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.

expert time coach Elizabeth Saunders never thought she would be an entrepreneur!

Now featured in TIME online, Elizabeth shares how her career journey has evolved. Best of all, Elizabeth divulges valuable tips and advice for budding entrepreneurs. Anything is possible…even if it’s not exactly what you had planned!

Read Elizabeth’s article, “Confessions of an Accidental Entrepreneur.”

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.

Just because you have the drive to try and do everything for everyone does not at all mean that you should. In her latest newsletter, Elizabeth describes how one of her coaching client’s “successes” actually held him back. Check out Elizabeth’s article below to see how you can be succesful, and still feel in control. To work-life brilliance!

When Joe reached out to me this February…

He had a lot going for him such as:

• A cool job at a small biotech company
• A lot of flexibility in his hours
• Tons of variety in his work, including some graphic design
• Dogs and cats that made him happy
• Volunteer opportunities with a local political organization

The only problem was that he couldn’t enjoy any of it because he constantly felt overloaded. As Joe said in his initial e-mail to me:

“I know I have so much potential, but I try to make everyone happy, and I lose out. I think the better I get at things, the less time I have. Now I’m getting too good, and I’m suffering for it. It feels like some kind of ceiling…

I never have time for anything. What would you recommend for me?”

After completing a free phone consultation with Joe to make sure that I understood his situation, I recommended my three-month time coaching program. Joe agreed that it was exactly what he needed.

During these weekly sessions, we worked through my proven  Schedule Makeover^TM system. Each week was an opportunity to talk through a challenge and develop a custom solution for Joe to implement such as daily planning, taking time for exercise, getting to bed earlier or having time for friends on the weekends.

“I can’t believe the program went by so fast and how small, incremental changes really made a difference in my thought process about being organized.

I learned not to be so hard on myself and that I don’t have to be so strict about organizing. There is a gray area where I do have a choice on whether I adhere to fixed schedules or not. That made the process a WHOLE lot less stressful.

I also really realized how irrational the procrastinating ‘voices’ are and how being more organized and more focused can not only make my life less stressful but also the lives of those around me.”

Following his initial three-month program where we established much of the basic structure, Joe chose to sign up for my flexible continuing coaching option. Joe used these sessions at three-week intervals for accountability as he strengthened his new habits and for the opportunity to talk through “refinements.”

For instance during a recent session, we discussed how he was doing better at setting reasonable turn-around deadlines when he received requests through e-mail. But when someone asked him for something in person, his knee jerk response was to always agree to something on a short deadline.

We talked through what was going on below the surface and developed a better “knee-jerk” response. Here’s what we came up with that still made Joe seem approachable but gave him time to think through his answer about projects:

“If you send me the details in an e-mail, it will be easier for me to give you a definite answer. Does that sound reasonable?”

I’m really proud of Joe for the changes he’s made in his life, not only in being effective at work but in not burning out so he can enjoy life outside the office. At the conclusion of his flexible coaching program this month, he’ll be wrapping up coaching but continue to have the support of his new time management routines.

“Work has been less stressful, and I’ve been more productive and efficient. I worry less about missing something important. I get more exercise by walking the dogs more often, and I’m working on things that I had put off for months or even years…

Having gone from disorganized and stressed to sane and more relaxed, I honestly don’t know what could have made the experience any better…”

I’m super proud of Joe and my other coaching clients like him who have worked with me on the transformation from burnt-out to brilliant.

May this give you hope that change is possible for you too!

To your brilliance!

Elizabeth

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’ve had complete freedom over my schedule for more than half a decade.
During my first couple of years as a full-time entrepreneur, I didn’t set boundaries on when I worked and what I did when.

• Frustration when I just wanted to take an evening or weekend off but felt like I couldn’t.
• Guilt when I had any open time but wasn’t working.

Deciding to limit how much I worked and when I worked really changed everything. (I did experience withdrawal symptoms when I first started this process: Step away from the computer Elizabeth!) But I persevered in setting boundaries, and since then, I’ve been able to “let go of work” mentally and emotionally and enjoy free time without guilt.

One of my bedrock routines that gives me a sense of peace and control is daily planning and processing described in detail below. But first a few notes:

• Like with my Morning Routine, this is an example for you to gain insight from, not a template for everyone. Some of my coaching clients plan in the evening, others have fewer steps in their process, others use more tech tools–routines should be your personal servant not your master.
• This is my own variation based off of some of David Allen’s Getting Things Done philosophies. I found that I procrastinated when I only tried to do a big weekly review but can consistently do a daily review.
• Daily processing and planning does seem to take a lot of time, but it is the only way I’ve been able to keep on top of responsibilities with clients around the world and work 40 hours or less a week. It’s worth it.

See below for an inside look at how I start my work days…

Elizabeth’s Planning Routine

• Going through my morning processing and planning checklist is totally mindless. I don’t need to wonder what to do first when I start my day–it’s always the same. (This really helps when I’m unmotivated, tired or down.)
• My work is very dynamic and my priorities shift on a daily basis. I don’t feel comfortable making a final decision on my daily to-do’s until I’ve gone through all of my inboxes.
• I really don’t like answering e-mail or doing other mundane processing. Before I made clearing out my inboxes part of my morning routine, I always felt guilty and behind. Now I effortlessly keep on top of e-mail, voicemail, mail, etc.

When I start my day, especially if it’s a Monday, I don’t know what needs to be completed for the rest of the day. But I know that by the time I finish my routine, I’ll have found clarity and feel in control. I have many clients who are super techy (which is awesome), but I’m not. So my tools and methods are relatively simple.

On Mondays, I look over my Google calendar to make sure that there are no appointments from the prior week that I need to move or follow up on and that all of my current week’s appointments are in the calendar. Then I make a pdf of the current week’s calendar and print it out.

I know this may make some paper-free people shake their heads, but I find that having a custom printed out schedule of the week makes it much easier for me to visualize my schedule and priorities. So I do what works for me.

During my Monday weekly processing and planning, I also:

• Review my Personal Projects List
• Process all the mail from the past week that I collect in a lateral desk file.
• Confirm appointments and anticipate any scheduling problems.
• Schedule Facebook and Twitter updates on Hootsuite.com
• Review my Google Calendar To Do Lists: Professional Priorities, Professional Someday/Maybe, Personal Priorities, Personal Someday/Maybe
• Write out at the top of my printed out calendar my top personal and professional goals for the week.
• Sketch in on the calendar when I should have time to get my goals done.

• Review my printed calendar and if necessary, make alarm reminders for meetings. (I usually set them for 15 minutes before the start time.)
• Review my calendar Word doc where I keep supporting notes/links/thoughts for daily activities organized by day.
• Review my Professional Projects List organized by deadline.
• Answer all my business e-mail. (If something will take more than a few minutes for a response, I make answering the specific e-mail a to-do item to be completed later that day.)
• Answer the most important personal e-mail.
• Organize papers from the past day and look at my Tickler file.
• Listen to and respond to any voicemail or text.
• Check Hootsuite.com for any Twitter.com @replies or DM’s and respond.
• Comment on or share relevant time management posts.
• Make a final decision on my daily priorities and the order in which I will complete them.
• Ask myself: How can I bless my clients today? Then do anything that comes to mind.

• I don’t give myself a choice in whether I do these steps, but I have complete freedom in choosing what order I complete them. I bounce all around within these possibilities depending on what I feel like doing next.
• Not everyone needs this many steps–this is just what makes me feel in control and on top of life.
• All kinds of online and paper Calendars and To Do List systems can work. The important thing is that you stick with one consistently.
• This can take a long time: On a daily basis, I’m usually done by 10 a.m. at the earliest. On Mondays, it’s closer to 11:30 a.m.
• But… I have the whole afternoon free to execute without worrying about my priorities or what to do next.
• These routines are the magic cure for almost any type of ailment. I can start the day tired, listless, crying–whatever!–and by the time they’re done, my brain and heart are in gear and ready to take on the day.

One of my time coaching clients shared these thoughts with me, which I’m sharing with his permission, about why initially adopting these planning and processing habits is so hard:

“I’m getting more disciplined about time blocking (progress!).

But one of the things that good time blocking does is make you aware of how little discretionary time you actually have.  So, then I started thinking about “Where can I cut back on something I’m doing?”, and immediately I thought of exercise.  Most of my workout sessions (when you include travel, changing, showering, etc.) are 1.5-2 hours.  But then, almost instantly, I said to myself, “No, that’s not negotiable.  I’m not going to cut back on exercise, because it brings me so many benefits in terms of my energy level, my long-term health, and even the emotional value of the assertion of self-worth.”  Then it hit me — I’m struggling to “find the time” each day to purge my index cards, time block my day, and to do good weekly reviews.  But I’m not talking about hours a day:

I find the time for exercise. Why not time management?

I thought of a few reasons:

1.  At some level, I’m still not convinced that I’ll see the deep benefits.  Rationally, I believe there will be benefits. But since I haven’t experienced the higher state, I don’t have enough evidence to have a deep emotional connection with the benefits.

(Note from Elizabeth: I hope my deep emotional connection with the benefits encourages you in this area! They will come with experience.)

2.  I’ve worked at exercising for years, and seen the benefit of exercising, and the negative results of not exercising. I know how big the benefits are of exercising because of the contrast at various times.  I haven’t had the same history and experience.

3.  I know how to exercise, and I’ve done it enough that I’m good at it. It feels good, and I feel good about being good at it. I’ve got lots of things down to a routine, and set up to make it easy.  I own enough exercise clothes that I don’t have to worry about laundry.  I’ve had my workout routines designed by a fitness center trainer so I’m confident I’m doing things that will work.  I have my checklist for packing my exercise clothes, and it’s part of my daily routine.  I know what times of day I can usually fit it in, and part of looking over my daily landscape is figuring out when to fit it in.  I don’t really question whether or not I want to fit it in; it’s a “given”.

With time management, in many ways I’m still a novice, don’t feel like I’m really good at it, and just don’t have enough history and experience as to how to respond to the various challenges.

Therefore:

• I need to focus on simple things I can do, make them very concrete, and keep practicing until I get good.
• I need to be patient and gentle with myself, not set an extremely aggressive goal and then beat myself up when I don’t reach it.  It’s the equivalent of starting to exercise by walking around the block once, then twice, then working up to where you can do 20-30 minutes of intense aerobics.  It takes time, you need to be patient with yourself, and you have to have the belief that the benefits are there if you keep going, and holding on to that belief is one of the key challenges.
• Another thought from Drive was “Mastery is painful.”  To get really, really good at something, you have to have extremely disciplined practice over an extended period of time, like the NBA player who shoots 500 foul shots at the end of every practice.

Doesn’t he do an awesome job of describing the process of lasting behavioral change with time management?! I’m so happy for and proud of my clients when they share these ephiphenies with me.

I hope that seeing how someone whose mastered daily planning and processing gives you insight in how it could happen for you.

Your time coach,

Elizabeth

P.S.-If you need help in making this happen, reach out to me and we can set up a time to talk.

P.P.S.–Thanks so much for all of your fabulous feedback last week! Feel free to send me your thoughts on this week’s newsletter and to comment on last week’s morning routine posted on my blog.

This recent article published on Forbes.com by expert time coach, Elizabeth Saunders, gives valuable insights into how to make networking work for you.

Go to events you want actually want to attend, and build relationships with peers whom you’re really excited to get to know.

Check out Elizabeth’s advice, and learn how to make better connections in less time.

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, The Huffington Post, Mashable, and many other media outlets.

The thought of one more email to respond to, text message to re-tweet, yet another blog to update, and one more social media account to keep organized, is enough to make the average, already over-stretched, over-worked person ready to jump out of their skin!

Not to fear! Reclaim your sanity! While social media is important for a relevant marketing strategy, and timely email replies help build customer relationships, you don’t have to turn into a computer yourself, responding to the prompts of every bell, buzz, or alert that heads your way.

While you might initially feel guilty about making the simple decision to “unplug,” by 8 p.m. every night, small changes can make a big difference in the toll technology takes on your life. Calmer, rested, and more in control, you can be more productive than ever! Below are some links to helpful articles that can help you achieved this well balanced state. (Of course, I wouldn’t want you to spend too long on the computer, though : ) Take a lunch break away from your screen, or head to bed a little earlier. You, your family, and your friends are worth it!

Time Management in the Age of Social Media

5 Tips for More Effective Email Usage

How a False Sense of Email Urgency may be Harming your Business

How to Stop Interruptions and be More Productive

Tools for Dealing with Distraction in a Web Worker’s World

P.S.–Thanks for reading! I so appreciate each and every one of you. And if you find this info helpful, I really appreciate you sending your friends to ScheduleMakeover.com so they can receive more helpful time (and sanity!) saving tips!

In Cal Newport’s article, “Zen and the Art of Investment Banking: When Working Right is More Important than Finding the Right Work,” Cal explores the benefit’s of redefining one’s passion. Rather than becoming a victim of circumstance in one’s job, feeling as though there is nowhere else to run, one must change their mindset. This piece includes insightful and encouraging advice from time coach, Elizabeth Grace Saunders. She gives surprising and practical suggestions in regards to small, easily obtainable changes that can improve one’s balance and well-being: You don’t have to change your job to change your life.

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 that includes HootSuite CEO Ryan Holmes and Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You To Be Rich fame.

Set Expectations so You Can Take a Real Vacation

When you and your customers don’t see eye-to-eye on the timing of communications, deadlines and billing—stress happens!

To help you prevent frustration and feel more in control, here’s expert advice from Elizabeth Grace Saunders, CEO of Real Life E®, a company that provides time coaching and training services that help business owners feel peaceful and accomplished, about how to set expectations with customers.

So, why is setting time expectations so important?

The challenge for business owners is that if you don’t set expectations, your customers will. That means you may go for months–or even years–feeling like you’re constantly being thrown for a loop by everyone else’s whims. Most customers don’t know what’s reasonable in your business so for everyone to be happy, you need to let them know what to expect.

What’s one of the biggest problem areas?

Communication is by far one of the biggest issues. If business owners don’t set clear boundaries on when they will and won’t be available to answer customers’ questions, they never feel like they have a break.

What do you suggest to set time expectations about e-mail, voicemail, etc.?

Set limits on when you and your staff will be accessible, and as much as possible, stick with them. Also try not to set the expectation that you will answer communication immediately. If you consistently answer e-mail and voicemail in about 24 hours, customers won’t be upset if they don’t hear from you right away. (For more info on this topic, check out my blog post on How to Set E-mail Expectations.)

What about when you don’t hear back from customers?

When customers don’t communicate a decision until right before a deadline, it can wreak havoc on your workflow. You can use this type of approach to set standards for communication with your customers:

Dear customer:

I’ve attached the proposal for the work we discussed. In order to meet your deadline of Friday, December 17, I’ll need to hear back from you by Friday, December 10. If I receive a decision from you after the 10^th, we’ll need to move back the deadline.

We look forward to serving you well.

All the best,

Business Owner

Are there any other ways business owners can eliminate deadline stress?

If you don’t make promises to deliver products or services “by tomorrow” or “by next week,” you can reduce stress by increasing your timeline. Also, business owners shouldn’t make commitments to a deadline until they have a clear sense of when they can complete the work. Just because a customer wants something as soon as possible, doesn’t mean that you should stay up until 2 a.m. trying to finish everything for them.

What about billing?

Try to get some or all of the payment before delivering the work. This reduces stress on both sides and makes it completely clear when payment is due. If that’s not possible, bill promptly and ask for payment due upon receipt. Then take note of when to follow up—depending on your industry either two weeks or four weeks later. Staying on top of billing and following up quickly tends to reduce stress and confusion caused by an invoice months past due.

Any other final time tips?

If there’s any part of your business that’s causing you time stress, ask yourself the question, “Should I be setting my expectations differently for myself or others?” Most of the time the answer is, “Yes!”

Thanks so much Elizabeth for this great advice! And if you would like to receive more great time tips from Real Life E®, go to http://www.ScheduleMakeover.com

Elizabeth Grace Saunders is the founder and CEO of Real Life E® a time coaching and training company that empowers individuals who are 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 that includes HootSuite CEO Ryan Holmes and Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You To Be Rich fame.

Andrea Bennett posted, “Teachers, Organize Your Life” at The Responsibility Project that focuses on helping teachers establish and maintain organization. Bennett provides answers to frequently asked questions and starts the conversation about what it takes to create balance for educators–or anyone else who is responsible for managing little (or big) people at work.

About Real Life E®

Elizabeth Grace Saunders is a time coach & professional speaker who helps men and women who are overwhelmed and frustrated because they want to achieve a life of peace and productivity but are struggling to make it happen.

For more insight on how to move forward, feel peaceful and create a life of love, meaning and purpose, check out ScheduleMakeover.com

Elizabeth has been featured in Inc magazine, The Chicago Tribune, and on NBC, and is happy to be interviewed for your broadcast or publication.

Well the truth is you are not alone. For many of us our number one challenge is staying tuned into business while working from home. Let’s face it, the luxury of being able to work from home has created yet another obstacle in our already cluttered lives.

So the question is how do we beat procrastination and distractions? Amanda Sykora has shared 15 Tips to Increase Productivity When Working From Home with Suite101 readers. The tips vary from knowing when to stop to creating plans of action for your work.

Go ahead, check out the list, and reclaim your time!

About Real Life E®

Elizabeth Grace Saunders is a time coach & professional speaker who helps men and women who are overwhelmed and frustrated because they want to achieve a life of peace and productivity but are struggling to make it happen.

For more insight on how to move forward, feel peaceful and create a life of love, meaning and purpose, check out ScheduleMakeover.com

Elizabeth has been featured in Inc magazine, The Chicago Tribune, and on NBC, and is happy to be interviewed for your broadcast or publication.