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Self-Leadership – How To Make The Time

In the previous blog entry, I talked about how it was important to find the time. How everyone has the same twenty-fours and such. Now, I want to share with you about how to make that time. How to extract the time you need to expand on what is important while minimizing downtime. The next set of questions is where to extract the time from? What to do with that time? Then how install the coming change that implementing the new found time will most bring.

Make The Time

Making time and how to make that time is not an easy task. It is by no means anywhere close to being easy. Well, I exaggerate (a little). It is easy to make time if all you do day in; day out is waste time. If all you have in your life is time to goof around, play on the PS4, or go party with your friends, then yes making the time is easy. However, it becomes a difficult task when we are already doing the important work. The kind of work we do when we are in school, putting in the hours from 9 to 5, and those awesome side hustles.
All that and then we feel like we are still spinning our wheels? Well, no need for the anxiety to set in. Taking a few common-sense approaches will help identify the time, adjusting the time, and implementing the time changes. Let’s get started:

AUDIT YOUR DAY, WEEK, MONTH, YEAR

Auditing your day may take some time to complete. As some days look the same as the previous day, I guarantee you every day is not the same but you know this. While you are auditing your day remember to note everything you from when you start working, what is the first thing you work on, when you take a break, what time you take lunch and so on.

Once you collect your data, next comes determining what works, what does not work, and what you want to start working on, among other things specific to you. Additionally, the audit data collected will also show you things you may not want to see or believe. Good or Bad, it is all a learning experience. A learning experience in that taking a step back will show us who we really are because in a day-to-day setting we are knee deep in the muck that we don’t see all that we really do because it is just the norm.

IDENTIFY WHAT CAN BE CHANGED THEN CHANGE IT

After collecting, sorting and dissecting the data there is a bit more work to do. Now the raw data is going to reveal the truth. The whole, good and bad, truth. The honest truth of what you have and have not been doing will be revealed. It is now the time to get to work.

Now is the time to identify what can be change. To do this, you will have to (honestly) determine what are you spending too much time on and not getting return on that time investment. Next, extract from the collected data what are you spending not enough time on but need to give more time to increase the return on the expanded time investment.

The final step in the identification process is to identify and create the CHANGE you feel (from your gut) you need to make. Having determined the time to be moved, shuffled, re-organized, re-prioritized, and re-distributed you are ready. Next, comes implementation and putting to work the impending change(s).

WORK THE PLAN

When it comes to implementing change in your life there are three trains of thought when it comes to implementing and working on the change(s): all at once, one thing at a time, or clustering the changes. The latter two are more apt to take root in that anything that does not appear right or appropriate can be worked on, modified, adjusted. Unfortunately, this is a luxury that does not accompany the “all at once” option.

Take that knowledge for what it is worth, acting on the change “one thing at a time” is my preferred method to deliver and act on change. It will certainly increase the level of buy-in and acceptance. Sometimes, the want to change is not enough. Whereas, through slow and deliberate actions in the way the plan is implemented and worked will increase success.

Once the first change is implemented then another can safely be brought in and implemented. By taking those slow, deliberate steps you are on the path to integrating the next change. The plan is to make the change an easy implementation of the changes to you, your life, your mission, and goals.

Throughout the entire process or working the plan you have another set of tasks to do. Those tasks are being constant and consistent when working on the fit that working the plan will make. Be careful for once you stop being constantly consistent is when you revert back to your old ways. You will be negating everything you have done up to this point.

The goal was to make the time to work on those things that will make a return on the time investment you make. The goal is also to minimize the continued action of those things that are not generating the kind of return you seek. Thus, it falls on you to stay the course, always. Staying the course of progress and change will most certainly ensure you are making the time. Isn’t that what success is all about?

Thank you,
David Guerra, MBA

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Weekend Challenge #09 (March 21-22, 2020) BAKE FROM SCRATCH

HERE IS YOUR WEEKEND CHALLENGE: BAKE SOMETHING FROM SCRATCH

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Welcome To The Weekend. It is time for another challenge.

Welcome to the weekend. This weekend is probably one of the most uncertain weekends ever in modern history. I would say it certainly is the first most uncertain weekend of the 21st Century. However, it is also a unique opportunity to do things we have not had the time to do or just been too busy to even attempt.

This weekend’s challenge takes into consideration that as you are sequestered at home, self-contained, self-isolated or whatever you want to call it. There you are with nowhere to go because no place is open and the places that are open are there for you to grab and go.

So, while you are home and you have the time, here is the challenge: Bake Something from Scratch.

Take the time to bake something from scratch. By this I mean, gather the ingredients, mix them together, and get to baking.
Seriously, when was the last time you baked a piping hot loaf of bread? Made a cake from scratch? Opening a box and pouring the dry ingredients into a bowl does not count. I am talking about breaking out the ¼ teaspoon measuring spoon and mixing by hand or whisking the batter. Knead the Dough by hand?

Nothing lifts my spirits more than smelling bread baking in the oven or watching made from scratch lemon icing spread on homemade lemon-vanilla cake. In these trying times, we all could use some lifting of our spirits.

Now, if you are not sure what to bake from scratch. Well, famous English food writer, chef and cooking show host, Nigella Lawson, shares a simple, yet great bread recipe, “Basic No-Knead Bread” by Jim Lahey on her website (visit: https://www.nigella.com/recipes/guests/jim-laheys-basic-no-knead-bread).

There are only four (4) ingredients in this recipe; flour, salt, instant or active dry yeast, and water.

Sounds simple enough. Folks, this challenge also serves as a unique opportunity to do something with the family, especially the school age kids, as they get to do something other than to stare down at the small screens. They get an opportunity to not only wash their hands but to create something with those same clean hands.

Parents, you are also giving them a skill that they can carry on for their lives (sustain themselves) and you also now give them a positive memory that they will one day tell their grandchildren about how “during the Corona Virus Pandemic, not only did we hunker down but all of us, the family, baked bread from scratch and it was the greatest tasting bread ever.”

You can do it, as I said, it is not like you don’t have the time.

Get To Baking and Get To Work!

Thanks for your time,
David

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Weekend Challenge #07 (03/07-08/2020): Daylight Saving Time

HERE IS YOUR WEEKEND CHALLENGE: DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME

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Listen to this weekend’s Weekend Challenge


Welcome To The Weekend. It is time for another challenge.

This weekend’s Weekend Challenge is another one that most people tend to ignore and sadly to their own peril and the peril of others (especially loved ones). This weekend is the weekend where here in the United States we set our clocks, microwaves, watches, and timepieces forward one hour.

This weekend is Daylight Saving Time weekend. Before you begin with the nonsense of why do we do this and we should stop. While I agree that we should not have to go through this twice a year, here we are.

What’s so perilous about setting the clock forward now or back one hour this coming November? Nothing unless you have a clock up on your cathedral style ceilings (be careful up there).

The peril comes from NOT doing a safety check of your home, auto, and in some cases your workplace.

Safety Check? Yes, while we are told that the time change is the excellent time to change the batteries on our smoke detectors. However, this is not all we need to do.

The process is really simple. Get out there and work on the following:

1. Yes, replace the batteries but TEST the devices. Test ALL your Smoke Detectors. If you have Carbon Monoxide detectors, check those out as well. Change those batteries also.
2. Folks, if you live in a home that has the smoke detectors powered by the home’s electrical system well DO NOT think you are safe. They have backup batteries. CHECK THEM!
3. Home owners you should have a fire exit plan. You do at work, so why not at home? Have a plan in place. Share it with everyone that lives in your home.
4. Ensure the exit plan and meeting place is properly accessible. Did a tree suddenly grow outside the window your youngest child will use to exit? If so, adjust accordingly
5. Check your home for bugs, insect, and or small animal infestation. It happens.
6. Grooming: keep your property maintained. I never said keep it immaculate. Just maintained.
7. Bug out bags: The change of time also signifies the time of severe or extreme weather is soon upon us. Hurricane Season begins on June 1st approximately 90days after Spring Forward. It also ends on November 30th, less than a month after we Fall back. So, get your evacuation plan and gear together and up to date.

Remember, take the time this weekend to do a comprehensive check up on your home and you will be ready now to deal with issues instead of when you suddenly have a situation that you could have dealt with earlier. Don’t say I didn’t warn you! Oh, and I will say I told you so.

Do not get caught short, Get To WORK!

Thanks for your time,
David