Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - March 31st

The dream is free. The hustle is sold separately. – Unknown

Today is the last day of the first quarter of 2020.  How is your year going?  Yes, we are dealing with unique times, but it is definitely not the time to stop pushing toward goal achievement.  This is the time to buckle down and keep pushing forward. 

As many people are working from home, there are potentially two scenarios individuals are dealing with:

1.       Working more because travel time is reduced or a mindset after taking a break that the time has to be “made up”.   

2.       With children or family members also at home, there is less time to be productive to work tasks and chipping away at personal goals.      

In the above scenarios, the author is the first one.  She does not have her 30 to 40-minute metro ride currently, which allows her to be on her computer by 6:30am and then work until 5:30 or 5:45pm.  This is not recommended and being “busy” does not mean productive, which is what the author learned recently.  She works long hours, but realized those long hours do not mean she is accomplishing more. 

Don’t focus on being busy; focus on being productive. Allow what matters most to drive your day. - Gary Keller

For accomplishing goals and being productive while working from home (even life overall), the solution is the same.  Spend time either the night before or early in the morning analyzing the tasks that need to be completed and write them down.  Creating a clear plan will guide the individual in what needs to be accomplished and when asked to do something else they can review their plan to determine how they should proceed. 

I guarantee that if you just buckle down, and focus, you can get twice as much done today as you got done in the last two days combined. ― Monroe Mann, Successful New Year!: The 52 Week Inspirational Planner That Will Change Your Life Forever

Once the daily task list is created, it will be easier to set time aside early in the day to accomplish the tasks. 

CHALLENGE: After determining progress on accomplishing goals in the first quarter of 2020, create a plan focusing on the important things in life allowing for time to continue progressing toward goal achievement daily.    

Resources

·       20 Things to do at home during the Coronavirus | Turn Panic into Productivity - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIJndPgcrTM

·       https://www.inc.com/melanie-curtin/in-an-8-hour-day-the-average-worker-is-productive-for-this-many-hours.html

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - March 24th

Seek the blessings each day brings. - Lailah Gifty Akita, Pearls of Wisdom: Great mind

What matters most is how well you walk through the fire. - Charles Bukowski

Humanity is going through interesting times.  Through these trying times, it is important to stay STABLE and continue to press forward in life. 

Stay positive

Current times make it easy to become depressed and negative.  Decide to stay positive no matter the circumstances. 

You gain control over any situation with a positive outlook. - Lailah Gifty Akita, Pearls of Wisdom: Great mind

Time for others

Even with the directive to practice social distancing, we can still be there for others through encouraging texts, telephone calls, cards, etc. 

Daily the author checks on one of her friends to make sure he is ok.  It is not the same as socializing in person, but the author is maintaining the friendship and interacting in new and different ways. 

No matter the situation we can always find ways to impact other people’s lives. 

Allay fears

The current situation in society could cause fear in oneself; however, it is our responsibility to allay (put aside) fear and meditate on good things.

Bedrock

My faith is everything. It’s the bedrock, the foundation and the core of who I am. - Maria Taylor

The bedrocks of life will help an individual fight through the difficult situations. 

Leeway

During this time, we have leeway to change our circumstances.  We can maintain a daily routine if it improves us or we can create new priorities/habits and declutter our life to help push forward to accomplish dreams and goals.

Endure

When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about. - Haruki Murakami

CHALLENGE: Remain STABLE and arrive on the other side having hope and knowing that you grew through this situation.

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - March 17th

Efficiency is doing better what is already being done. - Peter Drucker

The men who succeed are the efficient few. They are the few who have the ambition and will power to develop themselves. - Robert Burton

The author is a frugal individual.  She will often purchase items she likes when in a store, but then return them later if she found the items for a cheaper price.  Often times, the difference in price is less than a dollar.  The amount of gas used to return items is probably the amount of money being saved for purchasing the item at a different store.  This is a waste of the author’s valuable time and it is not an efficient way to live life. 

Dream-driven individuals are focused on their goals and are always moving towards them.  They should strive to be efficient in their lives allowing more time to accomplish their dreams.   

Time is the scarcest resource and unless it is managed nothing else can be managed. - Peter Drucker

Here are some ideas to help create a more efficient life:

• Automat food deliveries and bill payments wherever possible.  
• Limit interruptions to stay focused and work on one task at a time.
•  Incorporate WhiteSpace into life (reference Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast shown below)

White space is a strategic pause taken between activities. – Juliet Funt

  

•           Implement a routine that can be maintained.
• Remember that being busy does not mean efficient.
• Start a list of items to purchase adding new items throughout the month.  Schedule a shopping trip once per month to purchase items on the list.  
• Write a daily to-do list and review each evening to determine results.  

The most efficient way to live reasonably is every morning to make a plan of one's day and every night to examine the results obtained. - Alexis Carrel

CHALLENGE: Evaluate your life to find areas to improve efficiency.

Resources

https://articles.bplans.com/10-tips-to-improve-business-efficiency/

https://www.tonyrobbins.com/business/improve-work-efficiency/

https://www.life.church/leadershippodcast/q-a-with-whitespace-founder-juliet-funt/

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - March 10th

Pessimism leads to weakness, optimism to power. - William James

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence. - Helen Keller

The sun is shining.  Temperatures are rising.  Spring has almost sprung.  We lost an hour of sleep over the weekend!

Spring is the favorite season of the author and with it fast approaching the author is challenged to get caught up on work and clean out her apartment.  She desires to return to exploring the area and having fun with friends.  The author has been working 10 and 11 hour days and working some weekend.  It is not what the author desires, but the work has to be done.  On Saturday night, the author was talking to Mama Flow and she asked the author, “Do you like it?”  The author paused for a minute and she said “yes”.  The author continued, “I know that this experience is preparing me to accomplish my dreams.  It is difficult, but knowing that there is a purpose helps me get up before 3am and into the office by 6:30am.”

Optimism is a happiness magnet.  If you stay positive, good things and good people will be drawn to you. -  Mary Lou Retton

Through the long hours and trying situations, the author still takes time to socialize with friends and make them laugh.  Often times, the author will energetically say “It is a great day!” when people know the author is having a trying day or it is just a Monday!  Or the author tells stories of how her plants are doing, which she currently considers to be her kids.  She is happy most days when she remembers to water “her children” and opens the blinds so they will have sunlight throughout the day.  People laugh at the author for her optimism and craziness, but her antics put smiles on faces and lightens up the work day. 

Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness in people. - Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

Optimism is an important “weapon” in accomplishing dreams and goals.  – Terri Flow

CHALLENGE: As this new season is fast approaching, spend March getting caught up on any outstanding tasks, conducting a first quarter review of goal accomplishment and being optimistic that this is the best year of your life!

Resource

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=don%27t+be+a+complainer++joel+osteen&view=detail&mid=121F202D9A340C8B6F73121F202D9A340C8B6F73&FORM=VIRE

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - March 3rd

'I can't' are two words that have never been in my vocabulary.  I believe in me more than anything in this world. - Wilma Rudolph

Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us. - Wilma Rudolph

Over the last couple of weeks, Terri’s Tuesday Tip of the Week has discussed:

• Stop doing things that are not beneficial or helpful in accomplishing dreams. 
• Don’t have regrets
• Forgive
• Don’t judge
• Don’t gossip
• Control the mind 
• Don’t complain
  

And now…No Excuses. 

In 1940, a young girl was born and through her early childhood years encountered many illness including pneumonia, scarlet fever and contracted infantile paralysis, which was caused by the poliovirus.  Due to the various illnesses, she lost strength in her left leg and foot.  A doctor created a special leg brace that allowed her to walk, but her parents would not let her go outside to play with the other children.  Wilma was a no-nonsense girl and decided she did not want to stay inside and at the age of 12 started taking off her leg brace and went outside to play.  With her new freedom, she started running and would often go outside for hours to run.  A coach from Tennessee State University saw her athletic ability and started training her.  As a junior in high school at the age of 16, she competed in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.  She was defeated in the 200-meter race, but won bronze with her teammates in the 4x100 relay.  The 1960 Olympics were in Rome, Italy where Wilma competed again.  This time, she ran in the 100- and 200-meter sprints, plus the 4 × 100-meter relay.  She won gold in each of the events and became the first woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympics. 

When the sun is shining I can do anything; no mountain is too high, no trouble too difficult to overcome. - Wilma Rudolph

CHALLENGE: Like Wilma Rudolph, take “I Can’t” out of your vocabulary and live with no excuses. 

Resource
https://www.biography.com/athlete/wilma-rudolph

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilma_Rudolph

http://media.lakewood.org.edgesuite.net/JOM/podcast/mp3_audio/JO643Podcast.mp3