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Editorial Reviews

“The Power of Slow is a life-changing book. Far from stating the obvious, Christine Hohlbaum provides new insights and persuasive arguments for reshaping our time and changing our lives for the better. A must read in our over-scheduled world!”–Wendy Walker, author of Social Lives, Four Wives, and Chicken Soup for the Soul – Power Moms

“In the fast-paced world of Blackberrys, Iphones, and Twitter, it’s hard to find one’s footing. In an easy-to-read style, Ms. Hohlbaum has described a process of slowing down that is so very important to our wholeness, balance, and well being. She does so in a poetic and sometimes humorous way. She has captured a heavy topic with a light touch and yet we learn many lessons.  I highly recommend this book to help anyone who wants to stay healthy, sane, and enjoy life more fully.”–Bonnie Michaels, work-life balance expert and author of Solving the Work/Family Puzzle and A Journey of Work-Life Renewal

Product Description

Getting to the heart of our hassled and over-scheduled existence, Christine Louise Hohlbaum cheerfully investigates 101 ways to increase our quality of life and productivity by reevalu ating how we perceive and use time. She claims that everyone has their own personal bank account of time. We cannot control time itself, but we can manage the activities within the time we do have. The Power of Slow gives readers practical, concise directions to change the relationship they have with time and debunks the myths of multitasking, speed, and urgency as the only ways to efficiency.

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Type the words ‘living style’ and any combination of other related keywords into Google and you get a list of sites about home design, fashion, cars, pets and all the newest trends associated with them. These are the accumulated trappings that reflect our lifestyle. Lifestyle is the visible evidence of our preferences, our tastes, our wealth. So what kind of question is “What’s your living style”? And why give it your attention?

Well, the word ‘living’ is the present participle of the verb ‘live’. It suggests activity and interactivity. What we are doing, experiencing, living, now. If you’re like most working folk in mainstream society your present reality is a balancing act between work stress, family responsibilities, friendships and untold other obligations. And if you’re like most basically stable but somewhat frazzled folk, the prolonged strain often leaves you with a vague but troublesome sense of disconnect from your soul’s center.

If this describes your typical day, it might be time to examine, even define your living style and get it under control. Shape your inner life space so that the living is good.

Most of us think in terms of living a long, full term life of about 80-85 years. In that span we go through various seasons. Each one brings its own set of concerns, challenges and joys. We only get one go round with each, and we are responsible to experience each one fully. But because we are human and driven to constantly learn, improve and grow, we’ll push that instinctual ambition to the limit of our known available resources. And resources we have–to the point of information overload.

So how do you marry your frenzied life with all its necessary daily activities with the season in which we now live, to create a more balanced, more satisfying living style? Consider your present season. What about this season is worth cherishing? And what within this season would you like to accomplish that is compatible with what you cherish?

Deep Style Lite

Are you young, unattached, and loving your freedom? Want to study, travel, or a combination of the two? Then maybe rather than allowing a new relationship develop–just because the opportunity presents itself, you put it on hold. Emotional ties can wait. But maybe your freedoms can’t. Respect your new found focus and remain true to it in the overall scheme of your dreams. Save for airfare rather than blow it on a city weekend. Instead, spend that weekend immersed in plans and activities that support your present passion. Your style of living has suddenly taken a shape appropriate to the conditions of your season.

Do you want to adopt a healthier living style? Better eating habits, a regular exercise routine? You’ve taken the obvious steps. Emptied the freezer of ice cream, joined a gym, changed your bed time to allow more sleep. But unless you have seriously considered the pattern of your living style, your initial efforts will be compromised.

Have you closed the chapter (temporarily) on Wednesday night poker and beer in favor of an evening with someone who can encourage your efforts? Are you still shopping for shoes on your lunch break, when the extra money could go toward healthy groceries? Did you earlier in the year commit to journaling in the morning, but now find it impossible?

The conflicting priorities demand concerted planning. Envision the sacrifices and make the adjustments before they are staring you in the face. Then give yourself permission to presently and fully engage in a living style that will ferry you through to success.

The principles of creating a living style apply to all seasons. A newly awakened concern for social justice, a political movement, the environment, all call for modifications. How can you really live with concern for sea life when you continue to indiscriminately use plastic?

When you make the right adjustments, your energy is brought into synch with your values, and the subconscious conflicts that plague you are released to create more forward momentum. This will show up in newly formed relationships or a more tightly crafted budget to support your goals.

Seasons of motherhood, fatherhood, spiritual exploration, educational growth, building a house, learning your family heritage, reading every book by Tolstoy, are all seasons. By identifying what you treasure within these seasons, and linking them to the parallel activities of daily life, you will create an integrated inner landscape and a harmonious, comfortable living style.

NEWSFLASH: I’ve added another chapter to my life by joining C.A.S.T. Recovery, a Los Angeles based outpatient drug rehab program which specializes in designing highly individualized recovery plans with appropriate professionals to support a client’s health, accountability, and success.

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Let’s be honest here… in 2009, we’ve got all sorts of technology and tricks to help us “save time,” yet we’re busier than ever. At some point, you’ve likely wished for a way to passively burn calories, have you not? Well, I’m here to point out the potential for fun, fit, healthy living in all of your “routine” activities. Adapt your lifestyle, and you’ll be on your way to looking trim and slim… without that mind-numbing gym workout.

1. Do the unthinkable: shovel something.

Yes, you. Put down that snowblower, or the phone that you were about to call the kid down the street from. Dust off that shovel… you’ve got bending, lifting, scooping and heaving to do! Okay, so I’m writing this in March and chances are it’s done snowing in your area. Well, I’ve got great news for you: there’s still garden soil and landscaping beds that need your attention.

You may think “Oh, but my back…” but the truth is, barring a warning from the family physician, you’re probably not as incapacitated as you think you are. The more often you do it, the stronger your back, arm and leg muscles will become (can I include glutes in this lineup?) and the less stress on your bones anyway. So stop yer bellyaching and get to shoveling!

2. Help someone move.

Ugh… more lifting, you say? These days, it seems like someone is always packing up and heading here or there… why not make yourself available, and offer to play Moving Man or Moving Lady for a day? Yes, even the most waif-like individuals can serve as valuable helpers during a family move. There are always tons of boxes and furniture of varying sizes and weights… there are often stairs to run up and down as you lug this or that object. There are refrigerators to scrub and coats that need transporting… carpets to vaccuum and sheds to empty out… all of this offers quite the entire-body workout.

For the bigger guys, yes, even you may be feeling intimidated by that 300-pound dresser. Let me introduce you to the Back Buddy… an ingenious system that redistributes the weight of whatever you’re lifting, so you and a pal can move proverbial mountains without so much as a peep from your vertebrae.

3. Put down the burrito and head for the stairs.

How is quitting the elevator going to make a difference, you wonder? Well… if you keep up with your current volume and frequency of food consumption, it’s probably going to slim those legs a bit but leave you thick in the middle. So how about having half the burrito (maybe even a third?), taking the stairs during work breaks, and maybe even venturing to a different floor of your office when you need to use the restroom?

Using the stairs, as well as easing up on the amount of lunch you consume, can kick-start your heart to becoming stronger and healthier. You’ll be less sluggish and less likely to pass out at your desk at 3 p.m…. more alert for those impromptu group brainstorms your boss is always dragging you to. Why pay the monthly membership fee to use the stairmaster 3 times a week, when you already have access to a free stairmaster that will get you where you need to go?

4. Master the art of meal balancing.

We all have our eating weaknesses; guys tend to skip the veggies and instead pile on tons of meat, topped with cheese, glorious cheese! Women, we’ve all seen you lose your minds over chocolate in ANY form. I say, hey… indulge every once in a while, treat yourself to something sinfully delicious. But DO practice the art of eating in moderation. Europeans walk everywhere, eat what they want but in small portions, have a little wine and cake with dinner, and generally look and feel much better than us slovenly Americans. (Sure, plenty of Americans eat right, but let’s face it… we’re topping the obesity charts around the globe. So I’m thinking we could stand to learn a few tricks from our leaner friends in Europe and Asia.)

The art of balancing your meals has a lot to do with texture and color. If you’re hungering for a burger, skip the bun and instead pair it with whole grain rice and a colorful salad. Think dark green lettuce, orange carrots, purple cabbage, red tomatoes… the more of a kaleidoscope appearing on your plate, the healthier your choice and the better for your metabolism and your health.

5. Give up “recreational” sugar.

While you’re doing all this bending, lifting, walking and stair climbing without the help of any nautilus machines… remember that refined sugar is not your friend. Sugar adds empty calories, slows down your metabolism, makes your pancreas work extra hard and eventually can lead to diabetes. And refined sugar is also highly addictive!

When I say “give up sugar” you probably think of ice cream and Ring Dings. But did you know that “empty sugar calories” hide in unexpected places like that can of pork and beans… a bottle of ketchup… your salad dressing (yes, even and especially the lowfat one!)… steak sauce… a premade box of frozen creamed spinach… your morning cereal? You can undo the damage that may have already been done by replacing pre-made foods with natural choices that you prepare at home. For example: whip up a tasty vinagrette for your salad using olive oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh thyme and a clove of garlic (tip: all of this is actually GREAT for you!). There are so many ways to get your tastebuds singing without table sugar. Try it and see how much better you look and feel!

Additional ideas… make a list of hobbies and activities you can take up that will keep you moving… reaching… stretching… running… dancing… bending. Become a Boy Scout Dad. Take up hiking or kayaking. Refurbish old furniture. Whatever you end up doing, pay attention to what’s happening to your body as you engage in these activities. Are you finding the need to bend at the waist more? Is your wrist and arm growing stronger from all the bread kneading you’ve been doing?

It turns out that simply living, doing things that need to be done, as well as make us happy, is what really keeps us fit and feeling great!

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What makes these companies so desirable?

In addition to good pay and benefits, the businesses on the top-100 list know how to motivate their employees and give them ownership of their work. You too can get your employees to be accountable by using tactics such as offering incentives, giving them a purpose, letting them create their own goals, and offering them projects that contribute to the greater good.

What’s In It for Me?

Offering incentives to employees is one of the simplest ways of encouraging accountability. Who doesn’t love working for a company that offers excellent perks? Vacation hours and healthcare benefits are common offerings, but to go above and beyond, you have to think outside the box. Google offers its employees free meals. On a full stomach, Google workers are able to think better and work more effectively. eBay set aside spaces at two of its locations for meditation/prayer rooms. Free lunch and leisure space may not be possible in every corporate situation, but the point is that you must analyze the needs and interests of your employees and offer incentives that cater to their desires.

Meaningful Work

Another way to get employees to be accountable is by giving them purpose. When employees feel that they are working on menial tasks without a reason behind them, they lack drive and ambition. Sure, there are bound to be tasks that seem more like chores, but it is important to ensure that each employee has a sense of the effect their contributions have in the bigger picture.

Personal Goal-Setting

While employees need to see how their assigned work fits in with the company’s goals, they also need to be permitted to set goals of their own. Think of work projects as a car ride. The person driving the car feels much more responsible than the passengers for getting to the intended destination safely and on time because he is in control.

Allowing employees to steer their own course will help them to place value in their work and hopefully encourage them to work harder to see things through. Encourage employees to set goals for weekly, monthly, and yearly achievements. The goals can be performance-oriented or geared towards a particular assignment. No matter what the content of the employees’ aims, allowing them to create and follow through on their own ambitions will certainly encourage accountability.

Contribution to the Greater Good

Once employees are able to see how their personal work affects the performance of the company, it is also important for them to feel like they are making a contribution to the greater good. You don’t have to work at a nonprofit organization to be able to offer projects that permit staff members to give back to the global community.

For instance, many corporations run fund-raising campaigns for charitable groups such as The United Way. Human Resources departments are often in charge of planning these types of events, but why not let employees get involved in the planning and execution? Rather than a simple request for a donation, employee participation in the roots of the fund-raiser gives a valuable project they will be able to feel proud of. Furthermore, expand on the idea of a yearly fund-raiser by getting your business involved in the local community. Whether you are employed at a doctor’s office, a retail store, or a factory, there are always ways that businesses can give back. Set a precedent for altruism and your employees will follow suit.

Motivating employees can be one of the trickiest but also one of the most beneficial aspects of running a company. Incentives, meaningful work, personal-goal setting, and contributing to the greater good are all excellent ways to foster employee accountability. And when your employees are accountable for their work, your company will run smoother and more effectively. If you play your cards right, you just may see your business’s name on FORTUNE Magazine’s top-100 list next year!

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In today’s fast-paced world we often find ourselves waking up earlier, working longer hours, and rushing to catch up.

STOP! We can not allow our hectic schedules to overrun our basic needs of health, happiness, and well being. We need to make time to take care of the essentials. The single most important good habit to maintain, no matter how busy we get, is a good diet.

Think of your body as a machine. Your body is a machine, and your stomach is the fuel tank. For optimal results use the premium fuel.

Your diet impacts your mood, energy level, and overall effectiveness on the job.

When you are running at full bore, you know it. You are humming. Energy abounds, your spirits are high, and things are getting done! Conversely, we all know the feeling of “hitting the wall” around 2:00, or 3:00 PM. We crash and just zone out for an hour or two in a food induced stupor, staring blankly at our humming computer screen. I used to hit that metaphorical wall daily, and I didn’t know why. It all comes down to our diet! Our diet can make us or it can break us.

Try to implement the foods I’m listing below into your workday diet for one week. By Friday, you will be feeling so good that you will not need any more convincing.

Citrus: Orange, Grapefruit.

Try to have at least one orange and one grapefruit daily.

Citrus is an important source of Vitamin C. Vitamin C is an essential nutrient not produced in the human body, rather it must be ingested. Have a pink or red grapefruit with breakfast, and an orange with lunch, and your body will be brimming with Vitamin C all day.

• Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps our immune system function properly.
• Vitamin C helps produce collagen which strengthens your bones, muscles.
• Vitamin C may reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke, and cancer.

Note: Grapefruit, when cut properly, is not sour, but rather it is sweet, and delicious.

Honey: Unprocessed, Local

Use raw, unprocessed honey, whenever possible, to replace sugar or artificial sweeteners.

There are as many reasons to use honey, as there are to NOT use sugar or artificial sweeteners. Honey is good for your immune system, has anti-oxidant and anti-bacterial properties, and may help control seasonal allergies.

Processed sugar, on the other hand, can elevate blood sugar to unhealthy levels, cause moods swings, and contribute to depression. There is a large volume of research that suggests a strong link between artificial sweeteners and cancer. It makes good sense that you should go, whenever possible, with the natural, unprocessed alternative – like honey.

There are many different floral varieties – and flavor profiles – of natural honey. The healthiest and tastiest (in my opinion) is wildflower honey – produced locally to you. Its pollens are from numerous flowering plants that grow in your area. When ingested regularly, your body will build a natural resistance to the very pollens that aggravate your allergies in the spring and summer.

Tips:

• Use honey in your morning coffee or tea to replace sugar or sweeteners. Do not begin your day by ingesting processed sugars, or artificial sweeteners. Your body will suck them up like a vacuum, as it is starved for nutrients after eight hours of sleep. Let it instead absorb healthy and nutritious honey.

• Use honey to sweeten your oatmeal or cereal – same logic as above.
• If you do not like the taste of honey, then try to use raw, unprocessed sugar whenever possible.

Tea: White, Green, Black

Try to have one or two cups of tea every day.

There are many varieties of tea, and they are all good for you. Tea has long been recognized for its health benefits by countries like China, Japan, and England.

Tea has a variety of ingredients that help promote health, and is recognized as a powerful cancer fighter. Tea naturally contains less caffeine than coffee, and is much easier on the system.

If you drink excessive amounts of coffee (as I once did) each day to keep you going, then please consider replacing most – if not all – of it with tea. It does not take very long to make the transition, and you will very quickly be happy you did.

Yogurt: Active, Good Bacteria.

Yogurt is a quick and easy snack. Have at least one serving every day.

Yogurt is a great source of calcium and Vitamin D. It helps strengthen bones, and can prevent osteoporosis.

Look for yogurt with several “active cultures”. These cultures are very good for your digestive tract. Don’t be fooled by clever marketing, or branding. Look at the ingredients. Good yogurt should have as many as five to seven active cultures – the more the better.

Tip: Use yogurt when making fruit smoothies. It will make them smooth, and tasty, and healthy.

Beans, beans, they’re good for your heart…

We all know the schoolyard song, and I’ll spare you the rest of it. It is true, though. Beans are great for your heart. The high fiber content of these legumes serves as a broom that sweeps harmful cholesterol from your system before it gets absorbed into the bloodstream.

Beans – especially black beans – are nature’s best source of plant protein. They are naturally cholesterol and saturated-fat free, and they contain many important nutrients that promote health.

Tip:

Brown rice and beans are great for lunch. Make a large quantity of rice and beans at home, and package it up to be reheated at work. Add seasoning to taste, and eat with a little hot sauce. The protein will give you energy to last you through the afternoon, and you’ll avoid the afternoon drowsiness that results from eating a big, unhealthy lunch.

…so eat your beans with every meal!

Ahhh, Nuts!

Nuts, while very high in calories, are an excellent source of plant protein, and other important nutrients. Nuts are seeds, and therefore they contain all the ingredients necessary to begin a life. It makes logical sense, then, that they are powerful additions to a healthy diet.

Nuts contain:

• High concentrations of plant proteins
• Antioxidants and phytonutrients such as Selenium and Vitamin E.
• Plant sterols and good fat (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats containing Omega-3)
• Fiber

Nuts are good for you, but remember to eat them in moderation. Overeating nuts will lead to weight gain, and would be counterproductive to your health. Go with a wide variety of dry-roasted nuts for optimal health benefits.

Turkey Lurkey

Turkey is an excellent source of animal protein. Make a turkey sandwich for lunch, and you’ll get plenty of good protein without a lot of unwanted, saturated fat. Your energy level will remain stable, and you will be sufficiently full throughout the afternoon.

Tips:

• Use white, skinless turkey for optimal nutrition.
• Go with mustard on the sandwich instead of mayonnaise.
• Add some Romaine lettuce and a slice of tomato to your turkey sandwich.
• Select whole-grain bread that is high in soluble fiber (5-7 grams per serving). Do not be fooled by clever labels. Many whole grain breads are actually quite low in usable dietary fiber. Read the label!

These are only a few examples of healthy food choices. I highlighted them because of their high nutritional value, as well as their convenience, and ease of use. Remember to fill your tank with the good stuff: plenty of fruits and vegetables, healthy sources of protein, and vitamins and nutrients derived from whole foods.

Starting with these foods, you can replace bad eating habits with good ones, and get yourself on track to be healthier, happier, more energetic and productive. You will have the nutritional foundation to build your life upon, and the strength and health needed to be successful in today’s demanding world.

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Well, go ahead and take a big sigh of relief because I have some good news to share with you. Even though we’re going through a bit of a rough spot doesn’t mean you just have to throw up your hands and deal with it. Learn how to build your own wealth in a bad economy–and realize that it’s about more than what shows on your resume. Take matters into your own hands and take action now.

Start a side business

You’ve always dreamed of being your own boss. And while now may not be the time to quit your job and go 100% on your own, it may be the time to start a side business. It’ll allow you to pursue your dream and make a little extra money while you’re doing it. You’re probably thinking, start a new business when so many businesses are failing? Yes, you heard me right. Think about it for a moment. Even in a bad economy, there are opportunities to be had and you have to grab them. It comes down to the basic supply and demand rule, so think about how you may be able to benefit from a bad situation.

Maybe you’re a marketing manager. In this economy, one of the first cutbacks that a company makes tends to be their marketing department. Fortunately for you, these companies still have to market their products and services. They just can’t afford to employ the marketing people full-time, plus benefits, plus, plus, plus. So what about becoming a marketing consultant to these companies? It’s a win-win. They need marketing services and you have marketing services to offer. You may make enough money on the side to put it all into savings and investments. You may even find that it is lucrative enough to take it full-time.

Take a minute to think about your talents. Then take a minute to think about how you can profit from these talents.

Lower your spending

We all spend frivolously at some point in our lives. Do you really need a Starbucks every day? Or is it really necessary to spend $200 a month eating out at restaurants? The answer to both questions is no. One of the easiest ways to build your wealth is to stop spending it all! Keep tracking of your spending for one month. Then go line-by-line on your spending sheet and see where you can cut. You may find a couple hundred extra dollars, a few thousand dollars, or 20 extra dollars. Whatever the amount, start socking that money away instead of wasting it. And don’t mistake cutting back your spending for giving up living, either. There are plenty of free and low cost ways to entertain yourself and fill your coffee fix (or whatever fix you have).

Don’t make your exit from the stock market… stay calm

If you have money invested in the stock market, the odds are good that you’ve seen it decrease in the past year or so. This is not the time to panic, sell off all your investments, and start stashing money under your mattress. Panic sell-offs are just making a bad situation worse. The market is cyclical and goes up and down. Your wealth will go back up when the market goes back up–and eventually it WILL go back up. This is not to say that you should just sit back and watch your money disappear either. Evaluate your investments once a year and make necessary changes to watch your money grow. Now may be the perfect time to invest in a company that was too expensive before. It’s kind of like the stock market is having a sale. You can get into investments at bargain basement prices.

Even when times are rough, you can take action and turn the bad times into good ones for you. It’s not always about running off and getting a new job to increase your income and increase your wealth. Sometimes it’s about creatively thinking of ways that you can take advantage of the bad economy and turn it into a positive for you.

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We all know how it feels to lose control of our day. A customer is calling with an urgent problem, or your boss barraged you with another slew of emails, or little Timmy is pitting the cat against the hamster in a cage fight of epic proportions.

Whatever the distractions happen to be, there is little we can do to prevent them from occurring. What we can do is follow a few simple guidelines to help keep us on track. We can prevent life’s little diversions from completely derailing us day after day.

When we accomplish what we set out to do on a given day, we are rewarded with a sense of satisfaction and pride. We have emerged from the jungle, once again, victorious! Here are a few tips to help you claim victory over your own daily jungle.

Write down your key objectives before you start your day.

I know we’ve all heard this one before, but it truly is a great habit to get into. Invest thirty or forty dollars in a good daily planner, and use it. Keep it simple, and only write the two or three key objectives for each day. When you get in the habit of writing down your goals, you will be surprised at how much more likely you are to actually achieve them. Most people do not take the time to assess their priorities at the beginning of the day, and instead tend to get swept away in minor affairs. Sound familiar? Take charge. Know your mission, and you will accomplish it.

Take advantage of the calm before the storm.

Work on your priority items in the morning. This is often a quiet time at the beginning of our day – before the madness begins. This is your time. Use it wisely. This is the time before the rest of the world catches up to you. I often make my biggest “dent” in the day between 8:00 and 9:00 AM. You too will find yourself ahead of the game before most of your colleagues have finished their morning cup of coffee.

Don’t worry.

No system is perfect, and this one is no exception. We will not be 100% successful in all of our endeavors – nor should we be. Think about a great baseball player – for example, Derek Jeter. He will likely set a world record for the most career hits of all time. This is true despite the fact that he has thus far failed to hit the ball 68.4% of the time. It’s okay if we swing and miss often. The point is to always be improving, and always be trying for the next hit. Derek Jeter is measured by how often he has been successful, not how often he has failed. Is it any different for you?

This isn’t all about work.

There is so much more to life than just work. In fact, since many of us spend up to 70% of our waking hours in the office, it is vitally important that we arrange for some R&R time to satisfy our souls. Make it a priority to go fishing on Saturday morning – even if, like me, you rarely catch anything. Set aside an afternoon to spend with the kids. Plan a date with your significant other. Go have a beer! Write these kinds of activities into your daily planner, and you will find that you are actually doing them. Your couch and TV are going to miss you. Good!

In short, these few things are all very easy to do. You will literally invest 5 minutes a day and you’ll gain hours in return. You will find yourself doing the unimaginable – getting things done! You will have more time for the things that really matter – like family and friends. You will emerge from the jungle victorious!

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We are told to strive for unattainable lifestyles and to model ourselves after unrealistic, airbrushed models.

Sometimes you need to step back from this virtual reality and ponder what life is really about. Will that Mercedes or those anti-anxiety medications really make you happier, or are they only temporary solutions to deeper issues? Examine these five myths about how you should be living your life and start living the way you want to live.

Myth 1: Material Things Prove Your Worth

Someone once said, “One reason it’s so hard to save money is that our neighbors are always buying something we can’t afford.” Keeping up with the Joneses is certainly no way to live, and the desire to do so stems from a belief that material things prove your worth. Extravagant clothing, houses, and cars oftentimes serve as status symbols in today’s society, but when it comes down to it, what you have in your heart and mind is worth much more than what you’ve got in your wallet. Furthermore, comparing yourself financially to your friends and family will only cause envy and strife. Remember that while luxuries may be enjoyable, they don’t make you who you are.

Myth 2: You Should Always Take an Expert’s Opinion at Face Value

How many times have you taken your car in for a simple oil change, only to be told you need hundreds of dollars worth of repairs in other areas? Have you taken the mechanic’s word for it and shelled out the cash or gone in for a second opinion elsewhere? We tend to rely on experts for advice, whether they are doctors, lawyers, financial consultants, or repairmen, but you can’t forget that even though they are experts, they still don’t know everything. You always retain the power to do your own research or seek out another form of advice. You may find that separate individuals offer different yet complementary opinions that allow you to shape a more informed decision on the issue you are having.

Myth 3: When in Doubt, Medicate

It’s hard to make it through a 2-minute commercial break without seeing an advertisement for some sort of prescription drug. The prescription drug industry has exploded in the past decade, and Zoloft, Prozac, and Ritalin are now part of most Americans’ vocabulary. While there is something to be said for the positive benefits medications have to offer, they are certainly not quick fix on the road to happiness. Before asking your doctor about the latest mood-altering drug you saw on television or in a magazine, consider seeking therapy and using self-improvement strategies to alter your moods instead. Even if prescription drugs are a feasible option for your treatment plan, it’s important to remember that they are not a cure-all. Healing takes time and a repertoire of varying strategies in order to truly come about.

Myth 4: It’s Hip to Be Forever Young

The world today is filled with Peter Pans – adults who don’t want to grow up. Whether they are lacking in emotional maturity or in wrinkles, growing old has become a faux pas for a lot of people. Don’t get the wrong idea. It’s great to feel young at heart and to be physically fit, but it’s possible to do so and still age gracefully. Aging with class involves learning from your past. What’s the point of a life long-lived if you want to act like a child and look like one, too? Gray hair, laugh lines, and a cultivated point of view are things to be embraced, not shunned.

Myth 5: You Can Do It All

Society tends to tell us that multitasking and the ability to juggle lots of things at once is a good thing, but when you have too many things in the air, something is bound to get dropped. Ambition is a good thing, but you have to know when enough is enough. Yes, it’s possible to be a wife, a mother, a businesswoman, and the best baker at the church bazaar, but it’s also okay to say no when your best friend asks you to help her plan a charity gala. When you take on more than you can handle, the quality of your projects often suffers. Don’t feel pressured to be a yes-man. Even the best of us can’t do it all.

There are so many self-improvement blogs, magazines, and websites out there these days, everyone has an opinion on the way you should be living your life. It’s important not to focus on the myths flooding the media but to analyze your situations carefully and live the way that is right for you.

NEWSFLASH: I’ve added another chapter to my life by joining C.A.S.T. Recovery, a Los Angeles based national outpatient drug rehab program which specializes in designing highly individualized recovery plans with appropriate professionals to support a client’s health, accountability, and success.

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How many times do you read somebody’s profile at a social networking site, and then devour everything they’ve written because the profile sounds so interesting?

Almost never. But last week on Twitter, I stumbled across Judy Lederman’s profile:

It clearly passes the 10-second test. That’s the barometer that social media strategist Nancy Marmolejo uses to determine whether she stays on somebody’s Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn page, or bails out.

“Within 10 seconds of visiting your social networking profile, a prospective client, alliance partner, or media contact must be able to understand who you are and why they should follow you,” Nancy says. “Most people’s profiles are a hodge-podge of information. A good number are unsure how to balance personal and professional details, so they either leave them out entirely or throw in the kitchen sink. Both are bad strategies.”

Help is on the way

Nancy, of Viva Visibility, will be my guest during a paid teleseminar called “Can Your Social Networking Profile Pass the 10-second Test?” From 4 to 5:10 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, Feb. 11. You’ll get the tools you need to spruce up your social networking profile so it’s crystal clear who you want to connect with and why you’re a valuable, attractive contact. We’ll discuss:

• 5 simple things to remember when creating your social networking profile
• How to tweak a profile so it fits the culture of different sites like Linked In, Facebook and Twitter
• SEO tips that will generate valuable “Google juice” and draw traffic to your profile pages, like this this tip on how to get Google juice from your LinkedIn profile.
• Common mistakes even the most experienced professionals are making
• Examples of great profiles
• How to write a profile for a niche social networking site

You’ll also get a link to a one-hour webinar Nancy is hosting that goes into even greater depth than what we might get into on the call, including more specific examples of profiles.

PR folks and publicists, you’d be crazy not to attend this one. Your clients need this kind of guidance! The teleseminar, MP3 download, electronic transcript and webinar link are $49.95. Sign up for the teleseminar here.

Let Nancy remake your profile

As a special treat for my Hounds, Nancy will give a live “profile makeover” to one lucky caller. You must first register for the call in order to be eligible for the makeover.  Then tell us in the comments section below at this blog why we should choose your profile for the makeover.

See you Feb. 11.

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Suppose someone hands you a five-pound box of paper and tells you that it’s part of a project that’s due next week!

Or what about if you’re creating a business model for your own company – that’s a pretty voluminous project.

Here are some must-have tips for streamlining the work so that things get done right and move forward according to schedule.

Create a plan

A house builder doesn’t just show up at the site and start building. He works closely with an architect, creating blueprints–a plan on how the structure will be created and built. The same holds true for any type of project you’re working on. You need to have a big picture view of the project and then sit down and plan out how you’re going to get from start to finish.

While planning may seem like an extra step when you can just get right to it, it can actually save you a lot of time and mistakes in the long run, making it faster to get from start to finish than if you just wing it as you go along.

Form a team

Teamwork is an ideal way to streamline a project — in fact, many small business owners form teams of freelance professionals to churn out work faster, please clients with their expertise, and pull in more profit in less time.

Each team member should bring something unique to the table, so assign tasks that utilize these talents. Not only will you get the task completed quicker, but you’ll get it done effectively because you’ll have the best people working on what they do best. If you’ve ever attempted to “do it all alone,” you know how disconcerting that can be, not to mention what a time and energy drainer. When you form a team, even if you’re paying money to those people, you’re giving yourself back the gift of time and energy to focus on other important things.

Create a timeline

While a plan lists out the tasks required to get the project done, a timeline adds deadlines to the tasks. Creating a timeline lets everyone know when each task has to be completed, and also gives a sense of cooperation – because you’re depending on another person’s expedience before you can move forward with your portion of the work. Timelines also helps to eliminate procrastination. If everyone involved strives to meet the deadlines, the project begins to take on momentum and a sense of accomplishment – while fuels expedience even more!

Create procedures

Now that you know where you’re going with the project (plan) and when you need to get there, you’ve got to figure out how this will be pulled off. Will you automate certain parts of this by utilizing the appropriate computer programs? Will you outsource to other people who can offer part-time help for less than you would have paid a full-timer? What about communication – is it worth mapping out explicit instructions for people to follow, so that each person takes the shortest distance to success?

Each time you tap into another productive solution, document it and turn it into instructions that other members of the team can use to help move things along. By creating procedures, you’re creating the directions, the road map if you will, on how to get from one task to the next, finally bringing the project to completion. Also – if someone else brings a new idea to the table on how to get something done even faster or more efficiently – hear them out. Procedures should be adhered to, but also offer some flexibility. After all, you want to do what truly works, not what you think will work! This is how great companies continue to innovate new solutions every day!

Keep track of the progress

It’s not enough to just create a plan and run with it. It also streamlines the process if you keep track of how the project’s progressing. As a task is completed, check it off or highlight it before moving on to the next task. If the group reaches a milestone, pump in some fresh energy with a little celebrating and some kudos all around – this keeps spirits fresh and motivation levels high.

If a deadline is looming, make sure that everyone working on the project is reminded of what has to be completed and when — this way, there can be no excuses or oversights. If deadlines are being missed, try to figure out why so that the problem can be corrected and avoided as you move along. Don’t forget to document your solution as part of the procedure or “order of operations.”

Have a back-up plan

Even the perfect plans run into snags, so make sure you have a back-up plan in place. During the planning process, try to anticipate problems or issues that may come up during the project and prepare for how you’ll deal with these snags.

In order to streamline a project, you’ve got to take control. Plan before you jump in with both feet. Form a team and assign tasks to various people to get the job done faster and more effectively. Set deadlines and stick to them. Figure out how you’re going to carry the plan out. In case something goes wrong, make sure you have a back-up plan in place. If you do these six things, you’ll be well on your way to seeing your project finished a lot faster than if you muddle through it as you go.

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