Harvest Your Inner Wisdom

Summer break is over, school is back in session, and the holidays are fast approaching. Pumpkin spice, football, harvest, and the season intended for us to reap the ideas that were spun back in the spring. 

The summer flew by. 

I just returned to work today after an incredible two week vacation. It was much needed and now I am ready to jump into a creator's biggest quarter of the year. Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  

Working a "job" while having a side hustle and trying to build it as a business often put us at odds with ourselves. You know the old saying, "Do what you love and the money will follow!" But it doesn't happen overnight. It takes a lot of balance to keep all the eggs from falling out of your basket. 

Here a five ideas to how to use mindfulness to help you manage all your tasks effectively and feel a better sense of balance within your day.  

1. Set Clear Intentions

Start your day by sitting quietly to think about and even write a list of things to accomplish. I get up early and write out my ideas and tasks I want to focus on that day. This helps me stay focused and motivated throughout my day.

Prioritizing just one or two tasks in each area like my job, the household, and some content creation helps me from feeling overwhelmed by the amount of things that I feel should do in my short amount of extra time.

2. Practice Time Blocking

Have you heard of the term time blocking? It is allocating blocks of time toward each task. For example, this morning I blocked out 30 minutes with my morning coffee to write out my intentions and task list. Next, it was time to get ready for work, pack my lunch, and take 10 or 15 minutes to upload one set of graphics to my Etsy store. Then I left for work. 

On my lunch break, I allotted 15 minutes to do research and bookmark items to follow up on later. After work, I gave myself an hour to eat dinner, make a few phone calls and watch a fun cooking show on TV. 

I set aside one hour to work on my blog post and any additional writing that I might have time for. No particular topic, just where my thoughts took me.  The key is to take a brief moment and sit with your thoughts. 

3. Mindful Transitions

Multi-tasking is a term I no longer use. I found to be balanced and focused; I need to practice mindful transitions before moving onto my next tasks. I place my feet squarely on the floor, either sitting or standing, stretch, take a few deep breaths, feeling grounded in that present moment. 

I walk toward a different room or even outside for a few moments, collect my thoughts about my next priority, and tell myself to let go of the other distractions.  This helps clear my mind and prepares me mentally for the next activity.

4. Be Present in Each Task

Focus on being fully present in whatever you are doing. If you are working on a project for your job, give it your full attention. The same goes for household chores and content creation. This not only improves the quality of your work but also makes you more efficient, as you are less likely to get distracted.

5. Reflect and Adjust

At the end of my day, as I crawl into bed, I take a few moments to review what tasks on the list I accomplished or had to put off until another day.  With that I can reflect on how I felt throughout the day and what I might need to balance tomorrow. Mindfulness is not just about the present moment. It is developing an awareness of our actions while learning not to judge ourselves too harshly. With practice, these techniques will help build your confidence and you may even see extra time appear within your day.  

What one of these are ideas are you willing to try this week?