Reclaim Your Time

Many organizations are now putting an emphasis on work-life balance. But sometimes that balance isn’t easily found, and your time becomes difficult to manage. You may find yourself missing out on doing the things that truly matter to you, sacrificing exercise, family, goals you have set for yourself or other activities you wish you had time for. In 2017 Maxine Waters made reclaiming her timethe main focus of her life. This is how you can do the same, and focus on the things you want to do.

Assess your calendar

Look at your calendar and the things you have planned for the future. Decide what things are important to you, and re-prioritize those that aren’t. Breaking plans you are not enthused by isn’t the worst thing in the world, and can make you feel more in control of your schedule. While looking through, be sure to schedule time for yourself, sometimes it’s as easy as giving your free time a name and assigned date and/or time.

Disconnect

Find time to remove yourself from the constant distractions on the internet or on your phone. Eliminate as many of these unnecessary distractions as possible, whether that means turning notifications off on your phone or computer, turning off your internet connection, or downloading an app or browser extension that blocks certain functions and capabilities so you can focus on what you have to do.

Rethink routines

If you are stuck in your routine take a break to make a change. Wake up earlier to eat a healthy breakfast or go to the gym before work, take a new route to work, or instead of running errands every day, commit one day to getting everything done to save time, gas and money.

Say no

Save the limited amounts of time you have for the things that you are excited about. Saying no is hard for many people, but can save you the stress of feeling overextended and disinterested in the plans you make.

Eat the frog

This piece of advice has been floating around for a while now, but for good reason. Procrastination is an easy trap to fall into, but an easy way to increase your productivity and feel more accomplished is to “eat the frog” or to complete the most dreaded part of your day right away, rather than just leaving it and letting it become more of a mental block in your day.

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More Than The CEO: Hidden Talents of Business Leaders

Recently, a video surfaced of Alibaba CEO Jack Ma performing for employees at a conference dressed as Michael Jackson. This is not the first time that he has done something like this either. In 2014 he sang songs from “Lion King” for his employees, and now he’s at it again, less than a month after his Jackson performance, surprising everyone once again with his singing performance at a music festival hosted by Alibaba. Check out his performance here.

Jack Ma isn’t the only business leader with hidden talents though, these big names in the business world have hobbies and talents that may surprise you!

Jack Dorsey: Botanical Illustration

After launching a failed business in the early 2000s, Twitter co-founder Dorsey took a break to study Botanical Illustration (scientific drawings of plant anatomy) In an interview with the New Yorker he said: “I really like any colony-based structure, where you have a strong dependence on a network.”

Warren Buffett: Ukulele

When he isn’t making headlines as the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett enjoys spending time with his family and practicing his hidden talent: playing the ukulele. He’s been featured on NPR and has even toured with his son. You can read the story of his journey to ukulele success here.

Sergey Brin: Trapeze

Brin has lived an exciting life as a co-founder of Google, and some of that excitement is found in high adrenaline exercises such as gymnastics, skiing, skydiving, and trapeze. Check out this video to see him skydive to promote Google Glass in 2013.

Mark Zuckerberg: Mandarin, sustainable living and more

The Facebook mogul has taken on a new challenge every year, setting personal goals like running 365 miles in a year, visiting all 50 states, learning Mandarin, and getting into sustainable living by only eating meat that he has killed himself. This yearly goal setting is great for him, and you might want to consider it as well to unlock these benefits.

William Clay Ford Jr.: Taekwondo

The great-grandson of Henry Ford and Executive Chairman at Ford was called the “Buddha of Detroit” by the New York Times in 2000. His zen approach to life and focus on environmentally friendly living makes him a mindful leader. Ford can probably accredit this to his study of Taekwondo, a Korean self-defense practice in which he has received his black belt.

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