My daughter came to me this morning and said, ” I don’t have time to do x, y or z”. It made me think before I responded. What I felt inspired to say to her is this; “You can organize yourself in the time you have and create time for the things you want.” The truth is we all have the same amount of time, so why are some people more effective at creating balance and an abundant life and some are not? It is all about how we organize ourselves with the time we have that makes the difference.
The choice or choices, of how we use our time, are our own to determine. Of course we are subject to things outside of us occasionally, but at the very core, the way we use our time is a completely sovereign decision.
Time is not the problem. We are. We must organize ourselves with the time we have, to create order and balance, otherwise we will feel like the hamster on the wheel, running and running until we exhaust ourselves so completely that our body and mind force us to stop.
Do you feel like life is full of drama? Do you feel like you’re always “putting out fires”? Are you constantly “fixing” problems for others? Do you find yourself easily agitated and overwhelmed if things don’t go “just as planned”. Are you often late for work, events or find it difficult to meet deadlines? Is your car, home or office, cluttered, unorganized and dirty? Are you working a crazy amount of hours and still struggling to pay the bills? Do you often feel it’s hard to breathe, sleep or take time to just be still.
I am not sure anyone really wants to live like that? Yet, so many of us are choosing exactly that. So, what is underneath the lack of organization and decision making? And what will it take for us to take ownership of time and the lives we are living?
I believe that all of these are just a symptom of a deeper emotional spiritual imbalance. And, I believe we can heal.
The change begins with your thoughts, beliefs and attitude. If you are thinking and believing you don’t have enough time, it will be true for you. However, it is merely a lie you have chosen to believe and a mindset that has become “true” for you only because your thoughts and words have reinforced the belief. But is it truth? No, of course it’s not. If it was truth, none of us would be able to organize ourselves enough to feel balanced and peaceful with our efforts and time. And I know lots of people who are balanced and peaceful. I am one of them, for the most part at least. It’s a work in progress like most things, but you can recognize who and where you are by the condition of your surroundings and by the way you feel inside as you move through life. Even our relationships, health and wellness can be a reflection of the organization of our lives. I believe, our results are our personal creation.
So how do we begin to manage our time better?
1. Adopt new abundant thoughts and actions.
* I have all the time I need to do the things that are important to me.
* My time is mine to organize
* I organize my time with wisdom and love.
* I put first things first
* I am responsible to organize and create the results I desire
* I am clear about what I want and need in my life
* My actions and surroundings reflect the truth of
how I feel on the inside.
* I place responsibility where it belongs. I have clear
boundaries.
2. Adopt behaviors that support the thoughts and beliefs.
* List out the essential things you want to do, including
personal development, physical and spiritual self care,
family and marriage relationship time, home care, Fun
and Free time.
* Joy comes First, even during challenges
* list out the important things you want to do to
support your self reliance and interdependence.
* Gratitude breeds abundance. Abundance shared
creates more abundance
*** all other things are inconsequential – because if you choose to organize yourself to include the things you want and things that support how you want to feel inside, what else is there?
You can live by design or default, it’s up to you.
3. Time block your Essential and Important Activities – use a calendar, printed or online to organize these activities. Color code them to visualize your activities. Look for balance between the colors.
* create 3-5 categories to include activities that you’ve
determined to be essential and important.
* record First things First – begin with yourself, your
environment, the things that matter most. Things that
bring you Joy and support your dreams and goals.
* Schedule Fun , service and Spontaneity too! This is
how we ensure it happens for us!
* Add the other things in around the First things First
activities.
* Not every time slot need be filled – leave room for
inspiration and miracles.
4. Clear the clutter – in mind, heart and home.
* Choose a space in your home to remove everything
and replace only those things that are functional,
meaningful, beautiful and edifying.
* Take pictures of things that have meaning to you
but no longer serve a real purpose and let them go
with love and gratitude ( Toss or donate)
* Determine a set amount of space for keepsakes
and memories. I choose to have ONE tote for each
child, when it’s full – that’s it! I can clean out other
stuff to create room for the new stuff, but I choose
to maintain this limit. This is a good rule for
Holiday decor too – Except Christmas. (Christmas
can have more space in my book! But it’s up to you
of course!)
* Create Zones – toys, medications, mail, laundry…
your things should have ONE designated area. The only exceptions to this rule for me are Essential oils and Books. I keep these organized but convenient to the places in my home where I use them regularly.
* Contain your stuff – Utilize bins, baskets and
organizational tools to keep things neat and tidy-
even on shelves and in cupboards. These provide a
psychological limit to the “stuff”. If it doesn’t fit or
you find things overflowing, it’s time to purge
and/or reorganize. Everything needs a Home!
* Take the 2 extra minutes to put things back where
they belong. In the moment AND at the end of
each day. You will thank yourself each morning
because you are allowing time for the most
important things!
5. Do a quarterly or bi-yearly clean out and clean up!
* Engage your family or some friends to help you with
this. Do the same with them in their home! Set clear boundaries – such as an amount of time you will spend in each others home. This will ensure an equal energy exchange. (which is an important principle and topic for another day.)
6. Ask God to direct you and inspire you as you create. He is the ultimate and eternal expert on creation, so why not partner with Him! When our spaces are clean and orderly our minds are less cluttered. With less mind clutter, we connect to our heart and God more readily and freely. If want different things or more of something, we have to create space for it physically and emotionally/spiritually. If we don’t, we cannot expect to manifest in reality the things that we desire.
What are the fruits of these beliefs and habits? It’s Freedom! We all want this and it might seem strange that through discipline and organization we create more freedom, but it’s true! I will call it “Joyful Discipline”! Do the inner and outer work and freedom and peace can become your normal rather than something that seems out of reach. You know what they say, ” A dream without a plan is just a wish!” So stop wishing and start living the Dream! Keep in mind, there is order in chaos. The chaos is just waiting to be reordered and organized, we just have to choose to take action.
Honor yourself by honoring the time you have to create what you really want. As you practice what you are choosing to believe, the new thinking and new behaviors will become part of you and how you live your life.
Here are some Essential Oils to help support Creation, decision making, organization and letting go. Frankincense, Tulsi Holy Basil, Sandalwood, Peppermint, Motivation, Lemongrass, Lemon, Fennel, Coriander, Cypress, Balance, Wild Orange, Tangerine, Ylang Ylang and Spikenard. doTERRA is my recommended brand of Certified Pure Essential Oils.
Question; If you could hire someone to help you with organizing your mind, heart and home… would you do it? Please Comment below or email me at djwescott4@gmail.com.
