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You have to realise there are two types of people in the world.
Half of us thrive from consistent routines and structures, and half don’t. Neither one is better. You have to know what you are running with and map your life out accordingly. I have an entire free self-study course dedicated to figuring that out called ‘Pause & Pivot’ that you can take right now. And if you belong to the half that thrives from less structure and more from frenetic free flow…
Then you are like me.
In human design, they use the term ‘consistently inconsistent’ for people like me. If the upper left arrow in your chart points to the right then you are a person who thrives when you have the freedom to do things in a different order every day. You will likely struggle to adhere to consistent routines.
And that’s ok!
When I share my day-to-day on social media, I often am asked how I manage my time. I promised to share my system.
I live my life adhering to my values, which, if you have watched ‘Pause & Pivot’ you would know are truth, freedom, beauty and love.
And the way I manage my time is that I make time for what matters most.
I never wanted to live a life filled with external definitions of success, hustle and bustle, determined by social standards that do not align with my own personal beliefs that are grounded in a life that is well lived.
I have the luxury of space and time and the resolve of how I use that space and time.
I have the luxury of space and time, not only because I am lucky and privileged, but mostly because I chose to make those markers of a life well lived. To make them a priority. Because space and time nourish me. I am better, kinder, more productive, creative and compassionate, and aligned when I have ample space and time. I need unscheduled space and time to fluidly allow the tasks I have set for myself to be completed.
Space and time are the major elements of a person who navigates life as consistently inconsistent.
There is a system to this.
Firstly, I reverse engineer. What do I want to be, do and have across the next year?
Secondly, I break it down into 6 months, 3 months, 1 month, and weekly in my Plannher.
Finally, I have 3 key areas of life I want to meet each day because they make me a better, kinder, happier human.
There are specific things that fill those 3 areas.
A) Physical
- one of or a combination of yoga, walking, pilates and swimming
- direct-to-skin Vitamin D in the form of sunshine
- nourishing my body with at least 2 good meals
- face yoga or face massage
- LED red light therapy
- physical touch
- stretching
- breathing
- dancing
- time spent connecting with others
- time spent in contemplation
- being in nature
- inner listening
- meditation
- journaling
- reading
- both personal and content writing
- creating content for marketing
- delivering course content
- creating leads for sales
- private client sessions
- teaching live classes
- managing my team
- administration
- making offers
- painting
Every day, I choose elements from those 3 lists to devote my time to. How and when I do it is fluid. I don’t care much about the structure. I care about the results. The when and how, change with the seasons, with my mood, with the energy I wake up with that morning (sometimes more in masculine/yang energy, others in more feminine/yin energy), where I am at in my cycle.
Recently, with the onset of winter, I have found that my mornings are slower than they used to be, that I need to spend time in the sun between 11 and 2, and that I am most productive from 3 pm. I pay attention to these subtle changes and adjust to them, rearranging my meetings and commitments to better sustain my natural rhythm. I am devoted to living life with and in the inclusion of the ebbs, flows and seasons that we move through rather than in restraint or resistance of them.
Based on my earlier reverse engineering there are certain things that have to happen by the end of each week to meet my aims, hopes and dreams. I am fully intrinsically motivated and wholly trust myself to complete them and that they will always happen in their own flow. I simply choose to align myself with that flow.
I do that by making the pieces in columns A and B a priority, knowing when my cup is filled from those parts of my life C will easily be an extension of those.
More often than not, I can do things in a crossover pattern. For example, I can go dancing and connect with people. I can walk, be in nature and be in quiet contemplation at the same time. I can manage my team and have connections with them. I can spend time in the sun and read or journal. I like to double or triple up on things — mindfully and with presence — when I can.
When I first started my business I had not yet learned about nervous system regulation and lived off a heady cocktail of cortisol and adrenaline that felt like exhilaration which had me rushing through tasks at full speed. After almost a decade in the personal development field, I’ve come to know that there is nothing as valuable in life as reclaiming your life.
- Nothing is as time-sensitive as my well-being.
- Everything will get done at the perfect time.
- Urgency is a seductive illusion.
I teach all of this in my courses, and with my private clients in both personal and business mentoring. I have a few spaces available at the moment. If you feel the call, contact me and tell me a little bit about yourself.