Someone asked me the other day if I sleep?  Perhaps the notion that I’ve just added a blog to my routine of career, family, sometimes travel and of course SELF CARE, one might get confused as to when I might squeeze in some shut eye.  Not to mention, this time of year life can feel hectic and tasks can seem especially daunting. To answer the question, yes- I do sleep.  I usually crash into my pillow with intense exhaustion and I close my eyes knowing I slayed the day while violating every minute of it except when I take first few sips of coffee- it’s the only part of my day that time doesn’t matter.

One of my peeves is time wasting. I truly believe time is a gift. Whenever I find myself in a “time wasting” state of affairs I feel agitated and edgy. Over the years I have figured out some triggers. While some are inevitable with little control, many are totally avoidable if I’m armed with a good list, organized calendar and my favourite -Excel.  Those unassuming teeny rectangles may be a bore to some but I swear I live my life in CTRL+ALT+V ( paste value only ) & CTRL +F( find )  .Think about it- these excel formulas are totally literal and apply to real life no?

Years ago I planned a best friend’s wedding shower. For a smooth afternoon, I listed all the actionable items in chronological order plus who was responsible for each item on my nifty spreadsheet. I will never forget the hardcore laughter  ( like not breathing laughing) when they got to the line that read “Quiet Tidy”  Please quietly tidy cups etc up while Samantha opens her gifts. Like hello Farah? Did you actually schedule that in? Yes, friends, yes I did, otherwise you’d all be boozing it up it up in a corner (they did that anyways, but before, during and after Quiet Tidy time). Lame, but totally effective.

So where am I going with all this excel, quiet tidy talk. This is what works for ME. I use pen and paper sometimes, spreadsheets for special projects and always my Google Calendar and Tasks to also keep me on track. But the tool is not necessarily what defines that “yes, success” moment. I truly believe there is a method to crafting your accomplishments, managing your time and how successful you can be at it all.  This is how I’ve been managing life including the day to day plus the stuff that adds up over time to big wins. Here it goes…

Is your list balanced? A list of medial reoccurring tasks is fine.  The stuff like laundry, groceries, dishes and responding to emails will always be there and will always need attention. Although they are urgent tasks, the generally do not bring a ton of fulfillment. Crossing them off my list is the most fulfillment I get from them. Be sure to add a goody to the list- something on a grander scale that will bring a real sense of accomplishment to your day. Go big here. This is the one thing on your list that will give you the most satisfaction and will fuel you to get through the less exciting stuff.

What time is it Mr. Wolf? When are you at your best to get ISH done?  Look at your day in blocks. For example, I’m in a creative and energy deficit between 3pm and 7pm.  This is not the time I can work on anything important (ME). Tasks that don’t require thought or exert too much effort go here, the more urgent and far less important such as emails, social media check in, dishes etc.  Now, when my house is quiet, mainly late nights or early mornings I feel like a creative problem solving genius- THIS IS WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS. All things IMPORTANT get scheduled in this stretch.

Be realistic.  My hubby is the To Do list king. He can bang out a list and hit the ground running before most have had their first sip of java. Usually, it’s me trying to sip while he’s telling me what he has planned. I silently nod because I know there is NO WAY he’s getting it ALL done. Like most people, my hubby underestimates the amount of time it actually takes to complete a task from beginning to end. Let’s use groceries for example. How long does that take? One hour? Let’s add the travel to and from the store, doing the actual groceries, loading into the car, then unloading and unpacking and putting them away. From start to finish for me it is about 2.5 hrs- and that’s with one stop only.  How long does each item on your list actually require? Be sure to devote accordingly so your list is realistic, or else you may spend your time doing all the medial stuff and run out of time for the important stuff (YOU).

Sleep.  When I am rested I have momentum. I find myself flying through the grind and grooving in my magic oasis. Otherwise, it can be too many long daunting stares and time lost on trying to remember what I was actually doing before I was so easily distracted. So to my earlier point, yes I do sleep and you should too.

Do nothing. Once and a while do absolutely nothing. The caveat is to plan for it and schedule it in ahead of time if you can, if not, totally fine on an impromptu basis if your mind and body needs it.  Take a time out and plan to do nothing except for whatever brings you pure joy and recharge. I have gotten better at doing this and I know as my girls grow older and become less dependent on mama more of these days will absolutely be scheduled in.

So it’s Sunday morning and I’m heading out tomorrow on an early morning flight to NYC. The list is jammed with urgent’s and of course a couple important’s  (30 minutes of cycling and some photography). What’s your Sunday looking like? What important today?

This one is dedicated to my To Do List King

Keep on.

xo