Two Exercises for Life Balance and Time Management
Earlier this year on the blog, I shared an exercise for balance.
EXERCISE 1
Take 5-10 minutes for yourself at this very moment. Draw a vertical line down the middle of a blank page.
On the left side, make a list of things you do that make you happy. On the right side, make a list of things you do every day. Compare your lists. Adjust accordingly.
Have you tried the exercise? How did it go for you?
I keep my list of things that make me happy on a dry erase board hung up in my home office. This location is a helpful visual, as it's easy for me to take on new tasks and fill up my time doing something for someone else or occupying it with some form of work. Do you do this too?
The list is a reminder to keep things balanced and to be intentional about making time to do the things that bring forth joy.
The quote- "You can't pour from an empty cup"comes to mind.
On the other board in my home office is another exercise that I want to share with you today.
The exercise is an inventory of how time is spent. Where does your hard work and efforts go?
The exercise:
EXERCISE 2
Take 5-10 minutes for yourself at this very moment. Draw a horizontalline down the middle of a blank page.
On the top half of the page, write down all your current roles across the page, one beside the other.This includes all your paid jobs, volunteer roles, committees, subcommittees, etc.
Now, think about where all of your time and efforts currently go in each of these roles. Below each role, write an approximate percentage of time/efforts you spend in each role. If you're a Type A personality like me, you might wish to write the roles in one color ink or marker, and percentages in another. The percentage total for all roles combined should equal out to 100%.
On the bottom half of the page, write down the roles you wish to continue and list the new roles you wish to have.
Below each role, write down the percentages you wish to dedicate to each. How do you wish to divvie your 100% of energies?
*Draw a pie graph along with it for extra credit if you wish ;).
Now, get to work and look forward to the fun part!
Fun part:adjusting those percentages accordingly as you start making some changes.
Results: Being intentional about the time you allot towards the things you are passionate about and how you wish to spend your time.
Are you going to try the exercise? Tell me about it! Shoot me an email or message on FB or IG! I can't wait to hear what your experience is like with either or both of these exercises.
Optional Reflection Questions:
Are you currently able to fulfill all of your current roles effectively?
What changes would you need to make to make time for yourself for the things you'd like to do?
How do you self-care?
Lastly, if I can help you with any of these, shoot me a message.
Much love today and always,
