 PLEASE PASS ON A COPY OF COMMUTER CHRONICLES |
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Commuter Chronicles July 2006 | Volume 1 | Issue 13 |
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| Write it Down | |
In this issue: |
July is considered one of the laziest months of the year. Many people take a vacation during July, children are sent to camp for July and few businesses introduce new products in July.
Be well! |
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SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
In keeping with our theme of
writing it down, here is some wisdom from the ages. Lee Iacocca comments on
the importance of writing it down. The African proverb describes what is
important to note, while Kierkegaard puts data in its place.
Capra’s quote is added for
a good laugh on our politicians. Some things never change. |
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Commuter-Assist.com and its services are for commuters and all who love
them, work with them, and employ them.. PASS IT ON... A couple months ago we started our Pass It On campaign and we asked you to help us get Commuter-Assist.com known to those we serve. We are happy to report that you are hearing our request. We thank you. We are very aware that nothing can happen without you . All are work is for naught without you.
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WRITE IT DOWN Keeping track by writing it down is one of the best tools to change. Seeing our thoughts on paper makes them more real. Writing down the number of times we actually complete a behavior is so much more reinforcing than simply saying, “lots of times.” One of the first things we need to know when we are attempting to implement change is what we are actually doing now. We need a baseline so we might compare what we were doing to how we are doing as we implement that tool for change. This gives us an indication of how effective that tool is and whether adjustment needs to be made to the tool. It is also a good way to get reinforcement for the work we’re doing. A baseline calls for recording the behavior we are working on for a period of time. Usually a week’s worth of information is good. For example: If you want to see how much you accomplish in your work week, you can jot down the time you start working and note when you’re off task. Doing this for five days will give a good picture of your work routine. Once you start keeping track, you may find it reinforcing in itself. Many people find that writing helps them to make change even before implementing a tool. For example, keeping track of how much time you spend on the telephone for unimportant things, can make you aware of that time and cut conversations short. Just by knowing what the time spent is, you may find yourself cutting the conversation short. After all, how much time can we listen to complaints without wanting to zone out? Writing it down is a great way to monitor your activity throughout the day. One study suggests that only 38 minutes a day is spent on focused productive work that leads to an increase in money coming into a company. Knowing that executives and the self-employed often spend many hours at work before and after the formal business hours and may not be accomplishing what they expect should be an incentive for writing it down. But don’t stop there. Writing it down can make it simple and simple to follow. If your business plan isn’t written down simply, how will you follow it? One business expert questions why the employer feel he must do everything? Starting out with tight money constraints makes one wary of where the money should go. But you need to be equally wary of where the time goes. If you can hire wisely and have repetitive tasks and even some creative and important tasks outsourced, would you be able to spend more time on bringing sales in and building the company? Writing it down in words or pictures will
help you see more clearly than having the picture in your mind. Keeping it
all in a binder or folder will allow you to look back on the process you’ve
been through and your development. This newsletter was developed using free
mind map tool. You can try it out at |
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COST CUTTERS
More Month than Money In her new e-book More Money that Month: 7 Steps to Financial Freedom, she leads you, step by step, through a plan that will show you how to use your money so you have what you need, what you want and what you can save to make it grow for the future. It doesn’t matter how much you make, a little or a lot, or where you are in your career, just starting out or thinking of retirement, there is much in here for you. At some point, I hope we can get Clare on Commuters in the Know LIVE! But for now, here are some helpful tips from her book. She asks you what beliefs you hold about money. Is money good or the root of all evil? What did you learn about wealth as you were growing up? She points out how important it is to have beliefs that allow us to gain wealth and use money as a tool to advance our lives. She discusses abundance versus scarcity and asks which is in our lives. I hear so many people talk about not having the money to do something. Isn’t it better to talk about the choices we make in using our money rather than not being able to afford something? How many people decide not to dine out every night of the week choosing instead to use that money for vacation or a new piece of entertainment equipment? She tackles overspending, which can show its ugly head at any income level. Being in debt saps our money but also our energy and emotional well being. The worry and upset caused by spending outside our means is definitely not worth it. Another good tip is to get your debts “out in the open.” You can’t handle what you don’t know is there. Write all your debts down, then you can plan how you wish to approach it all. Here a few tips to start working on. If you’d like the e-book, go to www.ClareEvans.co.uk/moremoney.htm Ten per cent of the proceeds are contributed to cancer research programs. |
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Keeping Track One of the best ways to limit your stress is to keep track of it. Writing down your level of stress, either using low, medium, and high or a scale of 0 to 10, with zero being no stress and ten being the highest level you experience, will keep you aware of what stresses you and how high that stress is so you can take needed action. You can keep track of emotional and physical stresses, workouts, relaxation, sleep patterns, food intake, sports activities, anything that you deem important to your well being. In my e-book, I speak of having an up to date health certificate. This means having your check ups current and being very aware of each area of your health and what you are doing to maintain it in good condition or regain it. Keeping track of what you are doing will give you the control you need and the stress will not have a chance to get hold of you. Having a small journal devoted to your health will help make the task easy. You can have a section for each area you are monitoring and all you’ll need is to date it and make one or two word notes. For example, there are many reasons you might be having difficulty sleeping. But it’s only when you begin to make notes are you able to see that the weekend naps are getting longer than usual and may be impacting on a good night’s sleep. Testing out your theory, you begin to limit those naps and in short order you’re back to sleeping well at night. Seeing the success you gain will give you the confidence to move on to other areas. Keeping track is a simple way to gain control over your time and develop a healthy life. It doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does need to be written down. |
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DR. M RECOMMENDS
There are many mind mapping tools available over the internet. I would suggest that you try this free tool at http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/CiLL/mindmap.htm. It allows you to quickly put thoughts to paper and then pull them together in an orderly fashion. If you haven’t learned mind mapping in school, here’s an easy way to bring it into your tool kit. |
WHAT'S HAPPENING
Commuters in the Know LIVE!
On the 3rd of August we will
host Dr. Chris Meister, DC, specialist in chiropractic medicine, acupuncture
and nutrition. He has been in practice over sixteen years.
CONQUER THE COMMUTE: TOOLS FOR THE ROAD AND LIFE
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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 © 2006, 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. |
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