Are you busy right now? Are you already behind on what you wanted to accomplish today? Or this week? Or this year? Are you hoping this will be a short post so you can get back to the million things on your to-do list that are breathing down your neck? Okay, I'll get on with it: Our culture is obsessed with time. This is our real deficit crisis, and one that, unlike the more commonly discussed deficit, is actually getting worse. In fact, researchers have given this crisis a name: "time famine." And feeling like you're experiencing a time famine has very real consequences, including increased stress and diminished satisfaction with your life. On the flip side, one can enjoy "time affluence," the feeling of having enough time, or even a surplus of time. So how about redefining success to include a third metric, beyond money and power -- time affluence, which will lead, without doubt, to greater well-being and deeper wisdom.

No matter whether you are an intern or a CEO, all of us have moments where we feel overwhelmed at work. The trick is to know what to do when you feel this way so that you can make smart decisions that are intentional and not based merely on alleviating your discomfort.

Don't ever say you can't, because you can. You can always make it happen at the 11th hour, just before the buzzer or when your back's against the wall.

The ability to be assertive and say "no" is a communication skill we all learn at a very young age. If you're a parent, you know better than anyone that once this word enters a child's vocabulary it's used very often. However, as an adult, "no" is often much more difficult to say.

How can you make the most of the mood and creativity boost often known as "spring fever" without experiencing a plummet in your ability to get things done? Here are three practical strategies.

Your relationship to time is one of your most important relationships. Consider that time is the currency of your life. All the choices you make about how to spend your time add up to the kind of life you have.

If used mindfully, the calendar is a wonderful tool with which you can measure your year before living it -- intentionally pacing yourself with a rhythm that suits and honors your life spiritually, mentally and physically.

Don't accuse yourself of being lazy or being a procrastinator and ask: Why is this so difficult? The fact that you're finding it hard to make yourself do something is a sign that maybe you should be doing something else.

What is procrastination really about? It's about starting something. It's making a transition. And we don't like transitions. We don't like to wait to adjust. We want to be in a constant state of comfort.

If you feel you are one of those people who have little free time and what little you have is continually interrupted, you may need to get active in order to carve out a little more time for yourself.

It's important to face the fact that time is the currency of life and it's sacred. You cannot accomplish everything, but you can accomplish a lot of what is important to you with awareness, smart thinking and good promises.

Is your happiness connected to how you spend money or time? What experiences have given you the greatest happiness? What would you change about how you invest your time?

There are so many time-stealers these days. Here in New York, people are moving so fast that they are almost flying through the streets. But where are we really going?

While a schedule overhaul might not be possible for everyone, everyone could benefit from a little more awareness about where the hours go.