I woke up this morning and decided to spend a few minutes getting back to basics. I pulled out a blank notebook and a piece of paper to write out my “to-do” list for the day. It’s not that I haven’t been keeping one, I have. But I seem to have lost my connection to it. I have things typed out, but I haven’t been planning my days. I am letting my environment dictate what I actually get done. I wait to see what everyone else’s schedule is and wait to see where my day takes me. So this morning I paused and took a moment to ask myself how that approach was working. Guess what? It wasn’t!
I noticed that by allowing my environment to drive my schedule, I wasn’t moving toward my goals. I was living by excuses instead of taking action. If my husband was working from home, that would become an excuse not to write or create content because he was a “distraction” to my process. I would allow other things to take up my time. I have still been getting tasks done, but the handful of important things that move me toward my goals have been easily bumped to the bottom of the list.
So I am trying a new approach. I have my notebook and I am going to put it next to my bed. When I wake up each morning I usually spend at least 30 minutes reading blog articles or content online. Now before I do that, I am going to see if I can take 5 minutes to write out what I am grateful for or looking forward to, who I plan to serve, what are 3 things that I need to do to move closer to my goals and then a list of everything else that HAS to get done that day. Then I will move those items to my calendar on my phone so I have time blocked off for each item.
I am not sure if this will work or not. It is a system that comes highly recommended by some very successful individuals, so it is worth a shot. Consistency is key. My environment is not consistent. I live with a husband and kids who don’t operate on my schedule. (Although it would be great if they did!) So, I have to do my best to create a system that works for me despite the inconsistencies in my environment. I know I would be super productive if I got to start my day off without any distractions and the first 2-3 hours of my day I was on my own. That isn’t going to happen. In fact, I am lucky to get an hour to myself each day at all. I am working to let go of my best case scenario and instead focus on what I can control. Finding ways to create effective systems in the chaos that is my life so I can feel successful no matter what circumstances I am facing.
It’s time to identify the excuses and let them go. Don’t allow these things to stand in the way of taking some action. I don’t have to conquer the world in a day, but I do need to be taking small steps each day in the right direction. I do believe that the small steps will add up and one day I will look back to see just how far I have actually come!