So often I will set up a highly structured schedule (project work, business tasks, errands, chores) and expect to execute with precision. HA! Why do I expect flawless execution? Forget that it might take 3 trips to Home Depot to figure out how to cut tile, what about being totally DRAINED when it’s time to put on the running shoes and hit the pavement …? or being totally beat when it’s time to prepare a that healthy evening meal?
Are there better ways to “manage” all these bits such that my reality mirrors my intentions or am I meant to relax, be flexible and go with the flow…???
I propose that:
- we can do to manage a little better;
- we can appropriately choose and prioritize scheduled items; and
- we can allow for flexibility.
Managing food preparation is an endless chore for me. Food prep is high on my priority list because: 1) I control what I eat when I have prepared it, and 2) when I eat healthy food, I am better able to function in all other aspects of my life. When I don’t control my meals and/or eat healthy food, I am at the mercy of a very weak version of myself; a version more inclined to excuse poor choices!
For me, food prep is important and tied to my core values, but also a potential source of DRAIN… managing 3 meals a day plus snacks for me and my husband can feel like a lot – (I am certainly no June Cleaver and do work full time!) – and the domino effect of NOT having some basic things in place is HUGE!
When creating any new structure / building any new ritual, I have found it’s important to go slow. So, little by little, I take on new strategies to make the execution of “meal prep” work for me… In addition to going slow, I have found that borrowing from the experience of others is invaluable! Undoubtedly, like-minded individuals have common struggles so why not share methods and maximize efforts?!
Over the last several months, aided by the experience of “healthy” individuals in my life and online, I have generated lists of common meals that my husband and I enjoy (ham and cheese roll-ups for an afternoon snack… Greek yogurt/cereal/fresh fruit parfaits for breakfast… etc etc). My most recent goal, suggested by someone who has mastered the art of weekly meal organization, is to consistently know the menu and grocery list by Thursday for the following week!! (At some point I’ll move onto scheduling the actual shopping trip, but I know better than to get ahead of myself!)
So, what is it for you?
You may want to nurture a new lifestyle. You may want to start a new business. You may want to generate 10 new sales leads per quarter. You may want to improve relations with your employees, your children, or your spouse!! Any new and worthwhile *thing* can simultaneously loom large and be difficult to approach. Decide what’s worth it; seek the counsel of those who have succeeded (or have the wisdom brought by failure); and begin to build, bit by bit.
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