Time Management

So time management isn’t exactly my strong suit. I’m a procrastinator for sure, but over the past few weeks I’ve been feeling a little overwhelmed with my schedule. This is slightly terrifying since I’m starting a second job this week…

Today was the opening day for 4 Elements Yoga Studio, and I am thrilled to be filling in for a few classes this month before starting to teach there twice a week in 2012. I’m also going to be picking up a few hours in their retail store (super adorable things!)… which means I need to start managing my time a little better.  I just tend to get overwhelmed when my lists get too long, and when I find myself with only one real  day off per week, I find it hard to balance the things that need to get done, with the things I want to get done.  And then I get paralyzed and end up doing none of the things I really need to do…I know I write about this all the time…

I realized last week, that sometimes the things that fall off the top of the priority list, are actually the things you should be doing. And so on Thursday afternoon I left work early, ignored the piles of unfolded laundry, and the dishes in the sink, and I went for a run in the sunshine. It was pretty glorious. More often than not, I tend to neglect exercise, and I think “oh I’ll do it later” or “well this is more important that  going for a jog” but its only a matter of time before this way of thinking leads to a lazy life style… and considering that I know a lot of pet owners who are beginning to resemble their various pets… I am slightly terrified of people thinking that about me. Not to mention the fact that I just booked a trip to Las Vegas in 6 weeks, and I know that my body is not anywhere close to being Vegas ready. So I put on my shoes, and cleared my head, and let all the other priorities drop for a bit. It felt great.

And this morning, even though once again, my list was long, and the errands were many, I got up early and headed to a yoga class… because I’m discovering that when I take the time to do something good for my body, it puts me in a better mind set to get everything else done. Dishes in the sink? No problem. Piles of laundry, bring it on. Snuggling with my puppy & being lazy… ok, because I’ve already taken a few moments to make sure that my mind & body have been active. Taking an hour for myself actually motivates me to spend time working on my other projects… and I hope it is something that lasts. I’ve still got my lists, and my day planner, and my sticky notes, and a few piles of things to do… but at least I know that I’m taking care of myself, and hopefully the rest will fall into place.