As a busy professional, how often do you feel “stretched too thin” or over-committed?
You know that feeling when you thought you couldn’t get any busier, yet you get hit with one more demand (and then one more…). You toughen up and tell yourself; “I can do this. I just have to get through this, THEN everything should get better.” Only to find that somehow the next day and week and month ends up looking pretty much the same… and the things you say to yourself have shifted to “I can’t keep going like this. It’s not good for me or for those around me. There’s got to be another way!” There absolutely IS a better way! You might have heard the hype around Mari Kondo’s book “The life-changing magic of tidying up”. She shows us how to deal with our clutter once and for all through a “category-by-category” clearing approach – until ALL items we decide to keep actually “spark joy”. Sounds like a tall order but I am pleasantly surprised of the effectiveness of the approach and – in fact - as I open my no-longer-cluttered drawers there are actually “joy sparks” flying :) So, what does that have to do with your busy life and packed schedule!? As it turns out – a lot! Bring some awareness to your current schedule by checking your calendar for this week and consider:
Many of us are so deep in our busy-ness that we rarely remember to “come up for air”. Our calendars are too full of to-dos that feel like “stuff”. We forget to give ourselves time to pause and get a broader perspective on where our life is headed… When did you last reflect on what truly matters to you…? How aligned is your life – the way you currently live it – with what truly matters to you? Over the last several months I’ve been designing and implementing a Time Management Program based on agile principles. When doing my tidying work around the house I realized some similarities in the approaches! Here goes!: By clarifying the different categories of tasks (by role) and de-cluttering your to-do’s of busy-ness that is not supporting what truly matters to you, you can start making choices that create a calendar with truly fulfilling and meaningful activities. So, where do I start? Let me walk you through the key steps the foundation: 1. Identify your ROLES What roles do you “play” in your life and what responsibilities do you have in those roles? Over a life time we get to be in so many roles. Even right now you are likely in several roles, for example: parent, employee, partner/spouse, friend, child, sibling, and/or neighbor. Start by bringing some clarity to the roles that are more central for you right now – your top 2-3 roles at this time. If it helps, you can check your calendar to see what seems to keep you most busy. For those top “roles”, list your key responsibilities. For example, two of my top roles right now are Mother and Personal Coach. As a Mother I consider myself (together with my husband) responsible for things like: feeding, clothing, educating, loving and transporting my children. As a Personal Coach, my responsibility toward my clients include; providing resources, tools, and powerful inquiries that support their increased self-awareness and their goals. 2. Set clear INTENTIONS For each of your roles, identify what would make you feel successful in this role - notsuccessful according to what others expect of you, but rather what feels successful for you personally. In each role, what would your ideal scenario look like? For me, “success” in my role as a Personal Coach looks something like this: my clients are clear about their values and uniqueness, they feel empowered to live their life in a way that feels truly fulfilling for them & they are finding balance between ambition and contentment. 3. Make CHOICES that serve your intentions On a daily and weekly basis, decide how you will spend your time – based on what will support your intentions in your key roles. Commit to what matters and manage expectations around other demands. You won’t get it “right” all the time. That’s OK. Give yourself a break. Reflect and learn from what happens. Reflect/Learn -> Plan -> Do -> Reflect/Learn -> Plan -> Do… “rinse and repeat”! Over time, as your intentions become clear for more roles and you learn to mindfully navigate through whatever gets in your way or pulls you off course, you’ll be way on your way toward having a schedule that “sparks joy”. Hugs, Ulrika |
AuthorAs a Holistic Time Management coach Ulrika reflects on ways to live our every day on purpose - with agility. Archives
June 2018
Categories
All
|