OMG! When will things get organized around here? Why is there so much clutter? Why can’t I seem to find time to get to the gym? Why does it always seem like I’m cleaning the house? Why don’t I ever have time to make a great tasting healthy meal? How did I spend so much time on social media?
Do any of these exclamations seem familiar? Have you made these exclamations too? I think we all have at some point. As a healthy lifestyle coach who helps ladies kick stress while creating a body and lifestyle they love I am often hearing about how they don’t have a lot of time for themselves and wish that they could have an additional 1-5 hours in the day (haha). When we look at their schedules and I begin sharing my strategies about how we can create more time for the things we enjoy their whole disposition changes. Their tight shoulders drop into a more relaxed state, their eyes light up, and they let out a sigh of relief. This relaxed feeling is usually the beginning of an amazing transformation if they begin to take steps to re-prioritize how they spend their day and begin to add more things that they enjoy.
In my previous blog article I discussed how self-care enhances our core life purpose and also shared an interview I conducted with a lady named Lenora who was previously a workaholic and balances new mom life with taking care of her needs as well. Whether you are currently a mom, will be a mom in the future, or know of a mom most of us can agree that moms are generally viewed as the nurturers of the family. I find that many moms also feel like they are the ones who organize the families’ activities. For some of them this leads to burnout if they also have to juggle being an employee of a stressful organization that demands a lot of their time. Time and energy management is the key to adding consistent self-care to our daily routines.
Strategies We Can Implement Today
Today I’m going to share just two strategies that have worked for me to get a handle on my time. You’ll be able to learn the rest of these strategies in my self-paced 21-Day Stress Reboot online course if you’ve been stuck feeling overwhelmed and frustrated with not having enough hours in the day to do everything you would like to do. Take out a pen and jot these down real quick.
First, I walk around my house on at least a quarterly basis and begin to remove things that I’ve purchased that I no longer use or want around the house. This can seem difficult to do because many of us are attached to our items. However, I’ve noticed that once I get rid of those things I don’t even miss them much at all! For example, one day I dumped all of my old cd’s that I no longer listen to into a garbage bag, thinking I was going to miss them because I LOVE music. I’ve probably only thought about them twice. One of those times is right now as I’m typing this article (haha). The reason why I do this practice is because I find that the less stuff I own the less I have to clean and organize. I also feel better mentally because when things are tidy around me I can think more clearly. I’m still working on being consistent with this though. I definitely create mountains of mess on the bedroom floor or kitchen counter at times. But because I’ve embraced this de-clutttering philosophy my space doesn’t stay untidy for long. When you decide to take the self-paced 21-Day Stress Reboot online course I’ll introduce you to a community of amazing, like-minded people I joined so that I can keep hearing inspiring stories from people who have also adopted this concept.
Another strategy I’ve learned over the years is to delegate certain tasks to other people. There are some things that I know how to do but choose not to do because I prefer to spend my time in areas that allow me to flourish. For example, I’m not someone who enjoys many technical aspects of my business. I feel like it drains my energy and takes away from the energy I could be expending doing something that would serve more people. So, even though I CAN do it I prefer to find someone else who would actually enjoy it. This allows both of us to operate in our gifts and is a much better use of time. I have no desire to be superwoman and operate with 8 octopus arms (haha). So, I’ve learned that this an effective an efficient way to share my gifts and feel more fulfilled.
Sometimes we feel alone and feel like we have to do everything even when we do give ourselves “me-time” and have learned strategies to re-organize our time. There are so many ways to organize our time and bring more joy and meaning to our lives. What ideas do you have? I’d love for you to share them in the comments section below so that we can learn from you too! Since many of us live in a fast paced culture it’s important that we all learn how to best navigate and thrive in it so that we can flourish into our best selves. You’ll soon discover that life can be more peaceful once we adopt counter-cultural ways of living for ourselves and our families!
Thanks for reading!
I’d love for you to join my encouraging Nutrition 4 Busy Women Facebook group if you’d like to learn or share new tips like those mentioned from other purpose-driven ladies who also want to minimize stress and overwhelm in their lives. Don’t forget to share this article with family and friends who are also sometimes caught up in similar struggles. We ALL deserve the BEST! Let’s be open-minded and not limit ourselves!
To Our Health & Happiness,
Ebonie
xoxo
I struggle with delegating tasks to other people. I was one of those “if you want something done the way you want it, do it yourself” people. Having my second child has really forced me to sit back and allow others to do things without micromanaging them.