Do you ever feel like you’re being pulled in every direction - and none of them is where you want to go?
When we have many different drains on our time and energy, we end up standing still and not making progress down any of those avenues.
If your job, your family, your social life, and everything else you manage is starting to feel like spinning plates that are seconds away from falling, it’s time to make a change. You can take charge of your time so that you still hold on to all the responsibilities that you love, but you’re managing them and not the other way around.
Let’s take a look at some tips that will help you to set up your ideal day.
Plan Your Day the Evening Before
A lot of people tend to sit down at their desks in the morning and plan what needs to be done then. However, this actually leaves you open to a whole range of distractions before you even have your day in order.
Instead, spend 10 minutes the night before jotting down what you need to do on paper. Stay away from your computer, so you don’t risk getting sucked into emails or anything else. If you’re juggling different areas of your life, section them off into “family,” “work,” “volunteer,” “household,” - or any other areas that need attention.
Once you have your list, try to put them in order of urgency so you have a rough outline for your day. You don’t necessarily have to stick to it, but it helps to have an idea of what your morning will look like when you’re getting up and starting your day.
Embrace a Morning Ritual
Once you’re up and ready to go, it’s important to take 15 minutes for yourself each morning. When we have employees reporting to us, kids asking us questions, and a dozen other people wanting something from us, it can be incredibly draining.
Carve out a little morning ritual for yourself. It could be drinking your coffee on the front porch with the newspaper, or listening to your favorite music while doing a morning facial. Whatever it is, stick to it each day and enjoy that time to yourself.
Cut Yourself Off
Don’t be afraid of cutting yourself off from other areas of your life in order to focus. It doesn’t make you any less of a parent to not be available to your family while you’re working, or any less of an accomplished manager to not respond to work messages while taking care of the kids!
It’s important to establish clear boundaries within your day. Group your time into chunks where you focus on one aspect of your day and you’ll find you can be much more productive within those time slots. Communicate clearly with those around you, so they know when you’re available to them for different things.
How else do you set-up solid daily routines and create boundaries around priorities? Let me know in the comments below!