I finally have a few moments to reflect on my life (being stuck in a car for 4 days will allot you that luxury if you feel like giving it a try sometime) and I’m taking inventory on where I’ve been and where I’m going. And it feels SO scary and SO exciting all at the same time.
Packing, planning for my career choices in another province, good-byes, organizing kids schedules cross country and So. Much. More. Details, tiny details that need to be worked out sooner than later to keep a naturopathic practice and family humming along without missing a beat.
It’s been a whirlwind these past couple of weeks. Life seems to be moving at full tilt, which to be honest, up until a few years ago, I kept trying to slow down. Everyone kept telling me to pull back and stop all the planning and organizing. That I was too busy.
But you know what? I realized something about myself. I like to plan and I LOVE to organize. I like to know the steps. After A comes B kinda planning. It brings comfort, safety and allows space in my mind for things that I want to be present for; playing with my kids, deep life conversations with my husband. And I can be in the moment, clear headed and focused because my energy isn’t being spent stressing over what the day looks like tomorrow. What are the kids taking for school lunches? Am I fully prepared for what my patients may need? What’s for dinner?
I’m sure you’ve been there. Where you want to focus on a priority activity (ie reading to your child before bed) but your mind is wandering, taking you away from being present in your life. It’s frustrating isn’t it?
Here’s my life hack for organization that helps me keep everything in the right column and allows me to come into my home after working all day and be fully present with those that hold my heart.
I take a few minutes as soon as my work day is done and jot ALL the things that need to happen tomorrow down on a piece of paper. It’s messy and to anyone else, would look like chaos on paper. But then the magic happens. I circle my top 3 priorities and schedule them into my calendar for tomorrow ASAP. The rest either get a slot of time that’s left, get set aside for another day, or aren’t really important and are trashed. This way, when I get home, I can fully be with my family and not worry that I’m unprepared for the next day {deep breath}
Now, don’t get me wrong. Life is not better because it’s planned (I’ll save that for another post), but it sure does run smoother with a bit of foresight and that just feels SO DAMN GOOD.
How do you create organization in your week so that your top priorities get the attention they deserve?