"Until you value yourself, you won't value your time.
Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it."
--M. Scott Peck, M.D.  

Over the Labor Day weekend I noticed a lot of news coverage about how Americans are working longer hours.  One study by the United Nations showed that U.S. workers put in more hours on the job last year than the labor force of any other industrial nation.  The average American worked 1978 hours in 2000, compared with 1942 hours in 1990 -- almost an additional 40-hour workweek. 

Americans now work almost a month more than the Japanese and almost three months more than the Germans.  The French just passed a law trimming the hours in their workweek to 35 hours.   And according to a new United Nations report, French workers are actually more productive than Americans when looking at productivity per hour worked.

Big surprise...when we show up to work more refreshed, we accomplish more!  When we show up exhausted and overloaded, productivity goes down.

What does it matter how much we do
if what we’re doing isn’t what matters most?
                                                 --Stephen Covey

Why are Americans working so much harder?  A number of factors affect this.  The economic boom of the 1990s provided a surplus of work for Americans, while the economies of Europe and Japan grew more slowly.  American psyche and culture has produced an eagerness to work more hours to make a good impression with employers, as well as a desire to make more money to buy more things.  And then there’s technology...gadgets offering us the promise of automating repetitive tasks, and the ability to be accessible 24 hours a day 7 days a week.  These technological advances have made it possible for us to work from almost anywhere -- home, vacation resorts, even the beach or the golf course -- places that used to be reserved for down time and relaxation!  And more of us are working from home offices, making it easier to work around the clock and harder to decipher between when we’re at work and when we’re at play.

I work from a home office and I love the convenience.  And with that convenience must come the discipline to know when it’s time to "leave work" and "go home."   A number of my clients work from home offices and struggle with the challenge of carving out some down time.  Home office workers can be especially challenged by this when they love what they do. 

As much as I love what I do, I also cherish my family and friends, and I value self-care and taking time to honor my spiritual needs.   So I choose to spend a significant portion of my waking hours away from my office.  I frequently remind myself that just because my office is one floor away from my living quarters, that doesn’t mean that I am obliged to work or answer the office phone at all hours.  And despite my best intentions and choices, if I do not plan time to do non-work-related activities, I fall into my default mode -- staying in my office and working -- and I neglect those other areas of my life that are important to me.  Knowing this about myself, I recognize the importance of scheduling play and self-care activities for myself on a weekly basis.  On the weeks that I do not do my weekly planning, my life is out of balance and I spend more time working than I care to admit. 

Part of building more balance into my life includes making choices about how I use the technology that surrounds me.  I own several techno gadgets -- a cell phone, pager, desktop computer, portable laptop, fax, and handheld organizer.  These are all wonderful tools, as long as they have their place.  Just because I have the ability to be available 24/7 doesn’t mean that I choose to be.  I turn my cell phone and pager off when I want uninterrupted time, and I do not respond to work-related e-mail when I am on vacation.

"Life is a sum of all your choices."
                               --Albert Camus

Recently I had a coaching call with a client who wants to create more balance in her life between work and play.  Since I have yet to find a professional who is not struggling with this, I’ve asked Barbara (not her real name) for permission to share a portion of our conversation with you in this newsletter.

During our call, Barbara told me that she wanted to focus our discussion around being more accountable for the following areas in her life:

	Keeping promises to herself and others
	Building new friendships and staying connected to old friends
	Focusing on her faith and spiritual growth

As I asked Barbara what she was committed to for the coming week, she said, "Well, I want to entertain friends and family in our home.  And I’ll try to get out and walk the dogs."   I responded by saying,  "I hear that you want to entertain friends and you will try to walk the dogs.  What does want to and try to look like?"   Sensing from the silence on the other end that she wasn’t sure where I was going with this, I asked, "Do you choose to invite friends over for dinner this week?  Do you choose to walk the dogs this week?"  

This was a pivotal moment for Barbara.  As we talked, she realized that for most of her life she had used language that was non-committal and provided her with an easy out.  I was asking if she was ready to step up to the plate and say "I choose to."  As we talked about Barbara’s level of commitment to various areas of her life, I noted that when couples take their marriage vows they say "I do"  -- a form of I choose to -- not  "I want to" or  "I’ll try to."

What kind of language do you use with yourself?  Is it a language of choice, or is it non-committal or victim language?

"Organizing is what you do before you do something,
so that when you do it, it’s not all mixed up."
        --Christopher Robin, Winnie the Pooh

I frequently hear business professionals say, "One of these days I really need to get organized!" Yet this task seems to be put on the back burner regularly because of more pressing things which need attention. What I've observed is that, until my clients consistently pay attention to non-urgent but important tasks -- tasks such as getting organized, weekly planning, self-care, and other preventive kinds of activities -- the urgent activities seem to multiply...sometimes to a critical state. 

If you are one of those business professionals who has put getting organized on the back burner... well, one of these days is here! National Get Organized Week is October 7-13. Why not put it on your calendar and just do it! The longer you wait to begin, the more time it will take and the more difficult it will be.  According to an ancient proverb, "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.  The second best time is now."

Answer these questions to find out if you would benefit from investing some time to get organized:

	Can you find what you need in a few seconds?
	If you work with others, can they find what they need in your office in a few seconds?
	Does your current system keep you focused on what’s most important to you?
	Do you have a system in place to remind you of important follow-up?
	Does disorganization cost you time or money on a regular basis?  Click here to find out what organization costs you or your company.

If you want to just do it, here are some ways I can assist:

	Set up a system to help you find anything you file or store in 5 seconds or less – guaranteed!
	Create a tickler system to help you remember important follow-up
	Provide you with tools to help you better manage your time to focus on what matters most.
	Assistance in clarifying priorities and changing habits to help keep you "on purpose" in your work and personal life

For free organization and time management tips visit http://www.orgcoach.net/tipsntools.html.

The recent terrorist attack is an unfortunate reminder that we never know when disaster will strike.  Just because you're a good record-keeper doesn't mean you're a good safe-keeper of records. Can you grab all of your important records and documents in five minutes, if necessary? Not likely. Identify a single location to file all crucial papers -- preferably a fireproof portable container.  Visit http://www.orgcoach.net/disaster_preparedness.html for some tips on disaster preparedness.

Special Offer October 7-13 is National Get Organized Week. If you want to Just Do It, start by contacting Paauwerfully Organized to get you started. Here are some ways in which we can help: Help you manage paper-based and electronic information so you can find it in 5 seconds or less - guaranteed! Teach you how to create a tickler file system to help you remember what requires action and when Time Management -- learn how to better manage your time to focus on what matters most. Coaching services to assist you in clarifying priorities and changing habits to help keep you on purpose in your work and your personal life (conducted by phone). We get what we settle for. It's never too late -- or too early -- to settle for more. When you are ready to settle for more -- professionally or personally -- click here to request your complimentary sample coaching session. Click here to see what my clients have to say about coaching with me. Read the December 2000 Working Woman magazine article about Kathy and her client. Click here to view Q&A about coaching.

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Calculate what disorganization costs you or your company.

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Declutter your environment by donating items you no longer need -- an old computer, cell phone, children's shoes and coats, clothing and household items, or even a car -- and get a valuable tax deduction in the process. Click here for more information.

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