3 Tips for Protecting Your Time
After a busy morning of making breakfast, cleaning up my toddler’s potty accident, taking my sons to our local story time at the library, grocery shopping, preparing lunch, navigating a temper tantrum, and getting both boys down for naps- you would think that I would be ready to take a nap myself… and you’d be right… BUT I DIDN’T. Instead, I decided to use the kid free time to clean the shower and straighten up the house. In and of itself, there’s nothing wrong with those tasks. One might even argue that that is the only time when tasks like those can be accomplished.
We live in a culture where being productive is praised. Whether that means getting more done in less time or doing more in the time you are allotted.
I’m going to say something that goes against that cultural thinking: Not every moment needs to be maximized.
Let me say that again: not every moment needs to be maximized.
As a wife, mother, and business owner, I have become conditioned to making the most of every single moment. In fact, it is beyond being conditioned, I’M ADDICTED TO BEING PRODUCTIVE.
My desire to being productive extends far beyond my desire to keep up with the household chores. My productivity addiction has seeped into every area of my life without me even realizing it. Moments that could be spent delighting in my toddler’s newest interest or slowing down enough to have a cup of coffee are sacrificed for the sake of getting just one more thing done. This isn’t one of those mom guilt blog posts- no its a call to wake up to the present moment and consciously decide what do you and I really need right now.
Do you need to engage fully with the person/child in front of you?
Do you need to allow yourself that rest that your body has so desperately been needing?
Many times business leaders advocate for protecting your time from the demands of others and saying no to opportunities. While I completely support their thoughts, I would like to add one more area we need to protect our time from- OURSELVES.
We push ourselves so hard- even to the point of burnout. And yes, we can see where others might have had influence on our road to burnout but we also must take a look at the pace we set for ourselves and the way we use or don’t use each moment.
So from a recovering productivity addict, let me encourage you to protect your time. Here are a few tips-
1- Evaluate how your spend your “down time”. Allow yourself to relax. By relaxing, I encourage you to unplug from technology. Sometimes bingeing your favorite television show can leave you more depleted. Do something that fuels you.
2- If you are in a push hard season, set an end date for when you are going to stop pushing so hard and reward yourself once you get to that point. Have something you can look forward to- whether its getting a massage, a dinner with a friend, or even a vacation.
3- If none of the other two tips are accessible for you right now, then simply allow yourself a few moments to breathe, bonus if you can take that time to breathe in silence. This pause in the midst of the chaos can lower your blood pressure and stress level, which can help you to think more clearly.
