A short exercise to help you prioritize what matters
We are all aware that we’re not out of the woods yet when it comes to the global pandemic. But, there is hope with the vaccines rolling out, and our day-to-day life is shifting back towards (a new) normal. Some are staying in work-from-home roles, some are finally returning to their workplace, some never left. Many of our kids are back to in-person school after nearly a year away. Restaurants are opening to larger capacity, and recreational activities are coming back.
Some of it seems so foreign after all this time, and I don’t think we’re going to find ourselves where we were when everything paused in March 2020. It has been challenging, I don’t argue that at all. We all faced our own level of “hard” through this.
But, there was also a silver lining. It gave us a chance to miss things. It also gave us a chance to see what we DON’T miss. As the world re-opens, now is such a perfect opportunity to reflect on what you want your life to look like.
Try this self-reflection exercise:
- Don’t focus on what is out of your control right now. We are focusing on what you can change.
- List all the activities, obligations, etc. that you participated in pre-Covid
- List all the positives that you took out of this lockdown (If you need to list all the negatives just to get a little venting out, do it!)
- Sit with those lists. Ask yourself:
- What are you excited to return to as things open up?
- What do you want to hold on to from lockdown life?
- What do you enjoy?
- How can you blend these two lives?
- What can you let go of? What would feel like a weight off? What no longer serves you in the life you want to lead?
Maybe you realize how truly overwhelmed you felt with all of your children’s extracurricular activities. Do they need them all, or did you feel pressure to enroll them?
Maybe you realize how much you enjoyed slower weekends, with less social pressures and obligations. Can you be pickier about what you say “yes” to?
Have your eyes been opened to social causes that you now feel passionate about? How can you make time for those?
Perhaps some longer-term goals have been realized through this. What tangible steps can you make towards those goals?
Once you feel good about how YOU are prioritizing YOUR life, think about what tools would help you feel successful in implementing any changes you make.
Perhaps you have decided to hold on to many extracurricular activities, because your children truly enjoy them and they add value to your life. Fantastic! Maybe, though, you realize how scatter-brained you are in remembering the schedules. Check out my planner layouts and see if there is one that would be able to house those schedules in a way that works for you. Or, consider a weekly planning notepad if you need to focus on every day or week as it comes; that’s great, too! Maybe a family wall calendar would help everyone stay on track.
Maybe you are prioritizing your dinner time as a family. Can my meal planners help you to organize your meal planning and shopping lists, so that you aren’t wasting your time each night figuring out what to make or running to the store.
Let me know if you try out this exercise, in any form or level of commitment that works for you, no pressure! Find my post on social media (Link) and share what you are hanging on to and letting go of as we work back towards our “new normal.”
- Lindsay