Combine to Find More Time

I made a new friend in the garden this week. The Frog Formerly Known as Prince is what I named him. So he has something to do with leadership coaching, believe it or not. As a leadership coach, I help clients identify and achieve personal goals. And the absolute top-trending issue in coaching is Time. Time is always a constraint, keeping people from achieving the goals that they set for themselves. So I first like to seek some ways that people can combine because it's very, very difficult to find something to completely remove from your to do list, but unrealistic to always keep adding to it. So I challenge people to think about the concept of combining.

For example, if you'd like to read more, could you start with an audio book listening while you're doing chores or taking a walk in the neighborhood, or commuting?

If you'd like more exercise, is there an errand that you could do maybe walking rather than driving the right combination for me personally was gardening?  And I'll use it as an example because it might give you some ideas as well. So gardening allows me to exercise. You'd be amazed how high you can jump when you shovel up a snake in the compost.  You get some vitamin D because you're outside.  You connect with fun family memories because I'm planting some of my dad's heirloom seeds. And he would be very proud of my green beans. You practice patience because plants grow if and when they want to grow and weeding is meditative for me, I smile when my husband, the chef, says he's going to the farmer's market, but he means that he's going down to my garden.  

And you get to spend some time with friends and their kids. I like to invite my friends with their kids to come over and pick vegetables. Although I have noted that no one likes to pick the cabbage. I belly laugh about my garden flops. I've had a rank cantaloupe that splattered all over the kitchen. I mean, I think I'm still cleaning that up. I had the world's smallest carrots. They were invisible to the naked eye.  And the very, very popular "would you like some cucumber with those worms?" And then lastly, gardening has allowed me to demonstrate gratitude.  Taking something from a seed to the dinner table is truly awesome. 

So share with me if you have found an activity that helps you pull it all together for you in your Me-Suite.  When time is a constraint, combine.