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.

Elizabeth Grace Saunders, Speaker, Trainer, Coach, Owner of Real Life E®

In her article, “Setting Boundaries & Saying No…Nicely,” expert time coach Elizabeth Grace Saunders explains how to navigate situations where it could be difficult to say, “No.” Check out this article for professional, courteous scripts that you can use for e-mail or in-person responses.

Stop stretching yourself too thin, and say “YES!” to reading Elizabeth’s article on The 99%!

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.

When was the last time you totally completed a really important task, or drove a big project across the finish line?

In her insightful guest post, “Why Can’t I Finish?” on The99Percent.com, Elizabeth uncovers the (often hidden) mental battles that can keep you from finishing. Then, Elizabeth gives her one-of-a-kind, practical advice on how you really can cross that finish line! The end is near- read Elizabeth’s Article now!

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.

Whether you work from home or in an office, expert time coach and entrepreneur Elizabeth Grace Saunders has some quick tricks to help keep you on track. Try a few of Elizabeth’s personal productivity techniques listed below, and see just how much you really can accomplish today!

Like many of you, my daily priorities vary. But I have some standard mental tricks for staying focused and productive. Following my Morning Routine and Daily Planning, I use these techniques to implement the plan.

Elizabeth’s Daily Strategy

After planning and processing, I can’t wait to get things done!

• Follow Orders: Each day, I make a number order for my daily activities and try to follow it as closely as possible so the most important tasks get done early in the day and early in the week. Less pressing activities can be moved to another day if my schedule changes.
• Allow for Reflection: Stepping away from my computer and thinking about how to solve a problem or write a blog post or reply to a complex e-mail is not procrastination. This reflection time is immensely productive and seems to happen best for me over a snack or a quick walk.
• Reward Myself: To keep up my motivation and to allow for a quicker mental shift between types of activities, I reward myself with these types of breaks: replying to a few personal e-mails, a snack or a stretch break.
• Cut Up Large Projects: At the start of the 2–3 hour blocks of time I set aside for large projects, I scribble down a mini-plan of all of the action steps. Then I implement on that mini-plan within the time block.
• Evaluate the Cost: If a project starts taking longer than expected, I evaluate the cost of finishing it versus moving on to something else or getting it to “good enough” with the understanding I can come back if there’s time.
• Stuff in Little Activities: I try to do little activities like sending in checks or setting up appointments within small pockets of time between scheduled activities.
• Watch My People Levels: If I’m craving people time, I try to arrange a call or work in an environment where I’m around others. If I feel tired of being around others, then I seek out solitude.
• Capture the Next Step: If I leave a voicemail, I make a note on my calendar doc to follow up. If I leave a meeting, I make a note of when to complete the minutes. If I receive a blog post assignment, I make a note of its deadline and when to start it. Everything has a documented next step.
• Create Urgency: I always think of a few more things that it would be nice to fit in a day or the week than I think I could actually get done. That way I’m motivated to push myself and see how much I can do instead of subconsciously delaying because I’m not sure what would be next.
• Accountability & Transparency: I have four individuals that help keep me motivated by holding me accountable. I commit to being transparent with them about what I’m actually getting done, especially in terms of business and professional development. (They send me lots of encouraging affirmation in return!)

To your brilliance!

Your time coach,

Elizabeth

About Real Life E®

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.

Elizabeth Saunders was recently featured on the Radical Parenting website with tools and helpful advice on how to set clear expectations and create a manageable plan of attack for your teens’ chores. Check out the introduction to Elizabeth’s article below for practical advice on creating and sharing a cleaner home with a very happy family!

How to Take the Stress Out of Weekly Chores

Chores: One of the most dreaded words for any teenager and one of the most frustrating ones for any parent.

Is there a way for families to split up tasks without major fights and headaches? Fortunately, the answer is, “Yes!” But how you achieve that goal is a little different for each household.

That’s why Elizabeth Grace Saunders, the founder of Real Life E® time coaching, has developed this choose your own adventure-style guide for making (and keeping) a chore schedule based on her experience coaching many parents on time management.

Let the adventure begin!…

To read the rest of Elizabeth’s insightful article, please visit the Radical Parenting Website!

About Real Life E®

Inside My Mind

I hesitate to talk too much…about the specifics of how I personally organize my day for a few reasons:

• I don’t want to seem self absorbed.
• I know from coaching clients around the world that custom plans based on the right strategies work better than copying someone else’s exact techniques.
• I’m an ENFJ and not all–but many–of my clients are Myers Briggs INFP or ISFP so they sometimes need a bit different approach.

But that being said, much of what I do is teaching people how to develop the mindset and skill set of an organized person so I’m pulling back the curtain on my life. In the upcoming posts, you’ll learn about not only what I do on a daily basis but also get inside my mind on what I’m thinking throughout the process.

See below for a close look at how I start my morning…

I hope this helps you and demonstrates that I’m authentically living a life of accomplishing more with peace and confidence!

Elizabeth’s Morning Routine

My internal clock is set to 6 a.m. This is awesome on weekdays because it’s usually not a problem for me to get up when my happy nature sounds alarm goes off. It’s not so awesome on the weekends when I’ve stayed up later than 11 p.m. and want to sleep in–but can’t.

If I wake up with unpleasant thoughts in my head (perhaps from a weird dream) I  sometimes lay in bed a bit past 6 a.m. so I can process the negative emotions. I then get up and immediately grab my Bible and my journal from my nightstand and take them downstairs to the dining room and put them in my designated spot.

I love the fact that the house is quiet, and I’m alone at this hour. It’s very peaceful and my mind can wander and get lost in thoughts without interruption. I start my fabulous Bunn coffee maker (only 4 minutes to brew a whole pot!) and then put together a simple breakfast.

As I gather my food, I usually make a rough sketch in my mind of what I plan on eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner. That way, I know that I’m getting some variety in my three meals and enough healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. I also make note of anything that I need to buy in my “Grocery” note in my phone.

Now it’s time to sit down and eat. As I munch, I read a short passage and then take time to ponder what it means to me. Usually during my pondering time, I go back for seconds on breakfast food. (I eat small portions so I can go back for more!)

Next, I take time to meditate. Depending on my mood, this can take many different forms:

• Writing in a prayer journal.
• Listening to an affirmations CD.
• Laying on the living room floor staring at the ceiling and sorting out my thoughts.
• Going on a walk through my neighborhood (usually just on the weekends)

After my meditation time, I’m typically feeling peaceful, energized and in control of my emotions. As they would say in the excellent book Switch, my “elephant” is happy so now the “rider” can start to direct my focus.

Around 7:30 a.m., I start to transition from being to doing… I put away breakfast food and clean up any dishes. I go around the house fluffing pillows, shutting cabinets, collecting up stray items and generally reassuring myself that everything is in order in my physical environment so that I can more or less ignore it for the next 8 hours.

I then shower and get ready for the day completely if I need to leave the house for an appointment during work hours. (I have a tendency to underestimate how long it can take to get ready and get out of the house.) If I’m not going out until the evening, then I just put on clothes for going on a walk at lunch and leave doing hair, make up and jewelry until the end of the day so everything is “fresh.”

Sometime between 8 and 8:30 a.m., I sit down at my computer and begin my morning processing and planning routine… to be fully explained in an upcoming post…

To your brilliance!

Your time coach,

Elizabeth

P.S.-Rest assured! I don’t recommend that all of my time coaching clients get up at 6 a.m.! That’s just what works for me.

P.P.S.–Feel free to share your insights on morning routines.

About Real Life E®

First of all, make planning your meals a part of your weekly routine. While it may seem like a hassle to set aside yet another small piece of time, taking the opportunity to organize your shopping list and plan meals ahead of time will save you not only time in the long run, but also money.

Decide on a day and time when you will do your grocery shopping in order to avoid costly and time consuming trips multiple times each week.

For instance, say you choose Sunday morning as your shopping day and time. Saturday afternoon, take just 15 minutes to sit down and:

• Decide what you plan to make throughout the week.
• Make a list of all the ingredients you will need for these meals.
• Keep your grocery list organized in categories such as dairy, produce, and meat. When you arrive at the store, you can pick out all your food from one department.
• To make list keeping easy, keep a pad of paper and a pencil stuck on the refrigerator, and add basic items such as milk and eggs to the list as you run out.
• Or check out these List Tools:
  • DinnerTool.com: Meal Planning & Shopping List Templates, Meal Ideas, and even Save Your Own Recipes!
  • All-in-One Printable Weekly Meal Planner and Shopping List
  • Tadalist: Lists on the go for your SmartPhone, Computer

Performing to the best of your ability requires nutritious meals throughout the day, so don’t forget foods you will need for a balanced breakfast and power-packed lunch:

• What to Eat to Power through Your Workday
• Breakfast for Dinner: Healthy and Fast
• Cheap and Healthy Brown Bag Lunch Ideas for Grownups

Once you have the food, you still may find it hard to summon up the energy to pull together a delicious, healthy dinner. Not to fear! These websites give some ideas of tasty meals you can whip together in a flash.

The 6 O’Clock Scramble: Recipes, Express Meals, Kitchen and Cooking Tips

Delish.com: Grownup Meals in Under 30 Minutes

Also, look for recipes that serve more than one person or double your recipes so that you have plenty of leftovers. You can bring these leftovers for lunch throughout the week, or even freeze them so you’ll always have something available to defrost in the microwave when you’re in a pinch.

And don’t shy away from preparing these recipes because you’re worried about kitchen cleanup.

“Two Bowl Method” makes Cleaning a Breeze!

11 Tips from a Chef for Easy, Effective Cleanup

Cooking healthfully is one of the best things you can do for your health and well-being. In fact, many people find being in the kitchen to be quite meditative.

Think of preparing dinner as a tasty, welcomed transition between your day and evening duties. Bon appetit!

About Real Life E®

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!

For more information on achieving a brilliant life of balance, and to learn more about award winning life coach and entrepreneur, Elizabeth Grace Saunders, please visit ScheduleMakeover.com Elizabeth’s unique Schedule Makeover™ process can help you feel peaceful, confident, and in control of your life in this fast paced world.

Example of a Comprehensive Exercise Routine

Important Mindset:

• Taking time for myself and particularly for exercise is a good and necessary use of my time.
• Exercise plays an important role in maintaining my health and sanity.
• It’s worth going to bed and getting up earlier so that I can work out on a more consistent basis.

Action Strategy:

• Start to wind down around 8:30 p.m.
  • Wrap up with e-mail
  • Put away dishes
  • Get ready for bed
  • Set out exercise clothes upstairs
  • Set out water bottle and magazine you’re looking forward to reading downstairs
• Decide not to start a show that will run past 8:30 p.m.
• If it’s helpful, set cell phone alarm to remind you it’s “wind down” time.

Goal: To make this a habit so that exercising at least three times a week becomes a natural, effortless part of your daily rhythm.

A Few More Motivational Thoughts:

• It is more important to me to exercise consistently than to spend extra time reading or watching TV at night.
• Following this routine will make me feel like I’m in good shape and able to keep up with the kids.
• This can help with losing a few pounds.
• I will be sore at first but that’s normal, and I will be over that phase soon.
• This is something important that I want to do for my personal health in the short-term and is also important long-term.
• I’m worth it!

To Your Brilliance!

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.