Everybody has the same number of hours in a day, but some people seem to be busier than others.... some people seem to get more done...some people seem to have time for more fun! Some people don't seem rushed, while others have "rushing woman's syndrome"
(coined by one of my favorite essential oil gurus Dr. Mariza Snyder #Drmarizasnyder).
I hear this excuse a lot when it comes to health and wellness goals - "I don't have time"....and I have to call bull crap! You have the same time available that everyone else does, but you have not prioritized your health and wellness goals in the available time - bottom line - it's about prioritization.
My husband, Bob, and I used to have this argument constantly a few years ago (not anymore, because he has given up! The man learns quickly, my friends), about how I did not have time for certain things.
Bob - "Aimee, why is your gas tank almost on empty? How many times do I have to tell you that in the winter you shouldn't do that because the tank will get condensation in it?"
Me - "I know, but I just didn't have time!"
Bob - "You had time to go for a run, you had time to go get your wine, so you had time! you just didn't prioritize it."
Me - silence... Because he was right, and he is still right. My car is not my priority. I have other priorities. And you know what? That's ok. That's how I get 'er done.
I have learned a few things about managing my time now so that my priority tasks get done, and my goals are met. I've learned that you can't do everything, but you can do everything that's important to you right now. How? Well y'all know I love to research, so I listened to a few podcasts to get tips from super successful business women #msrachelhollis #chalenejohnson #hayleyhobson #drmarizasnyder, and I included a few of my own:
1. Develop personal goals - The first and most important thing to do if you are trying to achieve health and wellness goals, but just don't have time, is to develop your personal goals. Decide exactly what you want to accomplish, and by when. Make sure you consider all your personal goals, not just health and wellness because you may have some competing goals that could also take a lot of your time. It's best to know what is important in all areas of your life to you (for example, spiritual, mental health, physical health, relationships, work, personal development, finances, hobbies/joy, and even environment).
2. Prioritize goals for this season - once you have your list of goals, you have to prioritize where your focus will be, and for what time period. Most experts recommend 90 days to 6 months rather than a year for these goals because when you have multiple areas of your life you are trying to tend to, you will need to change focus throughout the year as you accomplish the goals and make them habits. If you want help deciding on your priorities, use goal setting tools such as Chalene Johnson's smart-life push journal (the one I love to use www.pushjournal.com). It doesn't matter which one, just get that prioritization down for what you want to focus on in the next few months. Why does this matter? Because you cannot prioritize daily tasks without having prioritized the end goals you are trying to achieve. If you try to run your life this way, EVERYTHING is a priority and NO goals are ever achieved. Using this strategy this past year I have balanced my hormones, lost 15 pounds, decreased my stress level to a 2 on a scale of 1-10, gotten rid of joint pain and inflammation and heart palpitations, started a blog, developed a hormone balance class and taught it multiple times. That's a lot of goals I had, but I was only focusing on a few at a time.
3. Plan for daily action on your priority goals - decide the steps needed to achieve those goals and break those steps into a list smaller daily/weekly tasks. For example, one of my goals this 90 days was to start a blog and write at least 4 blogs in 90 days. I had no clue how to do this, so I created small tasks - research how to start a blog, compare free blog sites, list all the blog topics I wanted to write, decide which would be my first, research the topic for my first blog/write all my notes, and finally, on the last day I actually wrote the blog and posted it. Every day I tried to take small actions towards my goal even though I work full time, workout almost daily, make dinner and clean up dinner daily, and transport my son to and from activities.
4. Use a calendar to time block/schedule - other things will take priority if you don't block time off in your day/week to get done what you are prioritizing from your list of daily/weekly tasks. When I looked at my available time I realized that I really did have time early in the mornings, on a lunch break, right before I started a work out, or while I was making dinner to tackle those small tasks during the week. Weekends were reserved for lengthier time blocks where I needed to concentrate and be creative without interruption. I love to use the smart life push journal www.pushjournal.com to help me with goal setting and daily tasks. But it really doesn't matter what you use, as long as you use something! Here's a tip, though - calendars don't work if you don't reference them! Which is where Tip # 5 comes from.
5. Create daily habits/routines to plan your day's tasks, review progress, and make time adjustments - I remember a conversation I was having with a co-worker who was really struggling with managing time. We pulled out her calendar to visually see how she was spending her time, and what we found was that she did block time to do her tasks, but when she didn't get them done, she didn't move them to another day! Essentially, those tasks just completely fell off her radar because she had taken them off her list and scheduled them, but forgotten to re-schedule when they were not done. So remember to plan for a time each day that you will review what you got done, and then move those tasks over to another day (or not - you may choose to de-prioritize those tasks, and that is A-ok!). Here's what I found works for me. The first hour of my day (I call this my self-care time) is spent planning for the day - the list of tasks is reviewed and then scheduled into time slots. I then keep my calendar with me all day and reference it periodically. As I accomplish a task, I cross it off or put a check by it. At the end of the night, after the kitchen is clean and closed, as we are relaxing in the living room, I review the accomplishments one last time, and make a few notes for what I want to carry over to the following day. I don't actually carve out the time - that task is reserved for the morning when I am bright eyed and bushy tailed!
6. Say No to Saboteurs - say no to lower priority tasks, say no when you don't really want to do it but you think someone else wants you to ("if it's not a Hell YEAH it's a HELL NO!", pretty sure I heard Rachel Hollis #msrachelhollis coin this term), say no when it sabotages your health and wellness goals, say no when it doesn't link up to your other personal goals (for example - does it bring you closer to your husband or children?). This requires balls. Yes, women can have balls. But like I said in step 1, you can't Say No with real power unless you are firm in what your goals are. I have created certain rules in my house to help with me with his - I don't grocery shop during the week, so if someone in the house wants something, they have to go get it (to help with this goal I plan my meals ahead of time and grocery shop on weekends). I basically don't do anything in the evenings during the work week other than make dinner, clean up, transport kids, and do my workouts. I just say No. Unless... the event/activity lines up with my goals and helps me achieve specific goals I'm trying to prioritize. In that case, I remove the workout or making dinner from my day and might even have my husband pick up my son. Which brings up another point - delegating and asking for help is critical when you are trying to accomplish priority goals. Trade car rides with other parents, trade chores/tasks with family members, or simply communicate that you won't be making dinner ,and sandwiches are in the fridge! A pre-requisite to saying no successfully is owning and believing in your goals, and in you! You will have to say No to people you love, and you need a good reason to say no, so be ready to justify your need to prioritize something else.
7. Self-care means health care! The last tip, but one that all the experts referenced, is to prioritize and block time DAILY for self-care. Every entrepreneur or highly successful person knows this tip - you are WAY more efficient with your tasks when you are rested and not frazzled. So figure out what type of self-care will help you stay focused and refreshed throughout your day so that your tasks take less time, and are done well. I block one hour first thing in the morning to do self-care - that includes my planning time (and dreaming time), listening to pod-casts, reading books, or doing creative work (sometimes planning out my next live video for example), and using my essential oils to wake me up gently. I am freshest in the morning, so I like to take care of my own needs during that time. This one hour of time has been so helpful in decreasing stress throughout the day for so many reasons, but mainly: 1) I don't get my cortisol hopping first thing in the morning, so I don't crash later; 2) I don't get resentful because I get my needs met first thing in the morning; 3) planning my day early means I get little tasks done (even the ones that are not a priority necessarily for me - and this makes my family very happy). Mid-day I usually take a tiny break to get my lunch (I don't work during that time if I can help it). I take a breather, look at my planner, see if there's anything I need to do on that list, or read a quick article while eating. After official work hours for my day job, I do a short 30 minute workout that helps me transition to family time (I view this as self-care - I love how I feel during and after and at my age, I've learned the value of shorter more focused workouts). Finally, after dinner, I relax in the living room and do something I enjoy before getting ready for bed and planning for the next day. All in all, I have periodic habits that help me refuel, re-energize, or relax based on what I need during the day. I listen to my body and if I need to take a break even when I don't have time, I choose to take the break (and use an oil or two), and maybe I get behind on prepping for my next call. When I go back to prepping, I am more alert and focused and usually it all works out. My positive attitude and confidence help me get through any uncertainties that come up in calls that I didn't have as much prep time as I wanted to have. And actually, I've also learned there is a con to over-prepping too! So it's all good!
Every step recommended by the various experts is laid on an important foundation - love and commitment for oneself and one's personal needs/goals. You do YOU! and you will find that your relationships will be richer, your work more efficient, and your personal goals accomplished!
Resources:
Hayley Hobson Whole You podcast "Time Blocking and Calendaring"
https://www.hayleyhobson.com/news/2019/3/13/less-is-more-time-blocking-amp-calendaring/ #hayleyhobson
Chalene Johnson's The Chalene Show podcast "No more Procrastination" Episode 421 https://www.chalenejohnson.com/podcasts/overcome-procrastination-now/
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