Managing your time to eliminate your stressful load

Mrs. Meredith Baxter, a sales manager in Sacramento, California is one stressed-out mom.  On top of that, she suffers from what is called the “working-mom guilt syndrome.”  She is always on client calls, overseeing a dozen sales agents.  Her weekends are spent either doing household chores, running errands, or doing the laundry.  Her three children have already grown distant.  The husband, for his part, says they find her behavior similar to Oscar the Grouch from Sesame Street.  They don't want to be near her because she was always ill-tempered or irritable.

But Mrs. Baxter is not a rare woman.  In fact, she is a portrait of a 21st century working woman who has stepped forward... leaving behind the days when women were seen as “lovely, domesticated creatures.”  She is definitely not the the “plain housewife” of the 50s or 60s. 

Today, there are many women who have proved themselves in the field of education.  After earning their degrees, they went ahead to make a mark for themselves in business and in other fields of endeavor. 

For Meredith, the stress and anxiety of juggling three roles: as a wife, mother, and career woman --- has just been too hard.   But in her desire to remain competitive at work and dutiful as a mother and spouse, she still tries to find a solution to her dilemma.

According to time management experts and professional organizers, we allow all sorts of time wasters to creep into our day. These interruptions include non-essential phone calls or being disorganized about things, which eventually cause us to lose time during that often frantic search.  The experts also pointed out these time-saving tips that every busy woman should consider:

GET ORGANIZED AND STOP MISPLACING THINGS -  Keep your cell phone, purse, and keys near you or inside your office bag so you won't need to do that 15-minute search every single morning.

CONTROL TIME WASTERS- Interruptions like the phone can be a real time drain. Those few minutes that you keep on the phone can add up to a lot of lost time.  Free yourselves from this “communications slavery.”   Use an answering machine and then turn off the ring tone of your mobile phone. Try to settle for a vibrate tone when you are working.  Pick up and check your missed calls only during breaks or when you have completed most of your tasks.

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR INBOX - Email is one of the most important things in 21st century living.   . But this handy-dandy technology can be a great time waster if those endless “Spam” mails keep coming in.  Think of those precious minutes wasted every time you sort through unwanted or unimportant mail. Turn on the spam filter of your e-mail account.  Tell your friends that you don't want junk mail. Answer and discard email as quickly as possible.

TAME YOUR SNAIL MAIL – Sort it out, get it over with, and don't allow your mail to pile up. Throw junk mail instantly. Put in a designated place and do away with paper clutter.

SIMPLIFY – Take a few minutes to review your projects and tasks. Make a priority list. See if can cut corners.  Know what is essential and your main goal.  Don't do 10 goals that will drive you crazy. Simplify your commitments and learn to say “NO”.   Also simplify how you use and get information from the Internet, newspapers, magazines or the T.V.  Practice the art of multi-tasking while waiting for your son to come home from school.  While your child is away, write personal letters or balance your checkbook. Schedule your errands for the week like every Friday or Saturday.

If you find yourself at home or on your own, resist the urge to rush things as if there is no tomorrow. Spend as much quality time with your spouse and children. Resist spending your weekends just doing house work.  Take time to meditate and best of all take time to pray. And yes...with those helpful tips you can beat the clock.

The true essence of a woman

“Nothing brings me more happiness than trying to help the most vulnerable people in society. It is a goal and an essential part of my life - a kind of destiny. Whoever is in distress can call on me. I will come running wherever they are.” - Princess Diana Almost ten years ago, a princess died. She was a lady, a loving mother, and a philanthropist. Many believed she was an angel sent to warm the hearts of the feeble and the needy. She was an inspiration for the victims of poverty, the sick, the discriminated, and the homeless. Her name was Diana, Princess of Wales. There is a long, illustrious list of princesses in England and in other parts of the world, yet none of these royal women can surpass what Princess Diana had achieved. What was it that brought tears to people around the world after her death in 1997? Was it her beauty? Her deeds? Or her legacy? She left a legacy that will be remembered for a a very long time. She was included in Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of the 20th Century because of her charity work. Diana used her influential status to campaign against the use of land mines that were scattered around the world. These mines are found in many developing countries. This cause earned her the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997. She also helped decrease the discrimination against the victims of AIDS who experience social anxiety. In fact, she was one the first high-profile celebrities to be photographed with a person infected with HIV. As a princess, Diana was probably one of the richest, most attractive and socially powerful women in the world. Despite these attributes, she was also a victim. Diana was often the subject nasty of rumors in the tabloid scene. Paparazzis hounded her wherever she went, depriving her of privacy that is so important for people who are always in the limelight. Women in unhappy marriages identified with her because of her much-publicized divorce withPrince Charles in 1996. It was called “The End of the Love Story of the Decade”, or the end of the “Fairy Tale Marriage.” On August 31, 1997, the world was shocked to hear the news about Princess Diana's death. Reports said that the princess' car was apparently being pursued by photographers in motorbikes when it hit a pillar inside an expressway tunnel. The car she was riding on smashed into a wall, leaving her mortally wounded along with her lover Dodi Al Fayed and driver Henry Paul. She died from the wounds she sustained during that terrible incident. Princess Diana's death became a realization to many that people, no matter their state of being, people the world over share the same pain and grief...and that all human beings must inevitably face death. She became an inspiration to people of all walks of life. Her story was that of a wealthy and well-loved woman, a princess who also lived a life of stress and anxiety. She was able to have empathy for the poor and lowly even if she was a princess surrounded by luxury and riches. People from all walks of life could also relate to her because she too exhibited the same kind of loneliness and despair felt by ordinary human beings. Her life became a channel through which coping with anxiety became easier. Her compassion and good heart made her more beautiful in the eyes of the world. Princess Diana is a symbol for a true woman of this century. The essence of a woman will not be measured by the beauty she possesses. Nor by the smile that she carries or the physique she displays. The true essence of a woman is her ability to share her love to others and the society she lives in. Women need not to be conformed to beauty contests or the kitchen. Much more needs to be done and the task has just begun.