5 Tips to Simplify your Schedule

It is so easy to get bogged down with the old story that “you don’t have enough time”. Instead try these tips to simplify your schedule and change your story to ” I have more than enough time for all the things/people I love.”

1. Balance your schedule: Organize the activities in your life by categories like: family, work, me, partner, social, household, etc. Then as you create your schedule try to balance out the different categories. For example if there are 5 social engagements to chose from I say yes to one or two and then fill in a family movie night to balance it out.

2. Create weekly intentions: Instead of having a running to-do list, create a new intention list each week. After you have your list of intentions prioritize them from most important to least important. Then the key is to schedule in blocks of time to work on your intention list.

3. Schedule in “you” time first: Most people schedule their whole week/month/year with everything imaginable and then try to create time for themselves with whatever is left. Mix it up. Schedule in time for things you wish you had time for and any other self-care activities (exercise, meditation, reading your novel, etc.) and add them first. The challenge then is to not let these activities be the first to go when life gets crazy.

4. “No.” is a complete sentence: You do not need to follow up with a laundry list of excuses, saying a gracious no can suffice. Actually I’ve found that in most cases people would rather you say no and then change your mind to yes then the other way around.

5. What can you still let go of? – Now that you’ve created a balanced and intentional schedule look back over your week and see what you can cut out. When in doubt ask my 3 questions.