Saving Time Starts With Transforming Your Thinking
Do you feel disorganized and distracted while working from home?
You’re not alone. It’s the number one complaint I hear from moms these days. We mamas prioritize everyone else but ourselves. We run ourselves thin, leaving ourselves unsatisfied and unfulfilled.
We also often feel like we have a never ending to-do list.
When we finally sit down and try to focus we’re interrupted by our kids, our spouse and our colleagues. Then there is the constant lure of social media and the piles of dirty dishes and laundry calling our name! Does it ever end?!
Before we know it, it’s time to make lunch and then dinner again. Poof, the day is gone! We then compound it by beating ourselves up for not being rockstar super mamas like everyone else on social media.
Fret not my friends, there is a solution.
I’m not talking about drinking some fantasy potion that will turn you into a Marvel SuperMama hero overnight, we are human after all. But I can show you how to get organized, get things done and take back your time so you can function with more focus and ease throughout your day. This will allow you to use your time wisely so you can rediscover your lost interests and pursue your goals! 😁
The first step in reclaiming your time is taking an honest look at your foundational thinking (your primary thoughts) around work and work-life balance.
So pull out a pen and paper and start writing down your thoughts now as you read along.
What are your most common thoughts when it comes to your job and your beliefs around work-life balance? If you are stuck on this, here are some questions to get your brain activated:
Think about your last few projects at work. What were your thoughts about them? How did you react to them?
What are your thoughts about your responsibilities at work and your share of responsibilities at home?
How is your self-worth tied to how you behave at work and at home? How do you value yourself and your work?
What are your thoughts about time and scheduling?
What feelings do those thoughts create (what are the top three you feel most often)?
Do your feelings fuel you to do the work you want to do?
If you aren’t producing the results you want, then you want to transform your thinking! Otherwise, your brain will seek evidence to prove that those unwanted thoughts are true. You’ll create evidence for them!
We behave the way we do because our thoughts create our feelings and our feelings fuel our actions which in turn lead to the results in our life.
Many of us think external circumstances in our life or other people cause us to feel and behave a certain way, but that is never the case. Sandwiched in the middle between the circumstance and how we feel is a thought we have.
If we want a new result in our life, we need to choose a new thought.
A few years ago I was working from home for a start-up company I loved while also juggling caring for two elementary aged boys. I was working 24/7 and I was burnt out. At the time, my mind had thoughts swirling around like:
I've got a million things to do. (This made me feel → burdened)
I don’t want to do these things. (→ irritated)
This isn’t what I want to do. (→ resistant)
It’s not fair that I'm in charge of the kids’ schedule too. (→ resentment)
I should be the primary parent caring for the kids and cleaning the house since my husband’s job is more critical to the family income than mine. (→ resentment)
If I prioritize everyone else first then I’m a good mom. (→ exhausted)
Anyone surprised I was burnt out? As a result, I didn’t work as productively and efficiently as I could. I’d sit on decisions for ages, compounding my to do list and leading me to work 24/7 to get things done.
My thoughts were creating my reality.
I see this often with clients as well. They get in the habit of thinking “I’m so busy” all the time, it becomes part of their identity. As a result they are often in overwhelm mode, unable to get much done for the day. Another frequent thought is “scheduling is restrictive” so they rebel against their schedules, not following through on anything they have planned for the week. They fail in advance - scuttling their goals before even trying.
With coaching, I’ve worked on transforming my thoughts to beliefs that are in line with my goal of being more organized and efficient with my time. Some thoughts that often serve me in terms of getting organized around my new work-life priorities include:
There is plenty of time to get this done. (This makes me feel → abundant and creative)
My time is valuable. (→ productive)
Discipline and scheduling is freedom. (→ committed)
Prioritizing myself is part of being a good mom. (→ responsible)
My work is important to my clients and the future of my family! (→ valuable and determined)
I can do hard things. (→ resilient)
These thoughts generate feelings of commitment, creativity and value that in turn help me get my work done and better manage the stresses of the work-life synergy. I’m not perfect. I sometimes slip into the trap of old habitual thinking, but the difference now is that I’m aware of it. I try not to engage in what my brain is serving me and I actively choose thoughts that serve me throughout the day. I'm on to my brain and its old habits.
Thought work isn’t about finding affirmations and pretty thoughts that one repeats over and over, it is about being real with oneself. It’s about asking what’s really going on in our heads? Is it working? If not, it’s about finding a thought that works for us and truly believing it.
Give it a try. See what thoughts come up for you, notice them, and just practice not engaging with them. Then play around with some new thoughts that create the emotional rocket fuel that can carry you throughout the day. It is about trial and error. You won’t know what works for you until you get up there in your brain and practice it.
Let me know how it goes.
Check back next week for more insight and tips on how to take back your time and rediscover you!
If you want to dive deeper into all this, set up a free consult click here. We’ll discuss where you are now and where you want to go, and how I can help you get there! ❤️
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