Monday, October 10, 2016

Movement Monday: How To Get It ALL Done



Welcome to Movement Monday!  This started as an email I sent weekly to my customers and clients designed to motivate continued action to achieve a desired goal throughout the week.  My mission is to provide the "want to" when it comes to reaching YOUR goal because the "how to" is different for every body and every goal.  When you are constantly seeking the truth, you will find exactly what you need.  Each email contains a subject, practical suggestions or encouragement surrounding the subject and powerful quotes that support the weekly theme.  After a big shift in my life, I am motivated to share my email with everyone!  My email subscribers will still receive an abridged version with a link to the full details here.

Busy.  Busy.  Busy!!!  "I'm just so busy!"  Who doesn't say this?  The days go fast.  The weeks go faster.  Our calendars are jam packed.  Every minute of the day is filled taking care of something.  All the while we feel overwhelmed and even though we're getting stuff done, we don't seem to accomplish what we want for our own life! 

Why?!

"It always seems impossible until it's done." -- Nelson Mandela

As a health and fitness coach, "busy" is the excuse I hear the most for people not caring for themselves.

  • "I'm just too busy to go to the gym."
  • "I'm too busy to cook meals."
  • "I'm too busy to _______" [fill in the blank with anything that involves taking care of yourself]
Once again the question is WHY?!

"It is not enough to be busy... The question is: what are we busy about?" -- Henry David Thoreau

Yes we have our children's needs, our spouse's or significant other's needs, work responsibilities, but why do we choose to give to others before ourselves?  Why do we choose to place the activities that will actually allow us to do more for the people we care about on the the back burner?

Anyone that's taken my 5 Day Productivity Workshop knows that it's not about Time Management but Life Management.  It's your life.  You get just one life.  Why not manage your life to your liking?

So, how do you find the time to get it ALL DONE?  How do you find the time to do for you self, so you can be at your best for all that you want to do?  Just take a look at some of the most successful people.  How do successful people get it done?  Maybe considering successful people in general is not relate-able, so I will put myself out there for consideration.  I am a single mother, pre-silicon design verification technical team lead, health and fitness coach, PiYo and RPM instructor currently teaching 5 classes/week, crazy football mom who not only ensures my son has what he needs, but diligently works to support the team by running the social media accounts for the football boosters and most importantly takes the time to enjoy my family and friends who mean the most to me.  How do I get it all done to my liking and still get sleep?  I'll list a few:

  1. Exercise - Exercise is more than just an activity to aide weight loss.  Increasing your heart rate increases blood flow to the brain.  This makes you more alert and focused to tackle your challenging tasks. Regularly completing physical activity also improves your confidence, giving you the determination to get the job done.  Additionally, routine movement gives you more energy and allows you to get better sleep which makes you less stressed and an overall happier person to be around.
  2. Protect your focus - Multitasking is a myth.  You spend more time and energy trying to context switch on complicated tasks.  According to a study by Microsoft, it takes the brain 15 minutes to re-focus after losing your train of thought during your work.  You can get more done spending 15-50 focused minutes on a task than attempting to manage a couple things at the same time.  Our life is full or interruptions and distractions, so you have to be proactive to avoid distractions while completing tasks.  If this means silencing or turning off your phone, do it!
  3. Set routines - We are creatures of habit.  Believe it or not, our brains are meant to operate on auto-pilot.  When you create regular routines, setting what your do when you wake up, go to sleep, prep your meals, pack your gym bag, grocery shop, etc., you can use your brain power for developing and creating things that make your life and the lives of the people around you better.
The Fall season is a great time to evaluate what you're doing right now to get it all done!  With kids back in school, most parents have more activities and responsibilities.  Many start to get overwhelmed with the continuous requests on their time due to the increased number of activities and commitments.  This can become a draining and exhausting downward spiral leading into the holidays and I don't know anyone who wants to spend the holiday season feeling defeated.

Getting it ALL DONE is the focus of my next online fitness challenge opening October 24th and running through the first day of Winter, just in time to get it fALL DONE!

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