And I'm glad I did!
This year has already been a crazy year - and it's only the end of January!
I've started a new day job - working for an incredible Hospice within Fundraising, which is a blast! And really is a rewarding career. I'm buying a house with my gorgeous partner in dance, and in life, Jim, and to top it all off am teaching some amazing classes, creating some beautiful costumes and working on my yoga practice!
This got me to thinking - how on earth am I going to decide what takes priority, and how am I going to fit all this darn stuff in to my week!?
I thought I would share with you, ways to prioritise, organise, and work out your time, so that you get the most from all of your hobbies, dance activities, and your work!
1. Prioritise what you love - This is something that Amy Sigil says in one of her Datura Online classes that really stuck with me. If you LOVE dance - schedule that in to your week first. Make specific time slots in your diary, whether its an hour before work, or 15 minutes when you get home before you cook tea, make sure you schedule it in, so you get to do what you love. Same goes for other things - like if you love having a bath, schedule it in! Make time for the things you love! It may mean waking up half an hour earlier, but sometimes, it really is worth it.
2. Get rid of the things that don't make you feel excited - Is that Zumba class just a bind? Ditch it. Is trying to swim once a week just eating into precious drawing or sewing time? Ditch it. Do you resent having to sew a bellydance costume for your next show? Ditch it. Your free time is precious, don't waste it on sub par activities that don't excite you. Instead, dedicate more time to the thing you love, or find an activity that does excite you! It can feel tough, you may feel obliged to keep going to those rotary club meetings, or monthly bake sales, but if you aren't passionate about it, and it doesn't get your juices flowing - find something that does! Learn to be ruthless with your most precious commodity - time.
3. Plan Ahead - Make a point of planning things in advance. This will really help you to work out what works for you and your schedule, and also what you can fit into your year! I don't know about you, but I very often say I will do things, or go places, and at the end of the year, nothing's changed! Planning in advance will really help that - you will be more likely to stick to your plans, and it also gives you more things to look forward to!
4. Get a calendar - and use it! - It may take a bit of time to get into the habit of using a calendar, but by gum does it make life easier when planning, organising and arranging your time. I love my gmail calendar as I can sync it to my phone, laptop and emails, and can sort out nifty reminders and alerts. You should see some of the things I schedule in - sometimes stuff as mundane as taking an hour for a bath and pamper session - but if you don't plan it in somewhere, you'll never get round to it!
I hope these tips help you guys to start thinking about your own schedules and the way you organise your time, above all though - make sure you make yourself the top priority.
Final Note for the Day:
Play around with ways to plan your time - spreasdsheets, calendars, diaries - use what works for you best! I often use a mixtures of excel, diaries, and more often than not, post-its!
If you want to use this post in your e-zine, blog or newsletter, please go ahead! But make sure that you credit Louise Brooks - www.louisebellydancer.co.uk
