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I flew to Dallas this week to lead a work training. It was a quick, one day trip, but it gave me a chance to catch up on some reading on the flight, including starting and finishing Christy Wright’s, “Take Back Your Time.” It was an easy read, but packed with lots of good reminders about how to achieve that mysterious balance in our lives. Here is the gist of the book: “Life balance isn’t about doing everything for an equal amount of time. Life balance is about doing the right things at the right time. It’s about spending life on what matters to you.” To accomplish this, Christy proposes a 5-step path to balance: Decide what matters Stop doing what doesn’t matter Create a schedule that reflect what you matters Protect what matters Be present what matters
She has a chapter on each step, but here are a few more of my favorite takeaways for myself: “While most people will ask, ‘What am I going to do?’ I’m going to suggest you start with identity and instead ask, ‘Who do I want to become?’ There’s a big difference. It’s not just focusing on actions. Start with identity because identity drives actions. In other words, when you know who you are, you’ll know what to do.” - Craig Groeschel Christy recommends making two types of lists to help determine what should take up time in your life and on your calendar: a “What Matters Most List” and a list of who you want to be and what you want to be known for. For help making your “What Matters Most List,” answer these questions: (1) What do you need in order to be the person you want to be?, (2) What makes you feel balanced?, and (3) What makes you come alive? The goal isn’t about how to do more of everything, but about how to prioritize - and actually enjoy - the right things. Wherever you are, be all there. If you’re at work, be fully present at work. If you’re at home with your family, be fully present there. A lot of times, we can be physically in one place but mentally elsewhere - thinking about something left undone or feeling guilty for not being somewhere else instead. Acknowledge and embrace seasons of life and recognize that priorities will shift in each season. Some seasons, work will be busy and take priority, but in other seasons, like for a new mom, your focus will be more on taking care of a newborn and less on the dozens of other things you did before the baby came. “Most of us spend time on what’s urgent and not enough time on what’s important.” -Stephen Covey “Whether we realize it or not, urgent and important are not the same thing. When you create boundaries around your work and family time, you reduce interruptions and give yourself the gift of being able to be present for what is important right in front of you.”
There are so many other good lessons in this book for women - I highly recommend it! // Yelena
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