As a middle management sales team specialist, Judy didn’t have a moment to spare. She didn’t have time on her hands to worry about what tomorrow would bring; she had so many things to do within a 24 hour period that an army of six couldn’t possibly accomplish in a month.
She thought her time was an endless commodity, not something to be valued and budgeted as a finite quantity? She almost boasted about how hectic her schedule was and how her calendar was always overflowing. However it wasn’t long before she realized her glee was quite misplaced as she became increasingly unable to meet all the demands she imposed upon her life.
Judy was crumbling under the pressure of her hectic schedule, experiencing increased stress, a steady string of minor health issues and losing the battle of spending quality time with her family and a few close friends. Even worse, Judy was missing out on the most important years of her pre-teen son’s life and all of his activities.
Besides change, time is the most dependable certainty you have in your life. With each sunrise and sunset another 24 hours arrives and passes. Time is the bridge that connects your yesterday to your tomorrow. You exchange a day of your life for those 24 hours of time. Is it the day you wanted, a day you planned, a day you were in control of?
Do You Control Your Time?
Each person has the same 24 hours in a day but doesn’t always know how to use this precious commodity. As children grow up they can hardly wait for time to pass to become a teenager, then 16 and then 21 as if there was something magical about each of those measurements of time.
Then as adults, people start dreading time and the 9 years, 39 then 49; and at 59 they think the world will surely come to an end as you turn the calendar. After your 50th birthday, as the next 24 hours pass, a person realizes that a birthday truly is just another 24 hours of time passing.
Balancing Time puts You In Control!
Most everyone will realize sooner or later how valuable time is and will want to be more in control of their time. They want schedules to be less hectic, find more joy in life and not allow the calendar to control them. Imagine ending each day with time left over just for you. Imagine a better tomorrow with much less stress, filled with joy. Imagine a world where things go right 98% of the time. Imagine a world where you control time and time does not control you. If you can imagine this, you can create it and control it not the other way around.
When applying Feng Shui principles to your life, balance is the key. Feng Shui isn’t just about the placement of something and enhancements but rather the improvement of your life so you can live a better life and enjoy it more. Balance in your surroundings provides you supportive positive energy so you can create that better life. Balance in self leads to peace and joy within. However, balancing your time keeps you in control in your life, not your hectic schedule controlling you. When you are in control,you are no longer a victim of your calendar but have taken control of your day so you can create your future.
Create a Balanced-Time Budget
There are five basic ways time is spent. Judy learned to treat these five segments the same way she budgeted her money. Your only allotment of time is 24 hours in any day. Budget it much like you would your income for expenses, needs, wants and savings. You will realize through this process that time is of great value, to be carefully budgeted and to be guarded at all cost.
Analyze how you spend time to gauge whether it is in balance and serving you well or whether your hectic schedule is controlling you to determine where it needs adjustment.
Work – unclutter and organize your surroundings and your calendar so you can be more efficient and effective – you will reduce stress and have more time to do the things you want to do
Relationships – un-clutter your schedule and budget time on your calendar for your relationships – they will improve and you will enjoy life more
Recreation – plan daily fitness activity for the body and creative right brain activities weekly to nurture the mind – you will feel better physically and emotionally
Sleep – budget your ideal amount of rest daily for regenerating your body – eliminate late night television viewing and eating – you will feel refreshed every morning
Nurturing your spiritual self – budget time daily for some form of spiritual endeavor such as church or synagogue activities, meditation, journaling, going for long walks in nature or prayer – you will be motivated and inspired
Balance comes from budgeting time daily or weekly for each of these areas of your life. If too much time is spent in one area, all of the others suffer as does your personal well-being.
Judy discovered she was out of balance and out of control by budgeting most of her time for work leaving little or no time for most of the other categories. If any one of these categories as is missing or overloaded in your schedule; you will create a major imbalance in your life that will lead to stress and poor health.
In order to find balance and be in-control of your time you need to make a conscious decision to budget time just like money. If you are not missing one of the above but still feel out of balance, evaluate whether you are unbalanced in the way you actually spend your time in each category and make a budget change within that category.
One Size Doesn’t Fit All
This is not a one size fits all process. Each person needs a specific amount of time devoted to sleep and recreation to balance work and relationship interactions. However most people do not realize they need a certain amount of time to take care of their creative and spiritual needs too.
These are the two categories Judy was completely missing leading her to ask the age old question “is that all there is.” No, that is not all there is but in order to find the illusive “that,” you need to spend creative and spiritual time nurturing your heart and soul to find it.
Review and balance the way you spend your time. Control that hectic schedule so you can be in control. Budget your time expenditures as necessary so can you have extra time to do the things you want to do and have less stressful days that provide you with more peace and joy.
© Pat Heydlauff, all rights reserved 2009
Pat Heydlauff, president of Energy Design, uses Feng Shui design principles to eliminate chaos and stress at home and within oneself. More than a Feng Shui expert, Pat is a consultant and speaker who helps remove clutter and negativity while encouraging personal growth, improved relationships and prosperity. Her book, “Feng Shui: So Easy a Child Can Do It” shows how small changes can lead to a big improvement in one’s personal and professional success.Contact Pat for consulting and speaking, visit: www.Energy-by-Design.com. or call: 561-408-2708.