I totally hear you when it comes to trying to fit it all in with an overly busy schedule. There are dishes to wash, toilets to scrub, rooms to clean, and…oh yeah…kids to take care of. Sometimes I just don’t know if there are enough hours in a day to do everything I have to get done.
If I’ve learned anything as a military leader and teacher, it’s that planning is key. Time slips away too easily when there isn’t a plan. I know that PLAN is one of those four letter words. But it is the only way to make sure you fit everything in.
Creating plans should be a straightforward process, but it’s easy to get sidetracked thinking about all your current to-dos. You might be asking,
How do I have time to plan when I don’t even have time for what I have to do now. There’s no time to plan, even if it’s just for the next day.
So, how do you overcome these challenges???
The easiest way to create your plan is to start small.
Focus on only the next day or week. Is that something you can handle? Make sure you’ve downloaded the Mission Mindset Productivity Pack. Sign up in the sidebar or at the bottom of this post if you haven’t done this yet. It helps you determine your priorities and create a plan to make decisions.
It is truly amazing what you can accomplish when you’ve got your priorities in line. You can have so much more in your life. Check out this video describing Stephen Covey‘s “Big Rocks”.
[youtube id=”0VNmIxkyHd8″]
Now that you’ve checked out the video, let’s work on just this upcoming week. Go back to the calendar template and write down all your “Big Rocks” for the week. Then begin to add the smaller rocks. This template will become your guide. This is how you fit it all in.
If you’ve already got a handle on the big rocks and want to know how to make sure you still get all the small things done, focus on routines. Routines are just plans you carry out each day. They have been my lifesaver when it comes to being able to fit it all in.
[shareable cite=”Robby Miles”]PLAN is a four letter word, but it is the only way to make sure you fit everything in.[/shareable]
I can always tell when I haven’t been sticking to my routines. My house becomes a disaster…there are dirty dishes all around, floors that need to be swept, and just a general feeling of ickiness.
But when I stick to my routines, most of those things are taken care of. The house is clean, the kids know what to expect, and my mind is ready for whatever’s next.
Just this weekend, my wife and I started an experiment with our kids. We’ve been struggling with how to find time to connect with them since we are constantly battling the chores that come with having six people in a house. We took a few hours and sat down as a family to help the kids put together their ideal routines for morning, after school, and bedtime. Here is a picture of what they came up with.
These posters are now hanging in our hallway so the kids can reference it whenever they feel like they don’t know what to do next. Hopefully, these routines in conjunction with a new chore chart will help us get control over all the little things that pop up to distract us. The goal is to create more margin by focusing on what’s important FIRST.
[shareable cite=”Robby Miles”]Create more margin by focusing on what’s important FIRST[/shareable]
[reminder]What is one Big Rock you’ll focus on for the next week?[/reminder]
