My Version of Self-Care

Recently I realized that some of that order was restricting me and my thinking. However, some version of that order is necessary for me to stay on track. I realized that a few things in my life I had let slip past the point where I was comfortable. So, I began to make getting control of them a priority. Here are the 5 things I am focusing on and what has already started to happen.

• Declutter – I put this one first because the clutter around you can for me lead to clutter in your mind. It is very easy to let things pile up when you are busy. And I have been very busy this summer. And quite frankly the clutter has started to really get to me. So I am stepping back and wiping it out. Baby steps though. I still have a lot of work to do so I fit in small projects as I can. I use my dictation app and notes on my phone to keep moving on things while I clean out a drawer organize a self or figure out what to do with all that stuff that comes home from school.
• Digitally Declutter – It is just as important to declutter your digital stuff. How many emails do you have in your inbox? How many inboxes do you have? Yikes I have six. Three of them are work related and two are personal. I use Outlook so I am able to sort things, save them to folders, use customer manager, and set follow ups. As my business continues to grow I must remind myself to utilize these great tools to stay on top of things.
• Clean – When my space (i.e. my home) isn’t clean I have a hard time focusing. Just yesterday I spent some time before I made dinner dusting and vacuuming upstairs in my house. My office is upstairs so this morning when I walked in it was not only neat but clean. It felt fantastic. I will add other rooms to my list and continue to use my dictation app and notes on my phone to clean the kitchen while working. The sense of accomplishment at the end of the day is big for me.
• Have a system(s) / plan – I used to schedule things a lot more than I have lately. That is partly because of the crazy summer I’ve had. But I am getting back to that as fall approaches. Having certain days I do things keeps those things that are important from falling through the cracks. You don’t have to plan every minute but having an idea of what you need to do when will hopefully keep you from waking up in the middle of the night.
• Take a minute – Don’t forget to take a minute for yourself. Sit on the porch, take a walk, exercise, watch your favorite show, or just sit and read. It is important to recharge your batteries too.

I know my self-care approach may seem very different than what you usually hear. But for me having a space that I feel at peace in can completely change my ability to focus.