***Plan for the Unexpected: How to Conquer Change Using 5 Timely Tips

Heart-based time management is all about finding time, increasing productivity, and deepening your experience of each and every moment. And heart-based time management works best when you are using your time efficiently and effectively. But what happens when something unexpected enters the scene and disrupts your carefully laid plans? Well, here’s something to consider: The more you plan for change, the less you need to change your plans. The best time management techniques will never provide you with the level of control you might wish you could exercise over your time. That’s because life is, by definition, bigger than your plans. So a key element in successful time management is cultivating openness to change. Unfortunately, this foundational fact is not a component of many time management systems. Often, the models are static and linear. This leads to people constructing their plans upon illusions of life's predictability. We like to think that life is predictable, even if it is not. So, initially, the idea of planning for change might seem foreign or even disturbing. You may encounter resistance, both from yourself and from others, as you consider taking a different approach to time management – one where you acknowledge that you are living and working within a world in constant transition. You may encounter arguments like the following, as you open to change and embark on this heart-based jou ey: 1. "Change is unpredictable. There’s no point in even thinking about it." 2. "The unexpected creates stress. Why go there? Best to stick with what you know." 3. "Change brings losses along with any gains. If you avoid change you can avoid getting hurt!" 4. "Change requires added focus and work. Tiring to even consider – stick with what is!" 5. "Change reveals the limits of your control. How frustrating and scary is that?" Of course, it's human nature to resent new and shifting demands. Fortunately, it's also human nature to blossom and thrive when such challenges are embraced rather than shied away from. "It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." Charles Darwin 5 Timely Tips for Embracing Life's Constant Changes So They Don’t Derail You 1. The more you accept change as a constant, the more prepared you are. The more prepared you are, the more productive you are. 2. Expecting change keeps you alert and interested. Resistance generates stress and inflexibility. Your effectiveness and energy increase when you engage with curiosity. 3. Genuinely accepting the inevitability of loss and change doesn’t lessen the pain of it. But it does help you embrace reality and open to the gains and opportunities that emerge. 4. You develop new strengths when you focus and work to welcome change. Your confidence in your skills grows as you allow intensive times of change to foster growth and positive turning points in your life. 5. Truly accepting the limits of your control helps you train your focus on what you can change. That means that you invest your efforts and energies where your power lies – a wonderfully efficient way to use your time! You may be tempted to pursue routines that turn into ruts. Just remember that, while routine is not necessarily a bad thing, those who excel not only accept life's ongoing changes - they capitalize on those changes. Bonus Tip: Notice which of your friends seem to discourage you from expanding your horizons, and which ones encourage your taking reasonable and calculated risks to grow. Start building a community of support for yourself, and then notice how you begin to attract more opportunities to revitalize your life and grow through changes, both personally and professionally. What is your next step in making the most of change as you continue your heart-based jou ey through time? Here’s one idea for taking your next step. Sign up for our free gift, "The New Finding Time Boundary Template: 9 Simple, Sequential Steps to Find More Time and Recharge Your Energy!" at http://optimize.thetimefinder.com/templatesg/ This time template will help you move beyond overwhelm, disappointment, and frustration. Using a workbook format, with room to record your answers, you will discover that 24 hours really are enough! Offered by Paula Eder, Ph.D., The Time Finder Expert.