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Script is below if you would rather read the information than watch the video.
As of late I have been receiving questions on how do I balance everything that I do. I run my own business, Director or Operations for another business, conduct group fitness programs, volunteer in the community when I can, am a mom, and more. So how do I do it all, and still find time for self-care?
Well….
1. I LOVE what I do. What I do, or participate in doesn't feel like work to me. I am living in my purpose, and I don't use that as a cliche. I truly am living my purpose, and living in that purpose, and knowing I am living in my purpose gives me the energy and motivation to do everything I do.
Secondly,
2. I PLAN. I plan what I do professionally and personally. My calendar is my friend, but it's more than just my calendar that keeps me on task. So what does planning look like for me? Well, I take the last 2 weeks of the year off as a time of self-reflection. I do not work for myself, or anyone else. I review the goals I had defined for the year to determine how I did. For any goals I missed, or deferred, I will reflect on why. For the goals that I met I celebrate them and appreciate what it took to achieve them. I then work on what I want to do for the upcoming year. I am very intentional on how I goal set, so I set myself up for success.
Third,
3. I PRIORITIZE. I take a moment to prioritize those goals I have identified. Once I have outlined what I want to accomplish during the year I take 1 weekend a month to sit down and prioritize, and plan, my marketing calendar for my business for the upcoming month as one example. Sometimes I plan more than that on the marketing calendar if I know there are things coming up that I have to prepare for. I also shift priorities as well, because as a business owner you never know when opportunities will come knocking at your door you want to take advantage of, so I adapt as those opportunities come. The key is to be adaptable, flexible and strategic when you prioritize.
Next,
4. I TRACK all my tasks in Microsoft To Do as a way for me to keep up with my tasks daily, weekly and monthly. I give my tasks due dates that are realistic. I also balance how many tasks I can do at one time. For example, there are tasks that I can get done quickly and then there are tasks that will take more time. I am realistic on identifying how long a task will take and IF I can add additional tasks to be due at that same time or not. Now the thing about tracking.....tracking only works if you actually consistently open the application, or look at the tool, for which you are tracking your tasks. You can't blame the tracking application, or mechanism, for not doing its job if you are not consistently using it.
Next,
5. I have people who hold me ACCOUNTABLE. I started a mastermind group in 2016 that is focused on minority entrepreneurs supporting each other to achieve their business goals. I had no clue how this group was going to push me to get things done when I created it. We identify our goals and we hold each other to complete them. We meet twice a month and one of those meetings is to do a goal roll call and discuss wins and challenges, and the other meeting is to pour knowledge into each other by what life is teaching us, what we have learned as we run our business, and what we have learned through professional and personal training. This type of of accountability keeps us on task and we don't bite off more than we chew. Accountability is your friend in many different ways.
Finally,
6. You must also have CONSISTENCY and BALANCE when you are managing your time. The planning, prioritizing, and loving what you do sets you up with a strong foundation, but now you have to build on that foundation and you have to do it with consistency and balance. Consistency tends to be one of the hardest principles people have challenges with. Think about it, you decide you want to focus on your wellness, so you decide you are going to hit the gym 5 days a week. You start off strong for the first month, but then you allow other distractions, or priorities, to overshadow working out, and then you go from 5 days, to 3 days, to 0 days, and you get back into that rut of not working out. I have had this situation so I know what that feels like. I realized that when I manage my time with balance and then I am consistent on how I approach my time I have been EXTREMELY more successful.
So in summary, it is POSSIBLE to do the things you want to do.
First identify what you want to do and make sure it's truly what you enjoy doing as much as possible.
Take a moment to sit down and plan.
Once you have that plan identify your goals and prioritize them.
Have some way to track your goals and tasks.
Make sure you have accountability to yourself and someone else holding you accountable.
Finally be consistent and have balance in all you do.
Also, don't beat yourself up if you don't achieve a goal or a task. Reflect on why you didn't achieve the goal or a task, reassess, reprioritize and go forth and conquer.
SENSAI TIP (which if this first time you are listening, or reading one of my blog posts is where I weave in martial arts to bring forth concepts).
Now, in order to be ready to defend myself effectively, I didn't just walk into the Dojo (the training ground) and automatically know all the techniques to effectively defend myself. It took time. It took a plan. It took about 7 years for me to achieve my first black belt. There was a plan outlined on what it takes to get from belt level to belt level. There are goals you achieve in each class. You have other students and black belts holding your accountable to the tenets and ensuring you are learning the techniques and skills appropriately. There is a consistency of attending classes needed, and a balance of learning new skills based on your own individual capabilities that are taken into account to help you achieve those goals. But, though you have all the tools at your disposal, its up to YOU to be consistent. It's up to YOU to show up! It's up to YOU to be put in the work. And once you do that, the reward is more than just a new belt, or maybe a title. The reward is that you know more NOW than you did when you STARTED, and you are gaining more and more skills to defend yourself if you have to. In addition, you have others looking up to you and learning from you. You are motivating, inspiring and encouraging others. So the same concepts can be applied to managing the things you want to accomplish in life.
I hope these tips have provided some insight on how I manage my time, but also how you can mange yours successfully as well.
Until next time,
This is the BA Martial Artist Signing Off! 🥋
P.S. Please share your comments here on the blog or on the video.
P.S.S ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO HIGHLIGHT:
Online Courses
The Kihon of Interview Preparation and Execution™ - an online study course to provide guidance, resources, templates and tips to prepare and effectively execute and interview. You can find out more here.
The Waza of Resume Preparation and Creation™ - an online study course to provide guidance on how to prepare and create a resume to effectively market your skills to get you noticed. It's more than just creating the resume and you can find our more about the course here.
The Waza of Career Preparation and Development™ Program - LOOKING FOR A CHANGE? if you are looking to make a career shift, or you just want to be prepared for when that next opportunity crosses your path, then sign up here to be informed the next time this program is offered. This program is only offered 1 time a year currently.
Templates
Goal Setting Template Bundle - HOW ARE THOSE GOALS COMING??? A great bundle set to identify, write, organize, categorize, prioritize and measure your goals. It's never too late to set goals! To find out more about this bundle click here.
Membership Programs
Accountability Membership Program (AMP) - SPACE IS LIMITED!!! if you have defined your goals, or need help defining your goals and need someone to hold you accountable. I have got the program for you. I created the AMP to help individuals reach their goals. Most successful people are successful because they had help on that path to success. To find out more about this program click here.
Coaching Membership Program (CMP) - SPACE IS LIMITED!!! Are you on a project where you need additional support and guidance to deliver on that project? Are you a business analyst, project manager, or leader who would love some 1:1 coaching, but also have an online community where you can glean wisdom from others? Or maybe you may want more guidance in life and determine your life purpose. Then this program is for you. I created this program to provide 1:1 coaching for individuals who needed that 1:1 time to sharpen their skills, ask questions, and have a listening ear while doing work, or navigating through life. To find out more about this program click here.
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