A Brave New Life
Here I am again -starting a new adventure and really hoping I don't screw everything up.
I feel so confident with my decision not to work full time as a First Grade Teacher, but not so confident with my income or my earning abilities! Being a PE teacher two days a week is working out perfectly for my mental health, but I'm not sure how it's going to pan out for the rest of my life. What is going to happen?! That is the part that keeps so many of us in jobs that we hate, though, so I keep reminding myself that life is so short. I don't want to waste it dreading my days. I can do this. I can.
The good new is that I have a lot of good ideas. The bad news is that I have a very hard time choosing only one of them at a time, and time management has never been one of my strengths. I am really good at trying to do eight things at once and leaving them all nearly done. That is my specialty. This is especially dangerous when these ideas are connected to income and new, interesting ways to make money...
"I could clean houses! I could sell something on Etsy! I could buy stuff at thrift stores and then sell on Ebay! I could get my real estate license! I could go back to school and become a ____________________________ ( too many ideas to write out.)"
Seriously. This is my M.O.
Luckily, every now and then someone reminds me that I know how to take pictures.
"Why don't you just stick with that?"
Oh! Right! I forgot about that... Doh!
So, I am trying to learn how to stick to one thing at a time and focus on tasks that bring me closer to that goal. On top of that, I am also trying to start one task and then finish it. Apparently, this isn't an uncommon thing! To me, it seems so boring and like such a time waster. Even writing this blog post has been tricky since I was also watching the Seahawks game, reading a book about finance, making chili, doing laundry, editing a photo and trying to keep track of my Fantasy Football team (who ended up losing, btw). It's come to my attention, though, that multi tasking isn't really all that it is cracked up to be. (what?!) I used to pride myself on my ability to do so many things at once, and I couldn't believe that Anders couldn't even grade papers in front of the tv! (I mean, what is that about?!) The more I read about mindfulness and living a more serene life, I realize that he might be on to something. Maybe you aren't supposed to feel this crazy most of time.
I am slowly learning how to get shit done without making myself insane. Here is my new trick that I am trying to remember to use:
It's called a TO DO List. Have you heard of these before? Life-changing, I tell ya!
The problem is, there are a lot of strategies out there about the most effective type of To-Do list, so I am experimenting with different ideas. I have tried writing only 5 things down that must be accomplished TODAY and have them categorized in order of importance. I have also tried working for 25 minutes, then taking a five minute break to do something healthy (like meditate, go on a walk, eat something besides these amazing homemade Paleo cookies I am obsessed with). Sometimes I even add things to my list after I have completed them just to give myself a little boost. "Well, done, Sarah. You are a rockstar!"
The jury is still out on what works for me, but I will let you know. I'm sure you will be waiting on the edge of your seat. In the meantime, if you have any time-management strategies that work for you, let me know! I would love to hear about them. Keep your fingers crossed, my friends! I do believe good things are happening. : )