Scatter Brained and Worn Out...BLAH!

So we just started the year, where do you find yourself trying to meet a portion of your goals to set you up for the next month. I think sometimes I need to scale myself down a bit and remember that I can wear myself out or tell myself to take a break. We are all there once, twice, or multiple times throughout the year. So what do you do? Here are a few things that I like to do when I get overwhelmed. 

• Take a bubble bath, get a facial, get your hair done, get your nails done, and/or get a massage. 
• Go out to dinner with friends or family. 
• Go get a coffee with a friend and have a treat.
• Meet a friend in a place that allows you to chat, share your situation, and gain some advice.
• Take a nap.

Yes, I work hard some days that I forget to take a break. You see a goal and you work hard to get to the end result. It can be tedious and nerve-racking but we have to remember that we are human. We have to learn that it will be there tomorrow. Our families and overall health are more important not only to ourselves but also to our family and friends. So get up and walk away from the computer! I forget to tell myself this from time to time. It is okay. We learn that after our backs hurt from looking at a screen for nine hours straight. My husband tells me, "Shell, get up! Get away from the laptop and come eat a snack." So with that being said, I am guilty of this too! 

Tips to Prevent Burnout:

• Set Clear Work Hours For Yourself. Do not work during the other hours that are set for family time, cleaning chores, dinner time, doing the things that you love, exercising, or even the time you set for preparing to go to bed. This all has to be a good balance in your life. 
• Try Not To Answer E-mails or Phone Calls During Non-business Hours. What I mean is exactly what I am saying and that is don't answer your business call during dinnertime. I understand that there are extreme situations such as emergencies but do not make this a habit. Because you will find yourself not ever leaving work and you will eventually burn yourself out. Now if you feel that you need to address that email, make sure you pre-schedule it to go out the next morning during business hours. Not everything is urgent and you need to make clear that your clients know that you have set hours of operation.  
• Find a Time to Manage Your Weekly Schedule. This means that each Sunday or pick another day that works for you, take time out of your busy schedule to see what meetings you may have that are important. Do you have this blocked out of your calendar so that no one sets up any other appointments during this time? By doing this, it prevents from having conflicts. This is a win-win situation not only for yourself but your client or anyone else that you are meeting. I think this is very important and sets you up as a very professional business person. 
• Make Sure You Are Taking Vacation. Many years ago, I would cash in my vacation days thinking that it would help me get ahead. Boy, was I wrong! Taking time away from work to go on vacation was the BEST way to go! This time helps you to re-group, relax, getaway, and remember that work will be there when you get back. 

Honestly, my experience with burnout is what helps me balance all the things that I choose in my life. I am still building my routines and figuring out what works and what doesn't. Balance is what helps me stay where I need to be. I am a work in progress and life is constantly changing. 

Love Ya 

Shell

It is Time to Re-Evaluate!

 Hello Everyone! 

It is time to re-evaluate your goals. Here are some questions that I use to ask myself, "How am I doing?" 

• What is working for you and what is not working for you? 
• Are you keeping a record of what you are doing and what you are not doing? 
• How is your day going? 
• Are you able to get things done within a day? 
• What part of your day are you most productive? 
• Are you trying to accomplish too many things at one time or are you trying to rush through your tasks? 
• What tasks are valuable to who you are trying to become or is it not worth it?

All of these questions help me determine how I am doing. This is an important process when it comes to finding out how things are going with your goals. Without this process, you could be setting yourself up for failure or discouragement. So make the time to keep a record of your daily process and how it will affect you accomplishing your goals. 

While goals can seem appropriate at the time of setting them primarily, sometimes after re-evaluating how you are doing this could make them seem vague. What I mean is your goals need to be more specific. Here is an example:

My goal is to get out of debt. What exactly are you doing to do to get out of debt? This is a vague goal and many things could be done to accomplish this goal. But, how long are you giving yourself to attain this accomplishment? What tasks will allow you to help meet your end goal? So let's re-write this more specifically.

Specific and Timely:

My goal is to increase my credit score by 50 points to get it past 800. This goal will take me about six months and some tasks will include paying my credit cards at least less than 20% or in full each month. I will try to pay my balance three days before the due date or as soon as I can when the money is available. 

This is more attainable within the time given and you know what needs to happen. Tracking your payments each month, re-evaluating your tracking process, and having more specific goals allow your accomplishments more successful. This all works hand-in-hand for you to become the best you! So with that, go set some goals and set yourself for success.

I hope this helps! And, I hope you have a blessed day! 

Love Shell

Photos are Important!

Hello Everyone! 

I want to talk about photos today. What purpose do they serve? How does it impact you to look at previous photos from previous years? How does it make you feel to see one of your friends or family members who aren't here with us today? Is this art or how does it impact your living space? How do you feel about memories and is it important to personalize your space whether it be your home or even your work space? 

PRINT THEM

We are in a time when we take photos and never print them out. They stay in our phones or never get printed to hang up or put in a frame that sets as a reminder of what we need to be grateful for daily. I have decided that I am changing this to print out photos when given the chance. I will have a basket of photos that my family and friends will get to look at when they come over. Some will be hung during the holidays and some will be placed into frames on a shelf, I know that I will do this more often because I want to see their beautiful faces. I am going to do better this year.

ART / PERSONALIZE YOUR SPACE

Many times when you have a photo taken by a photographer, he or she takes their camera and captures and communicates emotionally through their artistic talent. This is clearly art because it is what the artist exemplifies in their photograph. I have taken many photos and I always see photos that need to be made into black and white or a sepia colored photo. By personalizing my space, this helps me remember what is most important to my life. This provides a clear mind to help me remember what my goals are. 

These are just a few of the reasons why I will be making more opportunities as a way to print out the photos that are most important to me. I hope you take this time to do this too. Let's not keep our photos on our phones and keep them lingering in our homes and personal spaces. Time is precious and we are not promised tomorrow. 

Love Shell

 

Happy New Year! Happy 2024!

Hello, 2024! 

Let's talk about what will we be doing this new year. Will we be progressing, changing your daily or monthly behaviors, or are there goals that you are trying to attain? Not everyone will see that this is something that fits within his or her life and that is okay. It is possible to set goals, build a plan, and assign weekly tasks to help you accomplish the big goal. But, the most important thing is that you have to want it so bad that you are tired of being unaccomplished, having not enough money, wanting more out of life, or desire to not have to worry about money. 

One of the things that prevented me from setting daily habits is that I was always worried about not being accomplished enough or that my habits would soon die away only since I would get distracted or have tendencies of wanting to be lazy. This is all normal and thought am I the only one that feels this way, no! That is everybody! So I lowered my goals since I do get tired and distracted with life. Things do happen that prevent me from staying on task, and this is completely normal for all of us. I try to leave one day out of the week to get off task and usually, one day to catch up on things that I have not done during the week. This has helped me tremendously! So cut yourself some slack and remember it is okay, it will be okay. 

Next, something that I will be implementing in my life as far as goals is to be a vessel to help those who want it or need some direction in their life. I hope that my passion for planning, building tasks and processes, writing, and just being helpful touches one heart in the world. I have written some goals for myself and what I will be working towards. Here is an example that I built for myself to give you an idea. I will use an app on my phone to track this daily. 

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BODY / HEALTH - Goals: To be lean, slim, healthier, comfortable in my own skin, be more clear-minded, have clearer skin, take care of myself by planning my meals, and eat better. 

General - Exercise 3 times a week

• Lose 35 lbs in 5 months
• May take 19 weeks ~ 5/11/2023

Plan 

• Lose 2 lbs every week

General - Drink more daily

• Drink 80 oz ~ Drink 20 oz AM, 20 oz before lunch, 20 oz after lunch, 20 oz before dinner, 20 oz after dinner
• Track daily

General - Eat healthier 

• Prepare meals every Sunday for the week
• Prepare my weekly meals and shop for the ingredients to prepare meals for convenience 

General - Get enough rest

• Sleep 6 hours nightly
• Start laying down at 10 pm without electronics, put on sounds, close your eyes, and be asleep by 11 pm
• Rise by 5 am

General - Implement more self-care

• Take a bubble bath at least once a week in the evening to help wind down
• Get a facial at least once a week 

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I hope this helps! I wish you a Happy New Year and much prosperity! 

Love Shell