Scheduling Time for LIFE

Well, here we are...Day 1 of my February Pledge to Run Daily! It is 5am and I am up planning my day to include my run. It will take some adjustments in my schedule, but I am truly looking forward to it! 

When I first started brainstorming this pledge, I became fully aware of how chaotic my daily schedule had become. No wonder there was no room for daily exercise! I was exhausted from running in circles all day, from one task to the next with lists upon lists of things still left to be done. Constantly frustrated and unfulfilled. 

I was reminded of my sister when she had her second child and made the decision to stay at home to raise her family. And while to some this sounds ideal, the endless days of cleaning, cooking, and changing diapers, was a HUGE change for her. She would call and ask, "how do you do it?"....."don't you get bored?" I remember telling her to treat her job as a stay-at-home Mom the same as being a career woman outside of the home. Start each morning with the same routine as if you were leaving for work; hop up, shower, dress, eat breakfast and write your to-do list. (TIP: Always wear a pretty pair of earrings and a squirt of your favorite perfume...it makes you feel special and ready to tackle the day!) With each task you accomplish, cross it off, same as you would at your office. Schedule appointments for yourself, it may not be with business executives, but with play-dates or the doctors office.  

Make your job important and it will be!  

Well, it must have worked, as she now has four beautiful children and is loving life!

 

So taking my own advice, I opened my trusty "LIFE" binder to a clean page and wrote a list of all the things I had done since my feet hit the floor that morning. I continued to do this until bedtime... and then the next day ...and the next day. It lays open on my kitchen counter (where I spend most of my day) so I don't forget to log what I have accomplished.

First thing in the morning, the sun is bright = poor photos. But you get the idea! 

From the first hour of tracking my day, I knew this was just what I needed to get into gear!

TIP: Use bright fun coloured pens to track your activities...it makes work seem a little more fun!

 

It is the same idea as tracking what you eat. Until you start logging your intake, you are unaware of how many calories you are actually consuming. So not only did this daily task tracker show me what I accomplished throughout the day, it also showed me what I failed to accomplish. 

The second day I started by reviewing the previous day to see what took a lot of time, what I didn't have room for, and why I never had my afternoon snack!  Schedule it in people, coffee breaks too! So I slightly rearranged a few things, and the next day the same and so on. I am hoping by the end of two weeks I will have a pretty tight, working schedule. 

It is amazing what you can find by reviewing this data. How much time opens up that you thought never existed. I even found an extra 15 minutes to do a Sudoku puzzle! Today, I have opened up the time-slot of 11-11:45 am (when the baby naps) to hit the treadmill. And even though I will not be running for the allotted 45 mins (ha!ha!) I plan on warming up immensely before I start and using the remainder of the time peeling myself off of the floor! 

Is anyone else starting a fitness routine? Trying to find time in your schedule? A stay-at-home Mom who needs time for a coffee break?!!!

Check back tomorrow for the first entry in my Running Log! 

Just for fun.....I did a close-up on this grasshead that my Oliver made for me at his school. It is a constant source of smiles and inspiration. Not only is he fun, but it was made for me with love. 

TIP: Keep things that make you smile close to where you work. 

Cheers!