I am a person who wants to do everything, and I am easily swayed and I lose focus often.   I am all over the map.  Remember when I wrote about taking an accounting class?  I just wanted to feel like I had a good understanding of accounting principles.  It was not necessary for me to take an accounting class and as I realized about two chapters in, I hated it.  I can read a P & L already, I can read financial documents.

And, how many times have I tried to learn Spanish?  I give myself an A for effort, but maybe it is time to realize that I will not be fluent.  Fluent? OK, I will not be saying anything in Spanish other than requesting a bathroom and some water.  I will not be doing pilates on a reformer at home and I will not be weaving my own fabric.  Also, I will not be learning about Scientology and why people seem to follow the teachings.  I will not be riding a motorcycle (and I will not be wearing my cool chaps).  I will not be jumping up and down on a pogo stick for exercise.  I will not be tap dancing.  I will not play the piano beyond chopsticks.

My daughter let me know that she just waits for me to get tired of my project-du-jour and then she gets the material “stuff” associated with it (not the chaps).  The fact that she has a system for cashing in on my lack of success made me grouchy at first. But, I had been working on making some changes in the way I spend my time and she totally reinforced my thinking.

Re-evaluating where my time goes is helping me see my day-to-day life better, because I feel like I am just too busy for the woman I am on paper.  I always seem to be running and I don’t like to live that way.  I like being busy, but that hasn’t been fulfilling me as much as I think it should.  So, I have come up with a plan for living life the way I like to live it, a plan just for me.  If you want to use some pieces of the plan be my guest.  I call it PH2.

PHPH (PH2)

Personal, Health, Professional, Hobbies or PHPH (my initials times 2), or PH2.  You can call your plan anything you want.   My PH2 focuses me in the areas where I want to spend my time and energy and cuts out the other noise.

  1. Personal: I sit on the board of a small non-profit organization.  There are two meetings each month with a minimal amount of work outside the meetings.  Maybe one hour of additional work each month.  I also belong to a non-profit organization called Harmony Project.  It requires me to attend rehearsals on Monday evenings.  Through Harmony Project, I volunteer at a Women’s Prison once a week, so that takes up a morning.  I have made the decision to focus on only those two organizations over the course of this next year.  I’m not saying that I will not go to any other events, but this is where I put my energy.  By making this a priority, I have freed myself up to say no when asked to join other groups.
  2. Health:  Of course, like every other person on the planet, I started the year wanting to be more healthy.  But, I was not sure what that looked like in my life.  So, I have committed to myself that I will workout five times a week.  Blocking those times out to makes them happen.  Love to get the classes out of the way on weekdays if I can, so I feel like the weekend is mine.  I am not super critical of myself if my schedule prevents me from getting the five days in, like during a travel week, but putting workouts on my calendar in advance has really helped me keep those appointments.
  3. Professional:  I can’t say that professional is even a black and white category for me.  It is the work that I do to propel myself forward, the work that I do to learn more and grow internally.  Starting Over at Sixty is part of that growth.  Learning how to write content is part of that growth.  I focus on both at the beginning of the week, because they are my most important, timely pieces of the puzzle.   I belong to a couple of professional organizations that require minimal work from me, but allow me to grow.
  4. Hobbies:  I like to knit.  I like to read.  I like to sew a little.  I like to go to movies.  They are all sedentary interests, I know.  And, they weren’t happening often enough for me.  By becoming more focused on what is important to me during the work week, I have been able to clear out some time and enjoy what I really like to do.

Use Structure and Intention

Putting some structure and intention in my week, I feel that I am getting more accomplished, I am having more time for what I like to do, and it allows me to say no to other requests.  My plate is as full as I want it to be at this time.

If you feel like you are spinning out of control, then stop it.  No one will do it for you.  It has to come from you but acting with intention
about your time will allow you to have more time, I guarantee.