From the Outside Looking In

Do you ever feel like you are on the outside of your own life looking in?? Ever find yourself wishing you could fully engage??

Do you find yourself saying "I wish I had more time to work on that?" or do you ever look longingly at your children playing wishing that you could go join them, but instead you start dinner because you are a responsible parent? This happens to the best of us. Me too!

Learning to Prioritize

When we don't set priorities we tend to follow the path of least resistance.

Sometimes saying 'yes' to everything means that you are really saying 'no' to most things on your list. If you sat down and made a list of all the things you have agreed to do and then put a star by all of the things you actually have time, energy, and the commitment to follow up with I would bet your stars are in pretty low number. (Don't beat yourself up!) Prioritizing means looking at your list of interests and saying 'yes' only to the ones that you are really excited about. #priorities

Prioritizing Real Time

So, I have four kids, a dog, two cats, a full-time job, a part time job, I sit on the board of our HOA, I lead a women's group one night a week, and twice a month social workers have to come to my house for my youngest daughter because she is still in foster care. I also have to get my youngest to therapy one day a week and she visits with her siblings several times a month. This is busy enough to me. I like to have down time and I like to be able to fully commit to my kids and dinner with them is sacred so we don't schedule anything during that time. We also sit down and watch a movie together one night a week while having a junk food carpet party in front of the TV. Did I mention the part where I am a single mom??? And that the kids' dad has chosen not to have anything to do with them?? (I am not complaining about this! I love that they are with me all day every day.) The point here is that I set some priorities in my life so when the kids' school needs volunteers or when the church needs help in the children's ministry I am free to say 'no thank you'. I have already wrestled with that decision when I was making my priority list.

Setting Priorities

Setting priorities is an exercise in self-knowledge.

Get to know yourself on a really personal level. This seems silly . . . . . of course you know yourself personally . . . . . but do you???? Decide what is really important to you by taking a few minutes each day to make a list of what you like. On another list write out what you do each day - the things that take up your time. When you feel like your lists are complete, or nearly complete, compare the two. Cross out the things on each list that are the same, or similar. The things left on the second list will show you where you are spending time that you could re-prioritize. #settingpriorities