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Contents...the structured side are people who prefer lists, guidelines, and routine. on the unstructured side are people who want to go with the flow, making things up as they go along

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Page 1: Contents...the structured side are people who prefer lists, guidelines, and routine. on the unstructured side are people who want to go with the flow, making things up as they go along
Page 2: Contents...the structured side are people who prefer lists, guidelines, and routine. on the unstructured side are people who want to go with the flow, making things up as they go along
Page 3: Contents...the structured side are people who prefer lists, guidelines, and routine. on the unstructured side are people who want to go with the flow, making things up as they go along

Your Attitude Toward Time

Structure or Spontaneity?

A Small Shift

Change Your Day, and Your Life, 12 Minutes at a Time

FlyLady and the Power of the Timer

How I Chose 12 Minutes

12 Minutes of Planning

12 Minutes of Gratitude

12 Minutes of Quiet Time

12 Minutes of Connection

12 Minutes of Dreaming

Your Ideal Day

How Will You Use Your 12 Minutes

Recommended Reading List

© 2013 Becky Robinson / Weaving Influence.

All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws.

For more information about Becky Robinson or Weaving Influence, visit www.weavinginfluence.com or call 888.888.8888.

http://www.facebook.com/BeckyRbnsn

https://plus.google.com/u/0/115236676525149618850

http://www.twitter.com/beckyrbnsn

http://www.linkedin.com/in/beckyrbnsn

Contents

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Page 4: Contents...the structured side are people who prefer lists, guidelines, and routine. on the unstructured side are people who want to go with the flow, making things up as they go along

1

Your Attitude Toward Time

W hat is your attitude toward time? You can see your attitude about time from the language you use to describe time.

Consider all the times we bring the word “time” into our everyday conversation.

We say there is never enough time or we say we have too much time on our hands.

We want to take our time. We long for extra time, and we enjoy free time. We talk about managing time, spending time, wasting time, investing time,

biding time, squandering time, passing time, marking time, and living on borrowed time. We say we are short on time, pressed for time, or that we lost track of time. We say we have limited time. time flies, and time stands still. We enjoy “me time” and “family time”, especially when it’s quality time.

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2 BECKY ROBINSON 312 MINU TES TO CHANGE YOUR DAY

We also talk about living in the moment, as this moment is really the only one that we have.

singers croon about time: time after time, time in a bottle, time is slipping away, it’s crying time, the time of your life. There is a time for every purpose under heaven (to everything, turn, turn, turn.) If I could turn back time.

Literature references Father time, who carries a time keeper that depicts the constant forward movement of time.

At work, we track time, use time sheets, look for time management tools. There’s break time, lunch time, sick time, personal time, vacation time. We rejoice when it’s quitting time.

In sports, there’s half time, tailgate time, over time, and time out. The clock is running, or the clock is stopped.

on a farm, there is planting time and harvest time.We have sacred time, prayer time.With our children, we have time out, snack time, nap time, quiet time, fun

time, crying time, bottle time. We teach kids to tell time. We long for fun time, party time, happy time, rest time, the right time, a great

time. There’s the best of times, and the worst of times. It’s time.Here’s a common belief about time from Doug Larsen:

“For disappearing acts, it's hard to beat what happens to the eight hours supposedly left after eight of sleep and eight of work.”

Author Marlene Chism has a radically different view of time, one that I can’t say I’ve achieved. About time, she says

“Time expands to meet my desires. I have plenty of time.”

Another important perspective from Charles Richards:

“Don’t be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days… as you make use of.”

And an excellent question from Richie and natalie norton:

“If time were to take on human form, would she be your taskmaster or freedom fighter?”

For all our anxiety about, or enjoyment of, time, we each have the same amount of time each day. We can’t stop it, or find more, but we can change the way we use our time and the way we look at time.

Don’t be fooled by the calendar.

There are only as many days…as you

make use of.-Charles Richards

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4 BECKY ROBINSON

Structure or Spontaneity?

W e each have a unique way of managing, handling, and viewing time. Think about these ways of approaching time of being across a continuum. on one side, are people who take life as it comes

and prefer spontaneity to schedule. on the other side are people who want their time to be accounted for and regimented, predictable and planned. on the structured side are people who prefer lists, guidelines, and routine. on the unstructured side are people who want to go with the flow, making things up as they go along. They may view structure and routine as a prison, while a schedule loving person feels trapped by an open ended day.

Chances are, you fall somewhere in between. I waver between the two ends of the spectrum. I love schedules and routines to a point, and feel much more peaceful with a predictable routine…until I don’t. even the most routine oriented person

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A Small Shift

needs to break out of their routines now and then, and we can each benefit from regular breaks from our regular schedules. I think this explains why people enjoy unexpected time off like snow days and cancelled meetings.

During my homeschooling days, I kept a binder with elaborate lists: morning routine, school schedule, afternoon routine, bedtime routine. each list contained my best intentions for each part of the day. to get where I wanted to go, I would follow those lists like a sure route home.

Three young girls — our days took plenty of detours, meandering down one side road or another. Those lists, though, served as guardrails: they kept us on the path, kept us from falling off the edge.

I used the lists because they worked for me during that time in my life.I get the most done and feel the best about what I’ve accomplished when my

life is regimented and structured.Whether you love structure or loathe it, I want to introduce a slight shift

you can easily implement into your life that will make a difference in how you manage your time.

E ven a small shift in the way we view and use time can make a difference in our days.

Consider author Jason Womack’s perspective about time,

“If you’re waiting until you have the time to figure out what you’ll do when you have the time, you’ll always be behind.”

In his book, Leadership and the Art of Struggle, steven snyder says

“When you change your beliefs, you change your perspective, which changes your thinking, which changes your behavior, which changes everything.”

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8 BECKY ROBINSON

Change Your Day, and Your

Life, 12 Minutes at a Time

I know that 12 minutes isn’t a lot of time.In fact, there are 120 12 minute segments in every day. If you work 8 hours

each day, you work 40 12 minute segments. If you are like me, you rarely have long chunks of uninterrupted time… so

you have to learn how to use smaller chunks of time. You may wonder what you could possibly do in 12 minutes.You might wonder why I picked 12 minutes.12 minutes is a manageable patch of time that everyone can find. I think you

might be amazed at what you can accomplish in 12 minutes, especially if you stay focused on the task at hand, one task at a time.

I’ll share the story of how I landed on 12 minutes a little later, but first I want to share about FlyLady and the power of the timer.

It is my hope that this e-book will inspire you to change your beliefs, perspective, thinking, and behavior related to time.

I want you to consider how to make the most of the underused time in your day. I love this quote from Charles Caleb Colton:

“Much may be done in those little shreds and patches of time which every day

produces, and which most men throw away.”

The challenge I offer is this: Find patches of time in your day and use them purposefully.

If you’re waiting until you have the time to figure out

what you’ll do when you have the time, you’ll

always be behind.-Jason Womack

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10 BECKY ROBINSON

FlyLady and the Power

of the Timer

H ave you ever heard of Fly Lady? Flylady is an online home organization coach. Although I consider

myself a FlyLady dropout, I like her no nonsense approach to getting things done and her philosophy that you can do anything for ten minutes. Although I don’t follow FlyLady’s routines, I have adopted her practice of using a timer to keep myself focused on tasks.

I encourage the use of a timer both for things we have to do—those items on our list that we push to the bottom, and for those things we want to do— activities we love but don’t often set aside time to enjoy.

First, you can use a timer to limit or set boundaries around an activity. As Kelly, who writes encouragement on FlyLady’s website says, “Don’t obsess, set your timer for 10 minutes for each task, then QUIt!”

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12 BECKY ROBINSON 1312 MINU TES TO CHANGE YOUR DAY

While we may have tasks on our list that take more than 12 minutes, setting a timer for 12 minutes and giving ourselves permission to stop when the timer goes off, often frees us up for a few surprises.

We may find out that the task takes much less time than we anticipated —we’re done before the 12 minutes is up.

or, we may find, after 12 minutes, that we are almost finished. our 12 minutes have given us enough momentum to finish the task.

It’s also possible that when the timer goes off, we’re not done and we don’t feel like continuing. That’s okay too, because at least we will be 12 minutes closer to finishing.

I use this strategy both at work and at home for tasks that feel overwhelming, like a sink full of dishes, a mountain of laundry, or a lengthy writing project. Without fail, when I set the timer for 12 minutes and stay focused, I am happy and surprised by how much I can accomplish.

We can also use a timer to create an opportunity to do a task we love. If you are a parent, you may feel guilty when you choose to do something you

enjoy. But even small children can tolerate 12 minutes of waiting. “Yes, I’ll read to you but first I am going to spend 12 minutes reading my book.” or, “Mom’s had a long day. I’m going to set the timer for 12 minutes and rest quietly in my room, and then I’ll enjoy spending time with you.”

You could also use 12 minutes of a fun activity as a reward for exercise or some other not-preferred task – for example, deciding to spend 12 minutes on a favorite task after 12 minutes on a difficult one.

Using a timer can help us overcome the paralysis that stops us when we think tasks will take longer than they actually do. A timer frees us to do both the tasks we must do, and the tasks we love doing.

For example, consider reading. If you read about 12 pages in 12 minutes (average speed), 12 minutes a day reading would result in you finishing 15-20 books each year (average length 200 pages.)

or exercising: A choice to exercise 12 minutes a day could have amazing results. If you can jog a mile in 12 minutes, you’ll burn 100 extra calories. Jogging for 12 minutes a day would result a weight loss of about 10 pounds per year.

or writing. I discovered the magic of 12 minutes at a time when I had only a

few minutes to blog. I can write 400-500 words in 12 minutes. If I wrote every day for 12 minutes, I’d write 182,500 words a year -- the equivalent of nearly 3 book-length works in a year!

even 12 minutes can make a big difference!

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How I Chose 12 Minutes

I first landed on this concept late one spring afternoon. I wanted to write a blog post. My girls wanted to play outside. Blue skies, bright sunshine, 75 degrees: a perfect afternoon. I didn’t need much convincing that we should

all go outside to enjoy the day. They needed to finish homework first so I had 20 minutes to spare. I decided

to set the timer on my iPhone for twenty minutes and write a blog post in that amount of time, a challenge of sorts.

All day, I had been thinking of the post I would write. I sat down, started the timer, and began to write. When I finished, I discovered that I had written my 20 minute blog post in just 12 minutes.

12 minutes made extra sense to me because there are five 12 minute blocks in every hour.

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12 Minutes of Planning

The idea of writing a blog post in 12 minutes transformed that afternoon, and it has transformed many days for me since then for one important reason: it transformed my perspective about what I can get done and how much time it takes.

Jason Womack writes,

“When you redirect your focus, your perspective changes, and when that happens, you have a significant option: you can begin to make things better.”

We all choose how we spend our days. As my friend Whitney Johnson says,

“The choices we make are irrefutable evidence about what we value.”

each day, we must sort through the list of possible activities and tasks, balancing what we have to do, what we like to do, and what we dream of doing. From those lists of competing priorities and possibilities, we choose. At the end of the day, we can look at what we’ve chosen as a reflection of what we value.

There is great power in the choice. How do you choose to spend your time? I’d like to suggest five different 12 minute blocks you could choose to

introduce into your life that could make things better – five 12 minute activities that could change your day. E

ven a few minutes of planning can make a big difference in your day. While you may be accustomed to planning work time, planning the rest of your day is also important. You can plan for exercise, household chores,

hobbies, and relaxation. When you plan meals, you’ll be more likely to have the groceries needed to prepare them, and more likely to stick to a healthy diet.

We all plan in different ways, but a written plan, in my opinion is far more reliable and helpful than a mental plan.

to-do lists work for some people and may not work for other people. I may prefer using on online app and you might like a spreadsheet. or you might prefer a list handwritten on an index card or scrap paper.

no matter what type of list you prefer, here are a few tips to increase the like-

The choices we make are irrefutable

evidence about what we value.

-Whitney Johnson

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18 BECKY ROBINSON

12 Minutes of Gratitude

lihood that to-do lists will work for you, and that your 12 minutes of planning will make a difference.

• Record the plan. Whether you write your list on paper or type it into an app, record it! A list that is written down is far more effective than the list that’s nagging your thoughts.

• Look at your list. Lists and plans are only useful if you look at them and refer to them often.

• Your plan will help focus your day. once you have written a list, look at your list and choose one task at a time for your focus. I do best when I have a list, and when I prioritize the list in advance. Lists work even bet-ter when I choose a task and set a timer for each task.

• Have a reasonable plan. If your to-do list is too unwieldy, you may feel overwhelmed and defeated before you begin. At times, I feel that way when I look at my to-do lists. Instead, create a list that you can actually accomplish in a day. Three or four big to-dos are probably enough.

Start with gratitude. 12 minutes of gratitude each day can radically change your perspective. Gratefulness and gratitude are not natural for us, but gratitude is a capability we can build through exercise and focus.

Author tim sanders notes that, for most of us, the default approach in life is to pay attention to the ugly and urgent in life and to live in survival mode. He recommends gratitude as a way we can overcome that default mode, saying

“Gratitude should lift my attitude, making me the giver, lover and helper all day long. Gratitude is a compound word: Gracious + Attitude.”

sanders writes that practicing gratitude removes us from both the ugly and the urgent, freeing us to enjoy and appreciate each moment as it comes. With the practice of gratitude, you can change your “have tos” into “get tos” and your obligations into opportunities.

Popular blogger, author, homeschooling mother, and farmer’s wife, Ann Voskamp, accepted a friend’s dare to create a list of one thousand gifts, daily

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12 Minutes of Quiet Time

naming and numbering everything she is thankful for. This everyday practice has transformed her life.

I dare you to incorporate your own daily practice of gratitude, either by starting your own list of things for which you are thankful oR by regularly writing notes of gratitude to others.

A private gratitude list or journal can transform your perspective, while expressing thankfulness and gratitude toward others can change your relation-ships.

erasmus wrote:

“A nail is driven out by another nail; habit is overcome by habit.”

If your life is characterized by complaining, worry, or anxiety, you can replace those habits with a new habit of gratitude.

F or years, I’ve enjoyed getting up early, while our home is still quiet. I cherish those peaceful minutes at the start of the day. I don’t, however, always use those quiet moments wisely. Instead of using the time for

reflection, prayer/mediation, or inspirational reading, I have far-to-often started my day with work.

What I have discovered is that while plunging into work first thing each day definitely increases my productivity, when I start my day with work, I carry work throughout my day as my focus and touchstone, which does not help me create healthy boundaries with work.

tim sanders talks about the importance of a healthy mind diet: filling our minds with good, helpful, and positive perspectives. He also stresses the impor-tance of starting the day unplugged from media. He recommends waiting one

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12 Minutes of Connection

I work at home, alone, while my kids are at school and my husband is at his office. As a result, unless I intentionally connect relationally with others, I can feel isolated.

Chances is are, even if you work in an office surrounded by people you may often feel isolated also.

If you feel too busy to intentionally connect with others, even 12 minutes a day can make a difference.

• Use social media to connect with others. Have a conversation on twitter, send a personal message on Facebook, or comment on others’ Facebook posts. share something you’ve found meaningful with a friend who’s been on your mind. Rather than allowing using social media to be

hour before going online.I believe that even 12 minutes of quiet time and reflection can set your day

off in a more positive and healthy direction.

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12 Minutes of Dreaming

a passive activity or a time drain, be purposeful in encouraging others and using social media as a tool for true connection.

• Focus on the most important people in your life. especially if you feel strapped for time, be sure you give quality time and attention to your closest family members. How would your life be different if you spent 12 uninterrupted minutes each day looking into the eyes of and talking with your spouse, partner, or child?

• Cultivate new connections or develop existing ones. In the workplace, 12 minutes a day of connection could allow you to encourage the career of people you’re supervising or to find colleagues to collaborate with on projects.

• Focus on others and their needs. A great way to focus on others and their needs is to ask great questions. Consider starting a question collec-tion so that you can use bursts of time to ask questions and build connec-tions with others.

• Surprise someone. surprise someone by taking the time to call unex-pectedly, by inviting them out for coffee or lunch, or by sending them a handwritten note. Be creative in considering ways to build relationships with others.

Consider these questions:

• How much time do you spend talking to your spouse, partner, friends, extended family, clients, coworkers?

• How can you connect with them more meaningfully? W hen is the last time you gave yourself permission to dream? When

is the last time you considered what you’d most like to do or how you’d most like to live.

I believe that the first step to achieving any goal or any dream is to allow ourselves the freedom to express it, first to ourselves and then to others.

We have to be willing to give ourselves permission to admit our dreams, own them, announce them, and pursue them.

Dare, Dream, Do author, Whitney Johnson, believes that dreaming is an imperative, but one that many people deny themselves the privilege of pursuing. In her work with women around the world, she has seen that women often do not feel they deserve to dream.

Yet incorporating the practice of dreaming into our lives, even in small bursts

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26 BECKY ROBINSON 2712 MINU TES TO CHANGE YOUR DAY

of 12 minutes at a time, can propel us toward achieving our dreams. From Whitney:

“We can dream big dreams, but those big dreams start with taking baby steps, breaking down dreams into very small pieces, beginning with the resources on hand.”

Also

“You’ll marvel at what you can accomplish from small beginnings.”

My friendship with Whitney has given me the courage to give voice to and work toward my dreams.

Lately, I find myself walking along the edges of a long held and deeply cher-ished dream.

Building my business and finding work I love represents the fulfillment of one kind of dream, but it’s a discovered dream. In doing it, I identified it. I didn’t anticipate it, or plan it, or even pursue it. This work I do, I found it by serendipity — or it found me. And I do love it.

This other dream is a childhood dream, a dream of becoming a published author and finding my book, my name on the spine, on a bookstore shelf.

And though some might say this dream of mine is becoming antiquated — I’d better do it soon while there are still printed books, while there are still bookstores — my desire is not waning or adjusting. Writing and self-publishing e-books does not sate it. I want to hold my book in my hands.

As I meet, interact with, and work on behalf of authors, I am walking along the edges of my dreams, watching from the sidelines. I feel joy and pride and also a bit of envy. I’m honored to play a role in the process, look-ing to add the most value possible for them, and learning what I can from their experiences.

I’ve walked into bookstores and run my fingers across clients’ books on the shelves; I’ve traced their names with my index finger, touched the smooth, shiny covers, felt the weight of each book in my hands.

Recently, I spent the day with a client as he met with his publisher for an author’s day, a chance for him to receive editorial feedback, look at proposed covers for the book, coordinate with marketing to plan for the book’s release and promotion, and pitch his ideas to the team that will ultimately sell his book to distributors.

It seemed like a miracle, really, the opportunity to watch the process unfold, the chance to see the author’s hard work to bring his book to life — the reality, not an idealized projection.

A wonder, this chance to strengthen connections with the publishing team. And, I ask myself, not infrequently — how did I get here exactly?

Here I am, walking along the edges of my dream.It doesn’t feel like I’m waiting my turn, instead I feel a quiet calm. It’s not my

turn. My turn will come.The reason I have confidence that my turn will come is that I am committed

to making small steps to move toward my dream. How do you know if you are living the life of your dreams? Here are some

clues I’ve discovered along the way:

• Clue #1 that you are living the life of your dreams: You can’t wait for each day to begin. I take it as a good sign, a clue that I am on the right track, that I wake up early without an alarm. Here’s another clue. Do you know that feeling on the edge of being over-caffeinated? That buzzy, happy, energetic feeling that helps you move a little faster? That peaceful, and purposeful feeling? That’s…

• Clue #2 that you are living the life of your dreams: all the effects of a triple-shot mocha, without even taking a sip. Maybe I’m just an energetic person, so forgive me if you can’t identify with this, but I know I am on the right track when the work I do energizes me instead of depleting me. The next clue comes from a recent conversation I had with a friend I met online. she recently received a copy of Whitney Johnson’s book and she told me that it is messing her up — in the best possible way. she is trying to figure out what her dreams are. In her words “I don’t know what makes my heart sing.” My friend Kevin eikenberry puts it another way; he says

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Your Ideal Day

he knows he is doing what he was born to do.• Clue #3 that you are living the life of your dreams: you hold a deep

sense that you are exactly where you need to be, doing exactly what you were born to do. You are living in that intersection where your deep glad-ness and the world’s deep hunger meet. You are living in your strengths and making a positive difference in others’ lives.

Consider taking 12 minutes each day to dream and work toward your dreams. If you do, over the course of a year, that 12 minutes will add up to nearly 73 hours! How much time will it take you to achieve your dreams? Does 73 hours feel like a good start?

What one thing, one small thing, will you do to dream today?

I n every day, there are ideal moments. Pieced together, those become close-to-perfect days. And ideal days comprise an ideal life.

Have you ever considered what your ideal day would be like? What would you do? What wouldn’t you do? What would it look like? How would it feel?

What are the components of your ideal day? Here are mine, to jumpstart your thinking. My ideal day includes:

• Exercise. I feel best when I exercise, especially when I run. If I can run at the beginning of my day, I start the day feeling strong, energetic, and focused.

• Time with family. I love special time with my daughters, snuggle time with my girls when they wake up when I’m still in bed up and come find

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30 BECKY ROBINSON 3112 MINU TES TO CHANGE YOUR DAY

me for snuggles. I love closing the day with them with snuggles, books to read aloud, and prayer. Any ideal for day for me includes special times to connect with my daughters and my husband.

• Work. Work is central to my life and I enjoy it. My favorite days include some kind of purposeful work.

• Quiet moments of reflection. I need time each day to cultivate my faith. I don’t always find it, but my ideal day would always include quiet time to read the Bible, pray, and reflect.

• Home cooking. Though eating out is a treat, I love cooking and eating with my family.

• Time outside. When weather permits, I crave outside time. I often work on our back deck, or write while sitting in front of a tree in our front yard.

one helpful exercise, recommended by Jason Womack in his book, Your Best Just Got Better is to write out a vision of your ideal day. Jason says that in order to live an ideal day, you first have to imagine one. Here’s mine:

The day begins with me slipping out of bed, pulling on a sweatshirt over my pajamas, and heading downstairs to my favorite chair. I grab my laptop and a fuzzy blanket and sit in the dark.

The house is quiet and it’s so dark that I can’t see anything outside except the shadows of trees in our backyard.

I interact with friends on twitter for a few minutes, as I wake, and then I start to write.

For about an hour, it’s this: darkness and quiet, except for the sound of my fingers clicking across the keys.

As the sky begins to lighten, I hear the sound of my daughters, one by one, coming down the stairs.

I save my writing as a draft and close my laptop, setting it aside.I greet each girl with a hug and we cram into my chair for a snuggle under

the blanket. We talk and laugh, share “I love yous.”By now, it’s light and I can hear their tummies grumbling.We all hang out in the kitchen while I make breakfast. today it’s pancakes,

strawberries, bacon, and orange juice that I pour into a glass pitcher.It’s warm, and sun is pouring across the deck. one daughter grabs a broom

to sweep off leaves and sticks while another sets the table for breakfast outside. When they’re done, they cut some fresh flowers for the table from our garden and put them into a vase on the table.

My littlest girl sticks close to me in the kitchen. I lift her up so she can sprinkle chocolate chips into the pancakes. When she’s done, she turns to me and squeezes me tightly. Music is playing on my iPod and we sing along.

We all head outside to the deck to eat.My husband, who has been getting ready for work on this summer day, joins

us outside with his cup of steaming coffee. While we eat, he reads family devo-tions. We pray and he hugs everyone goodbye.

While the girls clear the table, I head upstairs to put on my running clothes.By now, the girls are dressed, too.They get their bikes and we head into the neighborhood. They’re on their

bikes and I jog along beside them, then sprint ahead, stretching my legs. It’s not a linear run, and my pace varies as I circle back to keep them moving forward, but we are outside; the air is fresh and crisp; we’re moving, together; my heart rate increases and by the time we get home, I’m sweating and spent.

I get a tall glass of ice water for myself and the girls help themselves, too. We sit at the table and talk about the day ahead. I check email and respond to the most pressing ones before I head upstairs for a quick shower.

It’s before 9 am when I walk into my home office. I have enough time to publish my earlier draft and share my new post on social media channels. I write several tweets and schedule them to post throughout the day. Then I take a few minutes to prepare for a call with my first client of the day. It’s my favor-ite one. (If you’re reading this, and you’re my client — it’s you.)

I close my door to sounds of the girls playing happily together, knowing I will join them for a snack break mid-morning and an afternoon swim when my work is finished.

This: my ideal day begins.In imagining and envisioning my ideal days, I’ve realized that there are at

least three things I must to in order to live in the ideal:

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33

32 BECKY ROBINSON

How Will You Use Your

12 Minutes

• I must prepare. If I plan to run, I must have my running clothes ready in the hallway outside my bedroom so I can get dressed quickly and qui-etly, without turning on the lights and disturbing my family. to have an orderly home in which to begin my ideal day, I must do the work to keep it that way. to live an ideal day, I must prepare.

• I must choose. In many early waking moments, I think about rolling over for another 30 minutes of sleep. I think about starting work right away. to live my ideal day — which includes exercise first thing — I must choose to exercise.

• I must keep choosing. If I keep my ideal day in my focus, I know what the next choices are that I must make in order to continue on my way to an ideal day. My ideal day includes writing; I must write. And, step by step, I must continue to see what I know is the next best thing to do, and then do it.

And one more thing I know:

• Some challenges are outside of my control. on any given day, my littlest girl could rise earlier than expected. she’ll want me to snuggle with her, and I’ll feel the conflict between wanting to get things done and wanting to cherish the moment. or natalie, always the early riser of the bunch, could wake up and want to talk. I could be cranky, or I could be cheerful. I could give her a smile and a hug. or I could send her back to bed.

• When challenges arise, I can determine my response. I can choose the best things. I can choose my daughters. I can choose to be alive in the moment.

B y changing our beliefs, attitudes, and perspectives about time, we can change our behaviors about time. When we change our behavior, we will change our days. We will change our lives.

By incorporating small changes into your day, choosing to use a timer to help you focus on what’s most important to you, you will move toward living an ideal life, one ideal day at a time.

We can use 12 minutes at a time to create ideal moments. A string of ideal moments can combine to become an ideal life.

Consider: How will you use your 12 minutes?

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35

ReCoMMenDeD ReADInG LIst

Dare, Dream, Do: Remarkable Things Happen When You Dare to Dream, Whitney Johnson

Today We Are Rich, tim sanders

Leadership and the Art of Struggle, steven snyder

One Thousand Gifts, Ann Voskamp

Your Best Just Got Better: Work Smarter, Thing Bigger, Make More, Jason Womack

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ABoUt BeCKY RoBInson

Becky Robinson is the founder and Ceo of Weaving Influence. Weaving Influence helps authors and thought leaders grow their online influence and market their books. The company specializes in planning and executing comprehensive social media book launches.

An author and prolific blogger, Becky’s work has been published in Chicago Parent magazine, the Insider (a print newsletter of the Kevin eikenberry group), The state Journal, and American Jail magazine. she has also published three white papers through Mountain state University.

In addition to her regular writing for the Weaving Influence blog, Becky has been featured on the Lead Change Group blog, Bud to Boss Community blog, Women of HR, and the smartBlog for Leadership, among others.

Prior to forming Weaving Influence, Becky wrote and managed Mountain state University Leadertalk. she also served as the social Marketing Director for the Kevin eikenberry Group.

http://www.facebook.com/BeckyRbnsnhttps://plus.google.com/u/0/115236676525149618850http://www.twitter.com/beckyrbnsnhttp://www.linkedin.com/in/beckyrbnsn

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38 BECKY ROBINSON