Recently, I鈥檝e been indulging in a good whine. And I don鈥檛 mean the bottled variety that comes with a cork, but the 鈥淲oe is me, life is so busy, how will I ever get everything done?鈥� kind of whine.
Someone casually asks, 鈥淗ow are you?鈥� and my complaints cascade out before they can reel their question back in.
Really, though, what do I have to complain about? Yes, there鈥檚 work, two kids, a house and an overgrown yard, and life is busy, but whose isn鈥檛? It鈥檚 time to suck it up. Women have always been this busy, right?
What鈥檚 different though, explained Amanda Bagliore, founder, owner and operator of Live Simple Solutions, is that women these days are often torn in more directions and often at the same time.聽
鈥淲e have so many different balls in the air,鈥� she said.
Although we might not be able to change how much needs to get done, developing a routine can change how we feel about doing it, she explained.
鈥淲hen you don鈥檛 consciously choose what鈥檚 in your life, that鈥檚 when it can take a toll on us.鈥�
But before we can tackle the chaos around us, we must first deal with the chaos within.
鈥淐haos in your mind happens when you don鈥檛 ever slow down; when you never give yourself a chance to create grey matter,鈥� she said.
Among many things, grey matter is responsible for memories, seeing, hearing and emotions. It decreases with stress and age, and can increase with exercise, meditation and eating a good breakfast.
Set aside time each day, suggests Bagliore, to shut down and just be.
鈥淲hether it鈥檚 15 minutes, 45 mins or an hour鈥� it will make productivity levels in your physical life so much stronger.鈥�
With ourselves taken care of, the next step is to consciously decide on your tasks for the day. Which, Bagliore explains, is best done by creating a list and consciously accepting what鈥檚 on there.
鈥淭he days when you just wake up and forget why you鈥檙e doing what you鈥檙e doing is when you find yourself unhappy.鈥�
The list, however, must be realistic (redecorating the front room while baking a birthday cake and making dinner with two little ones at your feet might be best saved for another day).
鈥淚f they鈥檙e unrealistic you鈥檙e setting yourself up for failure.鈥�
And, whatever you do, don鈥檛 attempt to clean the house in one day. It鈥檚 about breaking things down into small, achievable units. The chaos happened overtime 鈥� so too will the clean-up.
鈥淣othing is ever done and there is no perfect鈥� you鈥檙e just constantly progressing and moving forward.鈥�
Perhaps today is the day you tackle the toilets, or the sinks or just one bathroom, she suggests.
Then, choose an amount of time that works for you and dedicate it to getting things done. If all you have is five minutes, that鈥檚 great. During that time, simply focus on working through your list.
Being efficient is the best way to make the most of your time. One way to do this is to keep cleaning supplies handy.
鈥淚f you just have one cleaning cupboard downstairs and you鈥檙e upstairs taking a shower, and your mirror is filthy, chances are you鈥檙e not going downstairs to get your cleaner. If your bottle of mirror cleaner is in place, you鈥檙e going to do it more frequently.鈥�
This strategic, deliberate progression can work for your yard too.
鈥淚 have a large yard full of plants but when I look out at the start of spring, I could have a nervous breakdown! But at lunch break, if I spend 15 minutes outside doing something I love, my day just goes way better. Plus, my workload just got better. It鈥檚 about little increments. I鈥檓 progressing every day. I鈥檓 not trying to do it all at once.鈥�
The more efficient and productive you are, the more peaceful and calm you鈥檒l feel, explains Bagliore.
So, accept what needs to be done, write it down and then let go.聽
鈥淵ou know it鈥檚 going to get done because you鈥檝e trained yourself to work in increments. Remind yourself about that and feel good because everything is easier, less daunting and more manageable when you鈥檙e happy.鈥�
