Time

the measured or measurable period during which an action, process, or condition exists or continues

Last year was a HUGE growth year for me both personally and professionally.

• I changed the focus of the website and worked to find my voice.
• My son started middle school. (You can see how I lost my ‘schtuff here.)
• I committed to working out not to reach a goal, but to become strong. (You can see what kind of stuff I do here.)
• I committed to decluttering my house and my mind – releasing items and emotional baggage.
• I fell back in “love” with my husband. (For those that have been married as long as me, we know there are times that it isn’t about love, it’s about commitment.)

And yet, with all of those accomplishments, I was still stressed out. Feeling pulled into too many directions, until I would give up and fall into exhaustion on the couch where I would binge watch a series (or seven), in order to refuel.

All the while, I would keep asking my husband,

“How do we slow this thing – our life – down? It’s out of control.”

His answer was always the same, “Cut some things out.”

And my reply would always be…

“What? Which things?”

Confession of a Type-A Gunner

My problem is that as a Type-A Gunner (defined as a go-getter who believes everything is a competition…even if that competition is only with herself), I want to do EVERYTHING.

• Book Club? YES. It is intellectual.
• PTA President? YES. I want to be involved in my kid’s education.
• Sunday School Helper. Yes. The LORD needs me in service.
• Make All My Cleaning Products From Scratch? Yes. It’s better for the environment.
• 1/2 Marathon? Sure. I’ve never done one and always have wanted to.

But even worse that WANTING to do everything…is THINKING you have TIME to do everything.

(Which is why my past words like INTENTIONAL and PRIORITY haven’t worked…I can’t filter so EVERYTHING becomes intentional or a priority.)

When I spent some time really diving into WHY I always felt overwhelmed and stressed out, it wasn’t because I couldn’t say no or feel guilty or didn’t think anyone could do it as good as me…it was because I underestimated the amount of TIME it would take out of my day to complete the activity.

But this year, I’m trying something different.

Time is My New Currency

I’m determined to treat my TIME like it is FREAKIN’ GOLD.

But, I needed to know exactly how much gold we are talking about…

So in January, I will be tracking my “time”. I’ll figure out how long it takes me to write a blog post, plan a PTA meeting, exercise, make dinner, have a night out with husband, etc.

Once that is complete, I will create “time blocks” for certain activities and plan my day/week/month according to those time blocks. What I love about this philosophy is that these are MY TIME BLOCKS. Not some super-suburbanite who can make Pinterest-Worthy cupcakes while running 12 miles and fundraising for the local pet shelter and is part vampire time blocks.

They are mine.

I define how “hard” or “slow” I want to go…all the while, ensuring my priorities (faith, husband, kids, business) are receiving adequate attention.

This will allow me to not feel left out about saying “no” to something…it isn’t because the merit of the activity isn’t good enough…it’s because I don’t have enough time.

Can I just tell you something?

This is the first year where I actually thought, “WAIT A MINUTE. This issue might actually get resolved this year.” Changing my mindset from an emotional yardstick to a practical one…is something I can get my brain (and my schedule) around.

Wish me luck! Here’s to a more peaceful and fulfilling 2016.

You can read my past “Words of Focus” – INTENTIONAL and PRIORITY.