How many times have you thought “I don’t have enough time to make a change, shift my thoughts to a more positive one or to do something different that I know would help? Or how about the thought, “There are only 24 hours in a day?” (You have to whine a bit as you say that.) If you don’t have control of your time, who does? I know we all have been caught with those thoughts of overwhelm and not enough time. On the other hand, have you ever been involved in a project where time flew by or, the opposite, you had so little to do you were bored? What happened to time in those cases? We have to live by the clock or “time” in some ways but how about……
…….energy management instead of time management. It’s really all in your head how you think about time. I can hear you! Yes, there is a never-ending list of things in our overly busy and overwhelming world. That isn’t going to change. However, you can make an inside shift in your thoughts, you can watch your outside world change–even if is just a little bit.
For example, when you wake up jarred with an alarm or loud music, and then jump out of bed with a startle, it’s hard for your physical body to catch up with the inner wiser part of you. So try this before you get out of bed in the morning. Take time in the morning to get your energy grounded and present in your body. (You may want to catch those last drifts of important information from your sleep time, first.) When you’re a bit more awake, focus on your body–be gentle and allow yourself a few minutes to connect with yourself in the waking state. Some people express gratitudes or thanks for the day. Then ask, “What the priorities are for today? How can I use my energy most effectively today?” Listen or write it down! (This may come from your list that has a million to dos that would most likely fill a calendar for a month rather than a day.)
Next is my favorite part of this whole process. It works so very, very well. Before you get out of bed ask yourself what strengths or gifts you have that would help you today? Imagine that strength or gift filling you up, starting in the heart and circulating through your body. (Notice when that gift comes into play during your day.)
When you get out of bed and face the mirror (okay fine, don’t look in the mirror; do it on your way to the bathroom or brushing your hair), take a few deep breaths. Breathing helps all the thousands of processes in your physical body, connects your body and mind, and raises your energy. This should only take a few minutes. (If you are night person, you’ll want to ask for the priorities the night before and visualize your gifts then.) Engaging in this process is one of the stepping stones on the Natural Path to Happiness©.
Try starting each day with this quick energy management shifter before you get out of bed. Then visit our blog and tell us what happened. Making a shift is about you making a choice to take a few extra minutes to maximize your energy. Taking time for you and choosing to take steps to self-nurture yourself is one only you can make. It’s all about energy management. Some days we are much better at this than others.
Lastly, don’t forget to employ good “time and energy management” and organizational skills; check your email at designated times; keep some kind of list of what you need to do each day and for the week, label the most important etc. You can’t do it all. Ask yourself: Can I delegate something? What do I need to let go of and what do I keep? Is there a more efficient way to do things.
Shift your thoughts, manage your energy and watch for the miracles.
Happy quick and easy shifting,
Bonnie
P.S. After you have mastered that, how can you make room for the next thing you want to do and have been putting off?
Hey, nice post, really well written. You should blog more about this.
mY FIRST THOUGHTS ARE ABOUT THE THINGS ON MY AGENDA THAT DAY. i NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT HOW i COULD PUT MY STRENGTHS TO WORK. i’M GOING TO DO THAT.