The lure of attaining mental stability through new time-management techniques drew some 50 attendees to a recent Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Chamber of Commerce luncheon that featured Sandra Larkin, creator of Strategic Wellness Solutions.

"I think most of you are here for the mental stability strategies," she said at the outset of her talk, provoking much head-nodding among the guests.

"You go to a time-management class and you want to get a couple of golden nuggets," she said. While excited at first, it doesn't take long for most people to become overwhelmed.

She promised a golden nugget of her own while cautioning, "you don't want to be a poster child for stress," Larkin said. "You've got to take control of your time."

The first step is to "identify your energy level throughout the day," the Crystal Lake resident said.

"Understand where your energy levels area. That's where your productivity levels are. Schedule more difficult tasks during your peak energy times," she said.

"The key is knowing that this is the right time of day for me and know how to schedule your time so you are being most productive," she said.

Oftentimes people have unrealistic work loads that impinge on their time, she said.

"You need to go into your boss and say, 'I'm doing this, this and this. Here' a timeline on how they're all coming together.' Approach your workload as a leader and professional," she said.

That feeling of control will go far in improving mental stability. Learning how to say 'no' also adds greatly to the feeling of control, she added.

"You don't want to be predictable," she said. "You want people to respect your time. Leaders know how to approach 'no' in a very respectful way."

To most effectively use time, most people need to identify their personal hot buttons that "prohibit us from being time management successful," Larkin said, asking table-mates to brainstorm for a few minutes to list their top time wasters at work and at home.

E-mail, phone calls, office mates, subordinates, bosses -- the list of time-wasters was long. Larkin suggested not checking e-mail or answering phones during those high-productivity times.

"Don't let e-mail, voice mail and phone calls lead you around like a dog," she said. "You've got to be a pack leader. It will make you feel productive."

Setting goals and priorities will offer a road map for success.

"You should have goals in every area of your life," she said. "Here's what I want to do. Here are the priorities I have."

To attain mental stability, "you have to understand you can do this," she said. "Set your goals, understand your priorities and then you can begin to walk down that path."

Before concluding, Larkin shared with the group her time-management secret weapon.

"You need to do a time study, a time log for your professional life and for your personal life," she said. By logging 30-minute increments for seven to 14 days, participants will have irrefutable proof of where their time is spent.

"People hate to do this, but if you really want to make a difference, you've got to do this at least two times a year. Four times would be better," she said.

"You don't want to have a bad attitude because you're stressed out all the time."