One of the best ways to save time is to know who to call… or e-mail… or read online… you get the idea.

Cal Newport, the brain behind Study Hacks

That’s why I’ll periodically introduce you to other time strategists with special expertise.

To kick off the resources section, I’d like to introduce you to the one–the only–Cal Newport.

If you are a high school, college, or graduate student, or you ever have to study for anything from an insurance test to a certification exam, you will benefit from reading Cal’s blog: Study Hacks: Demystifying Student Success.

Cal is an incredibly smart (think fourth year PhD student at MIT–yikes!) individual who is also incredibly savvy. Like me, Cal doesn’t think that you have to sacrifice your sanity to be successful. Study Hacks offers practical, relevant advice on how to plan  your life, and particularly your studying.

How did Cal gather his expertise?

A: Personal Experience

B: Extensive Research

Correct response: Both A & B

Cal is the author of How to Win at College and How to Become a Straight-A Student, and he has a third publication on the way. You know Cal is the real deal because he writes a blog and books to help others succeed as a side gig to his graduate studies at MIT.

I highly recommend that you check out Study Hacks and join the thousands of people (like me) who have subscribed to his RSS feed.

To studying brilliance in 2009!

Elizabeth

But yesterday did not go as planned.

It all started with a 7:30 a.m. car appointment–a bit brutal for the Monday after a holiday and appointments before 10 a.m. generally throw off my morning routine.

I got home around 9:45 a.m. and started working on projects. But since I’m home with my family for the holidays, it was a bit hard to tune out the conversations and commotions, including the sump pump switch failing. (Thank God my dad and brother are ingenious!)

My normal work flow was also interspersed with unexpected calls, including one from the fabulous Adam Carroll who is an expert on “Winning the Money Game” and calls to Tina’s Italian Bake Shop to make sure they had cannoli reserved for our dinner party.

Then my brother, sisters, and I had the pleasure of whipping up an Italian feast for our dad’s guests, Mark Pufundt, Chicago chairman of The Institute for Management Studies, and his lovely wife, Barb.

All of this was fabulous, and I especially enjoyed Mark’s stories about working with top notch trainers like Dr. Russell Ackoff.

But at the end of the day, I realized I had only scratched half of the items off my list. Sad. As someone who gets really excited about getting things done, I was disappointed.

So how did I make the most of the fact that my day did not go as planned?

Here are my top three strategies.

1. Plan Your Day First Thing: At the car place, I did all of my morning processing (answered all my work e-mail, went through my calendar,  reviewed my to-do list, returned voicemails, looked at my Palm, and went through the day’s paper file) so I didn’t have any mental anxiety that I might be missing something important. I also came up with a clear to do list and set my priorities so I completed the most important, time-sensitive tasks first.

2. Set Your Expectations: If I had followed my own advice in E Tip-How do I wrap up for the holidays?,  I would not have planned to accomplish much my first day back in the office after five days off. Also, I need to realize that I can’t be as productive when I’m home with my family. The key to feeling satisfied with what you accomplish in a day is setting realistic expectations and then achieving them instead of constantly beating yourself up when you can’t reach impossible ones.

3. Give Yourself a Break: No, I didn’t complete everything on my list, but I did turn in all assignments that had to be done Monday, my car is all set to go to Kansas City this afternoon, and my family and I enjoyed a wonderful evening with the Pufundts. I could have gotten myself all in a tizzy last night and tried to stay up late and then stressed myself out today. But I didn’t. I just forgave myself for any sense of guilt that I hadn’t completed everything on my list. Went to bed on time, got up at my normal 6 a.m., and planned the day as usual.

Life happens. You and I can’t control everything and everyone around us. But we can control ourselves, plan to succeed, and then encourage ourselves to move forward instead of condemn ourselves for any regrets in the past.

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson

To a Brilliant 2009!

Elizabeth

Coach. Trainer. Speaker.

Elizabeth Grace Saunders

Steady eye contact.

Understanding nods.

Verbal affirmations.

Absence of fidgeting.

This is how people who are fully present behave when you have a conversation with them.

How often does this happen?

Unfortunately for most people–rarely. Too often our conversations consist of “half listening” as we glance over our shoulder to check a blind spot before we change lanes. Or being half heard as the person we are trying to talk to “multi-tasks” by doing the dishes and shouting out orders to the kids as we are explaining a difficult situation at work. Or maybe we’re sitting across from a friend in a coffee shop but we feel insecure about continuing to share because we see her eyes darting every time someone comes through the door, notice her glancing at her watch, and see her knee bouncing with nervous energy.

Now I’m not saying there aren’t times and types of conversations where talking on the phone or “layering” tasks isn’t fully appropriate. (One of my favorite layering techniques is walking and talking with friends–it energizes my body and soul.)

But many times, we really want to have other people’s full attention, and they desire the same gift from us. This desire to be heard, to be listened to, to be made the most important priority (that no cell phone call can interrupt) is especially high when we have something close to our hearts to share: hurts, fears, thoughts, dreams, or uncertainties.

One of my gifts to my family members this season is that of my full presence

Elizabeth-fully present with her family at Field's Walnut Room

over these five days. That means no checking work e-mail, no trying to fit in a project, no answering work-related messages. Instead, I’m fully present with them in mind, spirit, and heart, as well as body.

Are you offering your friends and family this gift as you celebrate holidays like Christmas, Hanukkah, or New Year’s? Are you really present or are you just worried about buying and wrapping presents?

One of the reasons I am extremely passionate about time strategies to create a brilliant life in a burnt-out world is that having your schedule under control gives you the ability to be fully present. When you’re disorganized and unsure of whether you have time to get everything done you need to accomplish, your mind is consumed with what you need to do 24/7–even as you’re opening presents! But when you know what you need to do, have planned the time to do it, and have the proper reminders in place, you can mentally, as well as physically, check out of the office and be fully present in your personal life. The same is true for checking out of your personal life when you need to be working—if you have all of the lists and reminders and plans in place to cook dinner, plan a trip, or pick up kids, you won’t need to be distracted by those thoughts while you’re supposed to be focusing on a project.

With everyone in my life, my desire is to be fully present. So when I’m with my family–like in our traditional Christmas Eve visit to Marshall Field’s Walnut Room pictured above–I’m there. Enjoying the ambiance and the laughter.

Then when I’m working with coaching clients–I’m there. Listening to them and reflecting on what they’ve said.

Then when I’m doing speaking or training–I’m there. Putting all of my energy and effort toward engaging and educating each individual.

If you’re not “fully there” on a regular basis, I encourage you to think about how you can start to give everyone and everything in your life your full presence in 2009. And if you’re struggling to do this on your own, I’m here to help. You don’t need to conquer your challenges alone.

To Christmas presence and peace!

Elizabeth

Coach. Trainer. Speaker.

Morgan First, pr, marketing, and publishing diva!

Conference and the Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour–the one and only Morgan First! In addition to doing pr and social media consulting, Morgan is the founder of MAP Boston and the marketing and community director at The Second Glass.

Needless to say, Morgan has just a few things on her plate so how to tie things up before she jets off to Asia for the next couple of weeks has been a hot topic. So…

Q: How do you wrap up for the holidays?

A: Under estimate how much you can complete. Over estimate how much time you will need to complete it.

One of the downfalls of being an incredibly positive person is that I always want to plan for the best case scenario when it comes to how much I can get done in a day, especially right before time off. But as I’ve discovered–more than once or twice–it’s better to be a bit of a pessimist when it comes to wrapping up for the holidays or any time out of the office.

Here are some tips to help with the process:

-Plan to get nothing accomplished your last day in the office–i.e. use this day for all of the things you meant to get done earlier, but didn’t.

-If you are leaving on a long trip or have a big backlog, I would even recommend planning on “getting nothing done” for the last week before you leave the office. This will allow you to actually get everything done on time.

-A couple of weeks out, write a list of the most urgent projects that you have to complete before you leave. Focus on those and reschedule everything else until after you get back. If necessary, send an e-mail to other people on the project that sounds something like this:

Hi “Name of Really Cool Colleague”!

I am heading out of the office for the holidays on December 23, and I won’t be back until January 5. I wanted to let you know that I have not forgotten about “Important But Not Urgent Project” and will be in touch with you about it by January 8.

I hope you have a refreshing holiday with your family and friends!

Warm wishes,

“Really Cool Person With Boundaries and Time Management Skills”

-A few pointers on this note: Don’t offer your mobile phone number. Don’t say you will try to work on anything between opening presents. And don’t promise anything the first day or two you are back. If it’s not urgent, it can wait. But DO make a note to follow up when you said you would.

-Set up out of office e-mail and voicemail and then keep your promises to yourself and others to not check e-mail and not respond to voicemail until you’re back from vacation. Once again, it can wait, and looking at your inbox will unnecessarily raise your blood pressure. (There’s already enough sodium in holiday food to perform that task!)

-I sometimes start my out of office messages a day or so before I leave the office to start warning people that I won’t be available. And I leave up my out-of-office message through the first day I am back. (For example, if I started back to work on December 29, I would leave the out of office going all day on December 29.) This gives you a little bit of a buffer in case it takes you a while to dig through your inbox. It’s all about managing expectations.

-Make your goal to be simply catching up on your first day back in the office. Plan on spending the whole day answering e-mail, returning phone calls, going through mail, and organizing your projects list. I know this sounds boring, but realistically this needs to happen to get your life back in order. If you ignore this advice and schedule meetings or projects the first day you are back, you will probably be frazzled for the next couple of weeks.

-Meeting with people is so much fun but very time consuming and usually not urgent–besides there are plenty of parties this time of year to get in your socializing. I recommend scheduling little to no meetings your last week in the office. This saves everyone’s time. Here’s how to frame this proposition in a way that sounds professional and caring. Just say, “I think it’s best that we meet after the first of the year so that all of the information is fresh in our minds, all of the key players are here, and we can immediately take action. Does that sound reasonable?” To most people, it will, and you’ll be off the hook until you get back.

-If you will need someone to cover for you while you are gone, ask them about taking over specific responsibilites at least a week or two in advance. If you’re asking them to do something unfamiliar, write up detailed instructions and then talk through them at least a couple of days before you leave. Best case scenario is that they start doing these tasks before you split for vacation. This will give them the opportunity to ask you questions when they come across road blocks, give you extra time to wrap up, and lessen the possibility of urgent phone calls while you’re eating green bean casserole.

-If you’re planning on taking a trip, walk through the process in your head from start to finish to make sure that you’ll have everything you need. For example:

I will get up at 5 a.m. and need to leave the house by 6 a.m. (What this means–need to have everything packed the night before, clothes set out for the morning, and coffee pot on a timer.)

My friend will drive me to the train station (What this means–need to look at the train schedule, confirm train fare and make sure I have enough cash. Then I need to talk with my friend and confirm pick up time and directions.)

Continue this process through going to the airport, arriving at your destination and so on. Imagine yourself walking through the day and write down everything you will need and need to know to have it be stress free.

Well, I need to wrap up for the holidays so I’m wrapping up this blog post! But if you have any excellent time strategies on getting ready to leave for the holidays, please post your comments.

Have a brilliant day!

Elizabeth

We are human beings, not human doings

Stop.

Breathe deeply–that’s right: Inhale. Exhale.

Did that feel strange? Did a split-second break in activity both around you and inside of you seem strangely unfamiliar?

If so, you might be operating as a human doing instead of a human being. In my post, “E Tip-How do I rest without guilt?” I shared a practical technique Achievers can use to chill out. Make a fun things to-do list ;o)

But as I’ve traversed my personal journey of going from burnt-out to brilliant and guided others in the process, I’ve found that the inability to rest usually stems from an unhealthy belief:

A belief that my intrinsic value lies in what I do, not who I am.

And when I, and others like me, buy into this lie, we must as a result be in perpetual motion. Because when we stop doing, when we stop producing, we stop having worth.

This may not be true for all people who jam-pack their life with activities and then try to stuff in a little more. (Some superhumans truly thrive on incessant input.) But for many people who desperately want to rest but can’t slow down without feeling a sense of anxiety, bordering on terror, they need to overcome this unhealthy belief.

It is not selfish to take time to rest. It’s necessary to fill yourself up so you can share the very best “you” with the world.

One of the things that has helped me to internalize this concept is a photograph I have hanging on my wall (snapshot above). It shows a baby–just a few days old–sleeping in a man’s arms. The infant’s hands are limp; its head slumped forward on its chest.

Whenever I glance at this image, I remember that I am, and always will be, a helpless infant in the hand of my heavenly Father. No matter how many candles are on my cake, how many certificates are on my wall, or how many people hear me speak, in the grand scheme of things, I have very little control.

But what’s most beautiful about this realization is that I am, and will always be, wonderful, special, and precious for just being me–just being Elizabeth Grace Saunders. You and I don’t have to prove our worth or earn it. We are priceless because we exist–just like a newborn babe.

You and I were created to be human beings, not human doings.

Another woman who I admire who shares this philosophy is Brenda Stanton, a coach who encourages others to Claim Their Worth. Both of us desire our coaching and speaking to free people to rest and to in turn accomplish so much more than they ever dreamed possible.

As a final encouragement for you, here’s a quote that I find to be more and more true each and every day:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

–Marianne Williamson, “A Return to Love”

Rest in your brilliance today!

Elizabeth

Send your resume to Intern Queen Lauren Berger

Hello College Friends!

So… you’ve probably just finished final exams or are just about to wrap them up. Victory is so close you can almost taste it–and it’s even more delicious than bread sticks at 2 a.m.

You know you’ll soon arrive home to holiday decorations, home-cooked delights, and questions–yes, lots of questions from the parents.

One of their primary concerns as they watch you lounging on the couch catching up on the last season of your favorite show is how you are going to get an internship for this spring or summer.

Real Life E®  to the rescue!

Here’s your answer: you’re going to www.quarterlife.com/internships and applying to one of the hundreds of internships available from the Intern Queen (aka Lauren Berger–an amazing friend and fellow entrepreneur).

With a simple click of the mouse you can apply to internships from companies like Warner Brothers, NASCAR, and Essence magazine. It’s quick, easy, and FREE!

All you have to do is read the description, send your resume to the Intern Queen, and she’ll send it out to companies all over the U.S. looking for interns.

It literally takes just a minute so if you act now you can have a really good answer before dinner tonight.

Happy applying to internships!

Have a brilliant day!
Elizabeth

Kelly Moore, PR Consultant, Writer, Wife, and Mom of 2!

, who also juggles kiddos and a husband. (In my opinion, this is just as hard as juggling flaming torches.) She described to me how she recently got home late from a meeting, paid the babysitter, folded some laundry, and then sat down on the coach–for 30 seconds.

Yep, in less than a minute she felt totally guilty that she was taking time for herself, even though the children were nestled in bed, her husband wasn’t home yet, and all of the day’s work was done. Her situation lead to this Q&A:

Q: I am someone who thrives on being productive, but lately I’ve been feeling burnt-out. How can I take time to rejuvenate myself without feeling restless or guilty?

A: I can completely understand this situation! As a classic achiever, I’ve struggled with perceiving rest as a dreadful chore. When I slowed down, all I could think about was everything I “should” be doing. Part of this dilemma is about changing your mindset. (In Thursday’s post, I’ll talk about being a human being versus a human doing.) But the other part is all about making the most of your strengths.

In Strengthsfinder 2.0, it defines the “Achiever” strength in this way:

“People who are especially talented in the Achiever theme have a great deal of stamina and work
hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and productive.”

This is a fantastic quality, but can cause problems when you start shaking when you take a moment to sit still.

One strategy that helps me calm down without freaking out is making a “life to do” list. This means I write down activities that rejuvenate me, like taking a walk, spending time with friends, praying, or traveling, and I cross them off as I achieve them. I can make a relaxing Saturday feel ultraproductive when I complete everything on my list.

If you’re feeling burnt-out, I really encourage you to take time to make a to-do list for yourself that includes everything that makes you happy! Then schedule in time every day, week, or month, to complete these “tasks” that fill you up.

As Mel Robbins describes in her podcast “Create Your Ideal Week Using LEGOs,” there are a minimum number of things you need in life to be the best business owner, employee, parent, spouse, and person you can be. By putting those in first, you’ll have the energy and passion to approach the rest of life with gusto!

Be brilliant today!

Elizabeth