Without #Burning Out!
#Re-#prioritization.
It is something we have to do now and then. Stop, take a moment, and take stock of our lives so we can examine exactly how everything is working.
Sometimes those moments are super easy to see, like when you get a new job or have a new baby. Sometimes it is when there is a shift in your goals. And sometimes it can be when you can tell that something just isn’t going right. Maybe it's not a HUGE identifiable moment, but more like small gradual shifts over time - like when you wake up one day, and you just feel like your marriage has taken a back seat to all the other things going on in your life. Maybe nothing has happened per se - but it just feels different. Or maybe it's when you go to try on your favorite pair of jeans, and the button just won't snap.
Whatever that identifying moment is, you realize you need to re-prioritize your #focus.
With everything I have going on in my life right now, I realized I had to take stock of what I was doing and ask myself- "What small daily actions have become a #habit in my life, and how can I shift?"
Let me tell you what is up! Right now, I am focusing on growing my #business, my #brand, and my #podcast, which means I have to FIND the time to do that. I work a full-time job as a #Chief #People #Officer that I LOVE - I am a #momma of two littles - a wife - a friend - a daughter, and a daughter-in-law. I have a lot of people in my life, and a lot of goals in my life that all seem to be fighting to take the top priority! Not to mention, I am a serious #fitness fanatic.
My fitness is NOT something I can compromise on because it gives me a sense of control, when I have a job where I likely cannot control how the day goes (depending on what kind of employee issues come up!), a sense of accomplishment (who doesn’t want to feel great every day), a dopamine hit (exercise releases endorphins that are good for you and make you feel good!) Look- I can have a whole other blog on the benefits of exercise. But I’ll save that for another day.
I’m at a place in my life where I want to focus on growing my business and establishing the foundation. Learning new skills (like Instagram Reels and other social marketing tools, networking with powerful people who help ignite passion, and figuring out the basics. And that takes a lot of time, and a lot of energy - which let's face it, as a busy working momma - Time is the ONE THING I can’t generate MORE of and I desperately need to!
So today, I wanted to share with you:
The Top 5 ways I am shifting my #priorities so that I can devote enough time and energy to my business without killing myself in the process.
1. The TOP thing I am doing is re-evaluating my fitness journey, and what health means to me. In the past, health was always a top priority. I wanted to run 5 miles every Monday, spend time stretching every day, and make sure I had a well-balanced, but pretty intense, workout regime that included strength training, High-Intensity Workouts, distance/endurance runs, my Peloton Bike - and yoga. I’d wake up early every day, and it was the FIRST thing on my to-do list. I would get dressed, drink some pre-workout, and hit the cardio.
Now - I am taking that time of my day - the 5 am-6:30 am every day, and I am focusing on my business. Sometimes I am reading books, sometimes I am writing podcast sessions, and sometimes I am focusing on learning new skills like the best way to create Canva graphics. I am putting my workout on the back burner. Now - that doesn’t mean I’m not DOING it - It just looks different. I am taking my dog on more (but shorter) walks - and I’m squeezing in 15 or 20 minutes of #strength on MOST days. I make sure that I am getting movement in where I can - sometimes just slowing riding the bike while I’m on calls with no video on - but it isn’t quite as INTENSE as it has and typically is for me.
2. The NEXT thing I am doing is focusing more on my #nutrition. I know that if I can’t hit the gym as hard as I like, to maintain a body that I am comfortable IN, I need to be on top of my nutrition game. Now ya’ll, I am the snack queen. I love me some good snacks, and I can’t say no to some peach ice cream, especially during the hot summer days. But I know that I’m focusing on my business and my brand, which means typically less movement during the day - and that is OK! Instead, it means that I need to be more intentional about what I’m fueling my body with. Now - I’m not saying I don’t enjoy some good ole strawberry shortcake with homemade whipped cream after a lovely family dinner - I DO! But I’m watching the portions and just cutting back a little bit. This is a TIME SAVER when it comes to cutting back on my workouts - while keeping my body healthy and my mind clear so I can focus on fitness.
3. Another thing I am doing is I am putting down social media in the mornings. Just like everyone else, I can get sucked into social media, and fall down the Tik-Tok hole of entertainment. It's mindless, funny, and distracts me from the stressors of life. But it also distracts me from my FOCUS which is my BUSINESS and my BRAND. Now, instead of waking up, and scrolling through social media in the AM while I wake up, I grab a book to read or plug in a podcast that teaches me a new skill or is motivational, while I wake up. It sets my intention for the day, and I spend a LOT less time doing THIS than getting lost on Facebook and Instagram.
4. I have also paused my workaholic tendencies. Which, let's face it, is probably a good thing for me all around, and probably something I should have done a lot of time ago. Now - what do I mean by that? I mean, I’m doing my BEST not to log on before 9 am, and not after 5 pm. We know that doesn’t always happen - as a CPO, I am often pulled into things, and sometimes I just have to get shit done. I am having to get OK with walking away from a full email box sometimes at the end of the day - I’m having to be OK with telling my peers and colleagues that I am NOT available for those meetings that go beyond 5:00 pm. This allows me to focus on MY growing business and brand in the mornings before 9 am - and on my family at night. And THIS aligns with my core values of FAMILY time and healthy relationships - but, if I am being REAL with ya’ll, it's a sticky floor that I must constantly address and practice. I am not comfortable with walking away from open-ended items. I like to tie things up with a bow at the end of the day, and I like to start the next day with a clean inbox. But that whole idea is not realistic for me! It is never attainable! So I have to start focusing more on my blocked time- and having hours of focused work - not frantic work.
5. And the last thing I am doing is leaning more on my spouse for support with the kids on the weekend. The weekend is when I get the bulk of my work done - because it's my FREE time. I try to get up early and do it while everyone is still snoozing away, but that isn’t always doable. And sometimes I get caught up in something (like working on my website) where I just get SO pumped about it - so JAZZED about it - that I don’t want to stop! My husband, Dan, supports my dreams and my business, and he lets me work uninterrupted while I hammer out some podcast sessions or craft some Canva graphics.
You are probably thinking FIVE THINGS is a lot of things to do, to reprioritize my goals. And YES, it is. But they don’t all take a lot of time and effort. Cutting back on the workouts, and focusing on clean eats, gives me BACK time in the day to focus on my business- without taking away from other areas that are so important to me like family time, or my job as a Chief People Officer.
Some people say you can’t have it all Erica - you can’t be a C-Level Exec, a mom, a wife, a friend, AND build a business and check off all the fitness boxes- but I disagree. YOU CAN! You just have to take a pause, take stock of your life, and see where you need to shift your focus, and where you need to shift your energy. I’m not skimping on my fitness - it just looks different right now. I’m not missing out on family time at the end of the day - I’m cutting out the social media! (Which let's face it, is something I should have done regardless.)
As life ebbs and flows, so must your priorities. You CAN have it all - You CAN accomplish your dreams and grow your business and your career while being an awesome mom. You can DO the things! Sometimes you just need to take a moment - take stock- and shift.
So- today, I challenge you to do just that- to SHIFT your priorities. SHIFT your habits - SHIFT in the good, and SHIFT out the nonsense and the noise.
I want to hear about how you are shifting! When we share these shifts with others, it's the sharing of ideas! Your shift might just be what I need in my life! So send me a DM, message me - or shoot me an email! But I want to know!
How are you shifting this week?
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