This is a shorter episode for you today, where I felt compelled to talk to you about starting exactly where you’re at. If you are feeling stuck, this one’s for you.

I obviously strongly believe that time management is not just setting reminders and writing to-do lists. To me, time management is about having the choice to do exactly what you want to do with every second of your day. It’s about having discernment about what you can actually take on compared with what you might want to take on. It’s about not getting distracted by shiny objects, and what other people think you should be doing, and feeling stuck in the daily grind.

These big ideas about living with intention can seem hard to reach, especially if you have a lot of demands on your time. Or if you are in a situation where it feels like you don’t have much control. And I get that – I’ve lived a lot of my life either feeling like I should be doing this or doing that, or being quite time poor and having to kinda focus on what time I have in the margins.

Everyone’s situation is a little bit different, and this is why I want you to start where you’re at.

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To me there are two types of people that I help. There are the people who are rushed off their feet, and have very little free time. They have a never-ending to-do list, and are heading towards burnout if they are not already there. But there are also people who procrastinate regularly. These people might feel a little numb or defeated, and are asleep to the potential of a new day.

I believe that these are two sides of the same coin, where both are not yet at the point of finding a healthy work-life balance. And I do actually think that work-life balance is attainable. It’s not about having the perfect life, or having equal time on both work and non-work things, and it’s not about having free time to do what you want every single day. I think that work-life balance is where you allocate time in your week to your highest work priorities, and your highest lifestyle priorities, and you are feeling fulfilled in both. This doesn’t mean doing it all, but it does mean getting really clear on what you want and making time each week to take a tiny step towards this.

So if all of us are in a slightly different situation, I want you to know that it’s ok to start exactly where you’re at. It’s ok to take the smallest of steps, even if it feels like nothing, and even if you end up changing direction later.

If you are feeling stuck because things feel really really busy, know that it’s ok to just work on being mindful. Notice moments in the day when you are rushing and going so fast that time has flown by without you realising. Be aware when you are doing something that you feel resentful about. Notice when you are up too late and sacrificing sleep and how you feel the next day because of it. And then consider that you might have some choice here. That you can choose a new action, or you can set yourself up to do your tasks in a way that feels easier next time, or where you can get an quick win. Just simply being mindful and thinking about your situation is a perfectly acceptable way to start to make changes.

If you are someone who feels busy sometimes and are often taking care of others or working a lot, and when you do have free time you do have a rest and don’t even know what to do and it feels like you’re not working on your own goals and hobbies, then start where you’re at, by doing something like planning just 5 minutes today where you can sit down with a paper and pen and write down some things that you would like to be doing with your time.

If you are that person who is feeling like you procrastinate a lot, who sits on the couch scrolling on socials at night because work was a nightmare, and you get distracted by whatever comes into your line of sight (figuratively and literally), then try noticing how your body is feeling. What is it telling you? Is there something you are avoiding? Just start where you’re at, and get curious about what’s going on for you. What could you be avoiding? How could you elevate your experience?

The key is to understand that change feels hard, because it’s easier and more habitual for your brain to keep doing the same thing as it always has, so then you need to notice what’s happening for you and make the decision to choose a different path.

When we are thinking about doing things differently, then this idea of starting where you’re at gives you permission to make that first step a really small one. When change feels big, then it becomes insurmountable, and then we ignore it or put it off for another day, or even worse we start to tell ourselves that change isn’t possible. But I’m here to tell you that you can take action today. Now.

I’ve been talking in quite general terms but I hope you understand what I mean when I say that we all are in a slightly different place with how we view time and time management. But the commonality here is that you want to work towards a more intentional life. And I’m still doing that, I don’t think it’s a one and done thing.

Looking at your time and making priorities and plans to do work that’s meaningful to you is an ongoing process, because each day is different and each season is different and you change over time too. You might have more or less demands on your time in one season or another, you might have more or less capacity in terms of your energy levels or abilities in any given season as well. So start where you’re at, accepting that reality is how it is, there are things we can’t control, but there are things we can control as well.

I want to go over some of the most common things that I see people making changes to, and some very small first steps that you can take if you want to do these as well:

• Exercise is a really common one, and starting small might be putting your work out clothes out where you can see them, or just doing some incidental exercise like taking the stairs when you would otherwise take the lift.
• Procrastinating on socials too much might have you deciding to put your phone in a different room for a bit, or actually picking up a paper book and having it out on the table where you can see it to remind yourself that you could be doing that instead.
• If you find yourself feeling resentful about taking on too much, one small step might be when you’re asked to take on another task, telling the person that you’ll check your calendar and get back to them, to buy you some more time to think about how to respond.
• Getting more help around the house might look like having a conversation with your kids about involving them more in certain chores.
• If you want to be using travel time more wisely, you could think about changing the way you travel – can you catch public transport instead of driving so you can study something new, or maybe you want to keep driving but start listening to one audiobook.
• Think about how your environment looks – is it easy to procrastinate because you have lots of clutter or activities out? Can you put one thing away?
• Can you close your office door so you get fewer interruptions?
• Maybe you’re a really busy Mum who is having a difficult time with her baby, and you’re feeling like you really should be doing the vacuuming – could you instead prioritise your hydration and good food over the cleaning?
• Maybe you want to talk to your partner about structuring your week differently to include one hour of alone time.
• Maybe you start cooking one larger meal a week on a Sunday so that you have food already prepared for some of the week.
• Instead of sitting on the couch every night, walk into a different area of your house and set yourself up with an enjoyable activity in a different space.

Now these are just examples but you can see that the smallest of changes is better than no change. I think you’ll find that by noticing where you’re at, and taking just a small step, you’ll teach your brain that it’s ok to do something new, and you’ll start to notice other ways to change things up for the better.

I want you to know that change is possible, even in the tightest circumstances.

That’s what I have for you today, I’ll end with my favourite quote – Mary Oliver said “tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” See you next time.

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