Time & Life Management

For those with busy lives, organization and time management strategies can be easy to plan but hard to stick to. No matter how much we say we'll accomplish, it can be easy to get distracted and throw the whole day off as a result.

Clients are often struggling with their day well before it has even begun – because they cannot wake up. I am going to help all those ‘sleepy-heads’ out there who grapple with the challenge of waking up in the mornings. What does this have to do with productivity you ask? A LOT!

Can a person ever be too organized? Most of the population would probably be elated to be even just a little organized - to be able to arrive on time for appointments, find the things they are looking for, and get tasks done when needed.

I often feel like I am doing lots of things but then important stuff seems to get shoved off and I don't deal with it. I'm busy all the time, but there are still crucial things I should be doing and I don't. What do you suggest? - Susan S.

I know that there are people who seem to have time to get things done, but that isn't me. Any ideas you can offer to get even an extra hour a day would be wonderful. – Losing Time Daily

I am a college student and I am repeatedly late with getting papers done and turning in homework. I should have plenty of time, but I really do procrastinate. I spend a lot of my time on YouTube and Facebook doing nothing in particular. I don't know if you have any ideas about how I can deal with this. - Wasting Time in College

I read somewhere that one of the biggest time-wasters is procrastination, but I think it is disorganization. Which is it?

Signed, Disorganized Procrastinator

Procrastination is not only a huge time-waster, but a stress-inducer as well.

In an often-told tale that goes something like this, a Native American elder once described his inner struggles to a friend:

The Internet, a wonderful tool that allows us to retrieve information in seconds, can also rob us of hours if we are not careful. Have you ever looked something up and found yourself reading countless other articles by following link after link of fascinating data? I know I have! There is so much to see, and it is so easy to get to that it is tempting to just read and read and read. How do we stop?

Life is full of interruptions and always will be. That's what happens when you live among other humans. How we respond to it is another thing. While the interruption may not be entirely in our control, how we handle it is.