What do Jim Donald, Susan Lyne, and Bill Gates have in common? Each of these busy, highly successful professionals has tackled the problem of too much to do in too little time, and come out on top. Let’s take a look at how these high profile managers budget their time.

Prioritize.
Jim Donald, CEO and president of Starbucks, considers himself to be fanatical about communicating. He receives over 200 e-mails per day, responding at least briefly to 75% of them. His secret is to start the day early (6 AM) because it’s the perfect time to reach out to people. In the quiet of the morning, he leaves voicemails for his managers, writes personal thank you cards and signs birthday cards. Clearly, he places a high priority on building and maintaining relationships, and he aligns his day accordingly.

Macro-manage.
Susan Lyne, president and CEO of Martha Stewart Living, doesn’t get caught up in the little stuff. She manages at the macro level, trusting her staff to do the job right. Lyne says that the best way to grow a company is to hire fantastic people. She only hires people that she feels have the potential to do her job! Macro-management allows Lyne to focus on what’s most important, while freeing her staff to do their best work.

Digitally empower.
Bill Gates, chairman and chief software engineer of Microsoft, uses digital tools to organize his day. Really, would you expect anything less? Three synchronized screens form his computer’s desktop because, he says, “once you have that large display area, you’ll never go back, because it has a direct impact on productivity.”

Email is Gate’s medium of choice. A select group of people have direct access to him via email, with the remainder filtered through his assistant. Not a fan of to-do lists, he relies on e-mail, desktop folders and an online calendar to stay organized. He saves time looking for documents by making full use of desktop search instead of using his computer’s hierarchy of files and folders.

Capture Ideas.
One common thread with each of these people is that they make sure to capture ideas as they occur. One uses a hardback black binder, keeping it with him at all times. Another uses a simple notebook. Mr. Gates, as you’d expect, uses a Tablet PC. Regardless of the format used to record information, they all refer back to their notes at the end of the day, making sure good ideas are acted upon, and making sure nothing slips through the cracks.

There you have it, four simple ideas that work for highly successful managers. Make room for your highest priority first. Free up your time while empowering your team through macro-management. Learn how to use your existing digital tools more effectively to manage your time and documents. And make sure to capture ideas as they occur, returning to your notes by day’s or week’s end for actionable items. Apply these ideas at work and home, and feel your productivity and effectiveness soar.

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May20, 2008

 

 

HARTLAND, Wis. – David Bohl, owner of Slow Down FAST (www.slowdownfast.com) will present "How to have a more empowered life, making the choices that are in alignment with your heart's desires, for greater life fulfillment and effectiveness!"' at a lunch-and-learn on Friday, May 23, 2008, at Susan K. Wehrley's Lakeview Center (161 West Wisconsin Ave. Pewaukee, 53072). The cost to attend the event, which is open to the public, is $10 in advance or $15 at the door.

A member of Wehrley’s BIZremedies roster, Bohl will speak from 12:15 p.m., until 12:45 p.m., about how to make choices in life that align with personal and professional ambitions and desires. The event will teach attendees tips and techniques for how to set, work toward and achieve their goals based on their own timelines. The program aligns with BIZremedies.com’s mission to provide links to products, services and expert advice for growing businesses.

Bohl traveled his own journey to a simultaneous productive and fulfilling life after he sped along the fast lane as a venture capitalist. His mission, today, is to empower others so that they may live proactively instead of reactively, and don’t have to experience the pitfalls that he did en route to a work-life balance.

Wehrley, CEO and Founder of BIZremedies and Solutions by Susan (www.solutionsbysusan.com) will open the Lunch-and-Learn and Bohl will follow.

Reservations may be made in advance by emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with a name and phone number and an online payment method. Reservations may also be made by phone at (262) 691-7708.

A lifestyle mentor who works with clients worldwide, Bohl experienced capitalism as a high-speed, high-stressed global investor. Once smothered by his own success, Bohl took a step back and reclaimed his time, health and family. He is the author of “The Happiness Trilogy; 3 Steps to Happiness” as well as other eBooks and articles.

###

 

The Wisdom of Life Self-Coaching Program is a pre-requisite to the Wisdom of Life Coaching Certification Program.   The six week course is for anyone who wants tools to live the life they said they'd live.  Students gain a deeper understanding of inner guidance, learn tools to release the past and experience the life of their desires.

A free introduction to the Wisdom of Life Self-Coaching Program will be given on Wednesday, May 28th from 7-8 p.m. at Joyful Living Center, 2329 Silvernail Road, Pewaukee, WI.  Bring your intention or new desires and gain insights on achieving them.  To learn more about the program before then, see: www.PattyJacksonLifeCoach.com .

 RSVP appreciated but not necessary.  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 262-522-3772

So you've arrived. The corner office, the private assistant and the six-figure salary are yours. People are finally giving you the attention and respect you've worked nearly your whole life to attain.

If you haven't quite reached this place in life, the above would seem mighty alluring. Success is something that we all dream of. And yet to experience it is to know an entirely new set of challenges and obstacles. Why?

1. Success brings intense pressure to keep delivering.

Imagine you're the head of Warner Brothers Pictures; or you're Bill Gates, at the helm of the Microsoft dynasty. The world is waiting for you to make your next move; and there are those who would gladly take your spot should you misstep. Becoming first in command does not bring about that sense of completeness or relief that most expect. Instead, it carries with it a new set of worries that make their permanent home in the pit of your stomach. What if you screw up? What then?

2. Everyone expects you to have all the answers.

You're soaring with the stars, but that doesn't mean you're any less human and fallible than anyone else. And when everybody is doing that "pass the buck" thing that people do to avoid being responsible; you're the last link on the chain. People in high rank take a lot of flack from others who view them as the be-all-end-all of decision makers. If you don't have the right response at the right time; or if what you say backfires - you're the first one to take a verbal lashing. It can come from the media, from behind closed conference room doors, and even from people who call themselves your trusted friends.

3. People befriend you not for your character, but for what you can offer them.

When you're in a position of power, people want to get near you for the protection you provide. That can feel nice, in the beginning. But no matter how high we may be riding on the wave of success today; there will come a day when we question the motives of every single person who has come into our lives. Those in highly successful positions will tell you how much they miss being sought out for their likeability, their talent, or for the simple fact that they share the same hobbies, humor and values as someone.

4. Success and burnout go hand in hand.

Steven Berglas, clinical psychologist and lecturer at UCLA's Anderson Graduate School of Management, refers to the condition that accompanies success as "supernova burnout." As he explains it, this is "...when you have all the accoutrements of success, but still engage in nonchallenging, psychologically [nonrewarding] activity." This is a very different affliction than stress. When you're stressed, you feel nervous, anxious, and often fearful - pressured to perform, rushed to make a decision, pushed to the edge. People who have become burnt out on success completely lose interest in everything. They may be bored, depressed, disillusioned and looking for a respite from the mountains of responsibility that now burden them.

So how do you escape the pressure and alienation that goes along with being in a position of power? Many top performers and executives seek support from a therapist or counselor. But for those who don't want to get too heavy into psychology may opt to hire a life coach or business coach. A coach can serve as the unbiased outsider, accountability partner, private confidant, productivity driver and sounding board.

To find out if you're an ideal candidate for life coaching, visit http://SlowDownFast.com .

Copyright 2008 David Bohl and SlowDownFast.com. All rights reserved.

For one time only, I’m offering the Intensive Empowerment System workshop FR.EE !!!

Do you have a personal plan for success?

Most people today are completely overwhelmed by everything that life throws at them on a daily basis. Because the boundaries between work and personal life have become so blurred, we become lost, confused and derailed from our goals.

Personal success is attained in gradual increments by setting and achieving goals.

At SlowDownFast.com, we have developed a comprehensive, customizable and highly flexible program which addresses such a need: The Slow Down Fast Intensive Empowerment System (IES).

The Slow Down FAST Intensive Empowerment System helps individuals achieve their goals.

Here’s how you can benefit from this program:

• You’ll realign yourself with your purpose.
• You’ll once again connect with your values and talents - and this will ignite your passion and drive to succeed.
• You will leverage your own, unique learning style for quicker retention and more rapid advancement.
• You will be empowered in your personal life, which in turn fuels you professionally and brings you greater commitment and dedication on the job.

For one time only, I’m offering the Intensive Empowerment System workshop FR.EE in the southeastern Wisconsin area (If you’re not located nearby, and if you’d like me to visit your community, please let me know, and look for the on-line version of this workshop in the weeks ahead).

The Slow Down FAST Intensive Empowerment System Includes:

• A one-hour, live seminar - Slow Down FAST: A Design for Thinking, Working, and Living

• The 3-part, Slow Down FAST Success Trilogy eCourse

- PART 1: Your Life in Balance: A Breakthrough Guide to Living the Life You Desire

- PART 2: Your Personal Mission Statement: Uncovering the Truth of Who You Are and living Accordingly

- PART 3: The Goal Book: Tips for Deciding Exactly What You Want Out of Work and Life, and Then Getting It

• One week unlimited one-on-one coaching via telephone and email

• One hour live seminar: Slow Down FAST: Setting a Course for Action

- Debrief, analysis, satisfaction survey, action plan
- Testimonials

The upcoming Intensive Empowerment System Workshop is Scheduled for:

May 14, 2008 from 6:00 - 7:30 PM

May 21, 2008 from 6:00 - 7:30 PM

Please visit http://www.slowdownfast.com/ies and click the “Register Now” button.

I hope to see you there!

In my interview on Susan's show, we talked about 'Web 2.o' and how visitor-generated content is continuing to be the force in driving what's going on in the ever expanding cyber-world.

 An aspect we touched was the power of viral marketing of websites today. In today's connected world, articles and media can be shared with friends, family and colleages with the touch of a button, or in the modern case, with the visit to a website.

On some websites, you may have noticed  a button saying "Email this article/product to a Friend" or "Share." If its interesting enough, the link will get distributed through mailing lists to others and so on and so forth. A chain letter for a digital age.  However, as spam has continued to be a problem and the amount of users and content on the web has multplied, relying solely on a grass roots email campaign of getting the word out is being slowly surplanted with the promise of social bookmarking websites.

 Growing in popularity, sites like Digg, StumbleUpon, and Twitter have begun to combine the best aspects of 'Web 2.0' such as social networking, with other trends such as user-sbumitted content, in order to create a "critical mass" on a subject matter, directly targeted to those users interested in that niche. If an article or website generates enough 'buzz', these links are moved into a higher position in the social bookmarking website, increasing their exposure.

Integrating social bookmarking into your website or blog will slipstream your content directly into a pool of potential visitors, even if those visitors aren't human. Major search engines such as Google and Yahoo index social bookmarking sites looking for the one thing that drives the modern search engine: content. In today's web, content is king. To create a site with new, timely, original content is guaranting a visit from the search engine bots.

 All of this goes back to you, dear reader. You must begin to express yourself on the web in a fashion that will attract visitors. Everything else, like trying to sell a product or business information, is like everything else. Getting eyes on your site will lend its self eventually to getting that product purchased, or that intial sales contact. What will set your site apart is your own unique point of view on any topic you feel you know a thing or two about. With today's technology, doing so and reaching so many people with little cost is attainable.

What do you think are the strategies to get beyond limited thinking?

First, we need to give ourselves permission to think.  We are a society that is driven by sensory stimulation and many of us are in a state of constant sensory overload.  Allowing ourselves to carve time out of our schedules so that we can tap into our thoughts is the first step.

Second, by focusing on our breath we can slow down our bodies and subsequently slow down our minds. The mere act of breathing slowly and deeply into the belly slows the heart rate, and decreases blood pressure while bringing our over stimulated bodies into a state of balance and relaxation.  By tuning into the sound of our breath, we train ourselves to focus on the present moment, leaving behind the day's events and tomorrows "to do" list.  It is in the act of being present that we can truly begin to ask, listen and hear what it is that we request from the universe.

Once we have established the act of being present, we are able to open ourselves to new ideas, and new thoughts.  It is important that we greet these new thoughts and ideas without expectations, fear, or judgment.

When we open ourselves to this internal dialogue, it is important to substitute the chatter of the inner critic with statements of gratitude and positive affirmations.  It is then that we can become creative thinkers with a calm body and a clear mind.

How does yoga help stretch us beyond our comfort zone?

Many beginners are intimidated or misinformed about yoga.  They think that flexibility, coordination and strength are prerequisites for participating in yoga.  They may be unsure of the poses, the terminology or the use of the breath while moving into and out of poses.  There is also the misconception that the pose should be executed like the teacher or like the more experienced practitioners in class.  Or, if you're not feeling the "burn" as in some other forms of exercise, you're not reaping any benefits.

Yoga encourages us to come to our mat as we are; bringing with us our strengths as well as our limitations.  As we become more familiar with our practice, we learn that each day on our mat is different and we learn to accept those differences by honoring our bodies.  We learn to utilize the breath with our movement to create comfort and freedom in a pose as it's best suited for us on any given day. This acceptance not only applies to our yoga practice but stretches over into other facets of our everyday lives.

Tell me about the Chakras. Are they real?

The ancient yogic seers believed that there were hidden energies in the human body and within those energies were hidden powers that could help us to achieve liberation from our suffering and ultimately, enlightenment.  This early curiosity led to the observation and study of what we now regard as the chakra system.

The chakras are thought to be centers of awareness in the human body.  They are described as wheels of energy and their purpose is to serve as portals or collection stations for energy to flow into and out of by way of thought.  It is believed that there are some 88 thousand chakras in the human body, but in yoga we concern ourselves with primarily seven which reside on the spine from the tail bone to the crown of the head.  In order, they are the root chakra, sacral chakra, the navel or solar plexus chakra, the heart chakra, the throat chakra, the third eye chakra and the crown chakra.

If you were to open up the human body, you would not observe a chakra as an actual anatomical structure however, the chakra system closely correlates with our endocrine system, the system responsible for regulating metabolism, growth, development and puberty and tissue function.  Each chakra has a specific element, sound, color and area of the body that it is associated with.  If a chakra is thought to be deficient, in excess, or blocked, there are physical and psychological dysfunctions associated with that chakra.  It is important to note that all seven of the chakras be open and flowing freely for optimal health and wellbeing.

Tell me more about the third chakra.

The third chakra or the navel chakra is also known as the Manipura chakra in Sanskrit.  It is located several inches above the navel in the general vicinity of the solar plexus.

Considered a "life force" the third chakra gives us our sense of personal power. It is related to personal empowerment, our opinions and beliefs as they relate to ourselves and to our world.  On a physical level, it is associated with the digestive system.

A blockage or excess of energy in this chakra can cause insecurity, a diminished sense of self, need to control and anger.  This can also be manifested in the physical body as digestive problems.

Does yoga require a spiritual perspective?

A question that arises most often is whether yoga is a religion or a spiritual practice.  The answer is as varied as the number of people you ask.  The purpose of yoga is to create harmony between body, mind, and spirit.  However, there are many people drawn to yoga merely for the physical benefits.

So does it "require" a spiritual perspective? I believe not.  I will suggest that based on my own experience, yoga can enhance your spiritual beliefs, how you view yourself, your purpose in life and your interactions with the world.

At the root, why do we long to be complacent, even when we know deep down we are not fulfilled or effective in our choices?

Often times fulfilling our goals and dreams requires change.  For most of us, change can be scary. It is the world of unknowns, and the fear of outcome that most likely holds us back and creates complacency.  Fear governs our thoughts and actions. When expectations of ourselves don't match our level of fulfillment we allow our inner critic to take center stage.  By then we minimize our self confidence and self esteem making it even more difficult to cultivate change.

There is a yogic belief that we continue to suffer because of our attachment to the suffering itself. We have difficulty in "letting go".  We may find that it is easier to stay connected to the "drama" then deal with the uncertainty of change.

Yoga encourages us to accept what is.  By focusing on the present, letting go of the past and eliminating our preoccupation with the future we can look at our choices more effectively and objectively.

How does moving the body help move the mind?

Through breathing, postures and meditation, yoga rejuvenates the entire body. It not only stretches and strengthens the body but calms the nervous system; bringing balance to all the systems of the body.  Making our bodies more relaxed and comfortable through yoga helps our minds to be more calm and relaxed.

Patti Breitbach Rashid, RYT/OTR

Body & Soul Integrated Wellness

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it