Your list...

Gotta be honest, writing this post semi-sucked at first. It was hard to find the time to write this week and even harder to decide what to write about. I always find I'm either overloaded with ideas or completely stuck.

I started wondering why I was so unclear and realized it's because I've barely had time to eat over the last week...which brings me to the topic of this post.

Things have been a bit hectic on the home front. Life has gone from 0-60 seemingly overnight and at times I'm struggling just to keep up.

Some incredible things and some downright awful things have been happening. I keep thinking, "What am I gonna do when I have kids?!"

I'm learning to juggle an insane amount of stuff that before would've seemed impossible. It's great to be doing more, but frustrating to feel like I can't always bring my best to each thing.

I'm expanding my plate and like anything else, it's a muscle that needs to be strengthened.

In the process of dealing with MORE, I forgot the most important thing...MYSELF. Sound familiar?

In the face of having too much on your plate, the thing that usually gets pushed to the back of the line is also the most important ingredient in keeping it all together...YOU!

I would count the massage I treated myself to in Chinatown yesterday, but the guy manhandled me to the point that I'm literally covered in black and blues. The pain was worth getting the knots out, but I wouldn't exactly say it was a relaxing experience.

The truth is, the first thing to go when I got busier was working out...something that keeps me physically and mentally energized.

I believe wholeheartedly in balance and I think too many people sacrifice themselves to get more done. But when you operate at half speed, are you really accomplishing more?

It's so easy to go through the motions and cut out things for yourself that don't seem like a priority. But when you're running on empty, you're not exactly bringing your A-game to your work, your kids, your BF/GF, your life.

I guess the bigger question is: do you prefer quality or quantity? What's more important...frantically checking things off the list at half-speed, or managing a shorter list more effectively?

Sometimes we can't cut things out and even if we could, unexpected things would happen to throw us off.

What's worked for me in the past is scheduling 5-10 minutes a day to meditate. For those of you that find the idea of meditating to be intimidating, weird, uncomfortable...get over it!

Meditating is really all about quieting your mind and breathing. It's amazing how powerful something so simple can be.

There are countless types of meditation but just the act of sitting in a quiet space (without your phone!) for 5-10 minutes, closing your eyes and focusing on your breathing, is enough to have a big impact on your day and your overall psyche.

And I don't care how busy you are, you can find five minutes a day...in the morning, before bed, or somewhere in between.

Youtube has tons of guided meditations if you like the idea of a calm voice and mood music.

Find what works for you, but above all else, give yourself a few moments each day to decompress (and that doesn't mean TV, internet, alcohol, etc....it means absolute quiet). If it helps, schedule it.

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You'll see a much clearer, calmer side of yourself over time.

Trust me, life is more enjoyable AND more productive with a lower decibel of noise in your head.

So remember to include yourself on your list.

On my list of things to do tomorrow...THE BEACH.

Enjoy your weekend!!!

xoxo