It has been a heck of a time in our house for these last two weeks with everything seemingly in a perfect storm of flux.
As the saying goes, life isn’t about learning to wait til the storm passed but rather how to dance in the rain. These past two weeks have been full of new dance steps, learning hard and fast about what works and what doesn’t during this time of intense change.
All within a two week span, we came back from a month of travel, welcomed an au-pair into our home, had the kids start at a new school with a new routine and new traditions, and then took on three 6-week-old foster puppies.
With all the changes in our house, and us still trying to figure out what the new baseline will be, there came a point where I hit the wall.
Everyday felt chaotic and full of surprises. There was a mad rush one morning to find our daughter’s her new panda hair-clips she got as a gift from our au pair. The puppies were constantly growing, changing, and learning new skills… like how to climb stairs. The kids wanted to switch transportation modes to school daily. Not to mention the slow trod uphill through emails about work and kids activities we needed to sign up for.
In the craziness of trying to be superdad, I stopped paying attention to my own needs and being realistic with my own time.
Knowing your limits and articulating your needs can be difficult.
I fell back on my old daily journaling habits to help me through what I was experiencing. My method is not unique, but it is simple and I want to share it with you because it works.
Here are the three things I do to help me, and now you can do them too:
1. Prioritize your objectives
When you wake up, take a look through your calendar. Pick your top 3 most important goals for that day. These goals are things that will leave you feeling fulfilled and energized by day’s end.
Determine the most efficient order to get your tasks done in. Work smarter, not harder by arranging your day to work for you.
Be realistic with your time, and how long each item will take. Build in time buffers for bio breaks, rest, and unforeseen circumstances.
2. Observe your use of energy and time
During the day, keep notes about what took more or less time or energy than expected. Did you leave the house at a good time or did you hit traffic? Did the boss drop some last-minute project on your desk? Did the meeting with your client leave you feeling drained or ready to bounce back?
3. Reflect on what you saw
At the end of the day, look back and see what part of your plan worked, what didn’t, and how it could be adjusted to better set yourself up for the next day.
With lots of moving parts, it can be easy to get swept up in the mix.
By sticking to these steps, you can handle whatever life throws you with ease.
Take the first step in setting yourself up for success.
This method works so well, we made a downloadable PDF called Plan – Execute – Reflect.
Use it everyday to give yourself more time, more energy and less hassle.