When my kids were little, I started a life lessons book. Then it became a joke that every time a bit of mom wisdom emerged, it would be prefaced by a number— with increasing extremes.
“Life Lesson Number 1,362,456,248”
(By the way, it takes a long time to say one-billion-three-hundred-sixty-two-million-four-hundred-fifty-six-thousand-two-hundred-forty-eight).
Eye rolls always followed.
For this, I figured I’d stick to four, so it has a shot of being helpful:
- Four weeks of sabbatical
- Four lessons I learned (in order vs. importance)
- Four simple takeaways you can implement right away to integrate your work and life.
Because I’m human, the first lesson was at the bottom of the hierarchy of needs. So it was also a softball to implement 🙂
Lesson #1: Make more time for the business of life during business hours.
Doctor’s offices do not take routine appointments on nights and weekends. Nor do lawyers. Or insurance companies. Banks work bankers’ hours. Two years of essential personal matters had built up.
I knocked out the entire list in about a week (with a few spillovers) without making myself crazy.
Why didn’t I do this earlier?
So I scheduled a “Business of Life Day” one Friday every month. The goal: Keep the list managed without squeezing it in and making myself crazy.
I’ll keep a Click-Up list as things come up so they don’t cloud my daily list, but I know what I’m working on when the scheduled day arrives.
And if there’s nothing on the docket? I’ll plan something fun for me as a reward for keeping on top of the business of life and not just my business 🙂
Takeaways:
- Schedule your business of life day or catch-up week now for the rest of the year
- Get your business of life list pulled together.
What’s on your list you need to get to that you are avoiding or deprioritizing? A will? Doctors appointments? Parents’ estate planning or kids’ college planning? Whatever it is, the business of life NEEDS to happen. It can’t take second fiddle to your business during business hours.
I am healthier, I’ve protected my family, and I am more financially sound because I took the time to prioritize the business of life.
Cheers to good health!