Author: Julie Cass

So much of our overall success in our careers and our day-to-day lives are determined by our time management philosophy. There are so many diversions these days that we might waste hours without even realizing it.

And while leisure and downtime are absolutely important, you really may have a problem with time management if you’re averaging 6+ hours a day of screen time from scrolling through social media. 

How Time Management Plays A Major Role In Your Success

Time management is about strategizing and planning your available time to match each task you have each day. However, in order for it to be effective, you must stick as closely to the allotted time frame for each task as possible. It comes more naturally to some people than others, but it really boils down to discipline and habits. 

Time management is also linked to what you value. I always say if you value it, you will make time for it. Valuing your mental health should be top of your list.

Poor time management skills can lead to:

• Missed deadlines
• Increased stress levels
• Lack of work-life balance
• Poor work quality 
• Ruining your professional reputation
• Damaging relationships in your personal life

All these reasons are why having an effective time management strategy is truly a major key to your success. 

5 Best Tips to Improve Your Time Management Skills

If you have trouble completing tasks within a reasonable time frame, there are some tips you can apply to yield better results.

1. Set your priorities and connect them to your values – Some tasks will naturally weigh more heavily on the importance scale than others. Organizing your day and prioritizing are the two first steps in effective time management. Utilizing to-do lists and time management apps could also be huge in helping you to track your time and keep your day in check. 
2. Avoid Distractions – This is sometimes much easier said than done; however, if we’re honest, unnecessary distractions are one of the biggest causes of bad time management. Some distractions are unavoidable, for instance, if you work from home and have young children home with you, or an ill or elderly family member you’re caring for. But, if your problem is with electronics, putting your phone on ‘do not disturb’ or keeping it out of sight until you’ve completed your tasks is a good way to limit that distraction.
3. Avoid multitasking – The ability to multitask is valued in today’s culture, but it may damage your time management. Taking on an overwhelming amount of tasks to complete within a short period could affect your efficiency and accuracy. Your productivity will increase if your full attention is devoted to the task at hand instead of being split. You will also be able to complete each task more quickly.
4. Learn to say no – This tip goes hand in hand with avoiding multitasking. We can sometimes endure guilt for not being able to say yes to every call or knock, but the truth is this could lead to serious burnout. You must set a workload limit and accept the reality that you cannot say yes to everything.
5. Take breaks – If you have huge tasks set out, it could be tempting to want to complete them all at once. However, this could lead to burnout and have serious implications on your mental health. 

Taking a short break for a few minutes every couple of hours can help you to recharge and bring fresh ideas and energy to your tasks.

It’s also important to remember not to skip out on meals to complete the tasks more quickly. Eating will refuel your body and provide you with the sustained energy you need to complete tasks. 

Once you have mastered effective time management, you will see a huge improvement in your quality of work, and overall quality and balance between work and life. 

To help you with your time management needs try my Healthy Mind, Body, and Business Weekly Planner.

We all want a life that is happy, fulfilling, and filled with overall positive experiences. But the truth is that it isn’t always happy or pleasant. Life is full of ups and downs, twists and turns, and bumps that you must navigate. It’s what makes this entire experience interesting, but it can sometimes be overwhelming. 

One of the best ways you can learn to maneuver the challenges that life throws at you is by developing an overall positive mindset and implementing positive changes into your daily routine.

Why a Positive Change Is Necessary

Change in life is inevitable, and you always have the choice to embrace change and grow or resist it and get stuck. A positive change in mindset can help make you more understanding in life and teach you to embrace new things as they come. This helps prepare and propel you for the future. 

Positive change is how you discover yourself, and explore your thoughts and feelings on situations in life. Many of us fear change, but having the ability to embrace change with open arms could really make a positive shift to having an extraordinary life. 

Implementing positive changes in your life will help you to:

• Become calmer and more positive when handling challenges
• Remove negative energy from your mind in exchange for positive thoughts
• Strengthen your relationships while developing as an individual
• Become more flexible to new situations and environments

Small changes = Big impacts Cumulative power of small, steady changes in your daily routines

Ever heard the saying, “Slow and steady wins the race.”? 

This applies to several aspects of life, including positive change. Sometimes when we think of making changes for a better life, we believe a grand, drastic shift is what is needed. While this may sometimes be necessary for specific circumstances, it can actually be more effective to make small, steady changes.

Smaller changes are easier to implement and stick to, and you can start making these changes right away. 

6 small positive changes to make right now for a fulfilling life

1. Embrace positive thoughts – Thoughts become feelings, which hold a certain energy. The trouble is that negativity is all around us, and you cannot always control the situations you face. It is also easy to get sucked into the negative vortex. What you can control however, is your perspective and your reaction to them. By reprogramming your mind and embracing positive thoughts, you can control your feelings and reactions to the surrounding situations and lift your vibration or energy, rather than deplete it.
2. Start your day 30 minutes earlier with a positive morning routine. Let’s be honest, most of us set our alarms so that we have just enough time to get ready for work, or get the kids off to school and start the day. We begin the day in a rush, which continues throughout the day until bedtime.  By giving yourself that extra 30 minutes in the morning, you’ll be able to ease into the day with time for exercise, meditation, breakfast, or even time to really plan the day. This saves you from feeling overwhelmed, rushed and unprepared, which can lead to an unproductive day.
3. Be comfortable with uncertainty – Uncertain situations will happen because change is constant in life. Learn to accept that you cannot control everything or predict what may happen. Move from fear of the unknown to faith and acceptance. Practice this daily.
4. Set boundaries – If you don’t set careful boundaries, people will take advantage of you. This will lead to burnout, feeling overwhelmed, and sometimes being underappreciated. Your boundaries are a sign of respect for both yourself and others. It is about deep self love.
5. Set realistic expectations – Unrealistic expectations will only set you up for major disappointment, and this isn’t fair to yourself or others. Keep your expectations within reasonable limits, especially as it concerns other people. 
6. Invest in yourself – You should be your first investment. Your health and wellbeing should always come first. Investing in mindset and business coaching could help you to begin going in the right direction to the best version of yourself. Juie Cass’s passion was to write an entire book about this and it has since hit Best-seller lists. Her book ‘Me First’ has people saying “Loving your life changing book” and “If you are ready to courageously step into your next level of empowerment, this book is for you. The world needs this now and thank you for leading the way julie.” Change the stigma around ‘me first’ and understand that not only should this be a priority but a necessity. This is how you will create your biggest impact in life as your capacity will improve.

It’s time to start living a fulfilling life. You deserve it! If you need help, we’re here to help. Book a call to get started.

Unclench your jaw, drop your shoulders, take a deep breath and slowly release. Did you notice that your body was tense just now, before following those simple steps? This is what stress does to your body. 

Sometimes it may feel as though everything around you is causing you stress. Whether it be your job, school, family life, or even the news. Anything can become a stress trigger if not managed properly. The last few years especially have been particularly challenging for most people. 

Stress completely shifts your entire being and causes instability within your mind, body, and soul. It messes with your overall productivity and wellbeing. Being able to implement useful techniques to help you relieve stress when you begin to feel tense, will restore balance to your physical and mental health. Let’s take a look at what stress management entails and some techniques you can apply in your daily life. 

What is stress management?

Stress management refers to a set of tactics and procedures that can help you identify your triggers and deal with stressful events in a way that maintains your life’s balance.

Stress management includes: 

• Learning and enhancing your problem-solving skills, to overcome difficult situations. 
• Strengthening your ability to handle unfortunate issues in life
• Implement relaxation techniques such as deep breathing and meditation to recenter yourself during times of high stress.

Why deep breathing is one of the best ways to lower stress in the body

Breathing exercises are a powerful tool for relieving stress and anxiety. Think back to the start of the blog and how you felt after following those simple instructions. The difference was evident just after one deep breath, right? This is because when you breathe deeply, it sends a message to your brain to relax and calm down, which then sends the same message to your body. It is also one of the best ways to bring yourself into the present moment.

This communication between your body and brain restores harmony and brings peace back to your being. There are different breathing exercises that you can use in your stress management. 

Some of our favorites are belly breathing, box breathing, and cleansing breathing. All three of these exercises engage your body as well as your mind in an effort to restore balance. 

How to do Belly Breathing

Belly breathing is one of the breathing techniques that you can use to help manage stress. Here’s how: 

1. Place one hand on your belly, just below your rib cage.
2. Inhale deeply through your nose for five counts, bring the air past your lungs to the belly, allow the belly to expand like a balloon.
3. Hold your breath for two counts.
4. Exhale through your nose slowly, for 7 counts. You should feel your belly contract when you exhale. 
5. Repeat.

Did you feel the stress and tension begin to leave your body? Repeat this technique for as long as you need to feel recentered. 

How to do Box Breathing

Box breathing, also known as square breathing, is another simple yet effective breathing technique that you can use. It takes its name from the fact that you count to four with each breath. This count distracts your mind while calming your nervous system and returning your breathing to a relaxed pattern.

1. For this technique, you may sit, stand or lay flat on your back. Inhale and exhale through the nose.
2. Inhale, counting slowly in your mind for four counts, bring the breath deep into the body.
3. Hold your breath for another four counts. Try to avoid releasing the breath before the four seconds are up.
4. Slowly exhale for four counts. 
5. Hold the breath at the bottom for four counts.
6. Inhale and repeat for four counts.
7. Continue as many times as you need. 

How to do Cleansing Breathing

The final breathing exercise we will look at is the Cleansing Breath. The cleansing breath is awesome for relieving tension in your neck, shoulders, and body overall. Aside from breathing deeply, the cleansing breath is a way to get you to focus your energy on releasing the stress while inviting love and positive energy into your body. 

Engage your mind and spirit as you do this exercise.

1. Breathe in deeply through your nose, slowly taking in as much air as you comfortably can. As you breathe in, think about the love you are letting into your space. 
2. Visualize the clean, positive energy that is entering your body. 
3. Exhale, through your mouth quickly, expelling any negative energy, clearing your mind of contrary thoughts and releasing the stress along with it. 
4. Repeat this exercise as many times as necessary to restore balance, remembering always to engage the mind as you do the body. 

Now that you have these tools to help you with stress management, it’s time to start using them in your daily life. Stress doesn’t have to overcome or overwhelm you. With the use of these breathing exercises, stress can begin to become more manageable, and you can reclaim your life again. Remember, you got this! 

The Positive Change Group is all about helping to elevate the whole you, so you can truly become your best self in every area of your life. Find out more about our offerings and products.

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