My New Year’s Resolution – Time Management: Structured Enough for Success, Flexible Enough for Fun

I always know I’m going to enjoy a yoga class when the instructor begins by reminding her yogis to set an intention for their practice.  To focus our minds on something important.  Like acceptance, breathing, or joy.  Throughout the hour my intention is always in the background of my mind.

I see New Year’s Resolutions like I see Yoga Intentions. I’m not one for super goal-oriented resolutions.  I don’t have a weight loss number or organizing mission.  And hell will freeze before I give up sugar.  But I love setting my intention for the year.  The theme for the next 12 months.

For last year’s Resolution/Intention I had chosen To Be a Gatherer of Experiences and Friendships, and not a Gatherer of Things.  Let me tell you – I definitely wasn’t a gatherer of things. Girlfriend spent the year broke.  But experiences and friendships?  I gathered those two treasures like a boss.  I said “Yes” as much as I possibly could.  I traveled lots, spent time with cool people, and did as many awesome things I could fit into 8,760 hours. I was entirely satisfied with 2014.

Some of the year’s experiencing and friendship-ing 

Then 2015 started to come near.  I had no idea what my Resolution should be.  I tried to come up with a poetic, inspired theme for the new year to match the winner I came up with last year.  But all I kept thinking of was “Time Management.”  Boring.  But you know what – it’s exactly what I need.  2015 will most likely be the craziest year I’ve ever lived.

From January to July I will be going to school full time, building up this blog, doing as many freelance projects I can fit in, working out four days a week, recording my first EP, prepping for a move (to somewhere undisclosed), continuing the pursuit of experiences and friendships, and, ya know, sitting now and then.  Then July through December I will be my own boss for the first time while living in a new place.  In order to do it all I must practice effective time management.

But here’s the problem.  In the past, I have been an obsessive and inflexible planner.  This past year was the first time I had really learned to let go and let life happen – thus all that gathering of experiences.  So my time management cannot come at the expense of living a full life.  Thus, my New Year’s Resolution:

To be Structured enough for Success and Achievement and Flexible enough for Creativity and Fun.

I really have no idea how to have structured Time Management as my own “boss.”  With the exception of school, everything I need to do on the daily I will be in charge of.  No talking head will be telling me to do this at 11am and that at 4:30.  I’ve had a few ideas on how to accomplish this:

1. I bought a cute planner at Target

Yes, it has to be cute for me to use it.  Do I think I will actually use it?  No clue.  But I’m going to try.  Planning out a day on my phone doesn’t work for me, so I’m going to give old-fashioned paper a shot.  I’m also only using pencil on my planner, because sometimes plans need to be erased or moved to make room for creativity and fun.  I’ve also started a blogging planner to help keep this blog going strong.

2. I need to slim down Social Media

I’m a social media addict.  It’s hard to tame a necessary addiction.  In order to be a blogger, writer (and human?) – social media becomes a requirement.  But I can kill way too much time pinning, tweeting and instagraming.  There only needs to be a few minutes of social media a day.  I can’t ruin a day full of potential by reveling in other people’s lives on social meda- I must go about living my own.

3. Leave room for Rest

I know I’m entering the busiest year of my life yet.  And I will push myself to a new level.  But I must allow myself to rest.  Burning out or getting sick will do me no good.  I need quiet time: reading a book, taking a bath, or watching a movie.  I have a feeling that the Rest/Work/Play balance is more of an art and less of a science.  I’m planning on listening to my body and letting it lead the way.

4. Remember Why

When it all gets overwhelming, and I go to bed wondering what they hell I’ve done taking a chance on my dreams – I will remember why I’m doing it all.  I’m pursing every dream because I have one life that moves quickly.  I’m kicking my own ass because I have lived the practical life I should have lived and felt like I was dying every single day.  I’m becoming the woman I want to be because I have the power to do so.

I want this Intention to be in the back of my mind throughout the year.  I want the world to be mine, and I need to manage my time well enough to make it happen – with structure and flexibility.

We have so much time and so little to do. Strike that, reverse it. – Roald Dahl