Happy Spring!
I LOVE this time of year...the longer days give me a little more pep in my step.
Anyone else?
This time of year also brings the Spring sports season for my two littles...who aren't little anymore {my almost 14 year old towers over me now}!
Multiple sports and multiple teams {with me and my husband coaching too} means A LOT of moving parts. But, they love it and we love watching them play.
I’m sure you all can relate!
With everything going on in our lives, time is a hot commodity.
There are only so many hours in the day and week…24 and 168 hours, respectively, to be exact.
While I can’t increase those numbers {I’m not a magician, although I did have a client describe me as one…true story, see the testimonial below*}, I CAN show you how to maximize the time you do have!
I’m not talking about being more productive, although that’s part of it.
I’m talking about taking back your time, so that you’re in the driver’s seat and making time for YOU, instead of rushing around, living in “reaction mode”, and feeling out of balance.
I’m talking about creating freedom in your day for whatever YOU want to do…rest, connect with your loved ones, exercise, read, reignite your passion for that hobby you never seem to have time for, etc...
Take a minute to imagine how you’ll feel? Calm, confident, empowered, determined, balanced are just some examples, instead of the near constant overwhelm, worry and guilt.
If you think this is pipe dream, I can assure you it’s not.
It’s totally doable and you can start with these four strategies.
1. Make decisions.
2. Take action.
3. Plan ahead with a ton of detail.
4. Clean up your mindset.
Make decisions.
This is a big part of freeing up time in your day.
Sometimes we get caught up in the act of making decisions. We gather way more evidence than we really need to make the decision. We ruminate and go ‘round and ‘round, seeking feedback from 10 million people.
“Analysis paralysis” is stealing your time, wasting your energy and keeping you stuck.
Act decisively and follow through on it. Even when your primitive brain (your survival brain) tells you it’s too hard. That part of your brain will protest when you ask yourself to try something new and different.
This is totally normal.
Make a decision and stick with it. I’m not saying don’t ever change your mind, but I am saying work through the “hard” and give it a fighting chance before you change your mind.
Take action
Once you make a decision, take one step forward, even if you’re confused and not sure what to do next.
Pick one thing and just get started.
Tell yourself that you’ll figure it out along the way.
Being confused is just another defensive mechanism of our brain.
When things get hard, your primitive brain sounds the alarm and stops you in your tracks, halting any forward progress.
Simply acknowledge it, appreciate your brain for trying to protect you and keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Plan ahead with a ton of detail
This is where the magic happens…
Start by writing down all of your to-dos and reminders at the start of the week. ALL OF IT. Don’t forget the fun stuff and self-care (e.g., exercise, reading, rest, etc…).
Review your list and consider what’s really important and what isn’t. Make sure there’s a compelling reason why something is taking a spot on your calendar.
Deprioritize or eliminate items accordingly!
Consider what you can you delegate or outsource…grocery delivery, carpools, delegating tasks to other members of your household, etc...
Transfer all of it to your calendar. This is a gift to your future self, so consider whether you will thank or curse yourself when it comes time to follow your calendar tomorrow.
When everything has a spot on your calendar, you’ll have less decisions to make (less worry & less overwhelm) and you’ll finally have time to go to that yoga class (less guilt).
Clean up your mindset
Our thoughts are powerful and influence how we feel, how we act (what we do and don’t do) and the reality we create for ourselves.
Clean up the negative self-talk and replace it with something more productive.
Here are some examples:
“I am not doing enough” -->“I am doing enough”
“I don’t have enough time” -->“I am willing to consider that I have plenty of time”
“I suck at managing my time” -->“I will get better at managing my time with practice”
“I am overwhelmed” -->“I will take this one step at a time”
“I am confused and don’t know where to start” -->“I do one thing at a time and figure it out as I go”
“I’m not a morning person” -->“I’m learning to be more productive in the morning”
“I need to do this perfectly” -->“My attempts are good enough”; “I’ll get better with practice”; “I don’t have to do it perfectly to be successful”
“I need to get everything done” -->“Doing half of what I planned is better than nothing at all”
Using these strategies won’t completely banish the stress and overwhelm, because life can get messy and we all have a human brain that likes to do its human brain things.
But, you will make time for what’s important to YOU and feel more in control and balanced.
For more on this topic, grab my “Ultimate Guide to Take Back Your Time for What Matters Most”.
My challenge for you this week…pick one of the strategies I’ve shared and let me know how it goes!
*Testimonial that I referenced above: “Sometimes I lack motivation and Tracey taught me how to move forward even when I’m not motivated. It’s been liberating and I’m pleasantly surprised at how effective the strategies are for overcoming procrastination…You might be some kind of magician!”
