Improvement

What’s Your More?

About a year ago, I was working too many hours. I had a huge project at work and there were too many tasks to get them all done. I often was one of the last to leave.

The man who cleaned our floor would frequently tell me I was working too many hours. Some evenings, he said he would swing back on his rounds and make sure I was leaving or, better yet, gone. I was fortunate that he helped encourage me to break a bad cycle.

The same thing happened to a friend of mine, who also was working too much. Her cleaning person stopped her one night and asked her,

“What’s your more?”

My friend looked at her, slightly confused.

The woman challenged her and asked her, “What do you want to be doing more of?”

From that night forward, my friend made a commitment to herself to leave work at a reasonable hour and to spend more time doing the things she loved.

Fortunately, we were both sharing our stories while on vacation together in Europe. Clearly, we had listened.

It’s easy to get caught up in tasks and quickly lose sight of “our more.” I keep a notebook with me for jotting notes and whenever I start a new one, I devote the first page to listing my boundaries and the things I want to be doing more of.

My boundaries are simple. I have a set time I need to leave the office, and I schedule time for buying healthy groceries and cooking meals (usually Sunday evening).

My “more” consists of time with friends, mini vacations, gardening, walking and reading. As long as I’m consistently spending time in my “more” space, I know I have balance in my life.

What’s your more?

Morning’s Gift

For years, I prided myself that I could wake up, shower, eat breakfast and be out the door in less than one hour. Then one day, I slowed down. What a difference that makes in my outlook for the day.

I give myself the gift of about two hours before I need to be at work. I use that time to set my intentions for the day and to do something for myself, whether it’s slowly enjoying a cup of tea or coffee while reading the newspaper (online or hard copy), going for a walk or watching the birds at the bird feeders.

How do you create the space for this time?

Do things at night. I pack my lunch and my gym clothes the night before. I also get the coffee pot ready. I even decide on my outfit because I know if I wait until morning I will spend too much time trying on outfits.

Wake earlier or go to work slightly later. Even 15 minutes extra can give you the grace you need to have a more relaxed morning.

Don’t do it all. I pick one or two things I might want to do that morning. Sometimes it’s spending a half hour journaling. When I journal, I don’t walk. When I walk, I don’t try to read. The idea is not to cram everything into that extra time, but to find the activity that will nourish you for the day.

Do nothing. Some mornings I do absolutely nothing with the extra time except sit quietly and watch the sun rise or the birds at the feeders. It’s enough to be still.

How can you turn your morning into a gift?

Be Kind to Yourself

We’re a month into the new year. How are you doing with your resolutions? Or did you not make any?

I’m not a big fan of resolutions because they’re easy to break. You list a bunch of things you want to change but then you don’t make a plan. Failure is all but guaranteed.

When I wrote about my plan for my blog in 2014, a friend reminded me via Facebook to be kind to myself. In other words, I don’t always need to hold myself to the high standards that I do. Another friend said it would be okay if I only posted once a week.

Their comments were much appreciated and made me think about how I could be kinder to myself. I made a short list, and thought I’d share. If you’re already being kind to yourself, please do share your suggestions. And if you are not, or you need to be a bit more kind, then I hope some of these ideas inspire you.

Fruit and vegetable stand

Eating healthy is one way to be kind to yourself. (Photo by Cynthia Price)

Eat Healthy: Yes, we all know that. My challenge is actually doing it. Chocolate is so much more satisfying than an apple. Or is it?

I’ve been paying attention to my cravings after work, and discovered that I often really wanted the apple or cauliflower. I wanted crunch. So I’m stocking up on more fruits and veggies. I even keep them in a pretty bowl in the refrigerator to make them more appealing.

Go to a Farmer’s Market: This one is an offshoot from the prior one. It feels good to me to support local farmers and growers in my region so I try to go to the Farmer’s Market every weekend. Right now there is a bit of a lull, but I know it’s only a few more weeks until the markets running again. That’s where I stock up on my produce and usually fresh flowers. It’s also a great way to become more engaged with your community. Which leads me to the next kindness.

Get Social: I’m not talking about Facebook or Instagram or texting. I’m talking face to face. Go to lunch with a friend, meet for coffee, take in a museum exhibit. The conversation will do you good, as will the relaxation time.

Get Moving: You don’t need to join a gym. You do need to walk around your neighborhood or a park. You want to keep moving to burn calories, but more importantly to relieve stress. I also find the workout time relaxing for my mind. My workplace has been encouraging staff to take the stairs. I’ve resisted, but for this month, I’ve committed to always taking the stairs going down. It’s a start. Next month, I’ll take the stairs whenever I have to travel one floor. If you really want to get social, walk with a friend.

Be Still: I’m not good at doing nothing. Years ago, a friend of mine shared how he would come home from work, turn on his music (he had an impressive sound system) and sit on the couch and listen to the music for 20 minutes. “Didn’t you cook dinner or organize or something?” I asked him. “No, you’re supposed to simply sit and listen,” he responded. I tried it once. I didn’t make it through one song before I became fidgety. That experience has stayed with me, and through the years, I’ve practiced simply sitting and being still. I can now listen to music for about 15 minutes. Watching the birds feed also keeps me still, which ultimately makes me calmer.

Give Back: When the stress gets to be too much, it might be time to stop focusing on yourself and instead focus on others. In other words, help others out. You could volunteer at an animal shelter, read at a senior center or share your talents with a nonprofit. Your kindness to others will lead to kindness to yourself.

What are you doing to be kind to yourself?

Sign Points the Way

Are you the boss of your life?

It’s a question that when I saw it stopped me in my tracks – literally. I was walking through an airport and the question was part of an advertisement for the Lincoln Financial Group.

Chief Life Officer sign

Inspiration strikes at an airport (photo by Cynthia Price).

I stopped to look at the sign not because I wanted financial assistance but because of the other messages.The Lincoln Financial Group suggested it could be my Chief Life Officer and that it could help take charge of my future.

While waiting for my flight, I pondered if I was indeed my own Chief Life Officer. I thought about what I was doing to take charge of my life. I’d been working too many hours again and not hitting the gym. That’s not a good combination for me. I also wasn’t enjoying unscheduled time. To compound things, too many house projects were piling up, some of which could have disastrous results if not handled.

I took advantage of the waiting time and made some lists.

The first list I made was a workout schedule to follow while I was traveling. I achieved 75 percent of the goal, and overall was pleased. Since returning, I’ve created a two- week schedule, which seems more manageable to me. I’ll stick with that until I’m back on track.

A second list included all the action items for my house that need to get done. I’ve made all the phone calls, and now I’m looking forward to crossing them off the list as the repair work gets done, which also means being careful with my funds.

My first weekend back in town, I allowed myself the luxury of doing nothing. For me, that means getting lost in a good book, watching television, puttering around the house and cooking – but only when I felt like it. It also meant some naps – clearly, my body needed some extra sleep. The unscheduled time was much needed.

The sign was a good sign for me. Are you ready to be your Chief Life Officer?

Checklist to Spring Clean Your Office

Spring is the time for cleaning and freshening up our environs, which means it’s a perfect time to clean your office. Here’s a short checklist to help you:

Dust: Start by removing everything from surfaces and thoroughly dusting. Don’t cheat and dust around items. You’ll be amazed by what is hiding underneath. As you put things back in place, you may find yourself tossing things you no longer need.

Vacuum: Thoroughly vacuum or mop the floors. If you can move furniture easily, this is the time to do so.

Declutter: Now it’s time to tackle the piles. Sort through them and toss what you no longer need. File anything you can. Whatever you do, do NOT create a miscellaneous folder. Even if a folder only has one sheet of paper in it, it will at least be labeled for future reference.

Order: Check your supplies. Do you need ink cartridges, paper, file folders? Make a list and get those ordered, if not for the year then at least for the next six months. It will be one less thing you have to remember to do.

Sort: Open your file drawers and determine if anything can be tossed. I have a rule that everything needs to fit within two file drawers. If both are full, I know it’s time to purge. I’m finding I have fewer file folders because of online documents.

Electronic sort: As part of your spring cleaning, take some time to clean your computer. Delete folders you don’t need anymore. Clean out your emails. Update your software.

There! You’re done with your spring cleaning and your office should be good to go until you start the piles again.