Joanna is a dear friend who I have been close to since 2nd grade... that's a long time! She is the kind of girl who made her bed EVERY MORNING and flossed every night... in HIGH SCHOOL. She has great morals and convictions, and is pursuing a new career in fitness! She is over-all awesome. She shared a little bit with us on time management and making the most of the moments you have!
As I sit here and right this blog, all of the MILLIONS of things that I “must” get done today
are racing through my mind! I’ve thought about what I’m going to prepare for lunch, I need to
vacuum, forgot to run to the grocery store after I went to the gym this morning, my husband
will be home for lunch in an hour and a half and did I mention, I am still in my sweaty workout
clothes?! It never ends.
It’s been recent that I have been investigating “time management” and honestly, just trying to
figure out how to do it and how that will look has been a step in the right direction. What are the
different systems? What are the different tools to assist with this? What are others saying works
well for them? After spending some time on this, I have yet to really find THE answer to this
question.
I recently posted five different suggested ways to “Add Value to Your Time”, all of which I
found helpful.
Step #1: Set Morning Intentions…by this I mean you should map out your day! Having a
“To Do” list will almost guarantee success as well as ensure that you don’t miss anything
important.
Step #2: Live Your Values…I read this quote “where we spend our time is a direct
reflection of what we value most” and it really stuck. Sure some things get forgotten that
we do care about, BUT…this speaks mountains of truth and in one way or another, we
have experienced this in our lives and know that we enjoy having time invested in us, so
why would our “To Do’s” be any different?
Step #3: Sleep well…now I am not a mom, and I do not know what “the sacrifice of
sleep” is really about in terms of babies, however. I do know that working a full time job,
while running a business at home and trying to be the best friend/wife/lover/daughter/
sister/etc. I can be, is something I do not discredit. Life gets busy and demanding.
Without rest and downtime, one WILL wear out. Make sleep a priority!
Step #4: Create Time for Important Relationships…HUGE! What is all of your busyness
and success going to look like if you are alone? THIS is huge. I cannot say that enough.
Making time for those we love, seems to always be the biggest struggle when it comes
to making it a priority, am I right? Our intentions are of course to do the right thing,
after all, you are working to better not just YOUR life, but everyone who is in it as well.
Correct? But make it a priority anyways, create time for them just like you would that
post office run or that business call you have at 3:00.
Step #5: Organize…Now this is my favorite! If you know me well enough you know that
I could literally spend all day, “organizing”…organizing my office, life, room, pantry,
fridge, etc. Ha! But on a more serious note, why would you do double the work, if your
time is valuable and can be done more simply because of organization?! Get rid of what
you don’t need, keep what is essential, and begin to “de-clutter” in whatever form this
may need to be done in. Organize!
After looking over all of these steps, I have begun to put many of them to practice and they have
shown to be helpful. In seeking out the answer to my question, ‘How do I add value to my time’,
I have grown to also find, that in some cases it is more of a Yes or No skill instead of a How
To approach. Meaning…does this “thing” that is taking up my time, get me closer to my goals
or what I’m trying to accomplish? Will something bad happen if I don’t get it done TODAY?
Does this thing bring out the best in me? Will this benefit or hurt those I love in my life? Yes or
No. By going through this thought process, you are reflecting on what matters most, which will
provide a sense of clarity. That “thing”, or some times more than one thing, that is not such a
priority in the large scheme of it, begins to shrink in importance and eventually will no longer
demand your attention.
I have realized that whether you are trying to be the best mom you can be and get those
never ending tasks done, become successful at a business, or something as simple as a home
project…remembering what matters most to you along with what you value and believe in will
provide the clarity to “de-clutter” your life of monotonous tasks, allowing you to excel in all of
your To Do’s that truly matter most…
Adding the Value To Your Time that we all desire so much!
Thank you and good luck with your tasks!
Joanna =)
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