We are continuing to dig a little deeper into the hows of the not so busy life. Two weeks ago I shared that when you’re looking to make life less busy consider 2 broad areas of your life: life inside and outside your home. By dividing your life into these 2 areas and then evaluating the busyness of each, you can determine which area of your life might need more attention. For some of us, both areas can use a tune-up, so just pick whichever might be easiest to tackle first.
After determining which area you will tackle first, it’s now time to consider your priorities. Do the things you fill your time and your day with reflect those priorities? When we consider our priorities we can better fill our days, weeks, and months.
Grab a piece of paper and pen, find a quiet place to sit, and reflect on your priorities. You will use these priorities to help shape life inside and outside your home.
In a prior post I shared that my main priorities are:
- my relationship with God
- loving other people (family, friends, neighbors, people I meet, etc.) by reaching out, serving, encouraging, etc.
These are my overarching priorities, and there are many lesser priorities that also direct how I fill my days.
It will be your main priorities that shape your minor priorities that then shape the way you manage life inside and outside of your home.
What are your priorities inside the home: a tidy home? a home that is guest ready? a clean kitchen (and let the rest go)? dinner at home 4-5 nights a week? a peaceful environment? less clutter and more space?
These are just ideas. I don’t know what desires and priorities you have for inside your home. We’re all different but determining what you want life inside your home to look like will help determine how you spend your time in this area of your life.
What about priorities outside the home: do you want to be active in the community? are you looking to have your children involved in many extracurricular activities? are you hoping for more space on your calendar? is family time a desire? do you want to be more involved in your children’s school?
Again, each of us will have different thoughts and ideas about what life outside our home should look like. Do the hard work of really determining your priorities (and not those of the people around you), and see how and what you are doing outside of your home lines up with those priorities.
I hope that this post has encouraged you to do some deep thinking. I hope it has given you some of ideas for practical steps in the pursuit of the not so busy life.
What about you? Have you taken the time to consider your priorities? I would love to hear from you regarding this topic, so leave me a comment below!
Until next time,
Charissa
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