Ever wonder how some people seem to get everything accomplished;
Run a successful business, Socialize, Attend all the important events,
and end up in the paper as an expert?
Are they superhuman?
Or have they really got it all together?
The secret to life is enjoying the passing of time, says James Taylor. Are you enjoying the passing of that time or are you becoming increasingly stressed over having time slipping away from you? Part of the equation is a state of mind, the other part is how effectively you utilize your time. Just how are you spending your time?
Everyone has a different system they toute as the BEST but what is best for you is a system you can easily follow. So, shop around for the different systems and try them out. But what you will find is that it really isn’t about the system. It is about the philosophy and what you are spending your time doing. Let me explain.
Do any of these thoughts and concerns resound within you? “I don’t have enough time to finish what is in front of me, never mind add to it!” “I wish I could spend more time with the family but I’m exhausted by the end of the day.” “I rarely sleep during the night, I have no energy during the day.” “There isn’t enough time to meet my family demands and responsibilities.” “I am overloaded with too many projects at once.” “How can I have the energy and time to personally do it all?”
It’s impossible to control or change time. The only thing we have control over is how we utilize the 24 hours each day that we have. In order to more effectively manage your time you first need to determine how you use your time and then eliminate the less important tasks we do and make room for the more important to us. So, let’s determine what is important and how we spend our time.
Where Does the Time Go?
Where does the time go? Here is an exercise that is very helpful in determining just how much you do and accomplish in a 24-hour period. Keep a journal of a 24-hour period, preferably a day during the week where you perform both personal & professional tasks. Mark into your journal all the activities no matter how trivial in 6-minute increments. Be sure to track time spent eating and taking care of personal hygiene as well as phone conversations, travel time and other activities. Consider them all-important enough to track. It is only a week. You can do this!
This will help you see just how much you actually accomplish in a day. Once you have completed this, use different colored highlighters to mark personal, professional, family, community and health related items.
Now let’s look at the importance of the tasks you do and prioritize them. Everyone’s priorities will be different and your priorities today will not necessarily be the same 10 years or even 1 year from now, so you will want to repeat this exercise many times over your lifetime.
Let’s start at the end and work backward to the beginning. What do you want your life to look like? What is important to you in terms of your profession, your family life, your personal time, your community, and your health (physical, emotional, & spiritual)? Let’s not set our sights too low. This is your life, what do you want to make of it? What is your personal mission? Everything you do should get you closer to living that mission.
What Priorities Matter Most to ME?
What are your daily priorities? Most often it’s a tough decision. It’s tough because you are often deciding between what is most important or what is the best of the good things you have to do today. Remember that it’s okay to say no. Obligations should be looked at in terms of long-term and short-term commitments. Be sure they pass the priority test before saying yes. Does it help you to accomplish your mission and goals? What would happen if you said, yes? What would happen if you said, no? Weigh the consequences carefully.
Don’t say yes right away. It’s okay to reply to a request with something like this, “I am really very busy, but let me think about your request and see if it fits with my schedule and priorities”. This sets the stage for a possible “no”. It allows you the time to see whether it really is an obligation that you should make time for. Remember that we all have the same 24 hours. We always find time for the things we really want to do so be sure to get those things into your schedule first.
When Menopause Becomes a Factor…
If menopause is one of the factors be sure you are getting as much quality sleep as possible. This might require you to end your day earlier or start your day later. Look into trying a supplement like Neora’s Sleep & Energy Wellness Chews. Over time they will help to lower your stress hormone levels and reset your internal clock, helping you to get better quality sleep and more sustained energy.
Tune in as I dive deeper into things you can be doing to combat menopausal changes that interfere with your best life!
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