Seize the Moment! Seize the Day!: Make the Most of Your Time

You would think with all the gadgets and gizmos we have these days, we would have lots of free time on our hands, but it seems like it's just the opposite. Instead of having time to enjoy ourselves and savor the moment we spend our time juggling our cell phones, stuck in traffic, rushing off to multiple meetings, and never quite catching up with all the chores, duties, obligations, and expectations of modern life.

Understand that this situation is a choice on your part, not a condition that is visited upon you. You do have choice. If you want, you can rebel, but only you can choose to do so. If you wait for things to change, they never will, so stop taking the bull by horns! Sit with him in the field and smell the flowers instead!

Here's how:

Remove the dross from your life. If you don't need it, get rid of it. Get rid of gadgets that you only have because everyone else does - or worse, gadgets you thought would help you that really only make your life harder. Get rid of activities that you only do because you are supposed to. Choose your battles. Walk away from things that aren't really important.

Realize that you don't have to be available to everyone in the world every moment of the day and night. You have a choice. Computers, cell phones, telephones, fax machines, pagers and the like are appliances. You own these appliances. You are not owned by them. Turn them off and take some down-time.

Consider what you are doing. Don't just do things automatically without understanding what you are doing and why. Don't just do things because you are supposed to. Don't do things the way they have always been done just because that's the way they have always been done. Ask questions. Make improvements to utilize your time more efficiently.

Do one thing at a time. Multi-tasking is a myth created by the corporate-powers-that-be to keep employees so frazzled they'll jump through hoops without even checking to see if they're on fire. Make a list of the tasks you wish to accomplish. Prioritize them, schedule in time for breaks, and set to work. Don't let anybody rush you. You will accomplish a lot more in a day, and you will feel a sense of accomplishment.

Stay in the present. Don't zone out and think about other things while you are doing something. Stay focused. If you find yourself driving down the highway and you don't remember how you got there, stop. Literally, pull over and think about it. Woolgathering, chewing over old arguments, thinking ahead to anticipated problems, all rob you of your time. Bring yourself into the present, and stay here! This is the moment you can influence. This moment belongs to you.

Eat your food from a plate, using utensils, while seated at a table (outdoors, if the weather is nice!) Look at your food. Smell your food. Taste your food. Chew your food at least 20 times before you swallow it. You will enjoy your food more this way. You will get more nutrition from it, and you will be satisfied by less. Your digestion will improve, and you will be very likely to lose your taste for junk food and things that are not good for you.

Pay attention to real people. They are more important than people on television, characters in games, people calling you on your cell phone, or anything that you might be doing. When an actual person wants to talk to you, stop what you are doing and look at that person. You may think you don't have time to do this, but you will find that if you actually pay attention to people, you will understand what they are saying more quickly and easily! This will pay off in time saved and better relationships.

Go outside! The outdoors is not what is between your house and your car! It is important to go outside without your laptop, cell phone, pager or any other electronic gadget and really get a good look at the natural world. Enjoy sitting in the sun for a few minutes. It's good for you when you don't overdo it. Take a walk near a body of water, the negative ions in the air are actually, physically beneficial to your health and well-being. Listen to the birds. Marvel at the fact that nature perseveres, even in the face of all the assaults we have made against it. Absorb the lesson in determination!

Enjoy life! I learned this from my yard bunnies. You know how people always complain about the weather no matter what it is like? Rabbits don't do that. They enjoy it, no matter what it is like. When it's sunny, they stretch out in the sun. When it's windy, they snuggle up in their burrow and peek out. When it's raining they hop up on the porch and watch the rain. When it's snowing, they play around in the snow. They enjoy the weather no matter what. We can do that! And we can expand our enjoyment to include our daily routine, our chores, standing in line, and lots of other things that we will be doing anyway. If you fume and complain, it's bad for your health, and it's unpleasant for everyone around you. Why not be proactive and enjoy yourself?

Take a Sunday drive, no matter what day it is. Leave home a little early and cruise to your destination. Lean back in your seat. Listen to music. Hell, rest your arm on the window ledge (but not for too long, you don't want to get skin cancer!) Driving can be fun and relaxing, and when you do it this way, it's cheaper and safer!

Inspire Literally & Figuratively

Inspire Literally: Our bodies and minds need fresh air and pure water in vast quantities to function at maximum performance. Don't go around holding your breath - inspire. When you take breaks be very conscious of your breathing to make the most of your time to relax. Breath deeply into the very bottom of your lungs. Exhale completely. If you feel stressed, take some deep breaths. The old fashioned advice of taking a deep breath and counting to ten has great merit. Try it next time you are upset. It will calm you down.

Inspire Figuratively: When you practice slowing down consistently, people will take notice. At first they may think you are foolish, but time will tell. When they see that you are consistently calm and relaxed while consistently accomplishing what you set out to do, you will have set an example. You will have inspired.

For more on making the most of your life, you may enjoy:

Peace, Sanity & Dignity in a Fast Paced World
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1755204/peace_sanity_dignity_in_a_fast_paced.html?cat=5

Advice On Simplifying Your Life
http://advice.com/article.jsp?id=4350a16cccc5497182b261b59f79cae8

Evian Spelled Backward is Naive
http://hubpages.com/hub/Evian-Spelled-Backward-is-Nave