In January…
I set a goal to be more intentional with my time because I felt like years had passed. You know the feeling where time creeps by, but then you wake up and say, “is it November already??”
I had every intention of making my time more purposeful and meaningful *spoiler alert *This will be my goal for next year too.
Sound familiar? We start the new year with our resolutions *intentions* in mind, only to get wrapped up in the chaos of life.
And if you’re like me, you can’t help kicking yourself for giving up.
Being Intentional with your time means:
- Slowing down
- Finding what you want in life
- Making changes
- Treating yourself with grace and kindness
Things were going great in January. So, I purchased My Next 90 Days Savor Beauty Planner, to plan and organize my time.
February was great too. Work was picking up, and I had a lot on my mind. I was making decisions about my career and planning my next steps.
Then it happened:
- I resigned from my job in March
- I went house hunting in April
- Said goodbye and prepared to move in May
- Officially Moved in June
- I started a new job in July
- I started school again in August
All while starting my online business and spending all my money on major housing repairs.
And who knew how hard it would be to find places to put all your stuff!
OPPS! It happened again…the year got away from me before I knew it.
It’s November now.
And when the dust settled, I said to myself, “I did A LOT.” I had run through some significant milestones, despite not keeping up with my new planner.
I scribbled a list of everything I went through this year, which helped me put things into perspective. Why was I criticizing myself so much?
In the chaos it felt like I did not do what I set out to do (keep a planner), but I took steps to change the direction of my life…and change is messy, non-linear, unpredictable, and takes time.
I started going after the things that mattered while letting go of those which did not serve me.
Here is what I learned about the process.
1) Be aware of the changes you want to make.
Life is too busy…but when you do get some time to slow down…stop and think.
“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”
Annie Dillard
Picture what you want your life to be like. How will you get there?
Are you spending your time in ways that serve you or simply fulfilling obligations, or worse, performing someone else’s ideas of who you should be?
It is easy to walk down the path laid out before you, but it is hard to stop and ask yourself, “Is this really what I want?”
I’ve spent years working to prove myself valuable and capable. Overcoming challenges to realize that I can do anything and be good at it, but what do I truly want?
Don’t do something because you can, think you should, or because someone else tells you to.
Knowing how you spend your time can give you insight into where you want meaningful changes to take place.
2) Take steps towards making those changes.
The change process is like putting together a puzzle. The picture won’t reveal itself with the snap of your fingers, but you can start one step at a time by building the frame and organizing like pieces.
You may still have to find some pieces to build the picture.
It’s time to get out your journal and write! Where are you now? Where do you want to be?
Have an honest conversation with yourself.
What will it take to get there? Write down all those little steps to close the gap between where you are now and where you want to be.
Is anything holding you back?
Set goals and intentions. What is one small step you can take now to close that gap?
For me, I needed to make changes to my career and lifestyle. My goal was to stop proving that I could do my job and pursue my writing.
It was hard to make that decision, and I had good things going for me, people who believed in me and supported me. My Superintendent told me I could be a Superintendent someday, if I wanted to. He wanted me to stay.
I am still shocked and surprised that I made that big of an impact on him. Part of me wanted to stay and pursue that career. But the other part of me couldn’t risk not knowing what could happen if I followed something else.
I needed life to slow down.
Creating change in your life can be challenging and emotional. It takes time, but great things will happen if you work on each area of your life a little at a time.
3) Give yourself grace and kindness.
When you are amid chaos, when all the pieces are scattered, it can be hard to see the picture emerging.
This year, I spiraled through so many changes and was too hard on myself. So when I took a step back and looked at this year as a whole, I allowed myself to slow down and celebrate my progress. As you work on each section of your puzzle, a picture emerges and puts change into perspective.
Offer yourself warmth and acceptance. Be brave enough to make hard decisions and intentionally do the things that serve you.
In November…
I am still working on moving in a different direction and being intentional with my time. I bought another 90 Day Planner to help me stay on track, although I need to consistently keep up with it.
It’s just my personality. I prefer a good old fashion notebook and pen to help me make my to-do lists and record my thoughts.
The planner did not change my life, but if you like a lot of structure, sketching, and pretty colorful lists, it may change your life. I even bought colored pens; my entries look nothing like Savor Beauty’s website and Instagram!
This planner is really neat, and it is worth checking out!
If you get it, let me know if it changes your life!
Keep this list in mind when you start your journey.
Being intentional with your time means:
- recognizing what you want
- making changes to get there
- looking at the big picture
- being kind to yourself
- celebrating your success
Being intentional with your time does not mean you need to record every little detail in a planner (unless that is you and how you roll), but check in with yourself and journal journal journal!
When self-criticism comes to kick you:
- Take a step back from the chaos
- Look at the bigger picture
- Write down what you’ve done already
- Give yourself grace and
- Rest before continuing your journey
