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title: How you spend your time defines who you are
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Now is the time to pause and think about how to simplify everything, to focus on the things we care about most in the new year.

| View in browser Greetings, As we near the end of the year, we start to think about how we'll spend the next. From our May 2021 edition, here are some tips to help you decide where to expend your time and energy:   On one of my team's recent scrum calls, we were talking about how we, like so many people, are reassessing the things that make up our lives and take up our time. We've seen this same introspection from our clients regarding both their professional and personal endeavors. The pandemic seems to have made us pause and think about how to simplify everything, to focus on the things we care about most. As a colleague said: "it's like we're Marie Kondo-ing our lives."    If you're not familiar with Marie Kondo, she skyrocketed to mainstream popularity with a best-selling book and later a hit Netflix series on organizing and de-cluttering. Her trademark paradigm "does it spark joy?" helped millions of people around the world decide whether to keep or give away an item in one's closet.   We could use this same principle in our lives. Your time and your energy are finite. Think of them as a physical space - a closet, let's say, to keep our analogy.  Is your metaphorical "closet" stuffed to the brim with activities and commitments that no longer fit or that take space from other things that bring you greater joy?   Ask yourself if that person, activity, or commitment sparks joy. If it doesn't, make a plan to move past it. These things could be work projects you train someone else to handle, events you decline to keep time for family or yourself, or simply activities in which you no longer engage.   The wonderful thing about the "closet" analogy is that we recognize that we control the contents of our physical space. I urge you to exercise that same autonomy and decisiveness in other areas, despite the guilt or discomfort the initial change may bring. Give yourself time to catalog everything that is taking up space and make intentional decisions about what you will keep and what you will let go.   Which activities, goals, and relationships will you prioritize? What will you clean out? I’d love to hear about it. Start Your Ascent®, Precious W. Owodunni CEO & Founder Mountaintop Consulting       Quote of The Month   "How you spend your time defines who you are."   Oprah Winfrey       Ready to streamline your commitments, but not sure where to start? Identify your goals, and then keep the activities that align with your goals for your life and your career. WATCH THE VIDEO       Through almost a decade in the trenches as an investment banker, law school, becoming a working mother of three, and now advising business owners and executives through Mountaintop's consulting work, Precious Williams Owodunni learned a thing or two about prioritizing. Download the planner for her advice on how to prioritize in a way that will allow you to move through your days feeling productive, unencumbered, and guilt-free. DOWNLOAD THE PLANNER       What Clients Are Saying About Our Programs "Mountaintop’s training on time, project, and relationship management was an invaluable addition to our legal department retreat. They encouraged us to revisit not only the way we work, but also the way we think."   — Veronica Foley, Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Precision Drilling Corporation       Planning for next year? Given the state of employee engagement (Gallup says 48% of America's working population is actively looking for opportunities) and the significant bottom-line impact of keeping your team members and engaging them, here are a few ways we can help: Professional development programs build community and skills for professionals at every tenure Small group coaching equips employees with key business skills and peer networking opportunities Individualized coaching provides one-on-one support related to leadership, personal branding, business building, and more Book a no-pressure call to learn more. BOOK A CALL       Share This Email With A Colleague         Mountaintop Consulting \| 713.338.2530 \| precious@mtopconsulting.com www.mtopconsulting.com Mountaintop Consulting, P.O. Box 6940, Houston, Texas 77265 Manage preferences |
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