How to Put Out Life’s Fires – Part II

Many moms struggle with managing their time and putting out life’s fires. With so many priorities it can be difficult to keep everything together. The good news is that it’s not impossible. You can reclaim your time. It begins with knowing the difference between “important” and “urgent,” (discussed in Part I  and then adopting three essential attitudes. You’ll learn those attitudes in a bit, but first let’s talk about motivation.

Motivation drives action. The attitudes you’ll discover in this article require you to act, think and respond to your life in a new way. The act of change can be difficult because it requires you to recognize the need for a change and then calls you to follow-through (action) with the change. The follow-through is where most change ends.

To ensure you stay on track and adopt the attitudes in this article, you’ve got to know your reasons for changing. This realization fuels your motivation so when change becomes difficult (which it definitely will!), you won’t revert to your old attitudes. Keeping your reasons, also known as your “why,” in the forefront of your mind also helps focus your actions toward what matters most, rather than trivial busyness that may now consume your day.

Before you read on, complete the following exercise to become absolutely clear about your “why.”

Exercise: Write down twenty reasons why you want to reclaim your time. Think in terms of the benefits you’ll gain by having greater control over your time. Try to be as specific about the benefits as possible. For instance, instead of writing “more quality time with my family,” specify what “more” and “quality” really mean to you.

Armed with your “why,” you’re ready to learn the three attitude shifts necessary to reclaim your time once and for all:

• From wanting to willing: It’s easy to want to have more time, but you may not be willing to take the steps necessary to create the space (i.e. eliminating cell phone usage for a week). Wanting something doesn’t make it so, but having a willing attitude does. Think back to when you were pregnant. You probably didn’t want to experience the pain of childbirth, but you were willing to endure the pain to see your beautiful baby. What dramatic steps are you willing to take to finally reclaim your time?