subject: Are You Forgetting Fitness and Family in Your Time Management? [print this page] Are You Forgetting Fitness and Family in Your Time Management?
If every once in a while you don't plan for tomorrow or follow your to-do list, don't think you failed. It's like learning to ride a bicycle. When you fall off, simply climb back on and practice some more. Managing your time effectively means balancing your business and personal lifestyles.
Plan time for fitness
There is one way to gain additional time. An ongoing study of Harvard University alumni confirms what many people suspected all along: maintaining an active lifestyle and keeping your body fit can add as many as two years to your life.
In one study, a group of couch potatoes ages 50 to 60, after four months of exercise, increased their physical endurance by 27% and improved their performance on mental exams by 10%. Whatever your age, regular exercise has a positive impact on how you feel, what you can do, even how you look.
And you don't have to completely change how you are living now to adopt a fitness lifestyle. Start by putting extra energy into the activities you already do: walk more quickly from the parking lot to the office. Stand up when you use the telephone. Put extra energy into filing and other office chores.
Exercising for only 15 minutes a day or adding 15 minutes to your present exercise program can make a difference in how did you feel, which in turn can increase the number of productive hours you get from each day. To keep yourself exercising regularly, focus on the payoffs -- weight loss, better health, less stress.
Speaking of stress, walking can help you relax, and a relaxed mind is better at handling business decisions. While you walk, to avoid dwelling on things that make you tense, listen to music. If you forget your music, count each step or repeat a positive word or phrase as each foot hits the ground.
Plan time for family
Family support increases your business success. A healthy, supportive family provides for the emotional well-being of each individual, has good communication between members, and schedules time to be together as a family.
According to Parents magazine, happy families also share these traits: 1) a sense of humor, which helps them deal with crises, 2) kindness, and 3) optimism, which helps them through rough times.
