Often my clients say to me, “Lynn, I don’t even bother planning my day because I’m interrupted SOOOO often.  I’ve tried making my TO DO list at the beginning of the day.  By the end of the day I STILL have the same items left on the list.  Everything else for everyone else seems to be more important and more urgent than what is on my list!  And I’m afraid of disappointing them…”   Sound familiar?  Boy, can I relate.  Sometimes I ask myself what DID I accomplish yesterday as I’m transferring the majority of my list to the following day.  (Of course, once I reflect I realize how I put everyone else’s needs – including the dog - before mine!)   What’s Your Worst Nightmare? Recently, my daughter and I were traveling home from a dance competition in B.C. with a bus load of mothers and dancers.  We stopped at a gas station along the highway for a 30 minute break.  Unlike everyone else, Karen and I took the opportunity to fit in a walk, as we choose to be active every day for a minimum of 30 minutes.  On our way back to the bus we checked our watches to find that we had a few minutes left to slip into the gas station to pick up some drinks. On our way out the door we found, to our dismay…   THAT OUR BUS WAS LEAVING WITHOUT US!   There we were in the B.C. interior surrounded by trees, more trees and mosquitoes!  And we were 7 hours away from home!   What Drives The Bus? My coach always asks me, “What drives the bus, Lynn?”  Is it speaking, writing, coaching, or something else?  Think about what drives the bus in the personal, family, spiritual, health and professional aspects of your life?  How do you fit in your intentions when it seems like everyone else’s agenda takes over yours?    Lynn’s 5 Powerful Steps To Avoid Missing The Bus In Your Life: Set Your Intentions in each of 5 aspects of your life: personal, family/friends, spiritual, health and professional.  (Ask yourself, “What drives the bus in each aspect of my life?”) Write Down Your Intentions.  Post them somewhere you’ll see EVERY DAY.   I put one copy of mine on a cue card on the inside of my bathroom mirror and a second in my day timer.  By doing this step alone you’ll be among the slim percentage that writes down, and reviews, their intentions.  Chunk Down Your Time.  Use a timer to fit in the time to focus on one small step that will get you closer to your goals.  I find 15 – 30 minutes is a manageable chunk of time to fit in a walk, brainstorm ideas for an article or follow up with clients.  Do you know your ‘power time’ of the day?  Is it morning?  Or evening?   How do you fit in quality family time?  I slot in a monthly date with one of my children.  It takes about an hour and costs a few bucks for a donut or ice cream.  It makes them feel important and it keeps me in touch with what they’re doing.  And we both feel much more connected for days afterwards.  Whatever you intend to fit in, chunk down your time and you will value your time and yourself more.    Uninterrupted Time Is The Key.  Turn your cell phone off, close the door, put out the “DO NOT DISTURB” sign or post a red stop sign on your cubicle.  You can even go to a third place (i.e.: library, coffee shop) away from your home or office. Anything that will signal to everyone else that you’re NOT AVAILABLE for a period of time.  Your family or your co-workers will live without you for 15 - 30 minutes!  Honest! Focus!  Once you’ve carved out the time and found that quiet place, FOCUS. As one of my good friends says, “focus in laser-like fashion” on the task at hand.  Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and find five things that you are grateful for. This brief reflection will settle the distracting thoughts running through your mind and bring you into the moment.  Then just do it!   Stop “Shoulding” All Over Yourself!   One thing you know for sure – that sinking feeling when you look at your incomplete TO DO list is really making you crazy!  I bet you’re “shoulding” all over yourself right now!  Choose to set your intentions in each area of your life - personal, family/friends, spiritual, health and professional – and fit them in consciously over the next 7 days.  You’ll be pleasantly surprised how energized you feel when you’re working on YOUR life’s intentions.  You’ll still have energy leftover to do things for others, but just maybe, while they’re waiting for you, they’ll do it themselves! (P.S. So you’re wondering about my daughter and I left in the sticks?  The Mom in charge thought that everyone was back on the bus and they could leave a bit earlier.  The bus driver knew we were out walking - as I told him we were going - and he was just pulling down the service road to look for us.  We fit in our goal to be active every day and still stayed on our course for home. And we didn’t inconvenience a whole bus load of people for more than a few seconds!  Whew!)   About the author: The Practical Life Balance expert, Lynn Fraser, shows you how to streamline the small stuff and pare down your life, so you can get doing what you really want to do (from stamping to skydiving) with the people you love to be with! Visit her website at www.familiesareworthit.com.