Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the Crows Foundation Ladies Luncheon. The room was full of energetic, happy, generous women; it was a wonderful afternoon.

The lunch was chock full of action, including an auction, a Liza Emanuele fashion parade, and a silent auction (which we were proud to contribute to). The highlight for me however, was the wonderful keynote presentation delivered by The Today Show’s Lisa Wilkinson.

Lisa was funny, inspiring and moving. She took us through the story of going from high school to ‘Girl Friday’ of Dolly magazine, becoming it’s Editor at the age of 21! She talked of how she moved to editor of Cleo (headhunted by Kerry Packer himself) and all the way to her current role as co-host on The Today Show. Lisa also told us the story (at length and in detail which I loved!) of how she met her husband, the well-known author and former Wallabies Rugby Player, Peter Fitzsimons.

In a room full of women, one of the key messages Lisa delivered  was to try to move beyond the idea that as women we should be able to do everything. Yes, getting up at 3am every week day (I shudder just thinking about it!) and having 3 children means Lisa has simply had to accept that she can’t do everything. From her speech I learnt that juggling all the balls is only possible, most of the time, if you keep on top of your communication. Lisa’s communication with her husband, her children and her work colleagues is crucial in ensuring she can manage some sort of work life balance.

The other thing that struck me was that whenever her contract comes up for renewal, it is her husband and kids who have the final say. Lisa said that as soon as they said ‘no more’, she would give up The Today Show. Simply, her family was the most important thing in her life.

In reading an interview with Lisa Wilkinson on MotherInc.com.au Lisa gave me some great insight into her views on work life balance:

“I’m like most mums who are either in full time or part time work or are full time mothers, you have your good times and your bad. I just manage the keep the balls in the air about half the time and as a mum that’s not a bad strike rate.” 

“When I started with the Today Show we thought it would be great because our body clocks would be more aligned as we were both getting up early. We thought we could balance it and essentially we thought we were making it work. But six months later we were both so tired at the end of the day so Pete gave up breakfast radio.”

And my personal favourite – “I have spoken with lots of other women who do breakfast radio and television and they have given me some advice. They have said the first six months you’ll feel like a superwoman getting everything done and in bed by 10.30pm. After six months you have to learn to make peace with yourself and realise you can’t do it all and you’ll be in bed by 7.30pm! I’m at that stage now and I’m learning that I don’t have to be in control of all the little details, that I can let other people take some of the slack.”

Often we see celebrities as far removed from us. We see them as either superhuman or so rich they can afford to hire people to help with everything in their lives. It is nice to peek behind the curtain and realise that for the most part they are just like us, with the same issues and guilt and balls to juggle.

Everyone on my table at the Crows Foundation Ladies Luncheon agreed that Lisa was just like she appears on TV – funny, self effacing and down to earth. A great speaker, and I imagine, a wonderful woman to be around!

P.S. Thank you to Adele Basheer from Intrinsic for the invitation to join her table!

Last year was my first Mother’s Day. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I think I was just looking forward to breakfast in bed or some chocolates or a nice lunch out (incidentally I was given a great book by Adelaide author Jane Paech, A Family in Paris). I got something even better. What I felt was an amazing thankfulness that I had been lucky enough to celebrate Mother’s Day. I was now a mother. It was something I had always imagined, and at that stage I had been a mother for over 5 months. Yet it wasn’t until Mother’s Day that I realised in fact how very fortunate I am. On Mother’s Day, I was just happy to be a Mum. Full stop.

Later when I asked my Mum what her most memorable Mother’s Day gift had been (in preparation for a radio interview with Amanda Blair) I expected her to come up with something like our handmade gifts, or a family photo, or a day trip we took. Perhaps even the surf fishing rod Dad gave her (true story, although I think it was actually a birthday present!). But no, she did not give any of these answers.

What Was My Mum’s Most Memorable Mother’s Day Present?

My mum’s answer - the Mother’s Day she woke up and no one was home.

Yes, that’s right. There was no one there delivering breakfast in bed. There was no one with flowers or chocolates. There was no one trying to crawl under the covers and snuggle with her, fighting to see who got the best possie.

No one. At all.

This was my mum’s dream. In two words – peace and quiet. For a whole day.

It seems Dad had gotten us all up early, bundled us in the car and taken us somewhere. Mum had no idea where. She didn’t care.

Would You Dare Recreate My Mum’s Most Memorable Mother’s Day?

I’m not sure where Dad got the inspiration for this amazing Mother’s Day Gift. Perhaps mum had dropped a few subtle and not so subtle hints. I am sure in the tradition of my Dad, Mum never actually dreamed it would come true.

So what about the mum in your life?

Would the mum in your life (your wife, your sister, your daughter, your cousin) be overwhelmed if on Mother’s Day you simply snuck the kids out of the house and left her to it?

What about if you also left a pre-booked massage voucher on the kitchen bench next to some flowers? (Although, I can hear my mum say “I wouldn’t even want to have to go anywhere. Then I’d actually have to get up, have a shower, get dressed……..!”).

How about if you left some chocolates, a bottle of wine or her favourite tea, a pile of her favourite DVD’s and a new pair of Ugg Boots?

Sometimes the best gift is not actually a gift at all. In this case my Dad had truly given my Mum the gift of time. The gift of time all to herself. To do whatever she wanted. Whenever she wanted. No interruptions, no whining, no fighting.

I don’t think I will need  my Mum’s most memorable Mother’s Day recreated this year. However, I can imagine there will come a time when I will appreciate this just as much as my Mum. (Tim, perhaps bookmark this post for future reference!).

What is your most memorable Mother’s Day? What is your mum’s most memorable Mother’s Day? We’d love to hear from you. Please share in the comments below.

P.S. If all of this seems like a lot to organise, you know you can ask your personal concierge to help out!

Take this test to see how much of a Pro you are at juggling:

• Could you cook dinner, supervise homework, do a set of squats, clean the kitchen benches and have a phone conversation?
• Could you drive, listen to a business webinar, put your makeup on at traffic lights and do your pelvic floor exercises?
• Could you scoff a sandwich, edit a report, chat on-and-off with a colleague and stretch your legs after a pre-lunch jog?

Sure you could, right?  And more! 

When I was a kid, there was a well-known advertising campaign built around the catchphrase: ‘Life. Be in it’.  It encouraged pin-up slob, Norm, to ditch the beer and the TV and get active.

Thirty years on, it’s as if a big bunch of people have taken this idea and run rings around it.  ‘Life be in it’ indeed!  Hah!  We’re living by a new maxim now: ‘Life. Thrash it to bits.’

I have a friend who was last seen skimming over the surface of her world like a first-time ice skater – desperately trying to stay upright, clutching at passers-by – heading for a spectacular crash.  It was thrilling for a while – living on fast forward, ‘having it all’.  Then it was wearing.  Irritating.  Too much.

She would collapse into bed each night – physically spent and desperate for sleep, which is when her racing mind would kick in with its insomnia-provoking ritual of picking over the ‘undone’ on the to-do list – a vulture that wouldn’t let its prey alone.

But wait!  There’s more.  And more.  And more…

‘Gaah! Stop the world…’ she would plead.  ‘Everything’s frantic!  Crazy busy!  Insane!’

And yet there are people whose experience of life is quite different from this.  Quite ‘sane’.  Very ‘devoid’ of skating wildly on thin ice, screaming ‘Look at m-eeee…’  Clunk!  Repeat.

These people are calm.  They’re comfortable in their own skin.  They’re getting somewhere towards their goals.

They sleep.  They eat.  They exercise.

They see their friends.  They have ‘me time’.

They have space.

These people are motivated, inspired, excited, satisfied, and they laugh – a lot.  They’re ‘present’ in their own lives – living deep, not fast.

More often than not, the people I meet who have life balance ‘sorted’ have done so after a wake-up call that nobody would choose to experience.   Something, or someone, plucked them unceremoniously from the dazzling, chaotic merry-go-round of life and dumped them on the cold, unforgiving pavement beside it.  Hard.

And, while they scrambled to their feet again – as they glanced up, they developed a vastly different perspective on the ride.  They’re not seen queuing up for another turn.  They won’t risk being spat out again.

‘Something has to change…’

It’s a phrase I hear so often from my clients.  Desperate people call for … well, measures that aren’t that desperate, actually.  Which often comes as a pleasant relief.

Feeling completely ‘over it’ right now?  Here are three easy ways to get off the ice and onto more stable footings:

Single task

Choose one thing and do only that.  Much of our frustration while multi-tasking comes from having to frequently ‘shift gears’.

Create ‘white space’

Between tasks, or appointments, build in some ‘white space’ in your diary.  You’ll get more done by doing less, and allowing a few minutes to re-charge and to re-group your thoughts and priorities.

Be 100% present

Whatever you’re doing at any one time, focus exclusively on it.

• Hide-and-Seek with the kids?  Immerse yourself, instead of folding the washing and listening for the blackberry.
• Lunch?  Put the magazine down and focus on the tastes, the textures and the flavours.
• Work?  Shut off email and other distractions, including that nagging inner voice that may be whingeing at you to be elsewhere.

Life becomes more meaningful and productive when we learn to absorb ourselves in activities more deeply, single-mindedly and purposefully.

It may be easier to lose the frazzle than you think.

It’s your life. Be in it

Emma Grey is the author of Wits’ End Before Breakfast! Confessions of a Working Mum (Lothian, 2005). Her training consultancy, www.worklifebliss.com.au, throws a lifeline to women who are struggling to ‘have it all’ and she offers a free eBook on the site, called ‘The 7 Types of Busy: how to untangle yourself from having too much’. Emma has three children and two step-children – two young adults, a teen, a tween and a toddler. She’s two books in, writing a teen-fiction trilogy (no vampires) and loves travel, social networking and ABBA tribute nights and she blogs every so often at www.emmacatherinegrey.blogspot.com. 

Welcome to our latest ‘Balance Beam’ work life balance profile, brought to you by Rod Sherwin from Tap4Health.

This post is another great example of how you can incorporate different work life balance initiatives into your organisation, in particular from the perspective of someone working a full-time job and growing their own business aswell.

Would like your organisation profiled on our blog? We would love to hear from you. Please scroll to the end of this post for further information.

Don’t forget to share this post with your followers and friends!

Title: Energy Therapist

Company: Tap4Health

Country: Australia

State/Province: Victoria

Years in business: 6

Number of staff including business owner: 1

Website: www.tap4health.com

1. What are some of the work life balance issues your organisation faces?

I’m still in the process of building my practice and have to work a ‘day job’ to help with the finances so I have to work on my own stuff outside hours. I do a couple of hours in the morning before going to work and then seeing clients and more work after hours. It’s like working two jobs. Because I’m so passionate about building my practice it doesn’t necessarily feel like work but occasionally you think, “What else could/would I be doing if I wasn’t working so hard?”

2. What work life balance initiatives do you have in your organisation, big or small?

I’m pretty good at taking Sunday’s off. Given I have a home office, I need to get out of the house for the day to get away from the temptation of sitting down at the computer and losing a few hours. Otherwise, the rest of the week is busy. I only take time to watch TV on the weekend so I get a few more hours back in my day each day because of that.

I also have a work timer on my computers to remind me to stand-up, stretch and take a break at least every 40 minutes to an hour.

3. What have been the main benefits to your organisation of these initiatives?

Having the Sunday off does allow ideas to incubate and germinate so that when I hit the desk on Monday, I’m actually keen to implement and move forward on new projects. I find that, if I work through Sunday, that I’m dragging my heels from the start of the week.

Having regular breaks from the computer helps be more conscious of the discomfort of sitting so long and now I tend to move more often just from the feeling of sitting for too long.

4. Have there been any obstacles or issues in implementing your work life balance initiatives?

Mainly my own internal drive to get things done! Once you gain momentum and are fully immersed and focused on doing something there is resistance to taking a break even though you know you will benefit from it. I learned long ago to “Rest before you need it” and you will actually be productive for longer periods of time.

5. Do you conduct any regular surveying or evaluation of your work life initiatives?

My Sunday’s are good for taking a stepping back and seeing how I’m feeling mentally, physically, and emotionally.

6. What are some of your own personal work life balance and/or time management tips?

I mentioned “Rest before you need it” which came from Dale Carnegie. I used to do a lot of long distance driving and found that being disciplined about taking a break every two hours meant I could keep going for 12 hours without being overly fatigued. I’ve found this also translates to office work.

My other suggestion would be that, when you take a break, have a proper break. Don’t take a break from your computer to check your twitter feed on your phone. That’s not a break. Do something completely different. I have another habit of just leaving the office and walking around the block then coming back to my desk. It only takes a few minutes but can do wonders for the circulation and clear the cobwebs from the brain.

7. What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Getting out and about and exploring the wonderful city of Melbourne. I love going to the Aussie Rules football and Cricket when they’re in season, otherwise, a good book and a cup of tea, or a beer and some good blues music works wonders for unwinding.

8. Tell us about your organisation. What are the key services of your organisation and what is your target market?

I help people experience emotional freedom from issues such as stress, anxiety, fear, trauma, abuse, relationship issues, chronic pain and emotional eating. I use techniques from the fields of energy psychology and energy medicine to achieve results in a few sessions that can take years with conventional talk therapies.

9. What is your role within the organisation?

Being a solo entrepreneur, I do everything! This includes marketing, product creation, web site content creation and maintenance, running workshops and, of course, seeing clients.

10. Other comments, tips or ideas:

I recently learned of the idea of taking a pause during our busy day. We are sometimes so busy that the day flashes by (or the week, or the month!) and we’re not sure what we were actually doing during that time. By taking a few moments in between tasks to just stop, take a breath or two, let you energy settle in the present moment, reconnect to right now, let go of all the things that we have yet to do, and just be for a few breaths can really help with your wellbeing on all levels. It doesn’t take as long as a full break; it’s more of a mental pause but it really helps to relax you mental frenzy.

Abbie’s Comments: “Have you considered setting a timer on your computer? You could use it not only to schedule breaks, but also to focus on a particularly task for a specific time.”

Triggers. We all have them. Whether they stem from a new relationship, a certain food, a distinct smell, a conversation, or even a TV program, they exist to show us that we may still have some healing to do in our lives.

Our emotional wellbeing plays a huge role in determining the state of our mental health, the decisions we make about our lives, the food we crave, the relationships we manifest, what we choose to study, where / if we choose to work, who we surround ourselves with and whether we surrender to our addictions.

A friend recently talked about the clarity he had about his childhood through the connections he’d established with his former girlfriends. His reluctance to commit to a woman and then the subsequent resistance to be part of a normal relationship stemmed from the fact that there was in fact nothing ‘normal’ about his upbringing.

The patterns that had developed in his life were based on abuse, fear and physical violence. Despite his resolve to heal, his dedication to therapy and his commitment to his wellbeing, he realised that part of the ongoing healing lies in being able to cope with life’s inevitable triggers.

One of my first yoga teachers often says, the highest form of yoga is being in a relationship. Learning to communicate effectively, mastering the art of compromise and embracing the different stages of love that a relationship has, is all part of being with someone.

The dynamics that exist in our more complex relationships are what provide the material for our greatest life lessons and subsequent healing. In my kinesiology practice, I’ve noticed that it’s these very triggers that throw our world into chaos and often make us feel as though we’re stuck in life.

It’s the desire to move past this sensation of being in a rut that opens the door for us to heal and re-create positive life patterns. The power of kinesiology lies in being able to determine the original time for this sensation, which gives us a clue as to why we might be predisposed to repeating this pattern.

Ask any woman trying to fall pregnant what its like to receive news that another one of your friends is expectant. It’s tough to try and be happy when in reality, you’re fighting your own disappointment. It’s similar when your friends are married and you wind up flying solo as the odd number on a couple’s only table. I suppose the only thing worse would be getting lumped at the kiddy’s table.

A few years back, I laughed hysterically when I watched a movie called ‘The Break Up’ with Vince Vaughan and Jennifer Aniston and was bewildered when one of my friends didn’t find it funny. “That’s because it wasn’t your horrible life being acted out on the big screen”, she’d countered at the time. I suppose had I watched Bridget Jones after my own life experience that had been eerily similar at the time, I may have reacted the same way…

What are your triggers?

Patty Kikos is a modern day healer and yogini best known for her lively and upbeat classes and friendly personality. Her professional career has been eclectic and diverse. Originally a social worker, a trained dancer and then a celebrant, she now runs a thriving business as a kinesiologist and yoga teacher. Her dedication to yoga and healing has deepened in the last few years as she uncovers the parallels between Chinese Medicine and Kundalini Yoga. She uses Yoga & Kinesiology to help others heal what cannot be endured and to endure what cannot be healed. Her fun loving expression is often echoed in her classes with her choice in music, sequencing skills and meditation techniques.

The number of organisations utilising the services of a Corporate Concierge is still relatively low in Australia. In fact it is quite difficult to get real data on organisations who have implemented a concierge service.

“That’s because we don’t need corporate concierge services!” I hear you say.

In America however, many organisations are starting to realise the benefits of Corporate Concierge Services. It isn’t surprising when you take a look at the statistics Nicole R Matthews from The Henley Company quotes in her recent article, ‘The Dirty Little Secret – No One is REALLY Working 8 Hour Days”:

53% of employees would opt for a personal assistant rather than a personal trainer.*

Only 14% of Americans take two weeks or more at a time for vacation. The average American spends more time in the bathroom than on vacation.*

88% of employees say they have a hard time juggling work and life.*

70% of working fathers and working mothers report they don’t have enough time for their children.*

64% of Americans report that time pressures on working families are getting worse, not better.*

I wouldn’t be surprised if these statistics were very similar to responses you would gain from Australians. If this is the case, what is the cause? And what is the solution? Because in my mind we need a solution. I believe we need to start making headway into the working culture of our country and the apparent belief that to pay the mortgage and put our children through school we need to work extremely long hours to earn our pay cheques. Maybe, just maybe, a Corporate Concierge service could go some of the way to assist these changes.

Work To Live, Don’t Live To Work

The common mantra is that we should be working to live, not living to work. I wonder for how many this is actually a day-to-day reality. Are you one of the 88% who have a hard time juggling work and life? Are you one of the 64% who feel working pressures are getting worse?

Some Key Questions

I often ask myself why it is that so many employees seem to be working well beyond their contractual work hours? I have quite a few questions:

• Are they being as productive as they could be?
• Are they able to manage their time as well as they should be?
• Are the responsibilities for the role simply more than one person can handle?
• Are they being supported by their employer and family to manage their life outside of work in an effort to reduce the juggle?
• And are employers and employees regularly sitting down and asking these questions of each other, and doing their best to come up with the answers?

Is a Corporate Concierge The Answer?

Now a Corporate Concierge service may not be the answer for your organisation, but perhaps it is worth considering. Finding creative ways to give your staff more time, reducing their stress and improving their focus could be just the thing your organisation needs to grow and develop.

The corporate clients who use us have found having our support team available to their staff to be invaluable (read more here). Some of the ways they use us include:

• Organising and meeting tradespeople so they don’t have to take the day off to do it themselves
• Grocery shopping and errand running so they don’t have to do it in their lunch break or when everyone else is at the supermarket
• Checking the post, watering plants and walking dogs whilst they are away on business travel
• Taking elderly parents or relatives to doctors appointments so they know they are being looked after rather than relying on a taxi service
• Assisting relocations and moving house to attract and support international and interstate staff

Why Not Try Out A Corporate Concierge?

One of the ways you might answer the question as to whether your organisation could use a Corporate Concierge is to consider trialling us as part of a pilot program.

In the next few weeks we will be launching our official Pilot Program offering but you can schedule a meeting with us at any time to discuss your options further. Find out how our Pilot Program works, how you and your staff can experience our services, and how we can tailor the program to best suit your needs. Contact Abbie either 0407 972 694 or abbie@lifestyleelements.com.au

*To view sources, please go to Nicole’s article here.

Even as a child, I can recall lying on the floor in agony until the pain subsided, the doctors always put it down to a rumbling appendix or a lazy bowel. As I got older I was diagnosed with IBS, by my GP, even though I didn’t meet a large majority of the criteria, thus a large majority of my pain and discomfort was left unexplained.

At 17 I was officially diagnosed with endometrosis, which I have continued to suffer from for over 13 years. This was not a good combination with coeliac disease, the monthly swelling and pain was beyond belief. Any digestion of high gluten containing food such as pasta and pizza would result in unbearable pain, which often resulted in me ending up in hospital.

I lived my life wearing stretchy pull up type pants and was even thinking of buying maternity pants, because without any warning, by stomach would blow up like a puffer fish within a few minutes, and I would look 5-6 months pregnant! I had to wear baggy tops, as a school teacher I was frequently asked by the younger children if there was a baby in my belly, I would respond with ‘no, I just have a sore tummy’! I’m sure the parents at my school were confused by my stomach, that would increase and decrease; pregnancy rumours were rife.

It wasn’t until I was extremely sick, suffering from severe anaemia, with iron levels of 4, requiring injections, which would cause me to pass out at times, or be so incredibly tired. My doctor referred me to a gastrologist, due to these iron levels; he ordered what I call channel 9 and channel 10 camera crews (an endoscopy and laparoscopy). I thought it might be an idea to mention the swelling to my stomach after eating certain foods. I received a very arrogant response, assuming I had self diagnosed from reading magazines. My blank face and asking what the disease was, changed his mind.

Sure enough, a month later, upon my return I was diagnosed with coeliac disease! Finally I had an answer to my problems. It was like an awakening, I could start my new life, simply by changing my diet.

It was amazing within a month I felt better, I had more energy, no massive belly, and I began to learn how to cook things the gluten free way. My iron stores built up and I felt revitalised. I still had the monthly pains, but minus the excessive bloating.

Living as a coeliac, my biggest problems are going out to restaurants or eating out somewhere for lunch etc! I have been contaminated with gluten, from a gf menu! Most chefs know very little of coeliac disease or allergies in general!

I now have my set of questions I ask, and I make the waiter go back and check with the chef. It isn’t worth ruining my night, for one meal!

About Rachel: Since being diagnosed I have started a blog, sharing my stories, recipes, restaurants etc with others. I have a world-wide readership! If you would like to read my blog the address is http://www.mishapsandmayhemofaglutenfreelife.blogspot.com or you can follow me on Twitter @MMOAGFL>

Please if you suffer any of the symptoms of coeliac disease or your parents do, go and see your doctor and ask to get tested. Untreated in can do horrible things to the body!  

The reasons why people buy insurance policies these days have certainly changed from the reasons in the past decade. As the time is changing, so are the needs. Let us have a look at the various reasons prompting people to buy life insurance:

• Life insurance-The foremost reason still stands the same as its inception. More than 80% of people insure their lives in order to make their family’s future secure as it provides tax free funds to help your family get on with their lives.
• Emergency Fund and payment of outstanding bills- People tend to buy insurance policies to meet their adjustment expenses, such as medical or time off work expenses. Other than this, insurance policies also help people pay off their outstanding debts like mortgages and other loans.
• Education funding- Many life insurance policies have the option of education funding on the death of a parent.
• Income Replacement- You can protect your family’s future by buying income protection policy in the event of a death or serious illness.
• Funeral expenses- Funeral insurance provides complete coverage to costs related to funeral and other administrative expenses.
• Business protection- Business insurance policies often prove to be a valuable asset to fund partnership agreements. Upon the death of a business partner, his family can be significantly bought out with insurance proceeds.

All said, life insurance policies should not be treated as to accumulate wealth but as a financial security for future liabilities and other financial commitments like mortgage, medical bills, education fess, etc. You must take time to research the insurance industry for reputed insurance providers, best policy types, and additional benefits. Any hasty decision in buying a life insurance policy can result in a wrong deal.

www.life-assurance.org is the best place to compare life insurance policies and their providers. Visit the website and compare life insurance quotes for free.

Something’s puzzling me and I can’t quite work it out.

Today, we have more time-saving, convenience creating, effort reducing resources than ever before and yet we seem to be busier, more stressed and time poor.

I just don’t get it. There’s now an app for everything and you can DIY or outsource pretty much anything so in theory, life should be getting easier, right? Wrong!

As as an executive coach visiting clients in various city offices, I notice an insidious, entrenched and common theme. My clients are smart people working for corporate, government and non-profit organizations, all with very different purposes and yet one way or another, they all lament their lack of time. Here are some of the expressions I hear often – maybe you relate to them:

I don’t have the bandwidth

I’m in back to back meetings all week so won’t have time…

My inbox is killing me

We’re really stretched at the moment

There isn’t time (the common cry of a pressured project team juggling multiple priorities as they stare down the barrel at a ‘go live’ for their system in 3 weeks)

The ‘inbox’ one was interesting. One guy had over 2,000 unread emails in his inbox and his way of surviving the email tsunami was to ignore them until the sender spoke to him directly. “I figure that if it’s important enough, they’ll come around and talk to me or pick up the phone.” Hmmm, sounds good in theory but I wonder how that works if the email is from the CEO.

Yet, he’s also onto something here – he’s Filtering. By prioritizing his emails based on a set of criteria (in his case the personal contact effort made by the sender), he’s filtering in what he believes is important and ignoring the rest.

With millions of bytes of information coming at us every second, we’d soon drown in overload if we didn’t filter it. Our natural reaction is to distort, delete or generalise as a mechanism to keep control of our lives. Yet, if that was an effective technique, why are we all still so busy?

If this is how it is for you, it’s time to spring clean your filters.

Like every other useful resource we can call on, our information filters need routine maintenance. Over time they become clogged with the exhaust fumes of life. Rather than consciously and regularly sifting out the obsolete and unnecessary crud whilst keeping the important, they become blocked.

Understand what’s driving your ‘busy’.

Our actions are driven by an underlying cause that often isn’t connected to the activity or its outcome. This can include ‘a need to be needed’, a determination to be seen to be ‘on top of it all’ ( superwoman/man syndrome – a common one for perfectionists and high achievers), or procrastination because we’re not sure what to do or how to do it. This can lead to aimless ‘fluffing’ and before you know it, you’ve blown hours or days and achieved little more than frustration.

Recognising the real cause of your lack of time helps you take steps to reclaim it. Think about it – if we valued time as much as we value money, wouldn’t we have more rather than less? Imagine how different it would be if you had plenty of time in the tank and were time rich rather than time poor.

Decide what’s mportant

The best way to et the ‘busy’ under control is to check in on what’s most important and ensure ou’re focus is largely on your main priorities. Do you really need to attend hat meeting that you know will go round in circles or is it just that you on’t want to mss out on being ‘in the know’?

Know what matters most

Check that your priorities will make a real difference. One of the best ways to identify this s to ask, “Of all the things I’ve got on my plate, which will make the most difference a hundred years from now?” Chances are not many, but it’s a sobering thought. If it doesn’t really matter – don’t do it! Choosing not to do something is surprisingly liberating.

Identify the best return on your time investment.

If there were no limits, what would you choose to be doing right now? Yes, you do have a choice as to how you spend your time, far more often than you realize. Which task is going to pay back far more than the time you’ll invest in it? This is a great way of stripping out the time wasters from your day.

Clogged filters are making us busy. That’s my theory but I’m sure it’s not the whole story. With so much more at our fingertips to ‘save time’, why do you think we’re still soooo busy?

Caroline Cameron is an executive, business, career and lifestyle coach, who presents enlightening new insights into the life many of us are living today. Caroline is the founder of professional and personal development company, Possibility to Reality www.p2r.com.au. Caroline offers a specialist service to help those wanting to successfully escape the rat race (www.seachangesuccess.com.au) and is ANZI Coaching’s ‘Coach of the Year’ for 2011. Connect with Caroline via LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and her blog.