Take Back Your Time: 5 Steps
Do you crave a sense of calm and ease in your life? More time for the things you love? Perhaps it's taking more walks with loved ones. Reading a juicy novel or writing one yourself. Or maybe you aren’t sure what you want exactly, just that you want space to figure it out.
I get it. Crafting a fulfilling work-life balance that is nurturing to your well-being is sort of an art, a dance that ebbs and flows with your unique life’s rhythms. There is no one way to do it. I’m always in a conversational dance with it, tweaking it as my needs and desires change.
But when I start to feel an imbalance - usually noted by feelings like stress, frustration or overwhelm - I check in on the following five areas to help me find synergy again:
1. What I am thinking?
It’s easy to overwhelm yourself with thoughts like “I have so much to do and not enough time,” that your brain overheats and stops working. You spin in confusion and get stuck. Your thoughts create your feelings which drive your actions and results, so you want to clue in on the root cause of your issue.
Watch for all or nothing thinking like “I’ll never get it done” because your world is full of shades of grey. If you can’t handle all of it, maybe you could get 60% of it done.
Also, scan for “should” statements that define what you think you should do but don’t account for your unique circumstances. “I should wake up at 6 am because that is what successful people do.” Shoulding yourself stops being helpful when it stops being motivational and starts being stressful.
Finally, look for perfectionist thinking like “This presentation needs to be perfect” when B- is good enough. It puts too much pressure on yourself and it’s debilitating. Get your work out into the world and touch it up later if you have time!
2. Am I people-pleasing?
Am I fulfilling other people’s priorities or my own? Am I saying yes to things that I really want to say no to? This is one of the biggest time sucks for people, especially for “doers”, the ones everyone can count on to get things done. Doers don’t want to let people down, so people rely on them because they always pull through. It’s a vicious circle.
Saying no is sometimes the kindest thing we can do for ourselves and others. For more on people-pleasing check out my blog here.
3. Am I in alignment with my top 5 time priorities?
I track my time in a time journal for 3-7 days. To get the best results you want to track it every 15 minutes or at least every hour. I then check to see if I spent my time in alignment with my top five time priorities, where I want to spend my most precious resource - time! I don't waste it on things that aren't a priority in my life.
Examples of time priorities might be work, family, self-care, community, volunteer, travel, religion, music, education, etc. Choose your top five and list them in order of 1-5.
I like to keep in mind my values when choosing my top priorities and revisit them on a quarterly basis because my priorities may change due to shifting family and business demands.
If there are things on your calendar that don’t fall in your top five priorities, then question why they are there and try to cut them out. They aren’t a priority in your life. I keep my five priorities on an index card in front of me when I’m planning my weekly schedule.
Practice saying no to the things that aren’t a priority and yes to things that are.
4. Am I planning ahead?
Am I in the driver’s seat of my life? Am I living intentionally and following my goals or passively reacting to someone else’s agenda and goals? Are my goals clear and explicit?
I know some people have an allergic reaction to planning in advance. I get it. You don’t want another thing telling you what to do.
But time invested in planning saves time in the long-run and gives you freedom. I like to have weekly, monthly and annual goals. How detailed you get at each level is up to you.
When you get everything out of your brain onto paper, it frees up your brain to think more clearly and be more productive. It is less stressful. Your brain is not a storage unit, it is meant to be a processor of information. It likes to analyze and be creative.
Planning in advance also helps you avoid decision fatigue by making decisions upfront and just following through.
Remember, if you plan you are following through on YOUR goals and schedule. When you honor it you are showing up for YOURSELF.
5. Calendar like a pro
Finally, I make sure I’m following my favorite calendaring tips which I promise to post in a follow-up blog next week. (It deserves its own post.)
Experiment for yourself. There is no right or wrong way to plan your week. There is only what works for you.
Bring a sense of curiosity and compassion to the process. It takes time to figure out what works and doesn’t work for your unique lifestyle and goals.
If you’d like help infusing more calm and ease into your life, schedule a free “Priorities Planning Session” with me. We’ll discuss your top 5 time priorities, review your schedule and brainstorm ways to get you into alignment. Schedule a free session here.
~~
🦋 If you are a social impact professional that is stressed out and would like to create a fulfilling work-life balance while increasing your impact, sign up for my 8-week small group coaching program for Greater Productivity, Freedom and Impact starting April 5th. Learn more here. Those who sign up before March 31st get a free bonus one-on-one coaching session with me.