I was listening to a report about our perception of time a while ago, which talked about our attitude to it and how it can make us feel stressed when we feel that we haven't got enough. We are increasingly running our lives to a clock and can often feel enraged if we feel that someone or something is wasting our time.

That reminded me of years ago taking an alarm clock shopping with me because my watch had stopped and I always needed to know the time. Of course, since I've been a Coach, I'm sorted. Right? Wrong!! Probably the difference is that I am now aware of what I'm doing which then gives me the opportunity to do something about it.

I've done things like getting up half an hour earlier, working through lunch, leaving all pleasure activities till the evening, and guess what? I've been exhausted through lack of sleep, had moments when my face has practically fallen into my keyboard where I've been dozing off, and of course been far too tired to do anything in the evenings.

What's the answer then? Well, as my workload has increased, I've been trying something a little bit scary. I've been scheduling time to have lunch with friends, going to the gym and piano lessons. It's not always been easy to stick to the plan, and I often feel that I shouldn't be leaving my desk, but what it does do is gives me more energy for work. I've had a good break and I feel refreshed. What's more, I don't feel resentful because I'm not missing out on anything.

So what am I working on now? The answer to that one is working smarter, starting with a decluttered desk and computer. It's amazing how much clutter you can store on your computer.