Time Management Tip – Take Charge of Change Week
Did you know that July 5 – July 12 is Take Charge of Change Week? (Who in the world creates all of these “holidays”??) Most folks try to implement massive amounts of change on January 1st for their New Year’s Resolutions. Unfortunately, most resolutions fall by the wayside because the changes are chosen but not planned for and/or too many resolutions are attempted – and, therefore, too much change is attempted at one time.
Another big time for change is Lent. I was raised Catholic, so while growing up I knew that every time Lent rolled around (the 40 days before Easter Sunday), I needed to choose something I would give up. Catholics around the world give up a variety of things during Lent – alcohol, cursing, red meat, soda…you name it. That is a change. But in many Catholics’ minds, that change is a temporary sacrifice for religious reasons. The changes often do not become permanent.
And now it’s July. Take Charge of Change Week. July is a great time to take on change. Other than work or family vacations, what else do you have going on? (Yes, I know we’re always busy, but many folks are less busy at this time of year.) With more time on your hands, you can plan for change to ensure that the change is lasting.
In my second book, ROAD MAP to Get Organized: Discover Your Thinking, Learning & Working Styles to Get Your Life Back on Track, I walk the readers through how to accept and work through change related to getting organized and being more productive. In Chapter 2, I discussed the five stages of change:
- Pre-Contemplation: Other people may think we have a problem, but we don’t think so – or don’t realize it.
- Contemplation: We realize there is something we need to improve, so we start researching it.
- Planning: We need to take our research and plan the steps we need to take and the resources we need to make the change successfully.
- Action: We act on our plan!
- Maintenance: We actively check-in (with ourselves or a coach or accountability partner) and make sure we’re continuing to do what we need to do in order to support the change.
As I discussed in my book, the reason why my consulting clients have had to call me in is because they’re skipping Stage 3 – Planning. They jump from Stage 2, realizing they need to change, to Stage 4, taking action. They’ve been unsuccessful with change because they haven’t taken the time to plan.
Time Management Keynote Speaker Tips:
So, in honor of Take Charge of Change Week, let’s work through Stage 3 of Change:
What July resolution, what change would you like to declare?
What steps will you take in order to be successful with that resolution?
What resources (services, people or supplies) will you need in order to complete the steps?
Taking the time to work through Stage 3 is an investment in yourself and your well-being. What will you do today to invest in yourself?
For more productivity tools and tips from time management keynote speaker Helene Segura, click here.