Excerpts

INTRODUCTION ALESIA'S STORY The bane of my existence has always been the management (or in my case, the mismanagement) of time. I have struggled with finding time to ''do it all.'' In high school and college, I was notorious for pulling all-nighters to study or write papers (a habit I have not outgrown). When I started my career, I was often the last to leave the office. As a consultant, I am challenged to travel, facilitate workshops, undertake project work, address client needs, prospect for new clients, and write for a living. In addition to nurturing my marriage and caring for my family, there is all the stuff of life: friends, holidays, parties, errands, bills, exercising, piano practice, classes, reading, theater, vacation, thank-you notes, e-mail, tax preparation, and so on. For me, it all can get daunting. I'm embarrassed to tell you how many flights, trains, appointments, and opportunities I've missed. How many times I've run out of gas. How many birthdays, anniversaries, and events that I wanted to attend, but forgot about. How many books and articles I haven't read; movies and plays that I haven't seen; classes that I haven't taken; or trips and sporting events that I haven't enjoyed--not because I didn't have the time (trust me, I've had plenty of time to do these things), but because I didn't appropriate the time. I was neither designing my days consciously nor creating my life purposefully. This proven system to organize your work and get things done, the system that Rosemary and I share in this book, is the result of our own experience and exploration into finding a way to manage our busy lives to be fulfilling--not just full of things to do. Is my life perfect? No. Far from it. Am I late for the occasional meeting or appointment? Yes. Do I do everything I want to do? Not always. But do I have a great life? Yes! Not because I get everything done that I want to do in a day, week, month, or year, but because I've designed it to be full of the stuff of life that means the most to me. And that couldn't happen without the system that we'll introduce to you in this book. So settle in and buckle up. It's going to be a great ride! --Alesia Latson ROSEMARY'S STORY For most of my life, I have taken on more and more projects, events, and things to do than there is time to do them. As soon as I get into a project, I see all these resources and people that could enhance the project, and I add them to my already-bulging schedule. I come by this honestly. I consider myself a ''professional multitasker'' and have been at it since my childhood. As the oldest of seven children, I learned from the best of the best: Back then, multitasking meant finding one child's mittens while sending the other one out the door, while telling my mother, ''Everything is all set.'' And it continued into my career. I hate to admit it, but I actually trained people to hire others based on how well they could multitask. Adding to my ''condition'' is my high-energy, upbeat, ''I can do it'' attitude. At first blush, this characteristic of mine may sound like a great blessing and a benefit in accomplishing things in life. Perhaps it would be, were I in control of it. You see, these qualities affect not only me but other people, too. At times everyone around me is spinning with me at the speed of light. As exciting as this experience may be in the moment, and as great as the ''high'' may be for pulling things off once again, as my husband says, ''Dear, this is totally unsustainable.'' You can just about predict the forgotten messages, the missed thank-you notes, and the settling for less than what would have been possible if I had been more realistic with my time. My inability to deal with twenty-four hours in a day and 168 hours in a week has been a major cause of angst throughout my life and career. The processes and practices that Alesia and I share in this book are a direct result of our own experiences, struggles, and triumphs. We not only write about these practices and coach and train people in them, but we live by them, too. This system of practices ''grounds me.'' I face the reality of the time available to me as never before. It supports me in remembering that I truly can only do one thing well at a time. Making choices has become a natural part of my day now, and my reliability has greatly increased. I have the time to focus on what I say is most important. I'm still an optimistic person, but now a much more realistic one also. As you make your way through the book, try these practices on for size and make them your own. This is your one life. --Rosemary Tator Excerpted from More Time for You: A Powerful System to Organize Your Work and Get Things Done by Rosemary Tator, Alesia Latson All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.