The struggle is real
Wow, that sounds like it should be the subtitle of a book about something ripped from the headlines of the news. But it is not. The struggle is much more simple, local and for me very personal. The struggle is to define space in my life for all of the requirements, projects, activities and “burning fires” of my life.
If I can speak frankly there are seasons where every detail is well organzied, fine tuned, and completely is a zen like orchestrated ballet. And then there are times when everything spins out of control, or at least feels like that.
Reading through the web it is clear that this struggle is one common to everyone. Finding the balance of work, business, recreation, family, faith and all of the sudden and unexpected demands is rewarding and challenging. Are you relating to this? Do you struggle to find the place for every area of life, striving for a sense of equilibrium that does not kill you in the process? Here are a few tips i found on the web which might help with the process:
- Buy a daily planner, and input all of those “events and tasks” on the calander. Some experts recommend developing a habit of spending at least 15 minutes every day reviewing the demands of the day, prioritizing them, and working at your list throughout the day.
- Sit down for a small block of time to look at your month ahead, prioritizing what is expected of you. Advanced planning helps to structure the time more efficiently, acting as a guide for keeping you on point for the expectations. – in our case we also are working on developing a production schedule so that we can know when to push on the energy to prepare for market demands.
- Realistically build in down time. If you dont schedule it, it often does not happen. One of the influencers in my life, Jeff Goins, advocates planned absences from your enterprneurial work just to allow your creative talents a respite. We all need time away from work, even if it is the passion of our life.
- Quarterly assessment – nothing laborious… just take time to review the last quarter and ask a few hard questions:
- What worked well? Why do you think it worked well?
- What derailed you from your schedule, plan, organization?
- Are there ways of controlling distractions?
- How can improvement of time management occur?
- Yearly review – Just like the quarterly review, ask questions of the year, and allow some of these answers influence planning for the coming year.
How can you keep yourself on task? Work hard at keeping to the calender…. keeping good account of the activities and demands, and putting time into prioritizing your life. Be sure to leave room for down time to renew and prepare you for the next thing.
Yes, the struggle is real, but with tools and a plan it can be minimized.