The Occult

Every one of us has heard about time management and should learn how good quality time management software can be a very relevant and useful tool. Do you feel that you don’t have to worry about this situation? Maybe you have a regular 9-to-5 job that does not require you to adhere to any set schedules, nor to impinge upon your time outside of these set hours. Of course you feel that you don’t need to worry about managing your time, but pause for a second and think about it and you will start to come up with a whole long list of reasons why you definitely should.

Modern society has evolved to such an extent that it places many constraints on our time and seems to have scant regard for its value. When we have taken into account all our daily chores and work requirements, few of us believe that we have an adequate amount of spare time available to do what we really want to do. If we are truthful, we know that we are ineffectual at time management and that we often lead an unstructured life, wondering why we have so many problems to attend to, even as we are trying to fit in our day-to-day activities. We may not like the answer, but our ineffectual use of time is actually creating problems in many respects, and this can compound an already aggravated situation and make it seem as if we’re just going from pillar to post, each day.

A concerted effort is required and a good element of understanding is necessary before changes can be made, so that time management becomes a priority in your situation. You would be sufficiently motivated if you found that you were able to free up valuable hours on a weekly basis to do what you wanted to do. Imagine if you were able to guarantee several additional hours each week to devote to something that you really enjoy? Remember the time when you enjoyed a round of golf with your friends on a Saturday afternoon, but now cannot fit it in?

In the work environment, you may be held back by a lack of a certain level of education, knowing that an enrolment in online college or attendance at evening classes could help you progress. Do you have enough time? Look at online time management software and understand how all this time could be revealed and made available to you.

Nowadays, time tracking software can be programmed to help you adhere to the time required to do a job. Through the elimination of procrastination and through the establishment of realistic goals, you can use great time management software tools, enabling you to spend just the right amount of time necessary for each task without all that waste.

Why not try this solution? Once you prove it to yourself that you can free up an amount of time to do something that you really like, the chances are you will become hooked on the concept - and before you know it, you will become more efficient and effective in everything you do.

Life can throw all kinds of problems our way. We can deal with many of these without much difficulty, but others can be very significant and, indeed, life altering. We often wonder how we would be able to “cope” should something devastating or tragic take place in our lives. Unfortunately, at some stage or another, an event of the greatest significance will befall us and we are certain to go through some emotions we have never experienced before. When these situations arise, we fall back on our coping skills and our ability to “deal” as best we can. Every now and again circumstances combine to present us with several heavy hitting events in succession and in these situations we really do understand what we are truly made of.

All of us would be much better off if we realised that we need to prepare ourselves as best we can for the unexpected. It would be nice to think that we can go through life without any major illnesses, complicated interpersonal relationships, financial losses, business or career failures, deaths of loved ones and so on. If we are ill prepared, then we will find it very difficult and sometimes impossible to cope in these situations and may even need to get professional help to get by.

Understand that everything we do on a daily basis dictates how prepared we will be to cope with our emotions and the stresses associated with a major and impactful occurrence. Many of our emotions are built into us and were designed to aid our ancestors during a “fight or flight” scenario. We can see that our emotions are very powerful sometimes and we often have to think twice to make sure we have them under control. As such, we need to strive for balance in our daily lives, to ensure that we can deal with any emotional situations and with a certain amount of strength, get through.

Looking at everything from a broader viewpoint, everything that we do within our regular lives should be in preparation for events and circumstances that are unexpected or may even be unwelcome. Therefore, it’s no good leading our lives in a disorganised fashion, building up relatively high levels of stress purely because we are very poor at managing our time. Time management, especially online time management, is an essential skill that we should all master, regardless of our circumstances. If we can be more at peace with ourselves at the end of any given day due to effective time management, then we will be, by definition, adding to our “bank” of stability and emotional well-being.

You know that if you feel on edge throughout the day, you need to take steps to change this. You may be constantly worrying about something bad in your future and realise that you are not well prepared; if this is you, take action now. These days, time tracking software tools can help you to balance your daily workload and help you to get everything done in good time and with a minimum amount of stress. Luckily, online time management software helps you to focus on what you prepared yourself to do and will go a long way to smoothing out the peaks and troughs of your emotional life.

The old saying tells us that the best laid plans of mice and men will fail. Not sure how complicated a life a mouse might lead when we’re not watching, but it appears well nigh impossible to plan our busy lives around work and family, without any of those additional “days off” devoted to teacher training, weather or illness!

Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone and everything were flexible, schedules included and you could simply drop your work commitments at a moment’s notice to substitute care for a sickening child?!

1. If you can – plan. Some of these troublesome days are truly unpredictable, while others may be scheduled in advance. Of course nobody knows what the weather is going to do, but snow days only arrive during certain months of the year, whilst inset days are generally planned in advance and with a little bit of work can be sewn into the schedule.

The biggest problem of all revolves around sick days, of course. Prepare and plan as best you can, as you know that these days will surely come! If you are struggling with your planning, consider some professional coaching to help you get back on track.

2. Save up your personal days. Both parents in your household might have to work due to regular commitments, in this case it is important to reserve some personal days for those sickness events. Many employers these days grant a certain amount of personal days and you should talk to your Human Resources department and your line manager as you try to anticipate these scenarios.

In many cases you will not have any advance notice, so you need to look at this from every perspective and try and be fair all around.

Whichever way you look at it, there’s no denying that it helps matters if you and your partner have a sympathetic employer. Never use these personal/sick standby days for anything other than the reason they were intended.

3. Set up some favours. If you have several children to take care of, you should come up with a backup plan as well. In an emergency, maybe you can rely on some care giving help from friends or good neighbours? Always repay these favours in any way you can. The more emergency backup plans you have the more you are going to be able to cope with the issue of a sick child or three.

4. Roll out the vitamins. While on the subject of coping with sick children, remember that any amount of prevention is better than a cure. Teach your children good personal hygiene, that they should eat well, should rest well and be in good health at all times, as they will be less likely to fall victim to those annoying, smaller viruses.

5. Be a good weather forecaster. Always keep a watchful eye on the forecasts during the winter months. These days they are generally much more reliable and if you can see the threat of a blizzard a couple of days ahead, start making contingency plans accordingly. If a school district is closed, it might be very difficult for you to get to your work location as well, but if the office is open, see if you can count on one of those personal days or plan to work from home.

Isn’t it difficult wearing so many different hats that you don’t know which one to put on?

Nowadays, online life coaching can really help you work out which part of your wardrobe to turn to on each occasion! If you’re in need of guidance, coaching for women can help you to manage and not panic!

Amanda Alexander, Director of Coaching Mums, helps pressure-cooked, stressed working mums who long for more hours in the day. Through her coaching programmes and online life coaching courses, Amanda shows mums how to create fulfilling and successful lives. For your simple 5 step guide to balance as a working mum, download our free eBook today!

We normally associate burnout with people who have highly stressful occupations or senior level executives. However, all of us are vulnerable to suffering from this condition if we’re not careful, regardless of what occupation or position we have. While some people may be way more susceptible to burnout than others, if you approach your daily activities in a “happy-go-lucky” way, not really focused at all, then you could wind up in this position yourself.

There are many different situations that could lead you towards that burnout phase in your life. Over time, you may have accumulated too much in your daily life to cope with. For example, you might decide that you need to educate yourself more and take on an appropriate course, your job could be asking a lot of you, you could be looking after a sickening relative or a combination of any other factors. In your situation, time management is absolutely critical. Without it, it is unlikely that you are going to be able to plan what you have to do, prioritising accordingly and delegating at crucial times. If you feel that you’re always “putting out fires” and handling high-pressure situations as they arrive, your stress level will rise to such a position that you will almost inevitably reach burnout.

Everything you do in life must be part of a clear and defined journey towards a quantifiable goal. If you don’t have goals, then you can have no order to your life and even if you try and apply time management techniques, you are simply missing the point. Surely, it is impossible to make any progress towards a particular goal, if you don’t know what the goal is and as such you want people to quantify whether you are making any progress or not toward the destination. Such a level of organisation is essential to overcome the pressure packed points ahead of you.

Deep down inside, you may not really believe that you can achieve what you are setting up to do and this will lead to burnout in short order. You may be able to force yourself to work all those extra long hours and may be fairly good at time management as well, but deep down inside your subconscious mind will be telling you that it is not practical and you will be building up an almost invisible resistance. Around the corner, burnout awaits.

Burning out is not inevitable, if you assess what the potential triggers are likely to be and begin a concerted plan to avoid them. Counsel the input and advice of a trusted friend or even seek professional help if you are unclear.

Understanding the importance of time management will help you to avoid burnout. Turn to online time management tools to really help you understand what it’s all about and by using time tracking software, a concerted plan will move you towards a position of efficiency and productivity. Thanks to the latest technological advancements, time management software can be your ally in the battle against burnout.

It can be so difficult finding time to do anything as a working mom, trying to achieve a balance during every day while being pulled from all directions. It seems that unless you have an advanced degree in time management you just cannot find the available time to attend to the needs of the kids, your job, housekeeping and the other myriad tasks that seem so necessary today.

When we choose to put things off until tomorrow - or the next day, we usually end up feeling guilty about it, and unfortunately this course of action only serves to magnify our daily problems. For most of us, budgeting can be a real challenge, and if you’re a mother on a restricted income you’ll always feel like you’ve got to spend it on the children and other household necessities, usually placing yourself behind everything else.

As a working mother, you have to keep in mind one crucial point - you represent the “engine” that keeps the whole family going, and without you being at your best, other aspects of the family machine simply won’t work as well. Therefore, relegate any feelings of guilt to the back of your mind and understand that any time you invest in yourself is an investment in everything around you, your kids and your overall life. It’s essential that you feel good about yourself or, with the passage of time, you’ll feel increasingly burdened, and put yourself in a situation where depression could take hold and create a never-ending downward spiral.

One of the more important goals for you should be to create a strong support network around you. It’s a good idea to remember to lean on your close friends for support - you know who they are, they’re the true friends you can always turn to in situations like these at any time. Just remember that support is a two-way street. You may already have close family members who help you out, but don’t be afraid to seek the help of a professional coaching expert, specifically coaching for women in your situation as well.

If you’re lucky, maybe you’ve got a really good friend who is willing to babysit for you, so you can have some precious “me time” all to yourself. If you try hard enough, there’s always a way to find a little bit of extra time to make yourself feel “yummy,” instead of slummy! Always keep in mind that no matter how much chaos seems to reign everywhere around you on a daily basis, you have to take control over the factors that you can manage.

Looking and feeling fabulous on a low budget is not that difficult. Your biggest challenge will be to allocate the time necessary to pamper yourself in the first place. Once you actually accept this as a fundamental priority in your life, you need to make this happen regularly.

The best thing you can do for yourself on a daily basis is to commit to an exercise routine, and we don’t mean carrying around big bags of groceries or tidying up your home! A concerted period of cardiovascular work is perfect, or you can event start out by using a small set of hand weights while walking around the neighbourhood.

Before you know it you’ll feel better physically and mentally, and your skin tone will even start to shine brightly again. You can pick up supplies to do a really great home manicure and pedicure, schedule a visit to a beautician or hairstylist and just focus on your personal time in the bathroom more often.

Always remember that feeling great is simply a state of mind. It often starts with a focus on creating time for you and allocating at least an equal priority.

For additional suggestions and great tips on how to feel fantastic as a tight-budget mother, check out the array of online life coaching resources which are readily available to you!

Amanda Alexander is the Managing Director of Coaching Mums. She is a celebrated ICF accredited coach, who for over six years, has been helping thousands of working mums from around the World bring balance back into their lives, lose their guilt, find the time to explore their passions, and generally, to have a lot more fun! For fantastic articles and hot professional coaching tips, sign up to receive “Inspire,” our famous free newsletter today!

For many new parents, it can be very difficult to comprehend the change in their lives. The arrival of kids can make a huge difference and really change the way that they looked at the relationship and at the very structure of the partnership.

What may have been a perfectly happy marriage can become, rather quickly, a rocky road. Tactful tweaks and adjustments will be needed by both partners in the relationship to smooth the path, and not only for new parents. Maintaining a happy and successful relationship when kids come into the equation really does require us to constantly work at our relationship with our other half.

Whenever doubts arise, worries come to the surface or even anger bubbles up, it is important to take a step back and look at the overall picture. Do you feel that you cannot properly see the problem due to life’s complexity? So much is going on that it is easy for parents to become overwhelmed and not know how to cope. Sometimes this leads to the need for additional jobs and causes parents to become complex role players. In a situation such as this, even more pressure can arise as each person tries to concentrate on their new role, to the detriment of the other relationships. In the case of new parents, the mum may put so much effort and attention into caring for the new arrival, that the marriage may not seem so important a priority any more.

Meanwhile, new dads can often feel a bit left out and surplus to requirements! In this situation, you might start to believe the mum is the one to look after the kids and step back. Subconsciously or otherwise, this may result in him backing away from the relationship as a whole, even though he thinks it is the right thing.

Both parties need to watch each other and look for tell-tale signs. Look for signs of overload, irritability or a short temper. Don’t dismiss any negative vibes such as this, as if left to fester small problems tend to grow large, ugly and hard to crack.

Whenever the kids are not around, sit down and have a very deep and meaningful conversation. Quietly and calmly ask your opposite half whether you are being reasonable and expect their honest replies. Remind each other that things have changed now that you have additional family members and this is to be understood, priorities now look different.

The most important point to remember is that it will take the efforts of the team to raise the children properly and both members need to realise how much effort this will take and how it is a joint venture. Give yourselves a pat on the back and never forget that you two represent the lead team in the family!

It’s not all doom and gloom The allocation of time must be based on quality and prioritisation. Can you remember when you had a nice weekend away together? That romantic dinner should be scheduled as often as everything allows and try your best to come up with small, but meaningful and romantic gifts or surprises for each other.

Mums can face a considerable challenge, especially if they are working as well and it’s useful to consult experts to help them manage the juggling act and the myriad of emotions they will face along the journey of motherhood. Generally, online life coaching focuses on real-world professional coaching, and as it is tailored toward coaching for women, it can often be a saviour when everything seems doomed.

Amanda Alexander is the Director of Coaching Mums and a widely renowned ICF-accredited coach who delivers professional coaching programmes to working moms across the globe who long for more time, balance and fulfilment in their busy lives. Download our free eBook especially for working mums with 5 easy ways to achieve balance.

It’s time to celebrate when you hit one of those 10 year anniversaries!

When you get one of those milestones, pause and look back at what you have gone through, how successful you have been and what you have enjoyed. For others, reaching such a milestone can be a bit troubling, as you may fret whether you have really achieved enough and where you might be in another ten years.

It’s important to take time to look at where we are in our life, and to take stock of our financial, emotional and personal goals. It’s also quite common for a woman, busy raising a family, to think about her sexual appeal and its effectiveness when she gets to the big 40.

As we get older, we tend to be more philosophical. This is a consequence of being able to reflect on many of life’s rich experiences and in many cases knowing how to put these experiences into practice. During our development as a human being, each milestone that we get to represents a significant achievement and a time for us to reflect and reinterpret our memories. As our interpretations change as we age, when you get to 40 you will definitely look at things in a different light as compared to ten years previously.

Things get better as we age, and as a 40-year-old mum, we are emotionally and mentally more secure and this by itself adds to our sexuality. Dignity comes naturally at this age and those elements of insecurity seem so far away.

We are much more composed, and know how to deal with any situation when it arises by displaying a sassy attitude, allowing us to feel inherently good about ourselves and to resolve problems with a lot more ease.

Often times, professional coaching is a marvellous boost for mums, whatever page of life they find themselves on and especially if they find an upcoming milestone to be challenging. The word “sexy” means different things to different people and will certainly have its own interpretation in your eyes.

Physically you will have a different appearance of course, but with your maturity you need to learn to trust yourself to make the most of your looks every day. Take a leaf from the page of those old screen heroines and present your best side to whatever camera approaches you. As each year goes by, you will become more mentally and emotionally secure and as a consequence, much sexier.

Be secure in your status and believe in yourself and what you have achieved. Your children are a great reflection of you and you should be proud or both them and your partner. Remember that life is only really enjoyable when you truly love yourself, first and foremost. Seek out online life coaching experts if you feel a little overwhelmed when you are approaching or get to those special milestones that everyone makes such a big deal about!

Remember that life begins at 40 and when coaching for women in this position I often remind them that the biggest favour they can do themselves is to think and act “young.” Ask yourself this question - if you didn’t know what your actual age was, how old would you think you were? And no, it isn’t “90”! Fabulous 40 mum, go and get them!

Amanda Alexander is Director of Coaching Mums and a highly acclaimed ICF-accredited coach who delivers professional coaching programmes to working moms who yearn for success, balance and fulfilment. Are you a juggling mom? Download our free eBook for working moms that will give you 5 simple and instant ways to balance your life right now!

Taking a career break in the middle of a recession is probably not the best idea, but sometimes we are forced to do so, especially when we are expecting a new arrival. Household budgets are difficult to balance at the best of times and the thought of being a full-time mum can be attractive, but hardly realistic. As soon as we are able and are ready, we need to get back into the job market to find a way of catching back up financially.

With unemployment rates so high, the labour market can seem to be an even more daunting proposition than usual. This is not the time to be recalcitrant however, as you need to double your preparation and negotiation skills along with your self-confidence. To start off with, you should make a thorough analysis of your financial position and needs for the months and years ahead. Be reasonable here, but cut everything that is not absolutely necessary. You should be very clear about your financial requirements, the absolute minimums and the ideal scenarios.

You may well have been perfectly happy with your career before you took the break, but you should now evaluate exactly where you are, whether you want to go back into that arena or explore something completely fresh. Should you start your own business? Does your financial analysis tell you that you can expect to have fair returns from self-employment, while still making ends meet and if so you may be presented with an exciting and flexible concept for your new life. This may well be the time to consider professional coaching as these are some very significant and potentially very impactful decisions. Specific coaching for women in your position will help you determine the correct path.

It’s important to be positive and never to focus on the negative. Focus on all your strengths, which you should write out on paper and keep on your desk at all times. Focus on your psyche and project yourself well in all your phone calls, e-mails or conversations.

If you are aiming for a particular position, try and consider jobs which are beneath, but fall naturally within the career progression. You may be overqualified, but if it gives you a stepping-stone toward your ideal position, by going the extra mile you will soon find that you become eligible (and get) the position that you want.

Even in this tough hiring environment, those people who really stand out, help and over-perform will still get ahead of the unfortunate majority who do not. Set your mindset for success and you will get there.

At this stage, you will need all of the inner strength that you can muster. We cannot help but hear all the negative news about the economy and jobs on a daily basis and might be inclined to believe that our task is monumental, a hill too steep to climb. However, remember to take this journey one step at a time and always be 100% sure about your ability and chances of getting a position before you pick up that phone or type that e-mail. Before you make a phone call, stand up and take a deep breath. A slumping posture, or a sagging mindset will not help. Always smile as you talk on the phone as well.

Nowadays, online life coaching can give you the boost when you need it, as all of us go through periods of negativity or self-doubt. You can definitely do this!

Amanda Alexander is Director of Coaching Mums and a highly acclaimed ICF-accredited coach who delivers professional coaching programmes to working mums who yearn for success, balance and fulfilment. Are you a juggling mom? Download our free eBook for working moms that will give you 5 simple and instant ways to balance your life right now!