In the April issue of Ki Moments, I wrote about the quirkiness of time, and included the following aphorism:

TIME IS MY FRIEND

TIME IS MY ALLY

I HAVE ALL THE TIME I NEED FOR EVERYTHING I WANT TO DO.

I received a lot of grateful responses and some questions, indicating just how hard it is to balance our time requests these days. I want to respond to a subscriber who said she is "too busy to attend to personal needs vs. work, work, work" and is looking for a way to take care of herself while meeting the requirements of her workplace.

Here are a couple of suggestions for anyone who is struggling to keep work and personal life in balance.

• First, don't judge yourself about where you're spending your time. Wherever you are, be there 100 percent. If you're working, try to notice why you said yes to the work and enjoy that part of it. Enjoy the moment.
• Second, use your calendar or daytimer as a tool to give you what you want. Mark it with work and personal time, and attend to it. For example, I'm writing a book, and it's very easy for me to let that time slip into something else, like answering email or returning calls. I'm getting better at blocking out the time in advance and sticking with what I said I was going to do with it.


• Lastly, prioritize your values around time. If personal time is the highest priority, mark the personal time into your calendar first. Then fill in the other stuff around it.

Take a moment now to breathe in . . . and breathe out . . . This is a ki moment. Expand your energy. Center and regain perspective. Check in with yourself. You can do this anytime.

Sponsored by the Editors of Writing That Works, a division of Communications Concepts, APEX Awards are given each year to writers and designers of publications in a variety of media applications. The awards are based on "excellence in graphic design, editorial content, and overall communications effectiveness and excellence."

Ki Moments won an APEX 2005 Award in the "One to Two Person-Produced Newletters" category.

While it's nice to be recognized in the publishing world, it is your comments that I value the most. Please let me know how I'm doing, and how I can continue to support you.

Would you like to perform better under pressure, save time that you are wasting on aggravating situations, and make your job easier? Take a day for learning and connecting with peers on the best ways to handle difficult situations.

Workshop: CONFLICT IN THE WORKPLACE
Instructor: Judy Ringer
Time: July 27, 9 - 4
Place: N. H. Community Technical College, Portsmouth, NH
Tuition: $135.00, includes lunch and "The Magic of Conflict" text

• Learn to manage others by managing yourself
• Improve workplace relationships
• Communicate to be heard