1. Prioritize, in writing, the most important areas of your life based on your current situation. So many skip this all-important first step or fail to re-visit this question on a regular basis. Though you may believe you have prioritized your values, goals or agendas in your mind; to list them on paper helps to clarify their order and re-evaluate your activities. Our top priority is often easy to identify, it’s numbers 2, 3 and 4 priorities that sometimes over-lap in our minds and fluctuate depending on changing circumstances. Writing down your priorities makes it easier to navigate tough decisions. Julie Voris, an Instructor in Carmel, Indiana said, “I feel blessed to work in fitness. I give my all each time I teach, but my family has to come first. My girls will only be young for a short time. Because I recognize that I no longer teach afternoon classes. I prefer to teach mornings while all my girls are in school, and be there when they return. I keep afternoons free to volunteer in their classrooms. It’s tempting to want to teach those primetime classes and consider other opportunities. I remind myself that when my girls are older new opportunities will be there.”
As circumstances change, so too will your priorities and therefore should your schedule. Any shift in circumstances, work-load, family, finances, health, etc. should require you revisit your written list of priorities. For many, the recent loss of a job or a portion of income has necessitated a return to the work force. Be flexible when tough times require it.
2. Create a calendar or list of your regularly scheduled activities. List everything, including leisure time and sleep. Closely estimate the amount of total time each activity requires. For example, when listing a class or client, be sure to include set-up, cleanup and drive time.
3. Star those activities that support one or all of your top 2 or 3 priorities. These are the items we should fight to keep on our list and maybe add more!
4. Underline neutral activities. Neutral activities are those which neither take from nor support your priorities. Some examples of neutral activities might include Saturday morning coffee with your girlfriends, art class, watching television, surfing the internet, training for a marathon or a fitness competition etc. These are activities that you could give up if needed, but should be evaluated for their “peace of mind” value. Never underestimate the refueling power of mindless down time or time pursuing your joy, something few A-type personalities allow for.
5. Next, boldly circle the activities or obligations that contradict your present order of priorities. This is going to take some courage. In some instances, it takes a non-objective 3rd party. Here’s a personal example; One of my weekly activities was a late evening class at a club 35 minutes away, at a rate of pay far less than I normally earned. I had the class for years and felt that the students, who had become my friends, would “perish” if I gave up the class. Even though my obligations as Mom were tugging at me, I felt I’d be letting everyone down if I gave up the class. I kept thinking of the few friends who had recently joined the club just for that one class. I was keeping this self imposed obligation out of guilt, a sense of pride
and to be honest, ego gratification! It took a friend to point out that by keeping the class I was actually hurting my young family in terms of loss of time with them, loss of income and the increased stress that it caused by knowingly staying in the circumstance. Giving up that class was far less painful than I imagined. Much to my surprise, not even one student “died”. In fact, it’s rumored that life went on and they eventually fell in love with a new instructor.
Now, when I personally struggle with the decision to get a sub or give up a class I remind myself that at the end of my life, it will be my family at my bedside, not my Saturday morning Turbo class.
6. Make an “Immediate Action” To- Do List: Each item which you bravely circled now needs to be removed. These aren’t areas that you’re going to “try to do better”. It’s time to take specific action. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. The change doesn’t have to be permanent, but it should be immediate. If the act of relinquishing responsibility, inconveniencing others, or change has you frozen in your tracks, look at your top three priorities and find the courage to endure a few uncomfortable moments for lasting piece of mind.
Jenelle Summers, Team Beachbody Coach, Fitness instructor and Music Coordinator for Powder Blue Productions from Toledo, Ohio realized immediate action was needed if she was going to continue teaching after her son started school. “Rushing to pick up my son from school, only to go straight to the club for a class made me feel stressed and my son began acting out, which made matters even worse. I’m not a morning person, but I was convinced that it would be in the best interest of my son to teach early morning classes. I called my coordinator the next day and began replacing my evening classes with 6:00 a.m. workouts. Even though I thought I would never see my fitness friends, many of them made the shift with me. I feel so much better about doing what I love and that my family doesn’t have to pay the price.”