"It is by attempting to reach the top in a single leap that so much misery is produced in the world." ~ William Cobbett

Isn't it glamorous and exciting to have too much to do?

"Oh my god! You wouldn't believe how busy I am! I have NO time! I can't believe how much I have to do! "

Heard that before? Said it? It makes me feel important just to write it. Busy-ness is addictive, isn't it? No wonder people ask me about time management. We live in a culture that romanticizes overwhelm. Overwhelm makes for good drama, and good drama makes for good TV, movies, and sympathy. It's just not good for a happy life.

So take a breath. Step away from the PDA. It's time to do less.

There are two fundamental rules to my time management system.

1. Set priorities.

2. Don't try to do everything at the same time.

3. Don't try to do it all yourself.

Everything on your "to do" list is not evenly weighted. Some things are more important than others. Some things have outstayed their welcome on your list and need to be given the boot. Be ruthless.

Paring down your to do list doesn't mean you have to kill any of your babies. Some of the things you take off your list now will get their day in the sun later.

Time management begins with the big picture: Over the next twelve months, what wants to happen in your life?

Use your intuition. Listen with your inner ear. Look with your inner eye. How ever information comes to you, let it come to you now.

Make a list of what you will manifest this year. Assign a three-month period (a quarter of the year) to focus on a couple of different goals. The fewer the better. Some of your goals you may choose to focus on for several quarters, even the whole year (like self-care, or networking). Other goals may be more time specific (like sell a script, take a vacation, buy a house, build a website).

Don't try to everything at the same time! See if you can focus on only two or three goals each quarter. The magic of this approach is everything gets its own time. You can put your full focus on two or three things and know that another nine things will get their turn. You don't have to feel guilty about what you aren't doing now!

And you have flexibility. Let's say you finished your first quarter goals early. Now you can go shopping and see if there's anything from one of the other quarters you'd like to start early. Sometimes things take longer than we expect. If something didn't get done in its designated quarter, is it important enough to roll over into the next quarter? And perhaps you were planning to buy a car in quarter three, but a great opportunity shows up in quarter two.

Go ahead! You make your calendar work for you, not against you.

*******************

Morgana Rae, the Charmed Life Coach, helps entrepreneurs, small business owners, and entertainment professionals enjoy greater success without sacrificing their humanity. For more free tips on creating a charmed life of ease, flow, and abundance visit www.charmedlifecoaching.com * email: morgana@charmedlifecoach.com * phone: 310 657-5340.