It's OK to Put It on the Back Burner! | A Personal Productivity Article

Main Article Categories

"Personal Productivity" Article
Article Directory Home

It's OK to Put It on the Back Burner! By Expert Author: Suzi Elton
View Summary \| Submitted: 2008-01-28 \| Word Count: 498 words

Have you ever added a new project and found that you had actually taken on one thing too many? Have you ever found yourself being a "human doing" rather than a human being? Do you live with your schedule crammed with activity from early in the morning until late in the evening? Are you driven by commitments and can't figure out a way to get out from under some of them? Consider that it's OK to put some things on the "back burner".

What's this mean and how do you do it? Putting things on the back burner means to deliberately and consciously choose some actions and activities to de-emphasize so that you can focus on the most important items. You will choose some items to stop taking action on now. In effect, you will be creating a timeline for projects, where some items will be handled in the future, and "put to bed" until that future time.

You might say, "But they are all equally important!" or, "There's nothing I can de-emphasize!" Here's some questions you can use to select things that could go to the back burner.

- Is there any area where you have interest, but due to other commitments, you've done no follow through in this area in a long time or never?
- Is there any area where you are collecting massive unread material that causes you pain, guilt and distress when it comes to your attention?
- Is there any area you have commitments to because you believe you "should" do something?
- Is there any area where you are afraid to let go for fear of "falling behind" while holding on to this is causing you to fall behind in really important areas?
- Is there any area where you feel only overwhelm when you consider it?
- Is there an area where you're doing something so someone else will like you?
- Is there an area where you're doing something to please others?
- Is there any area where you are simply "going through the motions"?
- Is there any area where you simply feel dread when you think of it.

Consider moving these items to the back burner. The important thing to remember about this concept is that items on the back burner become inactive. They are not completely taken off your list of actions. You simply don't spend time on them NOW. They can be reactivated at some future time....or not, at your choice. After a period of deactivation, you will find yourself ready to totally decommit from some activities. Other activities you may choose to reactivate at a future time, perhaps with smaller time commitments.

Realize that you have the right to choose which activities receive your focus. In a way, you actually have a duty to yourself to do so. Doing so will allow you to spend your time on those things that mean the most to you, and contribute the most to a satisfying life. It's a form of respect for yourself to know when, and to decide how you will move things to the back burner.

About the Author/Author Bio

Suzi Elton is a success coach working with "difference makers" who are ready to effect positive change by living their highest life purpose. She has coached hundreds of clients to approach their goals strategically through tiny steps that bring about quantum leaps. For free Life Purpose exercises, go to http://mylifepurposecoaching.com .

Article Source: http://www.articlesphere.com/Article/It-s-OK-to-Put-It-on-the-Back-Burner-/123257

Article Tags: motivation, productivity, accomplish, success, efficiency, efficient, win, winner, winning, happy, produce

More "Personal Productivity" Related Articles

Listed below are more articles related to the above article from the "Personal Productivity" article category.

People interested in the above article "It's OK to Put It on the Back Burner!" are also interested in the related articles listed below:

Being Overwhelmed: Are You Letting Someone or Something Else Control Your Time?

Clients often talk about feeling overwhelmed. What does it mean to feel overwhelmed? What are some things you can do to avoid getting into the feeling of overwhelm?

How To Find More Time By Simplifying Your Life

The busier you are and the more responsibilities you have, the more difficult everything seems to be. If you can take steps to simplify your life, you'll find your energy and focus gradually returning. This article shows you how to simplify your life to get more done.

How to Master Email

You may be interested to know that my work as a productivity consultant doesn't lead me to teach folks how to do more faster, more faster, until you fall apart. My goal is to help folks identify the things that are profitable and to focus on those tasks as their highest priority, all the time striving to maintain a profitable level of function in each profitable area of activity. In other words, you can have too much of a good thing. Such is often the case with email.

Your Timing for Learning How to Accomplish 20 Times as Much

You can learn how to accomplish 20 times as much with the same time, effort, and resources if you follow a disciplined work schedule. This article outlines the most effective way to pursue that learning and to help others learn.

Try This Decision Making Process

Try this decision making process the next time you are uncertain whether or how to proceed.

Stop Settling, Live Your Best Life Now

Why are you just settling for the table scraps from the banquet of life? How would overcoming your fear and throwing off these chains help you live your best life now? Well don't throw in your towel - it can be all down-hill from here. When you learn these three simple practices you'll cast aside the curtains of doubt and discover that you already have everything you need to start living the best life ever.

Work Smarter Not Faster for Maximum Efficiency

With our busy lives and mounting responsibilities we think that the faster we work, or the harder we work, the more we will accomplish. The following tips will help you to work smarter and accomplish more without having to work faster.

Print Article

Comment on Article

Favorite Article

Email to Friend

Republish Article

Article Directory Home

Self Improvement

Personal Productivity

Can't find what you're looking for? Try Google Search!

(Search in 23 languages: English, Spanish, Japanese, Arabic, Italian, German,
Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Dutch, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Greek,
Swedish, Romanian, Polish, Norwegian, Finnish, Danish, Czech, Croatian, Bulgarian)

(We serve worldwide - Locations updated as at Monday, 13 October 2008 06:48 am , Singapore)

United States of America, USA . United Kingdom, UK (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) . Canada . Afghanistan . Albania . Algeria . American Samoa . Andorra . Angola . Anguilla . Antarctica . Antigua & Barbuda . Argentina . Armenia . Aruba . Australia . Austria . Azerbaijan . Bahamas . Bahrain . Bangladesh . Barbados . Belarus . Belgium . Belize . Benin . Bermuda . Bhutan . Bolivia . Bonaire . Bosnia-Herzegovina . Botswana . Brazil . British Virgin Islands . Brunei Darrusalam . Bulgaria . Burkina Faso . Burundi . Cambodia . Cameroon . Cape Verde . Cayman Islands . Central African Republic . Chad . Channel Islands . Chile . China . Christmas Island . Colombia . Comoros . Congo . Congo (Dem. Rep.) . Cook Islands . Costa Rica . Côte d'Ivoire . Croatia . Cuba . Curacao . Cyprus . Czech Republic . Denmark . Djibouti . Dominica . Dominican Republic . East Timor . Ecuador . Egypt . El Salvador . Equatorial Guinea . Eritrea . Estonia . Ethiopia . Falkland Islands and Dependencies . Faroe Islands . Fiji . Finland . France . French Guiana . French Polynesia . Gabon . Gambia . Gaza . Georgia . Germany . Ghana . Gibraltar . Greece . Greenland . Grenada . Guadeloupe . Guam . Guatemala . Guinea . Guinea-Bissau . Guyana . Haiti . Hawaiian Islands . Honduras . Hong Kong . Hungary . Iceland . India . Indonesia . Iran . Iraq . Isle Of Man . Israel . Italy . Ivory Coast . Jamaica . Japan . Johnston Atoll . Jordan . Kazakhstan . Kenya . Kiribati . Korea (North) . Korea (South) . Kuwait . Kyrgyzstan . Laos . Latvia . Lebanon . Leeward Islands . Lesotho . Liberia . Libya . Liechtenstein . Lithuania . Luxembourg . Macau . Macedonia . Madagascar . Malawi . Malaysia . Maldives . Mali . Malta . Marshall Islands . Martinique . Mauritania . Mauritius . Mexico . Micronesia (Federated States) . Midway Islands . Moldova . Monaco . Mongolia . Montserrat . Morocco . Mosquito Coast . Mozambique . Myanmar (Burma) . Namibia . Nauru . Navassa Island . Nepal . Netherlands . Netherlands Antilles . New Caledonia . New Zealand . Nicaragua . Niger . Nigeria . Niue . Norfolk Island . Northern Mariana Islands . Norway . Oman . Pakistan . Palau . Palestine . Panama . Papua New Guinea . Paracel Islands . Paraguay . Peru . Philippines . Pitcairn Islands . Poland . Portugal . Puerto Rico . Qatar . Reunion . Romania . Russia . Rwanda . Ryukyu Islands . Saint Helena . Saint Kitts and Nevis . Saint Lucia . Saint Pierre & Miquelon . Saint Vincent & The Grenadines . Samoa . San Marino . São Tom?& Príncipe . Saudi Arabia . Senegal . Serbia . Seychelles . Sierra Leone . Singapore . Slovakia . Slovenia . Solomon Islands . Somalia . South Africa . Spain . Sri Lanka . Sudan . Suriname . Swaziland . Sweden . Switzerland . Syria . Taiwan . Tajikistan . Tanzania . Thailand . Togo . Tonga . Transkei . Trinidad & Tobago . Tunisia . Turkey . Turkmenistan . Turks and Caicos Islands . Tuvalu . US Virgin Islands . Uganda . Ukraine . United Arab Emirates . Upper Volta . Uruguay . Uzbekistan . Vanuatu . Vatican City (Holy See) . Venezuela . Vietnam . Wake Island . Windward Islands . Yemen . Yugoslavia . Zaire . Zambia . Zimbabwe

Copyright © 2005 - by Larry Lim, Singapore - Article Search Engine Directory at ArticleSphere.com™
All Rights Reserved Worldwide. All Trademarks and Servicemarks are the property of the respective owners.

Template Design by Internet Marketing Singapore | Internet Marketing