Simplify Days in Your Life - Look at the Big Picture

In order to organize time and days in your life, you need first to step back and look at the big picture.

So you figured out what you want to do, need to do, and how to get there - Seems to be there is only 1 dilemma. You don't have time.

You're at work 10 hours a day, not including the commute. When you're home, family demands some quality time.

I can't tell you how to organize your day, because everyone's life schedule is different. However, I can share with you how to deal with a few problems that are generally common for all of us pleasant multitasker who always seem to be on-the-go super energized during the day. And what everyone don't see, burnt out at night, or whatever time we finally get to stop and sit down at the end of the day.

1. Say "NO." Sometimes it's okay to be selfish. When you know you have something scheduled ahead of time, even if you have nothing to do but it's your break time, say no anyway. Because you, your sanity, are just as important as those twenty other things in your life. If you don't think you can do it, say so. If people who ask really care about you, they won't push the issue. If bosses are the one who ask you, be tactful when providing the "NO" answer. Say, "I have this, and this, and this. Which one would you like me to take care first?"


2. Press the Brakes in You. Sometimes it's not other people. Sometimes it's you. You're the one who wants to do this and that and everything, by either under-estimating the time you have, or over-estimating your own ability. It's good to push yourself to maximize your potential. However, it's also important to understand your circumstances. Sacrificing health, or fun, is not good in the long-run. It might look okay on the surface, but it's eating you from the inside, you just don't realize that. Yet. If you work 12 hours a day, when you get home, shut-off your work cell phone. When you sit on the dinner table, don't answer the phone. Not home phone, certainly not your cell phone. That's why you have voicemail. How long does dinner take, 30 minutes? Unless you're a Paramedic on-call, some things can wait for 30 minutes.


3. Prioritize. Duh, you said. Well, if you never have problem trying to decide what to do FIRST, then good for you. However, if you can't understand why when it rains it pours, the last thing you want to do is to sit down. Well, in fact, that's the first thing you need to do. No, I'm not kidding you. Sit down, take a deep breath, and grab a pen and paper. Okay, you can open your Word Processor program too, it doesn't matter. Actually Excel Spreadsheet is better, if you use the computer instead. I promise, this won't take longer than 30 seconds. Can you push the "PAUSE" button on everything else for 30 seconds? Honestly? Now list everything that you need to do. Done? Now read through them, and answer these questions: Which have to be done N.O.W, which can wait for let say, half-an-hour? If your mind says, "This can wait, but..." stop right there. That means it can wait. Move on to the next item on your list. After done reading everything through, now write a number next to each line and do it in that order. One thing at a time. I'm not going to bore you with any long theories, but I will tell you this. When you do that, you don't let yourself get overwhelmed. And when you are not overwhelmed, you will be able to see a clear picture of the situations. Of what matter, what don't. What urgent, what can wait. Oh, one advice. If you're in the car when all these strike, pull over. Always keep a napkin and a pen in the glove compartment, they really don't take that much room, and you will find them useful when you least expect it.


4. Delegate. For some people, including me sometimes, this is the hardest thing to do. But at some point, we all would have to. My advice: Do it and accept it. Do it, after analyzing to whom are you going to delegate it. If they are your staff, analyze their skills, their personalities, and their current workload. If they're family members, analyze not only 3 factors I mentioned previously, but also how you'd make them feel. Accept it, that if they screw-up, you would have to fix it. If you go on vacation, that means work triple when you come back. If you have important meetings, have back-up if something goes wrong, or go extra miles on your follow-up process. Either way, not doing something yourself means you have to rely on other people. And sometimes, you can't help but to do it. After all, you only have 2 hands, 2 feet, and 1 head. And, this is important, try not to stress out about it. Do what you have to do, and what would happen will happen. You'll see it when it comes. If you could afford it, hire yourself a Personal Assistant. Trusted and dependable personal assistant would make it worth your while and your bucks, and save your sanity at the same time.

As I mentioned above, everyone's life schedule is different. No matter what other people say, it all comes back to you. You are the one who knows best what works for you. You are the one who have control of your days, and your life in general.

The most important thing is not to get overwhelmed. Calm down, take a pause, and figure it out. By being able to see the big picture of the whole situations, you would unconsciously be wired to organize your thoughts, and able to organize your time in the best way that works for you.

Happy simplifying!

Jean Kurniati is a Virtual Assistant with vast experience in small & family businesses. She believes there is a strong connection between personal success and success as an entrepreneur or business owner. Simplify it. Don't sweat.