November 14, 2018
Every evening when I get ready for bed, I check my calendar for the next day. I look to see what appointments I have lined up, when they are scheduled for and how long I guesstimate they will each take. Then I add in my to do lists.
The thing that I sometimes get stuck on is the timing. When should I do each task and how long will it realistically take?
On lighter days, I can be more flexible and go with the flow. But what about on those tighter days? The ones with seemingly no buffer time to spare; I am back to back with appointments and to do’s.
What’s the best way to tackle such a day? Sometimes the sight of so many things on my calendar overwhelms and actually freezes me instead of moving me into action! Not helpful.
So how do I pull out of the overwhelm? How do you pull out of the overwhelm?
People are fond of saying that the only way to get something done is to start from the beginning. However, on days like these, I actually like to start with the end in mind. The beginning is too overwhelming!
My day is like a puzzle. The object is to put all of the pieces in the right spot. If I try to force a piece in the wrong spot, not only doesn’t the piece fit properly, but it also messes up the order of every other piece in the puzzle. So it is crucial to find the right spot for each item. Otherwise I spend my day backpedaling and trying to re-organize my tasks.
So how do you start any jigsaw puzzle? First you view the final picture. What is this supposed to look like? Then you build the outside frame. You find the corners and then all of the end pieces until you have a complete puzzle border. Then you start grouping your puzzle pieces into categories based on their appearance; looking for common colors, patterns and shapes. Within each group you look for connections in order to piece them together. You repeat with each pile, then you try to connect all of the groups and finally you take all the connected groups and fit them in within your border.
Your day can work the same way. What are the cornerstones of your day? What things are most imperative for you? Maybe you said prayer, work, making dinner and exercise. Whatever your cornerstones are, they are nonnegotiable. Those are the pieces of your daily puzzle that do not move barring an emergency. They are also the pieces of your puzzle that frame the rest of your day. The key is figuring out the timing of those cornerstones, that is your border within which your day operates. Once you know the timing of your four cornerstones, you will then be able to see what is left of your day. You can then fill in the missing pieces of your to do lists.
On those flexible days you may get more done. On those tighter days, trying to force a piece in can not only backfire by not working, but you could also mess up the rest of your puzzle by trying to insert the wrong piece in the wrong place.
This process of working backwards and finding the right spot for each task helps us make our day more productive and efficient. However, to effectively do that we need a good vision of what we would like our everyday to look like.
Prioritizing our tasks and deciding what our cornerstones are is a totally different task. For that we use what is called a Wheel of Life.
If you would like to discover your cornerstones and how you can make the Wheel of Life work best for you, please join me on Sunday evening December 16, 2018 from 8:30-9:30 pm for a one hour teleconference call at the convenience and privacy of your own home over the phone, with the Wheel of Life Workshop! We will go over what a Wheel of Life is and how to construct one for yourself to make your everyday more meaningful and productive.
The cost of the workshop is $25/per person. The first five women to sign up by messaging me, emailing crdlcoaching@gmail.com or calling 2487836926 will receive an additional 30 minutes of coaching with me on how to make the most of their wheel! So send me a message and let’s get moving! #wheeloflife