Time management is not about managing our time. Time management is about managing ourselves. We spend our time on activities that are important or not important, urgent or not. In our world of 24/7 e-mail, computers, text messaging, cell phones and satellite television, urgent and important are easily confused. For effective self-management we want to […]
Category Archive:
Teaching and learning principles
Be Careful To Not Burn Your Bridges
My dad taught me: Don’t burn your bridges behind you. When we decide to make a change in our lives we can inadvertently burn our bridges by succumbing to short-timer’s syndrome. Short-timer’s syndrome tends to occur when we’ve decided to make a major change, for example, change jobs, move to a new neighborhood or city, […]
Modeling Behavior
The telephone rang as we sat down for dinner. I excused myself to answer the call. “Good evening. Is Mrs. Schmidt in, please?” I recognized the voice immediately. It was a telemarketer from a local non-profit organization where I had ordered five-year guaranteed light bulbs. For months the same two ladies had informed me of […]
An Attitude of Gratitude
“What do you see?” our communications professor asked as he held up a black and white ink drawing. “A beautiful Gibson-style girl with a feather in her hat.” “No, it’s an old hag with a witch’s nose and a scarf tied over her head.” As we discussed this picture, most of the class could shift […]
The Metamorphosis Of Childhood
Most ten-year-olds can tell you the stages of development for a butterfly or a frog. A butterfly begins as an egg, becoming a larva, a caterpillar, then a chrysalis emerging into a butterfly. A frog starts as an egg, hatching into a tadpole, turning into a polliwog, at last transforming into an adult frog. At […]
Understanding The Three-Hour Work Cycle
Tired and agitated, Sara got ready for bed. What had happened to the day? She had woken up fresh that morning, ready to have a productive day. During breakfast, Sara’s assistant had called to alert Sara that she wouldn’t be in to copy the reports for the next day’s meeting. When Sara went to make […]
No Quick Fix
We all look for it. It’s human nature to search for the easy way out, the fast buck and the simplest or cheapest solution. In human relationships there is no quick fix. Mutual trust and respect must form the foundation of any successful relationship. Without trust and respect, relationships flounder, and eventually whatever natural bonds […]
Five Whys Can Help
”For whatever reasons my eight-year-old, Eric, is critical of everything his younger siblings do. Eric tells his sister that her coloring stinks. He tells his brother that his handwriting is messy. Last night Eric burst into tears because the peas touched his mashed potatoes. Nothing seems to make him happy right now,” Michael told me. […]
Three Ways To Change Behavior
“Lisa is so different from Grace. Grace never broke anything when she was this age. Lisa breaks something every day,” Meg told me at our playgroup with our one-year olds. Meg, a long-time friend, was over 30 when she had her first child. Five-year-old Grace lived up to her name. Grace was gentle and content […]
Use Your Thinking Hats
Some women get rocks set into precious metals for anniversaries, birthdays or Christmas. I get books. Over thirty years ago, my husband presented me with a jewel of a book for Christmas. I’ve used this gift to teach thinking skills to children and adults. The title? Six Thinking Hats by Edward De Bono. De Bono, […]