I’m working this week to CREATE a little more peace, love, and joy by making some adjustments here and there to my daily habits.
Yesterday, I told you about the first one…
I turned off my email notifications. It’s actually working! I feel less inundated with work (it’s still there but it’s not yelling at me), and I haven’t felt the urge to go check it. I’ve checked it when I was ready to check it, which leads me to today’s life tweak…
I set a timer and focus.
A big and constantly growing to-do list is hard to manage. I have some fierce anxiety, Y’all, and one of the sources of my anxiety is feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes I don’t know where to start, then once I start, I find myself being led in different directions. To help with this, I set a timer and focus.
I’ll decide I’m going to review and revise policies for an hour. Timer set. I’ll then read and respond to emails for a half hour. Timer set. I need to devote at least an hour to creating marketing graphics. Timer set. Then the next 2 hours can be spent working on the website. Timer set.
I put this into practice recently, and I can tell it’s making me feel less like I’m about to be eaten by the work monster and more like he’s been put in his cage. I spend dedicated time on more tasks, I don’t get lost in any one thing, and I get less distracted and tempted to veer off course. And I think the best part is that I don’t neglect anything, then feel like I’m behind, which is another source of my anxiety. It helps me work methodically and devote time to everything.
It’s worked well for housework, too. And it’s super helpful for kids! Set a timer for chores, schoolwork, and even playing (especially at the park when you need to leave without a fight).
Peace, love, and joy, Y’all! Create it!
Amanda Herring, Writer 