Is today’s typical working American overworked or underworked, energetic or lazy? The best answer is, “none of the above.” The root of the time-pressure we feel and the leisure we lack is not “too much work.” There are larger, more basic, converging issues. We can handle longer hours; it’s endless interruptions on top of everything else competing for our attention that leaves us feeling overwhelmed.

Once you are overwhelmed, feeling overworked can quickly follow. You can, however, maintain the pace with grace — even under pressure! This program is action-packed. Jeff lays out Breathing Space strategies and techniques for effectiveness that anyone can master. For any organization seeking highest-level, ongoing education.

Managing the Pace With Grace^®, Presentation Topics:

• Root Causes of the Time Pressure
• What Fills Your Days and Why?
• How and Why do you Invite Interruptions?
• Mastering Your To-Do List
• Handling Information Overload
• Staying Alert and Responsive
• Greater Control of Each Day
• Helping Those You Supervise
• More Energy from Each Accomplishment
• How to Maintain a Keener Focus
• A Frequent Sense of Breathing Space
• Choices That Lead to Mastery

Flyers From Previous Presentations

ACHE	Assoc. Builders	Avera	Impact Now	Wind River

Managing the Pace With Grace^®, Articles:

• Choosing to Make Completions
• Cultivating the Work Environment You Want
• How to Complete Your Goals on Time
• Make Time for Recess
• More Efficient Message Management
• Your Whole Life Ahead Of You

Supporting Articles

Choosing Control	Finding Breathing Space	Life at the Office	Minimizing Stress	Managing the Reading Glut
Multitasking and Your Time	Myth of Time Management	Overcoming Tech Anxiety	Overworked or Overwhelmed	Winning Back Your Time

A Sampling Of Letters

Advance	Arkansas Tourism	Ball State Univ	DLH Lufthansa	Kees Appliance
Mary Campbell Ctr	TAP Pharmaceuticals	Navistar	Rhode, NSA	Sunbelt Brokers

Kudos

Thank you for helping make ABA’s CFO Exchange a success. You were right when you sensed from the sessions prior to yours that this group is facing a tough time at work and needed a powerfully positive message. You lifted their spirits and gave us the left brain material we needed in a sea of technical presentations. Thank you for the life lessons! I look forward to working with you again. We are already hard at work planning the next CFO Exchange for June, in Denver.

I attended the ABC luncheon at Brier Creek Country Club and found your speech to be extremely beneficial and compelling. I would love to learn more! I liked the way you started off the speech with engaging the audience with your story of backpacking in Europe. I also enjoyed learning about the 5 subtopics below the “Breathing Space” speech. Please forward me the CD, DVD, and your book so I can learn more.

I recently attended the DOE Human Resource Conference in Pittsburgh and attended your session on Breathing Space. I thought it was a very good presentation and was interested in getting your live recording of Relaxing at High Speed. Thanks very much.

Enjoyed your presentation at the ISBC Convention. Breathing Space is a great message.

Your presentation was entertaining and lively. Your message had meaning and put into words what I was experiencing in my day. The interactive participation with the group, great stories, and examples also helped to inspire me.

I attended the 16th Annual Nursing Leadership Conference at Salishan in Oregon. That was several days ago, and I still feel “enlightened.” Your lecture on “Managing the Pace with Grace” left me with a powerful message to simplify my life. I went home and shared some of the information I had gathered with my husband and announced that we should start removing some of the clutter and collectibles around the house. He agrees that it was a great idea and then added “but stay away from the shop” …not surprisingly, that was off limits! I especially enjoyed the stories about your daughter. Funny how that personal touch helps us to connect with one another. Thanks again for an inspirational and rewarding conference.

I recently attended your presentation in Maui, with Legacy Marketing Group. Your presentation was very upbeat and down to earth. Best wishes to you! Your message is one that is needed in the fast-paced world we live in!

I can’t think of anything I’d change about the workshop — it was excellent. It was better than almost all of the project management classes I’ve taken, and EVERY time management class/workshop I’ve attended in my entire career. It is by far the most practically useful course I’ve had the pleasure of taking. Thanks for a great workshop and a nice two-day break!

Thank you for providing an informative two-day institute that provided both a holistic understanding of the global dynamics or trends impacting us, and some very concrete steps that we can take within our own professional and personal lives that can help us those impacts.

I wanted to share with you how much I enjoyed your session, “Managing the Pace with Grace” at the recent Indiana School Nutrition Association seminar. Some of the key points that you mentioned and I found useful were as follows:

1. Realizing that there are times when you don’t have to be “on.”
2. Dropping subscriptions to magazines/emails/etc. that don’t support you and being more vigilant regarding information.
3. Don’t take it personally if you cannot keep up.
4. Understanding that too many choices can wear you down and leave you unable to choose.

In addition, I liked the way you explained the five concepts of population, information, media, paper, and choice. The visual and tactile moves were helpful in reinforcing the point. Also, the idea of two people doing tasks such as stacking pennies, paperclips, and drawing stars one at a time versus another doing the same tasks all at once was priceless!

Your presentation to the CPA Forum was outstanding and we want to thank you again for taking the time to be with our group. You received very high marks on all the participant’s evaluations and many indicated they were going to contact you for additional information and materials.

Thank for for speaking at the RE/MAX Broker Owner Conference at Big Cedar Lodge last week. Your presentation kept my attention and provided a different angle to viewing “time management.” It was enlightening and confirming at the same time. I wish I had heard you 10 years ago — it would have kept me from having to create so many “new wheels” by myself! I have recommended to the regional office that you are speaker at a regional sales rally for agents in the fall.

Everyone here is raving about your presentation last month. In little time, you gave all of us a lot to think about. But as you point out, it’s information that we can apply in very personal ways. You didn’t bog us down with checklists, rules, and absolutes. I would heartily recommend you as a speaker for any group or organization. Whether they’re looking for increased productivity, efficiency, or peace of mind, they’ll find it in your talk. Thanks again for using some of your “breathing space” – to help us find some for ourselves.

Thank you for the entertaining talk yesterday, at the Brier Creek Country Club with ABS. I look forward to listening to your CD, Breathing Space.

I throughly enjoyed your energy, your gifts of knowledge, and your unique yet so obvious words of wisdom on living life differently and constructively, i.e. with grace. I think that saying we all need to simplify is in itself so simple. But actually taking steps to accomplish such tasks is often an enormous undertaking and becomes overwhelming for most of us. Your constructive strategies are the ones that I’m taking to heart and plan to continue integrating into my daily living.

I enjoyed your presentation. The biggest impact that your presentation had on my life was the information on “sleep.” It’s always obvious that people need to get adequate amounts of sleep, but it’s easier said than done. Your challenge really helped me. I was able to get up earlier, therefore I got to work on time, therefore my day didn’t start by being so stressed out, etc., it just snowballs from there. Thank you!

One short session is not long enough to incorporate your principles, but I amazingly have retained some of the basic principles you teach. Your message was a welcome approach to the struggles of life in today’s sped-up society; I have found much solace in the handouts you had at the meeting. In fact, I have been passing along some of your action steps. Just for today, I am trying to concentrate on taking first things first, and remembering to make a little “breathing space” for myself.

I enjoyed your presentation at the Community Bankers Association Meeting and Trade Show. It was very good to hear that we are not alone in trying to keep up with the fast pace that is facing all of us. Your comments on the elimination of impediments were right on target. I look forward to listening to your tape on Breathing Space.

Our 20th Annual Convention was a huge success thanks to your involvement and participation. We frankly cannot remember a more positive response from all participants, and your remarks in particular were very well received. Please accept our heartfelt thanks for a job well done. I really appreciate you making our association look so good!

I heard your presentation on simplicity at the Business Forum luncheon sponsored by the Scottsdale Chamber in Arizona. I wanted to compliment you on a worthwhile and excellent “how to” presentation about making your time more manageable. I want to thank you for excellent ideas and I look forward to more information about Breathing Space. I forwarded your promotional materials to Security Life of Denver for consideration at our next sales meeting.

I enjoyed your presentation and would like to talk with you about possibly conducting one or more seminars for our Chamber in 1996. I’m responsible for all of the small business seminars conducted for our members, in addition to all quality programs and seminars, and general interest seminars. Please contact me sometime next week. This week is going to be crazy. Thank you!

Your insight into developing ways to improve a hectic schedule among work, civic and family was very informative.

Enjoyed the seminar–I’ll read less and start enjoying what’s really important …my family, friends, and God’s beautiful creation.

I attended the Indiana CPA Convention and was very impressed with the quality of most of the seminars, however your presentation entitled “Breathing Space: Living and Working at a Comfortable Pace in a Sped Up Society” was certainly the high point of all that had gone into making this a positive professional meeting. Your session alone would have certainly made the Convention a worthwhile experience. The points presented were extremely informative and applicable to our day to day needs. I hope we have the opportunity to draw further on your expertise in the future.

I attended your 4-hour seminar “Breathing Space: Living and Working at a Comfortable Pace in a Sped Up Society” at our annual convention. I enjoyed it very much and found that you had many ideas that I can use in my professional life as an accountant, professor, and administrator. I reported to Monica Woods, CPE Director of the Indiana CPA Society, that I found the seminar extremely beneficial and that she should employ you again for the many members who did not attend the annual meeting. It is equally important that we learn to better manage our professional lives as it is to improve our understanding of professional standards. As a person who has presented seminars on accounting and auditing standards for over twenty years, I also applaud your presentation skills. Prior to the start of the seminar, I remarked to a fellow attendee, “How is this fellow going to stretch this topic into four hours?” You answered my question in spades! You held our interest, and I believe you had enough material to go on for two or three days! Audience participation was excellent! All of the participants I have talked with since the seminar have the highest praise for it. Good luck, and I look forward to attending another of your seminars in the future.

Thank you for your contribution to our continuing professional education program. Your presentation “Breathing Space: Living and Working at a Comfortable Pace in a Sped Up Society” was very well received by attendees at our annual convention. The average rating of your presentation skills and knowledge of the subject matter was 4.88 on a 5.0 scale. Jeff, your presentation was an excellent way to end our convention. I am enclosing a synopsis of participant comments regarding your session at convention.

Jane Hoge, our conference administrator, mentioned that you received high marks from the participants for your three presentations at the conference. We appreciate the good work you do for us.

Thank you for the time you brought us in Texas. I really enjoyed your session since you reminded me that we should avoid as many times as possible to be taken by the wave of the world. We must enjoy our lives based on a more natural basis. Not too many TV sets at home, not too many magazines to read, not too many hectic places to work with… Now, every time I open my mailbox at home I recall your session. And as a matter of fact, I have already cancelled a couple of magazine subscriptions and unsubscribed from MANY free Internet updates.

Thank you very much for participating in the Cardinal program in Colorado Springs. It was a pleasure to meet you, and I think the presentation you made had a profound impact on everyone here. I myself would like to write a long, glowing endorsing letter, but I learned in your presentation that that would be redundant, superfluous, and not to the point. You did a great job, and on behalf of everyone at Cardinal, I thank you very much and look forward to seeing you in the future.

Your presentation to our management team last week in Colorado was well-received. The growth at Cardinal has been non-stop, and it was refreshing to hear your perspective on ways to slow down other aspects of our lives.

Thank you for such an exciting and informative session on Breathing Space: How to Survive in a Sped-Up World. Wow, did I need it. Your ability to excite a crowd and hold their attention, particularly at the end of several intense days, is fantastic. I look forward to attending your next seminar in the not too distant future. By then, hopefully, I will have mastered the paper flow and can move on to the next step.

Thank you! It was a great night, and your insight made it so. Thank you for giving us your time and expertise in presenting your insights. Your observations were right on target, and well presented. All in all, you have certainly impressed us with your knowledge as well as your ability in writing. Best wishes and our great appreciation.

I want to commend and thank you for the excellent seminar you conducted for us last Saturday. You will find by reading the enclosed student evaluations that the participants were well pleased with your performance and the factual information you disseminated.

Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule and sharing your expertise about information gathering. Your session was well received by our membership at the annual workshop. Many of the participants lamented that there wasn’t more time! Again, thanks for participating. Your experience and expertise certainly were appreciated.

I recently attended your presentation in Maui, with Legacy Marketing Group. Your presentation was very upbeat and down to earth. Best wishes to you! Your message is one that is needed in the fast-paced world we live in!

Just a quick note to let you know how much I enjoyed your presentation at the AENC meeting. I definitely agree we are living a very fast-paced life. When you suggested taking time for silence and not turning on the T.V., I smirked! How could I do that? Well, Saturday, our power was out due to a severe storm. I took a deep breath, relaxed and slowed down. Any other time, I would have listened to my battery operated radio! Thanks again for your animated presentation and for reminding me to take time for me.

I wish to thank you for your enlightening message. As a result of your speech, I have started doing some research on your ideas. We look forward to you returning at a future date.

Concise! Humorous! Memorable! A timely message.

I’m convinced he really has something of value for any insurance organization.

My deepest thanks for your fine presentation. The members of our committee were most impressed with your thorough knowledge of the subject area and your excellent manner of presentation. I hope that you will be able to fit us on your very busy calendar next year for a return visit.

Our members really enjoyed the thoughts and ideas you presented at our dinner meeting last evening. I am sure that everyone gained some insight into an area which many legal secretaries face today. Your reading suggestions will certainly benefit the members. Thank you so much for being with us and we hope you will be able to join us again at some future meeting.

It was a pleasure to meet you, too, and to hear your thoughts on personal achievement. I believe you have a point about the 25’s! I am still intrigued by your remarks on “mastering the moment.” We are placing an order for your books and will look forward to seeing your future titles emerge. I wish you every success.

“Excellent!” “Fantastic!” “Best SGMP meeting yet!” These are just a few of the comments from the meeting planners and suppliers who attended your presentation at the July Society of Government Meeting Planners meeting. Scheduling a speaker is often a hit or miss affair; in your case, it was a big hit. We were all impressed with your speaking style and the substance of your speech. The best compliment that can be paid to a speaker is to act on his advice, and I can tell you that several SGMP members began implementing your ideas within days after your speech. Again, “Kudos” for a very successful presentation. In closing, I’ll share a comment from one of the SGMP members, “Mr. Davidson was by far the most effective speaker I’ve ever heard!”

I attended your seminar in Hawaii, which I feel was excellent. Your presentation was one of the better that I attended!

Thank you for bringing to my attention the Mega-Realities of our times and the dilemmas of information and choice. Your seminar and your book on “Breathing Space” have certainly helped me to refocus on how best to use my time to accomplish real priorities on the job and in my personal life, to discard clutter and to face the reality of closure. I recommend them both as a survival kit for work and beyond. In fact, I have given a copy of your book to my son, who is an electrical engineer and a manager, with the hope that it will give him some pointers on coping with the information glut. Again, please accept my thanks for sharing your thoughts, observations and approaches.

I found your “Living and Working at a Comfortable Pace in a Sped-Up Society” presentation to be very practical and informative. I was especially pleased to find that it included many useful tips that I was able to put into practice my first day back on the job.

Following an extremely well-received presentation he made for TEI in Washington, we decided to take him “on the road” the next year, going to Philadelphia, Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, and San Francisco. Below are comments from participants: “A subject all busy executives need presented by a high-energy and effective speaker.” “Good topic, new concepts, practical approach, good examples.” “Excellent presentation — well organized, knowledgeable, thought-provoking.” “Good topics, fresh ideas, excellent speaker.” “Great pragmatic advice, stimulating concepts and insights.” “Fresh innovative approach with an emphasis on accuracy. An effective presenter who held our attention!”