Slowing Down to Speed Up💕

Oh HEY Monday!

Slowing down to speed up. I know, you hear that and cringe or roll your eyes. I do it, too. “HOW can I slow down when I have SO much to do?” Yes, I know. BUT when you slow down to PLAN and take inventory of HOW you are spending your time, you WILL be more effective. Slowing down doesn’t mean you sit around and do nothing (which, by the way, it IS okay to do that, too, sometimes. I try and take some time each week to do just that.) it just means that you slow down to pause, reflect, evaluate and plan. Here are my best practices for slowing down to speed up. 1. Schedule time to plan. Protect this time and actually DO it. I block out 3-4 hrs a week to plan my week. 2. Give yourself white space each day. I am not talking 5-10 minutes, I am talking a couple of hours where NOTHING is on the calendar. This allows you time to THINK, which helps you to prioritize. If you are thinking, “D’Ann, there is no flipping way that I can do that.” I need you to figure out what you can take off of your plate because you have TOO much going on! You should be able to have at least one hour a day that isn’t accounted for. 3. Find a hobby that gives you a mental break. For me, it’s walking or watching an occasional Hallmark Movie🤦🏻‍♀️. I get to check out my “to do” list and come back refreshed when I am done. If we are constantly thinking about our to do list, we can’t think about how we can be MORE effective or work smarter, not harder, because we are constantly trying to just catch up. Try this: Use a planner you love and plan each day. Check your white space- do you have any? How can you create some? Try using the daily planner each day this week and Come back and show me how that changed your day and your productivity.