by Dr. Donald E. Wetmore

Having made more than 2,000 presentations on Time Management and Personal Productivity during the last twenty years, I have had the good fortune of counseling thousands in their quest for increased results in their daily business and personal lives.

I frequently ask two questions during my presentations and they are posed to you now.

1. "How many would like to say that each and every night, when they are going home from work that they 'got it all done'?"

2. "How many can actually say that each and every night, when they are going home from work, that they 'got it all done'?"

Typically, the answer to question #1 is unanimous. The silence to question #2 is most often deafening. Almost everyone says they "want to get it all done", but when pressed, all but a handful reply that, in truth, they "don’t get it all done".

Stress is caused in large part by differences between our expectations on the one level and reality at a lower level. This incongruity causes a disappointment and that disappointment breeds stress.

As a simple example, you have parked your car in the company lot at 8:00 a.m. You probably have an expectation that the car will still be there when the workday ends at 5:00 p.m. What if, at 5:00 p.m., you discover that your car has been "permanently borrowed" (stolen)? Might you be stressed at finding that your car is missing? I should think so, because you had an expectation that the car would be there at 5:00 p.m., and reality fell short (it was not there) of that expectation and created a
"mega-disappointment".

Now, if at 5:00 p.m. you journey to the parking lot and locate your car exactly where you left it at 9:00 a.m., put the key in the ignition, and depart, you experience no stress over the event because expectation and reality are in line with one another, there is no disappointment.

Accordingly, most of us have an expectation that we are going to "get it all done" and a reality that we "don’t get it all done". The result? "Industrial-strength" stress over these two competing assumptions. And it is a serious and pervasive condition. People everywhere are stressed out because they want to "get it all done", when the truth is, they "don’t get it all done".

The myth? It is the notion that we are going to "get it all done". We never "get it all done" and even if somehow we could, there are 10,000 other things we could take on. You and I will leave undone far more than we ever do get done. We will only accomplish a tiny fraction of what we "could have" done.

Our productive lives are like a sandy beach. Take one grain of sand and place it in the palm of your hand. Let that represent all that you accomplish in this life and let all the other billions of grains of sand represent what you "could have done". You "could have" read a chapter in that book last night, you "could have" made those additional phone calls earlier this morning, you "could have" had pizza for lunch today, etc.

Our productivity is never measured by what we have left undone. We will always leave undone far more than we ever accomplish. Our productivity is measured only by what we do accomplish. But when the goal is to "get it all done", we have a tendency to focus on the "quantity" to the loss of the "quality" and our productivity suffers.

It is instructive that when we go to the funeral home to pay our respects to a dear departed friend, the focus is always on what that person did in their lives, not what they did not do. We celebrate one another’s achievements and do not bemoan what they did not do. Yet, in our own lives, many task themselves over what they are not doing, what they have not accomplished.

Shatter the myth. Stop focusing on what is not getting done. Direct your time each day to what is truly the most valuable use of your time to you in light of your commitments and responsibilities and life goals.

Delight in and savor what you do accomplish, not what is left undone.

The measurement of the success in your life depends on it.

Copyright (c) 2005, all rights reserved. Don Wetmore can be reached at http://www.balancetime.com

Each day this week spend time focusing on the tasks that represent the best use of your time and let the rest go. Then, celebrate these important tasks you have accomplished.

October 25, 2005
Empowering Yourself at Keefe Tech Continuing Education

Do you feel like you need to make a significant change in your business or personal life and would like some support to address these issues? Coach Andrea will provide her 5-step program for gaining control of your life. This seminar is scheduled for Tuesday, October 25th, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Keefe Tech, Framingham, MA. To reserve your place, please call 508-935-0202 or go to http://www.ktconed.org and click on "Health & Life-Style."

October 27, 2005
Pounce on a Project for October

Last month we were busy and effective. Someone added new products to her shopping cart on her website, someone else took back her office space after rehabilitating from an operation, and someone else moved through a writing block on a story. Is it time for you to focus on that project that is calling your attention most loudly. Join us in Pounce on a Project on Thursday, October 27th from 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Eastern. We will join as a group by phone and declare what you want to accomplish: write a new talk, plan your next marketing piece, finish a client project, back up your computer before you buy a new one, cold calls, organize your office, or making those Halloween costumes.

During the morning, the group will gather by phone a few times to check progress and get any support needed to finish with a bang. At noon, the group will celebrate their accomplishments. Who says projects have to be boring and tedious? Bring your lightness and fun and join us for the energization.

To sign up or learn more, call or e-mail Andrea by noon on October 26th. Feel free to share this with friends and co-workers, the more the merrier. (Cost of the program is only the cost of long distance phone calls.)

Coach Andrea's Coaching Tip of the Week is brought to you by Andrea Novakowski, Master Certified Coach who provides Business and Personal Coaching to Corporations, Businesses, and Individuals. Andrea is a professional coach who partners with people to set goals and create momentum to produce effective results in their business and/or personal lives.

Andrea is available for individual coaching. If you are serious about reaching your goals and living with greater fulfillment and satisfaction, consider using a coach. To schedule a COMPLIMENTARY initial consultation, send an e-mail to Andrea at
andrea@coachandrea.com.

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