Below is a post by Dr. Sheila Cornea on getting your life back. She is a leadership coach for ladies. As an author and speaker, her mission is to empower leaders to thrive with ease and enjoyment. Sheila offers free courses, coaching and community for ladies who lead at www.gutsygraceleaders.com/community.
[dropcap]D[/dropcap]o you ever feel like an octopus with amputated arms? You think you should be able to handle more, but you know you don’t have what is necessary to juggle all the tasks?
Work captivates our minds, while life captures our hearts, and the search for balance compels us attend to both the best that we can. So, we find ourselves juggling, or at least trying to do so. But balance isn’t as much about keeping the machine going as it is about experiencing and enjoying work and life well.
The ironic thing about multi-tasking most of the time is that we rarely fully engage our attention in life and work. But living well means taking charge of each day and living intentionally. The five habits below are easy to implement, will cost you nothing, but will help you get your life back.
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Use a real clock
If you are tech savvy, you probably use your phone or tablet for many of your small appliances like your camera, calculator or clock. Sure, it’s handy, but it can also be an invisible interference to using your time well too. Think about it, when you use your phone as an alarm clock, it becomes the very first thing you grab in the morning…and let’s be honest, most of us aren’t disciplined enough to turn it off and move on with our day. Instead we dive right into email or social scrolling.
If you want to be intentional about your time, then try this: Use a real, old-fashioned alarm clock instead of your phone. Also, don’t charge your phone at bedside. Instead move your charging station out of arms reach, or better yet, into another room. When you awaken, turn off your alarm and spend the first few moments of your day reflecting on your intentions or gratitude for the day ahead, or maybe even snuggle a little longer with the one you love.
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Go silent
You’ve probably (hopefully) already developed the habit of turning your phone to vibrate during meetings, dinners, or while you’re working on important projects. Vibrate isn’t good enough though. It still tempts you with its exhilarating, beckoning buzz. You have to go silent if you really want to limit distractions from technology.
If you want to get more done, better and faster, then don’t just stop at silencing your phone. You can also mute all of your notifications and pop-ups while working on your computer. Focusing on the task at hand without distractions not only saves you time, but optimizes the quality of your work.
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Set a timer
Using a timer to set blocks of focused energy increases your ability to “get stuff done.” Think of it as the difference in doing sprints versus long-distance running. Most of us have a tendency to procrastinate when we have an overwhelming or uninteresting project to complete. Procrastination often shows up as faux productivity such as scrolling in social media, needless list making, or reorganizing your workspace…again. But avoidance busyness (procrastination) is a productivity killer that blocking time can cure.
To sprint out your work, set a timer for the amount of time you think the task should take you, but no more than 50 minutes. Work like crazy until the timer dings – no social media, no phone checking, no impromptu chats, just your sprint work. When your time is up, set your timer again for 10-15 minutes to do whatever makes you happy, relaxed or energized, according to what your body and mind needs in the moment. Then, back to the next sprint!
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Write a note
A real, tangible, paper note still conveys something special. We all love to receive a wrapped gift of words whether it expresses thanks, sympathy or just a sentiment of kindness. A written note not only expresses to someone that you took time and effort to connect with them, but it slows you down to appreciate the moment as well. Sure, you could send a text or email, but it would likely be done with brevity and haste.
If you take a moment to show gratitude or care for someone with a personally written note each week, it will deepen your appreciation for them, and them for you.
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Raise your gaze
Eye-to-eye conversation expresses what words cannot. A text delivers a message that can be received in a variety of tones or interpretations by the reader, but a gaze conveys the soft skills that a screen can’t share such as interest, warmth, concern or joy. Heart-to-heart conversation happens best when eye-to-eye contact is made.
Sometimes you need to just put the phone down, close the laptop, and engage in a real conversation with no distractions. Being effective doesn’t only mean getting the most done in the quickest amount of time. Often the depth of discussion or deepening of relationship can give you a much better return on your investment than any app can deliver.
Making Life Work,
Sheila
Learn learn more about getting your life back along with other topics visit Sheila’s website here:
