Decidedly Beautiful

I recently crashed and burned. Yes! I mean CRASH and BURN girl! I felt so alone and desperate, and I was certain I would not rise again. But for sure, I am certain I am not only a survivor. I am a CHAMPION and no matter how much time I fall, I will always find a way to rise again. Because I am a CHAMPION!

At the end of my self-pitying episode, I realized I had to be doing something wrong. For one thing, I realized that I was not adequately managing my SELF. Yes, I said self because believe it or not, no one can manage time. We can manage how we use our time, what we choose to do, and the people we choose to share our ‘time’ with. But the long and short is that time doesn’t belong to anyone. Neither is it reclaimable.

I found myself in a predicament because I discovered, sadly, I was giving away myself and energy to ‘vampires’ who just take, take and take. Daily, there was so much to do yet I wasn’t accomplishing or completing anything. I know there had to be a better way and that it was crucial for me to find effective ways to manage myself so that I may be able to accomplish those goals that I have written all over in notebooks, the dreams that haunt me at night and the obligations that I had to fulfill. After taking inventory of the people in my life, the things I am obligated to do and myself, I was able to come up with 5 easy steps that I use almost daily to manage myself. Keep reading and hopefully you too can find some benefit in these easy steps.

1. There’s that infamous Benjamin Franklin quote “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail”. 

Tip number one. You must have a plan in anything you do. Everything is made up of roadmaps and steps to follow. Everything from recipes to education and even your career.

So, it goes without saying, you must plan your day.  Executing a plan provides a clear outline of the things you need and must do. If/When done correctly this plan should clearly define 1-3 actions steps that are priority tasks. In furtherance, by preparing this plan nightly, you wake up daily with clear intentions of what you will accomplish by the time you retire the next evening,

In addition, by writing down your plans and intentions you can go about your day completing and marking off each task one after the other. This creates a way for you to review your progress, build momentum and creates small wins in your subconscious.

However, when necessary be flexible when writing out your plans. Life is unexpected many times but there’s also the issue of becoming overwhelmed by trying to do too much. Remember:

• Create flexibility in your plan. Be aware of your obligations and do not cram too many things on your daily plan. Leave time for other important things like family, friends and other self-care activities.
• Identify 1-3 items that are of the utmost importance for the day and begin by seeing those items through. Thereafter, you may see to marking off the other items on your list. Do not worry if you do not mark off every single item daily.
• Create your plan in advance. I prefer to create my plans the night before, while settling in for bed. Others prefer to create their plans once weekly, usually on the weekend. Do what works best for you.
• Be realistic with your planning. You can’t plan lunch with a friend you didn’t offer a prior invitation.

2. Accept the help others offer. Or ask for it. I know everyone has heard the adage “it takes a village to raise a child”. Well like that well known saying, it takes other people – supporters, cheerleaders, mentors/coaches, well-wishers, family, friends, associates, siblings, spouses etc. – to help get you where you need to be.

To be honest, I am still learning to accept that I can’t do everything myself. I’ve had to swallow both my pride and ego and reach out to others for help.

3. Tap into your resources. That includes ‘using’ people for what they can do for you, for their talents or simply because they offered their help.

When I first started this blog, I didn’t think I could figure it out on my own, so I reached out to an ex-teacher. This experience was very humbling for me because I had to admit that I couldn’t do everything on my own.  In the end, she offered me many resources which helped to get me up and running in my endeavors.

Tap into the skills of others and use their skills when you can. You will save time to use in those areas that requires your time and specific skills. I know some of you may be thinking “so what if I have no one to tap into their resources or skillset?” The truth is, although you don’t think you have people whom you can ask for help, if you are determined enough to accomplish anything, you will find a way. So, know this, although people are a very important resource tool, it is not your only option.

When I started on my weight loss and lifestyle change journey, I pulled up every resource I could find on the internet. It is time consuming yes, but there is plenty of free information on the internet. I tried talking to people who I knew were into fitness for tips. One person straight up told me to my face “do your research, go on YouTube” without offering anything (free info I’m certain they too were able to find on the internet also). So, I went to YouTube. I watched videos, read articles and research and then I put what I learned into action. There is a world of resources available to each one of us to learn anything we desire: the internet, libraries, meetup groups, LinkedIn, and seminars are just a few of my favorites.

4. Take time to decompress and regroup. This includes activities such as adequate sleep, exercise, meditating, breathing exercises and simple self-care habits. Whatever it takes to decompress, take time out of your busy schedule to do so. It is even more important to schedule that time daily, even if it’s only 15 minutes.

5. Sometimes we get so caught up in life we forget to schedule time to just enjoy life and have fun, create memories. Schedule vacations, outings or whatever brings you some joy and excitement. You deserve it and it will provide an incentive for the times you have to dedicate to the mundane tasks and rigors of life.

It’s often said that 24 hours in a day is a lot. Yet to many people who don’t manage their time effectively, 24 hours goes by terribly fast. However, the 5 straight forward tips found in this article may offer some benefit, especially when you realize you have just been wasting your precious time.

We all have obligations but under no circumstance should we become so overwhelmed by time constraints that we crash and burn.

How do you manage your day? Please leave your comments below as it may be better suited for someone else.