Over this past month I've been thinking a lot about this. I was so excited for 2010 to come, after all it's not only a new year but also a new decade. I wanted to really push myself to make the most of this year and make some necessary changes so I could fulfill all of my goals this year. I started to realize that I don't always use my time in the most efficient or productive manner. Sometimes I'm SO focused on marketing for my business or on work itself that I let other areas slide and then feel overwhelmed by them later. I've now declared this month to be a more organized and effective month. Below I'll show you some of the areas I want to improve so I can get more out of my day.
If you are in the same boat and want to join, you'll need to begin by getting a sheet of paper and a pen or your word document up and listing the things that are most important to you. Do you want to be more successful in your career? Do you want to become more fit, more spiritual, have a stronger sense of family unity or have more fun? Think about what really makes you feel alive, fulfilled, happy and connected?
Some examples of day-to-day items might be creating something new everyday and feeling inspired, making sure all the beds are made in your home or the dishes are done before coming home from work so you'll feel less overwhelmed, perhaps it's making sure you hit the gym every single morning so you can start your day with more energy. Once you create your list (it can be as long as you want) be sure to re-assess the list and place the most important areas at the top of your list in descending order.
Whatever is most important to you needs to start taking priority in your life TODAY. There is no sense in pleasing everyone else and feeling miserable yourself. We are no good to anyone if we are not good to ourselves.
After you've acknowledged the areas you'd like to focus on, you'll need to create a plan of action. If you want to make a point of working out each morning, this may involve you asking your spouse to stay home with the kids or helping them with their school gear in the morning. Perhaps you can relieve him from evening duties by allowing him to go to the gym, or do something else that he loves, helping you both become more fulfilled. This will all depend on your current schedule and what will fit best in each day and may involve some juggling and will definitely involve a shift in your day-to-day routines.
Hold yourself accountable by writing the changes you'd like to see in a journal on a daily basis and checking them off if you were able to incorporate them into your day. After a week or month has passed by, look back and see how much more you've accomplished. For some, depending on what your goals are, you may need to go to bed earlier, get up earlier, pre-plan specific meals, outfits or kids' lunches the night before or it may mean cutting out TV or net surfing time. If you really want to make the most of your day, these things should still be more important that what you are sacrificing.
As for me, I have some very specific areas that will make my life run smoother, become more productive, less stressful and overall an even happier person. I like a clean and organized home, but when I get really busy I tend to push some of the lesser important things like laundry aside. It's easy for me to do so because we both have many clothes and towels to get by on even if I were to leave the laundry for a while. Later, it's frustrating though playing catch up and I'm left searching for clothes that I want to wear but aren't available to me. That doesn't let me feel my personal best.
I also like to work out about 5 days per week and feel an increase in energy and flexibility and strength when I'm doing so. When I push my gym workouts aside to complete a project or consistently go to bed late and get up late, I miss my workout opportunity and I don't feel as good about myself or feel as energetic. In order to be my personal best, these were two areas I really need to amp up.
What will I sacrifice? I need to stop working, web surfing, blogging and reading until 2 or 3am (any other late owl's with me on that?) which then forces me to wake up later the next morning. However, because I believe sleep is essential to overall health I won't cut that out just to get up when my alarm goes off and as a result it causes and endless circle of later nights, later mornings and less productivity. Enough is enough, I NEED to reclaim a regular routine by going to bed no later than 11pm so I can get up early and complete the household cleaning, laundry and get to my gym workouts that I really need and want. I don't want to spend my whole weekend doing household chores anymore or rushing around before company pops over because I've misused the hours in my week.
Is anyone else with me? How about you? Are you looking to make the most of your days but feel something has held you back? Join me this month and get back on track! I'll check back in with you in March to let you know how it has changed or improved my quality of life and what the extra time allowed me to accomplish.
