Life Begin? Presenter: Helen B. Garrett Associate Dean of Student Affairs, Enrollment and Student Financial Services Lane Community College Eugene, OR 97405 11/07
Where Does My Job End and My Purpose of session: To start you on a journey to help you take better care of your life and to find a balance between your work and your life Helping you to achieve emotional, physical, financial and spiritual well being
What do I know? I know what I have learned so far and what I ve read Take Time for Your Life: A 7-Step Program for Creating the Life you Want Cheryl Richardson
Give yourself permission to take good care of yourself and to make your self-care a top priority over anything else Creating a life that you love takes courage, commitment, and hard work One of the gifts that surviving a personal crisis gives you is the motivation to reevaluate your life and take note of what really matters. My leave of absence story and the challenge that changed my life.
If work has taken over your life, finding a way to manage your time won t solve the problem. Instead, you ll need to manage yourself, get your priorities straight and focus your attention on what really matters
Obstacles from living a life that you love: 1. Thinking selfish is a dirty word 2. Your schedule does not reflect your priorities 3. You feel drained by people, places, and things
4. You feel trapped by money 5. Adrenaline has become your main source of fuel 6. You re missing i a supportive community in your life 7. Your spiritual well-being gets last place in your busy life.
Your life is not your work: Couples spend an average of 12 minutes a day talking to each other. Families spend an average of 40 minutes per week playing with their children Vacations have become recuperation periods instead of time for leisure and recreation.
Your life is not your work: Are you working crazy hours because you don t know what else to do with your time? What would you do if you weren t working? Can you answer this? Of the 24 hours a day: Average time spent: 7 hours sleep, 12 hours working, 4 hours life maintenance, 1 hour for yourself, 0 hours left over.
Take joy in having nowhere to be Eliminate what drains you and make space for what s really important Allow yourself to feel guilty only when it will help to motivate you Work like you don t need the money, Sing like nobody s listening, Dance like nobody s watching, Love like you ve never been hurt -Mark Twain
Stop rushing the experience of living: 1. Decompress between tasks 2. Take a power nap - 20 minutes 3. Really listen, no, I mean really 4. Focus on the now, be present 5. Check your inner speedometer 6. Lower your own bar/expectations 7. Enjoy your meals more 8. Find a relaxing hobby and do it 9. Look for what is right in front of you
Make Room and Time for Joy 1. Visualize a great day 2. Find your source of joy 3. Be thankful, express gratitude 4. Listen to your heart and soul-what is it really saying to you? 5. Let go of being right 6. Choose a mantra: It s all good 7. Smile when you are alone 8. Sing in your car
Take care of the physical you 1. Drink water: 1/2 oz per pound you weigh 2. Switch out soda for water 3. Analyze how you feel after eating different foods and adjust 4. Sleep 7-8 hours a night and no alcohol before you go to sleep 5. Breathe and go to your happy place 6. Exercise: even if for just 1 minute! 7. Find a listening buddy and just you talk
Invest in your Financial Health Don t deny and avoid this any longer Change your beliefs Develop an attitude of gratitude Get comfortable with more Ask for help Know where your money goes Eliminate debt, pay your bills on time and repair your credit report Action ignites the magic of more money
Take care of yourself. Do it! Transfer the task to someone else. Hire it! Throw it out. Chuck it!
David Irish song The Toys are Put Away
Some tips to take back with you: 1. If possible, have someone else answer your calls 2. Leave the office by 5:30 p.m. 3. Schedule fewer meetings and arrive on time 4. Schedule time to travel to and from meetings 5. Schedule time to read and respond to e-mails and phone calls 6. Don t give out your phone number, unless you can respond to the number of calls coming in 7. Don t be afraid to ask for help 8. Meet less often, for less time than before 9. Say no, unless it absolutely means yes
Some tips to take back with you: 10. Talk slower, write slower, stop rushing from appointment to appointment 11. Stop, breathe in, breathe out, notice what is around you and ask how you feel right now 12. Pay attention to your dreams 13. Put yourself at the top of your to do list 14. Don t let the energy of not taking action drain you 15. Shut the ringer off of your phone when you need to be creative 16. Schedule time to handle paperwork
Some tips to take back with you: 17. Exercise by doing something that was fun when you were a child 18. Give yourself the gift of massage more than once a year 19. Go to bed when you are tired and do not watch the news 20. Put up encouraging words and self-loving loving mantras at home and at work 21. Laugh and cry often 22. Admit that you are running on adrenaline and kick the habit 23. Don t work through lunch, walk and breathe outside 24. Hug your partner, spouse, kids and pets every day 25. Look for relationships that support you, excite you, inspire you and challenge you to be your best
Herding Cats (aka managing your e-mails) Send fewer out Never respond with just thanks Are you in the TO:? If so, read and respond. CC: It can wait Less is more, the more you know the person the fewer formalities and words should be used Sort and create a read folder
What have you done for you that was fun lately? Tell the person next to you
Letter to you exercise
Questions or want to see if I am really living a balanced life? Helen s contact information: Helen B. Garrett Lane Community College 4000 East 30th Avenue Eugene, OR 97405 541-463-5686 garretth@lanecc.edu