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With this issue of
Commuter Chronicles, we will address issues, problems, and concerns of
the commuter with the goal of making the life of the commuter a good
one. The effect the commuter’s life has on family and friends, the
community and the company will also be "fair game" because no other
group has such far reaching influence on so many others.
We’ll focus on one topic per issue so that you might have time to digest
what is said and work on incorporating suggestions into your life. We
welcome suggestions, stories and questions from you.
Commuter Chronicles has had a productive year in 2006 and we hope for
even a better 2007. With your help and support, we will. Now, for our
first topic in the new year:
KEYS TO THE GOOD LIFE
What if someone told you that all you’ve heard and read about the life
of the commuter is true?
It’s harried, with no time for the things that make life great. It’s
hallmark is no time – no time for good meals, no time for fun, no time
for family, no time for joining clubs, no time to get a good sleep.
Missed family time, poor food intake, lack of exercise, not connected to
any community because s/he’s always between communities, road rage, and
on. These are the descriptors that are used when talking about the
commuter.
What if your life is like this? What do you do? Do you bear it, thinking
that it’ll all work out one day or this is the sacrifice one makes for
the family?
Do you complain and gripe to let off steam? Do you find yourself blaming
others for the situation you find yourself in?
The life of the commuter has not been a good one or one to aspire to,
but this doesn’t have to be. With some changes and additions, it can be
a good life. So, let’s get started and see what needs changing.
Charting
Knowing where we are starting, where we want to go, and where we are at
different times in our progress is the first step to making important
life changes.
Get yourself a notebook and start jotting down information on different
areas of your life – sleep time, commute time, meal time and what you
eat, play time, anything that is important in your life.
What do you want to change?
After about a week, you will have a clear picture of how your life is
being lived. Now, see what changes you want to make. You may need to
make many changes, but don’t overwhelm yourself. Try tackling one or
two. You can always go on from there.
What do YOU want to do about it?
Making as small a change as you can to get the results you want is
really the best way to approach change. Humans are creatures of habit
and to change habits takes great energy, which most of us are unwilling
to expend.
That’s OK, it’s just how we are as humans. No need to be upset or
criticize. Just let’s figure how to make this as easy as we can.
So let’s say you are dissatisfied with how your time is spent and want
to make some changes.
First, you will chart time spent by keeping a written log of what you
do. Perhaps, an hour by hour schedule will be sufficient, although as
you write down your activities, you may see that a 15 minute check or
some other schedule will give you better information.
Here is a section of a chart from Joe, who used a 30 minute schedule:
10:30am – answer e-mail
11:00am – work on proposal to be presented at end of month
11:30am – continue working on proposal
12:00pm – lunch out of office
12:30pm – lunch
1:00pm – answer e-mail
1:30pm – return telephone calls
Joe is concerned that he works into the evening hours. He wants to
become more efficient with his time so that he can leave for home at a
more reasonable hour than his current 7pm. He wants to leave work at
6pm. That means he has to find an additional hour of work time during
the day.
After keeping a detailed schedule for five days, he decides to try some
adjustments. He schedules in shorter email checks and telephone time,
decreasing each by 15 minutes. He also deducts 15 minutes from lunch
time. With a total of 45 minutes, Joe looks to find the additional 15
minutes he needs.
He’s read that a task can easily fill the time allotted to it, whether
it’s needed or not. With this in mind, Joe decides to take 15 minutes
from the time he will work on his proposal, leaving 45 minutes.
Try, try again
With the new schedule, Joe begins a week of charting, being careful to
keep notes that will help keep him on track. At the end of the week, he
sees that he’s been able to leave at 6:15. That’s good, but his goal is
to leave at 6:00, so he goes back to his schedule to see what happened.
By studying his time table, he sees that that he spent some time on an
office emergency. Realizing his schedule was too tightly controlled,
leaving no time for unexpected happenings, Joe shaved 5 minutes off
other scheduled tasks and came up with a "floating" block of 15 minutes
that could be used as needed throughout the day.
He tested this schedule for 5 days and saw that it worked. He got his
work done, was in relative ease, and got out of work by 6 each night.
Joe didn’t make drastic changes to his schedule to get what he wanted. I
think this is the key to it all. Little adjustments can lead to results
that make our lives so much better.
He assessed the problem, did some data collection so that he knew what
needed to change and where he was headed, tried something new, adjusted
what didn’t work and finally got what he wanted.
You can do the same. If you need help with any part of this, just call
or email and get going. If you have a question or want to share your
results, we want to hear from you. |
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Dr. Mastria is founder of Commuter-Assist.com, which publishes e-books, CDs
and cassettes to help commuters get the most out of their commute and life
in general. Dr. Mastria speaks, offers workshops, and consults to
businesses. She also provides life, wellness, and
executive and business coaching to groups and
individuals. To contact Dr. Mastria email info@Commuter-Assist.com or call 570-839-6394.
All content Copyright © 2007, Dr. Marie A.
Mastria, CLC, PCC / Commuter-Assist.com. All rights reserved. You may
copy or send it to family or friends who may benefit from it so long as
the format and credits are intact. You have permission to publish this
article electronically, free of charge, as long as the by-lines are
included and links are activated and maintained. A courtesy copy of your
publication or link to website would be appreciated. |
