenging. I worry that I'm stagnating. Meanwhile, my dream is to start a Doggie Day-Care Center with a good friend. Can you give me some help with navigating this decision?

In today's world, there's often a great deal of pressure to act quickly – and sometimes that's wise and important. Other times you're better served if you step back and slow down. But how do you determine which course is more helpful in any given situation?

When you make a decision you set your course. Depending on the size of it, you may just be plotting your path for the next moment, or you may be determining your direction for many weeks and months to come. So how do YOU decide?

Navigating transitions is difficult, and there is no magic formula or one-size-fits-all answer. It's a skill that you develop over time with mindful attention, patience, and practice.

Your schedule is so powerful, when you let it be personal! It's where you bring your time and your energy together. Think of it as the container you create to hold your days and nurture what you value.