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How To Conquer The Time Paradox, And Eliminate Your To-Do Pressures

By Laura Leigh Clark e

If youre a go-getter, you likely have a to-do list as long as your arm. You take on more than most people, simply because youve become good at juggling and managing yourself and as a result, you have to just keep going for fear of letting a plate drop. You probably have goals with little rewards attached to them that you work towards all the time too: When I get this piece of work done, Ill be able to relax a bit, you tell yourself. When I get the kids back to school Ill start going to the gym, you say. When I get this guest blog post handed in then Ill feel better.

Youre Not Alone In This!

And on the surface it seems logical to focus on getting tasks completed, so you can take them off your list of things to do. If you get enough tasks done then of course youre make overall progress. It makes perfect sense. Doesnt it?

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But what if I told you that there is a better way. What if there was a bit of mental gymnastics you could to do that would change everything: the way you feel, the way you perceive your day to day stuff, and the speed at which you achieved what you really wanted in your life? Interested? Well, keep reading.

Your Focus Is Creating More Stuff To Do

What you probably dont realise is that focusing on short-term goals only creates more short-term goals. You probably have heard that what we focus on is what we create. But by focusing on getting stuff done, youre inadvertently creating more stuff to get done. Real success lies in being able to have your big goal (your ultimate result) in mind and be on a joyful journey to fulfilling that bigger picture goal. This means that instead of being focussed on the immediate minutia you need to put some focus on the big picture. But if Im dreaming of the big picture, I cant focus of the immediate results, you might say.

Herein Lies The Paradox of Time

Real success lies in being able to simultaneously hold two seemingly contradictory concepts in mind at the same time. What were talking about is being able to see (and create) the big picture and the future, whilst remaining in the present moment and attending to the immediate tasks. I recall hearing how the measure of someones responsibility is laid out in time scales. Those with more responsibility and power see farther than those they lead. This is what makes them leaders. Take a simple example of people working in a company: the owners of a successful company are planning 12-18 months down the line, with a vision of where they want to be in 5 years or more. The managers plan for the next three to twelve months. The supervisors plan the next week or two, whilst those doing the work plan and work the day-to-day tasks. By contrast, most of us live our lives dealing with the next few days, weeks and months. Great leaders and visionaries like Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi had visions for their respective nations that spanned way beyond their life time even. And their legacy, and the effect they had on those nations, reflects this. Hold in mind the long-term vision, whilst operating completely in the present moment, and you cant help but become a powerful force for good. ReTweet This

The Power Of The Present Moment

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So you need to think in long time scales to be more effective. Yet the ONLY power you have is in the present moment. We dilute our effectiveness as soon as we come out of the moment. We worry about the past, we project about the future. This is the paradox. You need to be perfectly poised in the moment, and pull back your awareness and energy from everything else. Then you need to use the long-term pictures to direct and guide that power, and pull it into your reality. In essence, if you want real success and a sense of accomplishment in your activities, then learn to hold in mind the big picture at the same time as the day-to-day tasks.

How Your Attitude Towards Time Dictates What You Are Able To Affect
If you want to lead and contribute on a larger scale, then have a vision for outcomes that lasts longer than the next few months. Stretch yourself to imagine what youd like to be building over the next ten, twenty years. If you decide you want to leave a legacy, start creating a concept for your life and work that isnt about you anymore, and envision the effects over the span of several hundred years. Keep this enormous time scale in mind and heart, whilst remaining in the present moment, and you cant help but become a powerful influence for the good of the planet.

Ok So HOW Do You Actually Do This When You Have To Get Stuff Done?
Well, this isnt a two line answer. There is a process. A system. There is a way of structuring what you do, and picking the right projects for you given your natural style and personality. When you get this clear, it frees you up to do more of what you love and create the headspace to hold in mind that big vision whilst being in the moment. But it starts with some ground-work. Im going to talk about this ground-work in an exclusive, one-off online webinar training for the Goodlife ZEN Community on: Wednesday 11th Dec, at 12 noon (New York), 5pm (London). You will learn precisely: How To Get Unstuck (and Increase Your Income) with Confidence and Grace. Register here. I look forward to seeing you there, where we can talk about this in much more detail, and I can outline the important points

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In the meantime, please share your ideas and questions in the comments below. { 4 comments }

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