Setting Boundaries with Your Time

When I see a similar message coming to me over and over, I decide that must be something on which I need to spend some time reflecting and writing. The past couple days it has centered around the use of time, and more specifically, setting boundaries around use of time.

I wrote in the post  Value and Use of Time  about how we are all given the same 24 hours in a day and how we chose to use those hours is a reflection on our priorities.  That means that you have clear goals and priorities which dictate how you are spending your time. Along with that is learning to say "no" when your time is requested where it doesn't align with your goals.  This can be one of the hardest disciplines to learn. It's not only beneficial for achieving your goals, but it also helps guard your sense of balance; and I'll go so far as to say "sanity". Especially for people who enjoy helping others, saying "no" can be a very difficult thing to do. Do you find yourself often saying the words "have to"? Do you find yourself often saying or thinking "I'm overwhelmed?" If the answer is "yes", it may be time to set some boundaries.

"We are constantly faced with competing demands, and easily distracted by the noise and the interruptions. To be effective in our lives and work, we must focus.  We must decide on our priorities. We must channel our energy and attend to the task before us."  ~ from the book Now Is the Time by Patrick Lindsay.

The task before me this weekend is to create my new "master plan" for managing the activities that directly point to my goals. These encompass career, charity, personal fulfillment, family, and health. I'm asking myself what I want to accomplish and "why". And then aligning specific action steps and dates.  Now this isn't a "goal setting" session as much as it is an allocation of how I plan to use my 24 hours per day for the next few weeks.  Do you want to redefine how your spending your time and take back a little more control? If so, join me! We'll set boundaries together!

"Think of many things, do only one." ~English proverb

Love and Prayers,
Sondra