But it’s going to take a significant amount of time to put together. Before I move forward, I want to be sure you actually want it so I’m focused on what will bring the most value to the world…

More details near the bottom of this article on how you can make this happen

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Note #2: In case you’re wondering, this is a Follow Up to this Post which received more comments than I’ve ever had on one post before. You are all SO Awesome!

The Story of How I Became a “Time Coach”

As you may or may not know, I am an “accidental” entrepreneur … meaning that I never actually intended to start a business. It just spontaneously emerged from the perfect storm of resigning from my job, getting none of the seven jobs that I interviewed for and having a large network of journalism contacts eager to take advantage of my writing, editing and photo styling skills (In case you were curious… photo styling means setting up the sets for the photographer to take the pictures.)

Before I knew it, my work was featured in about 50 publications around the country, including Real+Life Decorating, Do It Yourself, and Home Depot Designs for Living.

My life was full of describing the glories of inset sinks in marble countertops, scouring the city for just the right flowers (do you know HOW hard it can be to find pink ginger stalks?) and making sure that readers knew about gooseneck and bridge faucets and could pick which one would be right for their perfect kitchen.

I guess you could say my life was dreamy (it seems that all movies glamorize journalists!) but it definitely wasn’t balanced…

How This All Began

You see, I enjoyed my work and was grateful to be keeping busy but it started to bother me that anytime I wasn’t out at an event, I felt like I should be working…

So I would come home sometimes around 10 p.m. and think I should still answer work e-mail, and I rarely had a weekend where I was completely “off.”

But I remember the EXACT moment when this went from something that kind of bothered me to something where I was actually willing to Take Action.

It seems obvious now that no one should have to just settle for a life overwhelmed by work, but at the time, it was a bit hard to take that kind of stand because so many entrepreneurs tell you that feeling crazy busy is “just part of the game.” Or “you should be grateful you’re busy.” Or “you have to take the work when it comes.” Or “if you say, ‘No,’ people won’t hire you again…”

But despite the chorus of warnings and doubts ringing in my head, I finally came to terms with the fact that I would never feel successful if I didn’t have time to invest in what mattered to me outside of work—without guilt.

The Moment When It All Began

The moment when I decided to really make a change happened as I was talking a walk on a temperate July evening. There were some Canada geese squawking about and some people lazily casting their fishing lines into the river that flowed beside the trail, but I didn’t really notice much of what was happening around me.

I was in one of those mental states where you lose sight of what’s around you and don’t even quite remember that you’re walking and your mind just wanders about trying to make order and sense of what’s happening to you.

And something in me clicked, and I decided: Enough is ENOUGH! I don’t care what other people say! I don’t feel like a success when I’m working all of the time… when I don’t have time for the people and activities I love… and when the work that used to give me so much joy… kind of fills me with dread and a weighty sense of tiredness.

At First It Felt Like I Was Having Withdrawal Symptoms—Really!

I started keeping track of my hours and stopping when I hit my self-imposed limit for the week.

I hated it.

It felt awful to stop working when I “could” do more and when I didn’t always necessarily know how everything would work out.

But I told myself to “step away from the computer” and purposefully scheduled in activities after work that would force me to stop.

In time, taking evenings and weekends off went from being a HUGE struggle to being a natural part of my lifestyle.

I learned to say, “No,” to ask for more time when I needed it (instead of being too proud to let people know I wasn’t perfect) and to value the quality of my life as much as I valued the quality of my work.

The surprising thing I discovered is that people actually respected me MORE. Not only did I have better relationships with my friends and family and a whole lot less guilt, but also my business did better. (Go figure?)

Soon Other People Started to Get Curious…

How was it that I was continuing to build a successful business where I could support myself, have time and money to travel, and not be “crazy busy” all the time?

My approach to life and work mystified people—especially others with flexible schedules who thought that a total lack of balance was something that they HAD to settle for in life. Or that being perpetually sleep-deprived was a natural rite of passage to success.

It Took a Bit of Time

Around the same time, I realized that I wanted to make more of a positive impact in people’s lives in a way that went below the surface…

That I didn’t want to just be the interior designer of people’s homes (though I still appreciate great design!) but to be the interior designer of their minds, hearts and lives—to help them make something beautiful and life-giving out of chaos.

So I Started Talking With a Coach…

…About what it could look like for me to step away from the computer and the photo set and inspire more people to live the life of their dreams.

This lead to the launch of my second business, Real Life E ® that encouraged people to Dream! Dare! Discover!® who they were created to be.

I began giving key note speeches and doing training events on topics such as Think Inc: How to Thrive in Uncertain Times with an Entrepreneurial Mind™ (about helping employees have an entrepreneurial mindset) and High Heels: How to Advance in Business Without Losing Your Skirt™ (about embracing who you are as a woman to help you succeed in the business world).

But despite the fact that I was speaking all over the country and inspiring thousands of people, including speaking directly after Steve Forbes at a conference (a true “rock star” in the business world!) I didn’t feel satisfied that I was making the right impact for two reasons:

1. I inspired people for a day but didn’t get to see, encourage and support their growth and development over time.
2. Starting to travel so frequently for speaking violated the sense of balance and order that I had fought so hard to establish in my life.

So I made a decision that would change everything…

Instead of continuing down the path of speaking as my main focus, I would develop a coaching business. But not just any coaching business (the idea of being a general life coach terrified me because there are SO many out there!) but a very specific, focused, targeted business focused on spreading the message that “Life Could Be Radically Different!” in terms of how people thought about and invested their time.

I pursued coaching training and time management knowledge through best sellers like Getting Things Done. But MOST of all, I carefully observed the reality of what it took to create lasting habit change in people’s lives and used this to develop my Schedule Makeover™ coaching process…

When I Began, I Never Would Have Dreamed…

That I would have clients on four continents, that I would give time management presentations in Asia and Africa, that I would appear in Inc, Forbes.com, WomansDay.com and TIME.com and that I would see SO many beautiful transformations in people’s lives.

But I have…

… and I somehow feel like this is only the beginning.

I LOVE Time Coaching (there’s no way I would give that up! It’s the best thing I can possibly offer you.) But I just feel like it’s not fair for me to only offer this one option any more…

Here’s the deal.

The demand for insight on ‘how to be peaceful’ that goes beyond platitudes like “just relax” or “take time for yourself” or rigid structures like you must get up at 4 a.m. and spend two hours in contemplation has come…

As “The Joy of Quiet” article published in the December 29, 2011 issue of the The New York Times states:

“The urgency of slowing down — to find the time and space to think — is nothing new, of course, and wiser souls have always reminded us that the more attention we pay to the moment, the less time and energy we have to place it in some larger context. ‘Distraction is the only thing that consoles us for our miseries,’ the French philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote in the 17th century, ‘and yet it is itself the greatest of our miseries.’ He also famously remarked that all of man’s problems come from his inability to sit quietly in a room alone….

MAYBE that’s why more and more people I know, even if they have no religious commitment, seem to be turning to yoga, or meditation, or tai chi; these aren’t New Age fads so much as ways to connect with what could be called the wisdom of old age.”

The only problem is that everything—yes everything—in our world is specifically designed to distract… to allure… to capture your attention for even a moment.

So even if you’re someone who wouldn’t naturally have too many problems with focus, this over stimulating world can cause mental fragmentation. And if you’re someone naturally prone to distraction, the pings, bleeps, bells and boxes can make attention almost impossible.

Everyone Seems Concerned About This BUT No One is Telling You How (in a super practical way) to Be Different

With my time coaching, I really look to get below the surface of what’s going on and to look for answers to how you can fight back and create peace and order in your life in a world that’s attempting to swallow you up. This is a holistic approach that encompasses ALL of your life from your sleep schedule to your work schedule.

But I think there’s more I could be doing to have a larger positive impact. So I’m thinking of focusing in on the one specific area with a product about how to make time and space to think, to process what is happening to you, to stop running and to slow down… both inside and outside.

I’ve been really encouraged and amazed at the Tremendous Interest around this idea so I am thinking about giving you a value packed, 100% free Gift of “5 of the BIGGEST Obstacles to Making Space for Inner Peace & How You Can Overcome Them Now”

This is meant for you IF you’re serious about creating space in your life for the practices that give you a sense of internal order, calm, alignment and centeredness.

This Gift Will Include:

• A description of each of these 5 Major (but often hidden) obstacles and how you can identify whether they’re holding you back.
• Activities for freeing yourself from the power of each of these obstacles
• A short guided meditation recording where I help you release the worries of the day and prepare your mind for reflection before you head to sleep.

But Here’s the Catch

Because I want to be extremely clear on the true interest for this gift and I don’t want to send further e-mails to people who are totally not interested…

…I need you to let me know if you’re interested in receiving “5 of the BIGGEST Obstacles to Making Space for Inner Peace & How You Can Overcome Them Now.”

So Here’s What You Need To Do

I’m making a list of everyone potentially interested in receiving my free gift and getting in on the start of anything else that may come of this.

(Those who don’t sign up won’t hear anything more after this week.)

So if you’re interested: 1. Enter your e-mail address below, and if there’s enough interest, you’ll receive your free gift at that address. 2. Please leave any comments or suggestions below.

Email Marketing You Can Trust

If enough people get on this “interest list” (I’m thinking about 200 or more…) then I’ll make this free gift and send it to EVERYONE on the interest list (but none of those who haven’t signed up.)

If no one wants this gift, then no worries… I’ll direct my focus toward something else.

At your service,

Elizabeth

P.S.-Thanks so much for all of your comments and e-mails. You make this all worth it

P.P.S.-Feel free to share this info on Facebook, Twitter or e-mail it to those who might be interested. It would be truly fabulous if there’s the momentum to move this gift forward. Let’s start a movement!

So I’ve been getting a LOT of e-mails/comments from readers about my previous e-mail and blog post.

Sorry to be a bit reluctant to fully disclose what I’m thinking, but it’s been a long time coming and sometimes it takes courage to bring your thoughts into the light of day. But for the sake of bringing more people to a place of inner peace, here it goes…

As you may or may not know, time coaching has had such an incredible positive impact on the world in ways that I could not hope or imagine.

I never dreamed that I would do coaching and training on six continents and have the opportunity to truly start a movement calling for a greater sense of peace, confidence and meaningful accomplishment in a burnt-out, overwhelmed world.

I’ve been blessed to have helped thousands of people transform their lives for the better and have been deeply touched by witnessing their transformations.

It makes me SO proud when I see my clients and readers building their confidence, gaining focus, claiming their legitimate right to self care and investing in what matters most to them… especially connecting with the most important people in their lives and themselves.

I celebrate their accomplishments as if they were my own and gain so much from their insight and appreciate so deeply their encouragement (One recent comment that I was “worth my weight in gold” made me glow inside for a long time

So here is where I have been holding out for years…

I’ve been asked if I offer anything other than my one-on-one time coaching program.

And up to right now, I haven’t really had a good answer.

You see, up until now, I haven’t fully given myself over to developing new programs and courses because I’m so committed to only offering people what I believe will really produce results.

I completely believe in my services, and I don’t take on clients where I don’t feel that I’m the right solution.

And when I work with time coaching clients, I not only help them through basic strategies like planning their days and weeks but also offer them support and guidance on whatever is most pressing for them at the moment which could include:

• Being more assertive at work with setting boundaries and saying, “No,” without guilt
• Communicating effectively with your boss or significant other on differences in opinion
• Learning how to modify your cooking habits after you changed to a vegetarian lifestyle
• Etc., etc., etc.

Seriously, I teach the same principles but adapt the content of each call to address the most pressing needs of the moment because I’m TOTALLY committed to my client’s success so the program is custom tailored to them—down to each stitch.

That’s why the idea of offering a product to you (even a free one!), feels well… uncomfortable.

But as I explained in my last post, 2012 is the Year of Breakthrough. And because I so believe in the transformative power of coaching, I’ve engaged people to coach me on overcoming my own area’s of insecurity that are keeping me from creating the biggest possible positive impact on the world.

And they’ve challenged me (which is good, but makes me feel so vulnerable!) to step out and share more of what I know in a way that could make an impact on SO many more people.

So I’m still doing time coaching through skype and phone with a select group of clients from around the world, but I’m also considering building a Free Product that will help you start to…

• Live out your dreams of consistently feeling peaceful, confident and accomplished
• Increase your ability to deal with change, recover from difficulties
• Feel positive and thankful on a daily basis.

So, I’m Seriously Considering Doing This…

Creating a Free Product on one very specific topic where I open myself up to so much more of you and allow you to enter into the most important part of my life.

You see so often people ask me, how are you so wise and so peaceful at such a young age? And the secret is this…

For the last 18 years, I’ve made daily prayer and meditation the foundation for each and every day. Every morning, I gain perspective and release my worries and concerns and every evening, I process what has happened so that I can sleep peacefully and wake up refreshed.

And through my own experience, and through the lives of so many others, I’ve seen that consistent time for mindfulness, meditation, prayer (whatever you like to call making time for reflection and connection) is the biggest key to living a peaceful, calm, centered life where you feel focused, in control and full of joy.

This is the gift I want to give you: A clear, practical free product that helps you understand…

• What has been holding you back from making time and space to connect with yourself
• How to process and release what’s happening to you
• How to really feel a sense of wholeness

The goal: Peace with yourselves, others and the world.

Instead of giving you more stuff you should do (I know you already have enough partially used journals, unread books, and unheard recordings.) I want to give you specific guidance on how you can actually make the time and space to think, to breathe, to process, to connect with yourself and to higher truth.

Even if…

You struggle with intellectually knowing making space for reflection is good but practically speaking don’t make space to think a priority.

Or if…

When you do have some quiet time, you tend to get distracted or fall asleep (sound familiar?

If I Do This, It Will Take a LOT of Time to Create

I’m excited—no, absolutely thrilled—about the possibility of sharing with you, but I’m aware of how long it can take to do these kind of top-quality products so…

I ONLY want to do this if there’s enough interest.

Here’s what I need to know…

What do you think?

Should I do this?

Would you be interested?

Your feedback and thoughts either through commenting on this post or by sending an e-mail in reply to the newsletter are the fuel that will keep this going.

I don’t want to even think about doing this on top of my time coaching unless there’s enough potential interest.

So please take a second and leave a comment below and let me know what you think.

It would mean a lot to me, and I’ll do my best to respond to every comment.

Your time coach,

Elizabeth

P.S.-SO impressed that you read all the way to the end of this post. You’re awesome!

But… today is a bit different.

Today I want to share something a bit more personal with you. (Deep breath.)

Here it goes…

As is fitting for a time coach, I’m very aware of times and seasons. Back in November, I was feeling all these strong, conflicting sad emotions that really confused me, and then I realized that my heart was reliving the emotional equivalent of open heart surgery that had happened a year earlier that had long departed from my conscious thoughts.

But my strong connection to time not only leads me to remember and release the past but also brings me to dream and hope about the future, and I have rituals connected with significant yearly milestones… one of those being the New Year.

Part of my yearly ritual is attuning myself to my “theme” for the year. In 2011, that theme was the Year of the “Impossible” which played out in many ways including:

• Featured on WomansDay.com, Mashable.com, Forbes.com, TIME.com and became a regular contributor to the99percent.com
• My first trip to Asia where I spent time with one of my friends who is the world’s largest distributor of yo-yos online or offline (I’m serious!) and the CEO of Groupon Philippines, and went to the top of the Taal Volcano (a volcano within a lake with a lake inside of it.)
• Signing up time coaching clients or doing time coaching training on six continents and seeing dramatic positive change in people’s lives due to our time together.
• And most importantly witnessing healing in all different ways in so many people’s lives, including miraculous recoveries from cancer, from depression, from fear and from doubt…

And as I was praying and meditating on the theme for 2012, this one word came through loud and clear, again and again: Breakthrough.

Breakthrough.

And the underlying mission for my business came through with a clarity I have never experienced before (almost like when you’re at the eye doctor and the images go from a blurry muddle to crisp and sharp):

The purpose of Real Life E is to create the greatest healing in the greatest number of people possible.

So you may be asking yourself, “Why are you sharing all of these things Elizabeth?”

Well… it’s because I’ve realized that in order for this breakthrough to happen and to really have the world-changing impact that it needs to make, I need to have a breakthrough of my own.

I need your help.

I’m serious.

Yes—I’m the expert who has been featured on more press than I can count. Yes—I’ve transformed the lives of thousands of people through my writing, coaching and training. Yes—I’m probably one of the few people in the world who gets giddy with excitement talking about schedules!

But to take this to the next level and to give you what you said that you REALLY wanted, it can’t be just me sending off words of wisdom and encouragement. I need you actively engaged and involved in this process.

It makes me feel a bit vulnerable to “let go” in this way, but I trust that if this is really meant to be, just the right people will raise their hands to come on this journey with me by being part of a very select group of game changers joining me on the mission to create a world full of peaceful, confident and accomplished people.

Anyway, this journey will take us… (to a place I’ll describe in my Friday newsletter—stay tuned!)

-Elizabeth Grace Saunders, Your Time Coach

P.S.—I’ll be back with more details in a couple of days. But until then, tell me in the comments what you’re hoping to experience this year. What is your personal  “theme” for 2012?

How to See Real Progress

In his recent article, “If You’re Busy, You’re Doing Something Wrong: The Surprisingly Relaxed Lives of Elite Achievers,” Study Hacks Blog expert, Cal Newport describes this unique phenomena. With a few tweaks to your practice, you can improve the effectiveness of your work. So check out Cal’s article and accomplish more with peace and confidence today!

About Real Life E®

Elizabeth Grace Saunders is the founder and CEO of Real Life E® a time coaching and training company that empowers individuals who feel guilty, overwhelmed and frustrated to feel peaceful, confident and accomplished through an exclusive Schedule Makeover^TM process. Real Life E® also increases employee productivity, satisfaction and work/life balance through custom training programs.

Elizabeth has appeared in Inc magazine, The Chicago Tribune, and on NBC. She was selected as one of the Top 25 Amazing Women of 2010 by Stiletto Woman and as a member of the Young Entrepreneurs Council featured in The New York Times, Forbes, Mashable, and many other media outlets.

How would you feel if you knew your surgeon had a coach?

I recently had a Real Holiday…one where I left behind my computer and all of my other mobile devices.

Was it unnerving to think about disconnecting from the world? Absolutely.

Prior to leaving, these type of voices ran through my head:

• It’s so difficult to prepare for technology-free time.
• What if someone needs me?
• They’ll be soooo much to catch up on when I return.

But I chose to not let fear of being out-of-complete-control stop me from letting go and ended up making an interesting observation in the process: Even though I have good boundaries with technology (no e-mail pop-up alerts, no instant messaging, etc.), some part of me feels constantly on alert when I’m constantly connected.

Within even a few hours of weaning myself off of technology, I sensed an “inversion” of my focus–in a good way. My thoughts and feelings shifted from a vast network of people and priorities to a greater awareness of myself and my surroundings. In turning my devices off, I was able to turn on my ability to experience the moment and be completely present.

Although an “unplugged” holiday might not fit into your schedule right now, I highly recommend that you test out this principle in your own life. Investing time in intentional detachment can help you unwind and connect with yourself.

Here are some tips on how to refresh:

• Set aside a block of time free from outside obligations. A day or more is best but even a few hours in the morning or evening will do.
• Switch off and–better yet–remove yourself from connected devices. For instance, if you’re cocooning at home, leave your devices in the office. Or if you’re heading out, leave your computer and phone at home.
• Keep a journal close at hand to record your thoughts.
• Give yourself permission to connect with your intuition and do what you feel like doing in the moment from taking a walk to working on a creative project to staring out into space.
• As you near the end of your time, jot down a short list of what you’ll need to do upon “re-entry” so you don’t fear the transition into a fully connected existence.

Time away from technology acts as a “re-set” button that leaves you better connected with yourself and better able to connect with others.

To your brilliance!

Elizabeth Grace

About Real Life E®

Elizabeth Grace Saunders is the founder and CEO of Real Life E® a time coaching and training company that empowers individuals who feel guilty, overwhelmed and frustrated to feel peaceful, confident and accomplished through an exclusive Schedule Makeover^TM process. Real Life E® also increases employee productivity, satisfaction and work/life balance through custom training programs.

Elizabeth has appeared in Inc magazine, The Chicago Tribune, and on NBC. She was selected as one of the Top 25 Amazing Women of 2010 by Stiletto Woman and as a member of the Young Entrepreneurs Council featured in The New York Times, Forbes, Mashable, and many other media outlets.

I personally use these strategies to stop working on time and still complete the most critical tasks:

In the afternoon, I take a quick assessment of how many hours I have left and what needs to be done to hit my ending goal. This could mean moving on to a new project, pushing to complete an assignment, or revising my expectations for the day.

To really ensure I stick to my end time, I schedule activities right after work. It could be something as simple as a scheduled phone call, a walk with a friend, or going to a networking event. Knowing that I will cause inconvenience to someone else by working late really helps me stop myself. (My clients who have trouble starting work in the morning use this trick at the beginning of their day.)

As a final level of reinforcement, I time block out my evening. Like Tim Ferriss says in The 4-Hour Workweek, you have to clearly define what you will do to fill the void created by working fewer hours. For me that means inviting friends over for dinner or planning a specific projects like going grocery shopping or doing laundry. By giving myself a clear objective, I remind myself that working beyond my set schedule comes at a cost. If I procrastinate or over commit, I know I’m keeping myself from doing other activities. This motivates me to plan my time and my responsibilities so I can stick to 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. and then stop—guilt free!

How do you leave work on time…?

Fortunately,there are a few simple adjustments to your mindset and daily schedule that can make a big difference. In her newest article, “Why Does it Feel like I’m Always Working?” featured on Forbes.com, expert time coach and work-life balance master, Elizabeth Grace Saunders, discusses simple solutions you can start implementing today. Overcome feelings of guilt, and tactfully stop over-committing by setting boundaries. You can work hard but still have time to play hard- every day!

So take a break from your work, and check out Elizabeth’s Forbes Article now.

Elizabeth Grace Saunders is the founder and CEO of Real Life E®, which provides life coaching for individuals who struggle with time management.

Real Life E® empowers individuals who feel guilty, overwhelmed and frustrated to feel peaceful, confident and accomplished through an exclusive Schedule Makeover^TM process. Real Life E® also increases employee productivity, satisfaction and work/life balance through custom training programs.

Elizabeth has appeared in Inc magazine, The Chicago Tribune, and on NBC. She was selected as one of the Top 25 Amazing Women of 2010 by Stiletto Woman and as a member of the Young Entrepreneurs Council featured in The New York Times, The Huffington Post, Mashable, and many other media outlets.