12 handy tips to keep on top of what life throws at you

Amy with dogs

The past 5 months of 2014 seem to have flown and at times I have felt it has been difficult keeping my head above water. With our destination wedding quickly approaching after months and months of planning, today I am happy to say I have completed the final piece of our puzzle- writing our vows. This is something I have been procrastinating as I have been trying to find the right words to surprise my man on our special day. I am very happy to say (with a huge sigh of relief) our plans are now complete. Now all that is left to do is work out which bikini to pack and which books I want to read when I am relaxing on a beautiful beach.

The past few months of planning have been very busy, juggling working full time, setting up my business, meetings with my beautiful clients, studying at IIN, deciding to undertake further study (more on this exciting news at another time), managing our finances and of course planning our dream wedding in Fiji.

Earlier this year I was feeling burnt out, I was stressed, I was letting every little component of the wedding unnecessarily upset me and I felt out of control. The universe was giving me a great big kick up the butt because I was not looking after myself. I then realised that none of the wedding stress was needed as long as Chris and I were together on our big day. This was the most important part, seriously nothing else mattered!

I pulled myself together and began regaining control of what had spiralled out of control in the months prior. I began looking after myself, not working unnecessarily long hours, eating better and enjoying many herbal teas.

I wanted to share my top 12 tips for keeping on top of what life throws at you and getting through the busy times. Of course lately this has been relevant to the wedding but I use these principals in many other areas of my life.  I hope you also find my tips helpful.

  1. Create a list- list everything you can think of that you would like to accomplish. If you have a few projects going on a one time, create multiple lists with bold headings so you can clearly see what each list is focusing on.
  2. Prioritise- work out what tasks are most important and list these first.
  3. Ensure you are setting realistic tasks. If you have goals which you would like to complete long term I suggest you create a separate vision board.
  4. Make your lists into a poster and stick it on your fridge or appropriate location which will allow you to view each day.
  5. As you complete each task cross out with a big red pen, enjoy the moment and be proud of yourself.
  6. Delegate-Work out if there is anything on your list that someone else can help you with. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
  7. Set time aside in your calendar to ensure you have locked in adequate time to complete specific tasks on your list
  8. Set reminders in your phone to remind you of an allocated time you have set in your calendar to complete tasks
  9. If you make a promise to yourself, give yourself enough respect to follow through on that promise, because you are the most important person and you deserve this respect.
  10. Be flexible- learn that not everything will go as planned and just try and go with the flow as much as possible.
  11. Take time out for you, no matter how busy you are! Especially if you are starting to feel overwhelmed and stressed. Even if this means taking 5 minutes to enjoy a herbal tea sitting outside in the sun- trust me it helps.
  12. Remember to breathe- you need to realise that the world will not come crashing down if you do not get as much done as you had originally hoped or planned. Just do the best that you can do.

Sometimes I find that I put too much pressure on myself. When this happens I am actually less productive and I don’t get nearly as much done. When I am stressed it can cause me to fluff around and I will not focus on the task at hand however when I am relaxed and realistic about the situation I tick off so many tasks that it amazes me. I used to be an avid “burning the candle at both ends” sort of girl and each time I see that I don’t need to be that way to be productive still truly surprises and amazes me.. So always remember to breath.

I am so happy to share my tips with you and I hope you find them useful.

Can you believe it is only 10 more days until Chris and I fly out to Fiji, we are both beyond excited and cannot wait for our wedding day which we will share with our closest family and friends.  I look forward to sharing this experience with you all when we get back.

Love to you all,

Amy xx

What are your favourite tips to help you keep on top of what life throws at you and getting through the busy times? Please comment below I would love to hear from you.

Comments

  • Hey Amy that was such a great read and truly I am taking on board all you said with the 12 tips!! Thank you…..Now about that bikini pack a cute floral as will be pefect with the Fijian setting xx

    May 28, 2014
  • I love your 12 step plan – in particular no.7&8… and now I’m gonna do no.11 😉
    Go Amy! ME-time is so important… yet, as busy women we tend to take ourselves last.
    Also, if you tick off the little things first, you get more done & it gives you a greater sense of achievement 🙂
    Love the big fat red marker too… enJOY xx

    May 28, 2014

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