Part 1 of this feature covered the experience of time as both gift and as challenge. Here are strategies and specific examples of how radically differently people successfully manage s.e.l.f and their time productively.

What helps and what doesn’t? Vast time and money pumped into the ‘90’s solutions have resulted in a totally delectable and/or confusing array of choices of support tools to use. Take your choice:

Even with these miracle cures too many people still don’t have enough time. Or -- believe they don't maximize the value of time they do have. In fact, some tools even help us feel it’s our fault if we are time short.

The truth: only about half of us live life from the perspective of the models of traditional "clock time," use of the standard calendar concept, setting goals, prioritizing, or the framework of "to do" lists.

Whatever the solutions -- the key to experiencing time as gift vs challenge is beginning to understand that "boundaries" do NOT pertain mainly to football or soccer -- such as "in or out" of bounds. Additionally, boundaries are guidelines and standards that point the way to standing on what’s important to us in the living of our life.

Everyone’s intention is to be better, do better, and to do more -- soon. So it’s not about intentionality. It’s more about style and gift.

Natural laws govern part of this. Such powerful and effective laws were wisely used by Hyrum Smith in developing the time and people-management tools and products of Franklin Quest. Smith says:

There are two sets of approaches to learn self-management based on understanding and applying natural laws:

1. Understanding and applying certain natural laws can help us better manage our time.
   
2. Others can help us manage our life.

Elements particularly relevant in managing your TIME natural laws:

• when your daily activities reflect governing values you experience inner peace;
• to reach any significant goal, you must leave your comfort zone;
• consistent daily planning leverages time and increases focus.

Managing your LIFE natural laws means:

• your behavior is a reflection of what you truly believe
• negative behaviors are overcome by changing incorrect beliefs
• your self-esteem must ultimately come from within
• give more and you’ll have more

Here’s where Values become really important. Knowing your Values and having your day reflect how you live through them is one key to satisfying life management. A Value to you will be something you live through or honor, no matter what. A few examples of 100’s of possibilities:

1. telling the complete truth;
   
2. including others;
   
3. honoring your health by the regular attention you pay to your physical wellness.
   

Values are not about how you are or what you SAY you will do. Values are more about how you really are and WHAT you really DO. Think of your own life and apply the natural laws Smith mentions to this. What do you really GET to putting in your life versus talking about? Then that’s something you value.

Living a life in which planning has obviously occurred means materials or supplies are gathered, calls made, email sent, groundwork lain, a framework prepared. When the step for step is taken, a series of results can be produced. This can help lead to the living of a life where the foreground and the background work in unison -- one that is part of a resonating whole. I call that The SeamLess Life.™

Building in elements of natural laws in the planning and timing of our day, builds in greater chances for success. Ben Franklin understood this when he simply stated:

Here’s a challenge and a request -- will you spend the next month looking at the way you spend your day based on your knowledge of these natural laws and through the lens of your Values?

Next question, if you want something different, what are you willing to do that people who don’t have this will not do? Here’s the rub: usually it’s not really about time. It’s about choice. Let’s take you. Will you just stop choosing something else? Time after time, will you stop? Until you stop choosing the old, you can’t get the new. Is this rocket science?

Tough stuff to acknowledge. Maybe it will be helpful to have examples of people who have chosen differently and successfully to create time as their friend and ally. What they tend to do is create strategies. These help them identify then maximize their natural tendencies and styles more effectively. In short, they begin to work INTO their own brilliance and inclinations.

In Part 1, we touched on how convergent or linear, more left-brain dominant people use the more traditional time/life management methods. These are clocks, calendars, calculators (bottom lines), measurable/observables i.e. goal outcomes, and scheduling/prioritizing. Such things as the sacred "To Do List" qualify here. The known stuff.

So...how do those divergent or global thinkers on the other side of this fence cultivate time as friend? Here are examples of how more successful right-brained dominant folk strategize and plan for their victories.

1. approaching planning from a big picture perspective versus detail for detail
   
2. creating a visual layout of moveable symbols of each related task (ex: colored index cards, objects, drawings, marked up wall-calendars)
   
3. actively using mind-mapping techniques
   
4. identifying important results wanted (bigger bottom line by xxx)
   

   THEN they think backwards from that to identify exactly what has to happen first, second and next to last. They connect the dots....and that’s then their ‘path.’ They commit to NO rabbit trails...unless they are clearly also hopping along this key path. (How they know if on path versus off path is another article, but we’ll get to that.)

5. When a business choice (or other choice) shows up, it’s measured against this long-view. If it's ON the path...it’s a 'go.' If it’s OFF the path, it's a 'later' or a 'maybe next round.' Eureka! Now wonderfully easy!
   

Enuf for now!

Let’s summarize: Time is a man-made construct. It’s really all there is we share equally with everyone. It serves us or it sabotages us. I’m proposing we have a choice to create time as our gift or our challenge. We do not have to be victims of "hurry sickness". The prevention is to identify what’s most valuable to us and then commit to setting up the kind of support that gives that our primary attention. When we choose time as gift -- we then get to spend it accordingly. Thanks for spending yours with me!