Sarah from Baby Steps Life Coaching and Rowena from Getting it Together shared their tips and strategies, and gave us practical, useable advice that can be put into action and make a positive difference to our lives immediately.

Most moms wish there was more time in the day to get everything done. Sarah Dakin of Baby Steps Life Coaching and Rowena List of Getting it Together shared their experiences and provided tools on how to focus on what matters most in your life and getting rid of all the clutter and stress in our minds and home.

Sarah from Baby Steps Life Coaching

Think for a minute, about the last time you had a really great day. It might have been awhile since you had one, but if you draw on what you know about good days in general, you probably would have some key parts, like

• You made progress on, or completed an important task that mattered to you
• You spent some great time with someone you love
• You had some time doing something you personally love

Time management is really a fallacy. Time can’t be managed. We all have the same 24 hours in a day – even if we won the lottery, we would still have the same about of time. Time is an equal opportunity engager! Some call time the great equalizer.
Time management is really about self management – managing our energy levels, our inner clarity, our choices. Priority management is a better word for the fine art of having more great days. A day is great when we get in the priorities.
Sarah shared with us some new ways of seeing our time management challenges.

• The first one was getting clear on what is important to you – what you value, and she called it “Me Lights”
• The second one is what she call “Value Grind”
• And then she talked about saying no and “Bouncers”.

Values. We talk about values a lot in the coaching world. When someone say values – you probably think of things like honesty, or integrity. They are great words, but how do they help you decide what to tackle first on your to do list? And what about things that matter, like chocolate, or being out in nature, that aren’t exactly values?

Me Lights

We all have things that light us up. Me Lights – Sarah decided to call them. Activities, traits, topics, things we are naturally drawn to, that make us shine. You could call them values, but is dancing a value?
Clarifying and naming some of your Me Lights can help you navigate all the tough time management choices we face these days. Some Me Lights are obvious, like our children light us up, but others are not so clear.
What are some of your Me Lights?
We did some pair work exploring peak experiences in our lies and what Me Lights they might represent.

Value Grind
Now many of our time management struggles as busy moms come from too much to do. But what do we say no to? The stuff that is hard to say no to is the good stuff. The good stuff is what fills our plate and leaves no room for the great stuff.
Why it is so hard to say no to good stuff, when we know there is even better stuff out there? Sarah calls it Value Grind; when one Me Light of yours is grinding up against another Me Light, and that is painful!

Take a few minutes now, and think about something you are considering saying no to. It could be a person you want to spend less time with, a role you play, a task you do… then spend a few minutes thinking about what is important and what is completing about that part of your life? What would be even better ways you could honor those same Me Lights.

Bouncers!
Bouncers are the tough questions you ask yourself before you commit – to an event, a task, a new role…
When we get past the bouncers, we can DANCE !!

D – DIRECT: Most direct way?
Are there more direct ways I could achieve these same benefits?

A – ACTION: The learning is in the action. Is this concrete positive action?
In what way is this taking concrete action – risks I can learn from?

N – NEEDED NOW: What’s most needed right now?
Looking at the big picture, is this what is needed most right now?

C – CONNECTIONS: Relationships matter most. How is this building key connections?
What important connection am I furthering?

E – ENERGY: Is this feeding my energy? Does it bring me joy?
Will this drain my energy or bring me energy? Is it taking me closer to my best self?

Time management, or priority management as Sarah prefers to call it, is really about the fine art of saying no – so we can make room for more of the Me Lights that make us shine! When we do lots of what we love, then we will feel energized, be more efficient and we will feel like we have enough time!

Rowena List – Getting it Together
Why are we not getting organized? Is it lack of time? Procrastination? Or would we just rather spend time with people vs. dealing with the mess?

One of the biggest hurdles to overcome when deciding to change and to become more organized is a sense of being overwhelmed. You might even feel that if you cannot do it “perfectly” then why even start. You’ve maybe heard all sorts of tips and strategies for clearing the clutter – some new, some not so new. The difference here is taking the time to decide HOW you are going to begin and what tip is the best one for YOU at this time. Once you master one of these tips, check it off and select your next one. You’ll be amazed at your progress and how empowered you will feel.

Action Step: Read through the list below and choose the tip that means the most to you - perhaps the one that you have the most resistance to? Or maybe the one that seems like it would be the easiest to start with. After you choose, highlight it, post it around your home and office, repeat it when you wake up, when you go to sleep and throughout the day – make it a conscious habit.
Organizing is an ongoing journey so let’s begin now.
1. Do you love it, need it, use it? (Ask yourself this when you are trying to decide what to do with any item)
2. Would you buy it again if it were broken or stolen?
3. O.H.I.O. = Only Handle It Once.
4. Deal with it; Delegate it or Dump it - especially when it comes to your office.
5. Nothing takes on value unless it is being used.
6. Make sure that each item of clothing goes with 3 other items in your closet.
7. Pass it on before it is too late to be used by anyone.
8. Just because you bought it, doesn’t mean you have to keep it.
9. Live with Faith, not Fear. (Eliminate the words “I might need it one day”)
10. Become a master at re-gifting. Pass it on with love.
11. Have a school “in/out” basket for each child.
12. Remove all broken or chipped items from the kitchen cupboards.
13. Keep a photocopied list of all important documents, numbers, credit cards, etc. in your safety deposit box.
14. Photographs!! Ask yourself “Would I take this photo again?” or “How many pictures do I need to tell the story?”
15. Choose to re-use.