As I am sure that you have noticed I bang on a bit about goal setting and planning. To some it may seem that I might, in fact, be one of the more boring people on earth with a rigid diary that leaves little scope for spontaneity. The truth is (I hope) that I am anything but. I love to be spontaneous, in fact, I thrive on it.
I don’t plan my life down to the minute; in fact I actually plan very little. I am dreadful at maintaining a diary. I love the freshness of a new diary but by May I have often misplaced it.
It goes without saying that my family are my number one priority, I have a small number of close friends that I would drop anything for too. Paid work makes up a portion of our livelihood, it’s the way it is for us right now, I’m lucky that I chose a career that I will always be passionate about and lucky that it is flexible. These are things I don’t plan. I am there when I need to be.
At other times in my life I have happily planned nothing and just gone with the flow but right now there are four small people (and one much larger person) in my life who take precedence so planning, at least some of, my time around them is what I do. With five other people in my life the number of questions I have to ask and answer + decisions that I have to make on the spot is incredible. That is before I sit at my desk at work or sit down at home to write. I don’t think it’s any wonder that my brain feels a little like cotton wool at times.
My two things are the things I don’t like to compromise on. They are things that can be planned and, in doing so, I make them more achievable. It’s infinitely easier to walk into the kitchen of an afternoon with a meal plan that tells me what to cook and the knowledge I have everything on hand that I need. That is a series of decisions that I don’t have to make when I am feeling tired.
By diarising my training, again I have something written down that is telling what to do and when. I make my plan when I have time and brain space available to do it. I need my alone time and running is the perfect outlet for me, it allows me to get physical exercise but also gives me the time and space to order my thoughts.
The only thing I write in my diary is my training. I fill in the month to a view first and then add detail on the weekly views. I’ve recently switched to Kikki.K A4 planners instead because I can tear off the pages, fold them and carry them around in my notebook. I write everything in my notebook. Likewise I use a Kikki.K weekly meal planner to help me plan food for the week. I am a visual person so these tools work really well for me. I am sure that there are apps that could help me out but I love the ease and simplicity of paper and pen.
Everything else fits in around my number one priorities and my two things. I don’t watch TV often and when I do it is in a companionable way with Woody or the kids, I like to focus on what I’m watching, enjoy it and talk to them about it. I don’t get much time for craft anymore but I can tell you that I absolutely savour it when I do. I fit writing in the gaps between everything else. I maintain a list and notes about what I want to write so I can utilise opportunities when they arise, it is the thing I prioritise highest out of everything and, whilst I set aside time for it, I won’t let in compromise the things that are more important to me. You can read some tips from me on how I fit things in to my day here.
By being aware of my priorities and sticking to them I feel that I use my time more wisely and have the opportunity to capitalise on spontaneous moments when they arise.