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The True Discipline of Time Management

Is this you?

Overwhelmed and overcommitted. Disorganized and distracted.

You’re drained. Maybe a little panicked. Also feeling a bit guilty.

You feel “behind” all the time, yet are dogged by procrastination.

When doing one thing, you have the nagging feeling you should be doing something else.

It’s all work and no play these days.

You’re busy, but not with what matters.

What you wouldn’t give for more time in the studio. Or a good night’s sleep. Or time just to be.

[ Okay - maybe it's not quite that bad. ]

Perhaps you’ve just come to realize that your current way of doing things, although fairly effective most days, is holding you back.

To do that next big thing you want to do, you know need to make some changes – but so far, that’s proving easier said than done.

Or maybe you’ve taken on something new and now a routine that once worked, doesn’t anymore – and the resulting turbulence is starting to really throw you off.

So you buy a book.

You get your hands on the latest bestseller about time-management (maybe you buy the matching day-planner, too) which either…

  • Never makes it out of the shopping bag.
  • or: Sits on your nightstand with a bookmark at the end of the first chapter. For months.
  • or: Is read from cover to cover, but just makes things worse. Like you have time for that.

Who does this guy think his system works for?!

It works for linear thinkers. Folks who dig a lot of structure. People with less independence in their work.

He hasn’t written that book for you. You’re nothing like that.

You need to create your own system.

You are rare. Unique. Delightful just the way you are. And nobody knows you better than you. Certainly not that productivity guru.

Besides, you know you want to do your own thing anyway. Admit it. Conformity is not your style.

But if you could figure out this time-management stuff by yourself, you wouldn’t be in this mess. You need some guidance to help you sort out what works for you and what doesn’t.

This class will show you how.

In creating your very own time-management strategy (which is really the process of changing your relationship with time), we will take advantage of your right-brain traits and put them to good use.

  • Instead of lists and charts, our time will be shaped by resonant imagery.
  • Instead of repetition and routine, we will focus on rhythm and pattern.
  • Instead of a compartmentalizing, we will develop calendars that reflect a holistic and synergistic life.
  • Instead of strict structures, we will allow for the flexibility and spontaneity that life and the creative muse demands.
  • Instead of logic and analysis, we’ll make decisions according to heart and intuition (intuition is a huge time-saver).
  • Instead of predetermined plans, we will be guided by feedback.

You already have the answers. You just need a way to get at the information.

I want to thank you Cairene, for really launching me on a new way to perceive time. • Thinking about everything in terms of containers these days really has shifted how out-of-control I feel in relationship to time. Schedules are just self-defined containers; tasks are just goal containers; time is just a container for ordering life in a way that isn’t overwhelming and confusing. • And now I’m forever thinking about time in terms of my metaphor. And getting a sense of when I’m traveling too far from my center point and stuff starts to feel wobbly. Cool! • And thanks to all my sister Time Disciples – I learned so many neat things from all of you! And I like knowing we all get to wear this title forever. – Deborah Weber | Feel Good Energy Shift

This stuff works.

I’ve been in that overwhelmed, overcommitted, disorganized, late, forgetful, drained, panicked, guilty place. Oh, things might have looked neat and tidy on the surface, but underneath – chaos. And a lot of struggle. Not to mention shame.

I had to find a different way of doing things or I was going to drown.

Conventional strategies didn’t work. Disciplining myself didn’t work – at least until I approached discipline in its true sense – to learn.

I became a Time Disciple. Through compassionate self-observation I learned how to organize my time and tasks in ways that feel natural and are effective.

I use this system every day because it works. And you can learn it too.

Thank you so much for this course. It has been so much more than I anticipated. I was looking for a way to manage my time that worked and a way to get over the procrastination, it-never-seems-to-get-doneness. Got that. • But what I didn’t expect was the absolute subtle shift in how I regard time itself. It is now a container of sorts rather than a driver. It doesn’t control what I do, but is just a tool itself. And shaping a day around how I work/what I need is so obvious and basic, and yet changes the very fabric of my life. • I have enthusiastically recommended this course to friends and colleagues. I so look forward to continuing to learn from you. -Lori

Class Content

The course is made up of six lessons.

Lesson 1: Cultivating Self-Awareness
In the first week, we’ll begin gently observing our day-to-day activities, habits and behaviors.

Lesson 2: Time Is Linear and Fixed – Or Is It?
In the second week, we’ll explore the beliefs about time that shape our actions.

Lesson 3: What Needs Your Attention?
In the third week, we’ll explore whether or not we are devoting time to what is most important to us and imagine our ideal day.

Lesson 4: Getting Down to Basics
In the fourth week, we’ll begin prioritizing our activities and create a foundation schedule from the basics that sustain us.

Lesson 5: Why Your Calendar Is Like a Slider Puzzle
In the fifth week, we’ll learn how to build a flexible schedule on our basic foundation.

Lesson 6: Someday Is Not A Day Of The Week
In the final week of the course, we’ll explore the real relationship between our calendars and our to-do lists.

Follow Up
The blog will remain open for an additional four weeks so participants may continue to ask questions and receive guidance and support as they put these lessons into practice.

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Class Format

This course will be taught via a private blog. Because maybe it’s tricky for you to commit to a once-a-week phone call (your schedule being what it is right now). Or maybe you’re on the other side of the world and we’re never awake at the same time. (You could be around the corner and we still might not be awake at the same time.) Or maybe you are a Shy Person. Whatever your situation, I want taking this class to be as easy as possible.

HOW IT WORKS:

Course material will be presented in a variety of ways from which you may choose what best suits your needs, learning style, and schedule.

Lessons will be presented in an online classroom in the form of a private blog. Lessons will be posted Monday mornings, January 18 – February 22, and will include both a text and an audio version, along with related worksheets and examples (sometimes even a video demo). Just log in whenever you’re ready to work on the lesson for the week. There are no scheduled meeting times.

You can share assignments, ask questions, and get guidance and support from me and your fellow time-disciples via comments on the blog – again, whenever it suits you.

Because maybe you’re more of a talker than a writer or sometimes the best help is to connect with real live voices, the online classroom will be supplemented by optional weekly Q&A calls during which we will review the week’s lesson and discuss the specific challenges of individual situations. (Don’t worry, these will be recorded if you cannot attend or want to review material.)

And because you may want a little more structure or guidance to work through the material, additional encouragement and accountability will also be available in the form of twice-weekly prompts/check-ins via email to help you stay focused and moving forward.

Lastly, for those who would like personal attention during the course, there is an option to add private coaching sessions (see Tuition & Registration).

Expect to spend a few moments throughout each day making notes about activities, as well as 2-3 three hours over the course of the week to review lessons, complete related assignments, and participate in discussion of the material. Lesson assignments will be offered at different levels from which you may choose depending on need, interest or available time to pursue depth or detail in different areas.

•  •  •  •  •

Class Schedule

The online classroom will be open from January 18 – March 26, 2010.

All Q&A calls will be held Wednesdays, 1:00-2:00pm Pacific.
[convert time zone]

Week of January 18 – Lesson 1: Cultivating Self-Awareness
January 20 – Q&A call

Week of January 25 – Lesson 2: Time Is Linear and Fixed – Or Is It?
January 27 – Q&A call

Week of February 1 – Lesson 3: What Needs Your Attention?
February 3 – Q&A call

Week of February 8 – Lesson 4: Getting Down to Basics
February 10 – Q&A call

Week of February 15 – Lesson 5: Why Your Calendar Is Like a Slider Puzzle
February 17 – Q&A call

Week of February 22 – Lesson 6: Someday Is Not A Day Of The Week
February 24 – Q&A call

The online classroom will remain open, and the Q&A calls will continue, for an additional four weeks following Lesson 6 so participants may continue to ask questions and receive guidance and support as they put these lessons into practice.

•  •  •  •  •

Tuition and Registration

Registration for the January 2010 course is closed.
The course will be offered again in the spring (April-ish).

Extras

•  •  •  •  •

If you are ready to leave that overwhelmed, distracted, drained, panicked, guilty place you’re in right now…

If you are tired of trying to force your activities into boxes on a calendar and discipline yourself to conform to a schedule…

If you just want to stay organized and get things done without all the fuss…

If you would like to stop punishing yourself and learn how to work with your own unique sense of time…

…please join me.

By Spring, you could be on your way to calm, prepared, energized, confident – and ready for anything.

•  •  •  •  •

Class Guarantee
Keeping in mind that we generally get out of things what we put into them – if you consistently show up, participate, and do the work, I guarantee you will see results. If you have put in the required time and effort, but you still do not feel you came away from a course with the promised outcomes, I will refund 100% of your tuition. If you are unsure whether a class is right for you, please contact me before registering.

Cancellation/Refund Policy
If you need to cancel, tuition is refundable up to 7 days prior to the start date. Tuition is non-refundable if you cancel less than one week prior to the beginning of a class.