§ We came to this world to LIVE OUT LOUD!
How to Handle Having Way Too Much to Do
Note: What I’m about to share with you works whether you have too much to do or too much time on your hands. Either way, it’s about internal and external organization and will help you manage better in these challenging times.
I don’t know about you but I’m busier than ever these days!
Leading my Passion & Purpose Life course with 65 participants.
Creating the 2020 Extraordinary Life After 40 Summit (a lot of work goes into this!)
Writing a book about how women, like fine wine, just get better with age (this means I joined a weekly writing group and have deadlines. Yikes!)
Doing way more housework than I’m used to since all five of us are at home ALL the time.
Homeschooling my 9-year-old, including all kinds of art projects.
Taking care of my body, mind and spirit (exercise, healthy eating, meditating, energy exercises).
Connecting with, having long conversations with and supporting my three girls, my parents and husband daily.
Keeping up and connecting with friends and family around the world.
It’s so important to keep up with my passion projects, especially in the midst of all the uncertainty around us. It’s what keeps me optimistic and hopeful about the future.
So here’s what I did to get it all under control:
1. I took a few deep breaths (every hour!).
2. I made a list of everything that I was doing.
3. I cut out the non-essentials (the virtual happy hours that weren’t feeding my soul, for instance).
4. I prioritized the things that absolutely had to be done daily to have the life I want to have (connecting with and supporting my family, running my Passion & Purpose Life Course, exercising, meditating and energy exercises).
5. I looked at the things that had to be done but that weren’t so engaging for me, such as homeschooling and housework, and asked the questions:
“Where am I doing more than my share? Where can others step up more? Where can others take more responsibility?”
6. I nicely set some boundaries so that other people were doing their share and some of the burden was lifted off me.
7. I put up a sign next to my work area that said, “I’m working now. Please don’t interrupt.” And made it clear to my family that I am not to be interrupted (unless the house is on fire!) when that sign is up. I was so tired of the constant stream of questions coming my way.
8. I decided that I will take at an hour each day to move forward with my passion projects – the summit and the book.
Continuing to work on these projects will keep me feeling like I’m moving towards my dreams. I would like to have more time to work on them but an hour is what I can do now and stay sane. I need to give myself a break and if takes longer to get them done, so be it.
9. I went through my planner and literally scheduled it all in for the week.
I made sure to include time for meditation, exercise, meal prep, connection.
10. I sat back and felt myself exhale.
I’m also taking good care of my mind, body and spirit which is an absolute necessity these days.
What about you? How are you organizing your days? How are you handling too much or too little to do?
I love hearing from you so feel free to leave a comment below.
Happy Tuesday!
Natalie
P.S. We are living in times of great uncertainty but you don’t have to let fear and overwhelm take over your life.
I’ve invited 40+ world-renowned experts, such as Marie Diamond, Rhonda Britten, Ariel Ford and Lucia Giovanini and many more, to share with you what you can do during these challenging times to increase well-being and create your extraordinary life!
Sign up here or join my Extraordinary Life After 40 private Facebook group and every Wednesday, you will get FREE access to easily actionable 5 – 10 minute videos to help you navigate this turbulent time with more ease, grace, inner peace and prosperity.
