I often get asked how I fit so much in—my business; my children; my husband; my exercise; home cooked food. I’m a sister, a friend, a teacher. How I manage to fit it all in one day.
If you ever struggle to fit everything in, you’re going to love this because I’ve got a secret. I have 8 daily non-negotiables. These are the things that keep me sane. They ground me yes, yet they also light me up.
But it does take devotion and discipline to ensure that they get done. For me, discipline is KEY to productivity. As is letting go of those things that have little importance and don’t really matter. And that is different for everyone. For me, I don’t stress about the playroom being organized like a Pinterest photo or if my bed isn’t made. These things don’t bug me. So I don’t spend my time in those rooms. Nor do I waste any mental or physical energy thinking about them. And then I have friends whose bed MUST be made before they can start their day. It’s essential to recognize your non-negotiables.
Here’s what I am extremely disciplined with …
Meditation
I know how much can we go on about meditation. It’s everywhere. But seriously, between hectic work days, a house messy and noisy with girls and their drama, fires to put out, meditation has changed my life. Meditation has been key in helping me move through it. It has strengthened my resilience muscle, so that when life hurts (which it inevitably does) I can move through it with grace. On a daily basis, it helps alleviate the stress, no matter who small of big. I start my day with a morning meditation. I light candles, sit in my fav chair and for 14 minutes I have silence in my head as I listen to my guided meditation. Have you tried it? Give it a week.
Movement
I need exercise in my day. Why? Because it is scientifically proven that movement releases feel-good endorphins. It helps me release stress from my body, it makes me feel more creative, and it clears my mind making me waaayyy more productive.I crave it and when I don’t exercise I get super cranky. It’s another type of meditation for me. I love yoga, pilates, dance classes, strength training, TRX. On a Sunday night, my girlfriends and I will map out the classes for the week ahead, book into them and add them to a digital calendar—that way they stay a priority and other meetings get booked around them. That’s right, exercise is a top priority for me. Once in the book, can’t be changed. When you have a couple friends to workout with, not only is it more fun—laughter never hurt anyone—but you are also even more accountable.
Nourishing my body and the people in my lives is one of my greatest pleasures. It’s now just way of life for me that it’s so deeply ingrained into y every cell that I don’t even think about it. It’s been hard-wired into my DNA. And really it is not that complicated. I drink green juice, (a lot of it) everyday, eat as much nutrient dense food as possible, load up on superfoods, eat as veggie centric as I can and completely skip the packaged, sugar and gluten-laden food. And no I don’t feel as if I am missing out. I THRIVE, not DEPRIVE. This makes me feel my best, so I do it.
Gratitude
Every night I express what I am grateful for. The Universe hears it and will gives me even more to be grateful for. It’s a beautiful practice to do alone, with your partner and your children. My girls and I keep a gratitude journal. It’s a great way to connect with the people you love most and see what’s currently lighting them up inside.
Drink Water, A lot Of It
We are about 75% water, so it’s critical to hydrate. Every night when we sleep, our body is crazy busy flushing out toxins from the day. Drinking clean water helps the detoxification.
Start your day as soon as you wake up with warm water and lemon. This sets your body up for the day. And keep drinking it throughout the day. Add lots of lemon and drink your way to great health. Drinking lemon water makes me feel clear, and hence I think clear thoughts.
Get Outside
Mother Earth is incredibly healing, so I make sure I get outside every day. That is usually my walk across the park overlooking the mountains to my daughters’ school. But it could be laying in the grass, sitting on my roofdeck watching the sunset. I work from home, so if I spend the whole day inside I go a little cray-cray. I don’t have to spend hours outside, just a couple deep conscious breaths will do—even in the rain. Whatever you can mange is better than nothing. Again, this practice makes me feel good, and I am more creative, more grounded and more calm when I do this, so I do it every day.
Connect With My Man and My Girls
We are all full! We all have stuff to finish, deadlines to meet, and long to-do lists to complete. It’s so easy to go through your day—your life, for that matter—just plugging away and not consciously stopping to experience a sense of connection with your partner, friends, family.
We are hard-wired for connection and thrive off intimacy. That doesn’t mean connecting on FB or twitter, but real human touch. So for me, no matter how full life gets, connecting with my husband and my girls is MANDATORY. And that looks completely different everyday. But the one thing we do as a family every single week day night, is sit down together and eat a nourishing meal. This is a non-negotiable priority in our life.
Seek Out Inspiration
After my morning mediation, I have a journal where I write my thoughts out, and daily schedule. Mapping my day in this way makes me organize my thoughts so I can truly feel them. I also am an avid searcher for inspirational words from books, daily truth bomb emails, quotes, poems, art or even just a mere word. What’s gonna give me that AH-Ha moment, the one that deeply resonates and lights me up. I know it sounds corny, yes a bit cheesy, but if you saw my bedside table, it is crammed with mantra books, poetry, journals and colour. I have small pieces of inspiration everywhere. It makes me happy.
For me, when one of these above is absent from my day, I am stressed, less focused, and less grounded and way more frazzled. So I make sure I take that time to prioritize these every single day.
What are yours? Share with me here.