Not enough time in your day? I hear this ALL the time and it gets worse with the holidays.
It may not feel like it, but you do have control over HOW you spend your time. The secret is to be intentional with HOW you spend your time. There are things you have to do for work but work time has to stop affecting all of your time – especially during the holidays.
What if you had work/life balance during the holiday season this year? What if your to dos got smaller?
The biggest complaint I hear:
There isn’t enough time.
Followed by:
I don’t have energy.
The good news is that I have 8 easy daily habits that I’m going to share with you to change that this holiday season. Daily habits are your key to creating a shift in your life that will reduce your stress and anxiety AND help you create that ever escaping work/life balance.
You can pick and choose which ones you want to start with. Don’t pick the ones that seem the hardest for you personally to do. Instead pick ones that will truly create a shift for you immediately and then start adding in the ones that are fun or easy until you’re doing them all.
8 Daily Habits to Have More Energy:
1. Create a work schedule and STICK to it.
This is very important! If you don’t create a work schedule what happens? You work ALL hours of the day and on the weekends adding to your stress and anxiety because you’re not doing anything else.
Create a work schedule that FEELS right to you. If it doesn’t feel right, you’re not going to do it. Bonus – have an end to the work day ritual or process to let go of what you didn’t get done and assign it to another day so you’re not carrying that energy (guilt) into your personal time.
2. Schedule TIME with your people so it actually happens.
Have family or friends you want to meet for lunch, dinner or drinks?
It’s common to say, we’ll get together...and it doesn’t happen. Or everyone puts it on their schedule and then they’re too tired to do it. STOP!
Make time for the people you want to see. You are here for more than your work. These lunches, dinners, drinks and events are the memories you’ll carry with you AND they bring you JOY.
You can use more joy. Make this a priority. Don’t squeeze it into your schedule, put it in their intentionally.
3. Start your day intentionally.
Instead of waking up and thinking, “I have to do this and this and this today…” and starting your day stressed and overwhelmed. STOP.
I highly recommend starting your day when you wake up or your alarm goes off with a meditation, energy work or by being grateful – I am grateful for ____. (Only say what you truly feel grateful for in that moment.)
4. Don’t immediately jump onto your phone, computer or devices when you wake up.
Get ready for the day BEFORE you touch an email. Don’t check your phone for emails or just hit the floor running as this sets the tone for your whole day.
Go-go-go is how you’re exhausted in the afternoon. You’re not a machine. Don’t treat your body like you are one.
Tip – my phone is in the kitchen on silent at night and there are no devices in my room. My computer is set to sleep. What can you do to give yourself more time to be intentional with how you start your day so you flow better through your day?
5. Actually enjoy your morning beverage.
Don’t gulp down your favorite morning beverage while you’re checking emails, running around your house or getting ready for the day.
Feel the mug or glass. If it’s a warm beverage, breathe in the steam.
Slowly drink your morning beverage. Think about what you’re excited about doing today, appreciate what you see outside. Be grateful for the day ahead of you.
6. Take breaks throughout the day.
How many breaks do you take during the day?
Most people don’t take any – lunch if it’s eaten is often eaten while you’re working, checking emails or catching up.
Block your schedule for lunch and actually eat your lunch and stay off technology. This allows you to look objectively at your day and course correct your afternoon as needed. Self-care is how you recharge and it makes you more efficient and productive.
7. Move your body.
Do you sit in a desk all day looking at a computer?
That’s not good for your neck, back or hips. Schedule in a walk after lunch or at the end of your work day, stretches throughout the day as your body needs them or exercise to help release stress and take care of your body. Your body isn’t a machine – don’t treat it like one.
8. Create a bedtime routine. (you had one when you were younger and it worked!) to help you destress and reset before you sleep. It helps create an end to the day. Here’s an article I wrote that gives you 7 simple tips to sleep at night.
The KEY is to be intentional with
HOW you spend your energy.
If you start your day running from task to task, that’s typically how your whole day will go.
Client Results:
One of my executive clients was struggling with time for herself. She had the role of two positions while they looked for someone to fill her old role, she has kids and a husband. She was overwhelmed trying to do it all. She would lose sleep at night to do things she wanted to do like read books.
Now she has created a balance in her work/life, she has TIME to do things that bring her joy and she keeps getting promotions (and raises!) without trying. We started with these tips in this article and we healed the energy that was driving her to overperform and that’s when things really shifted for her. Doing MORE wasn’t her answer and it’s not yours either. What is driving you to over perform? And to burn out?
Your goal isn’t to be more overwhelmed, overworked or stressed out. What are 2 things you can implement from above TODAY? Tell me in the comments, I’d love to hear it.