Writing

Wednesday 5th September

Less Decisions, More Time!!...
Recently I bought a house and it felt like I was entering a new phase in life. It led me to look into how I could simplify a few things in my life to make sure I wasn’t wasting money and also make sure I was able to put energy into my passions. I am interested in so many different things and want to do so much, it sometimes actually feels stressful trying to do it all.

I had heard about decision fatigue before, talking about how we have to make so many decision in a day – both big and small – that sometimes our ability to make a good decision can diminish. I have also watched a documentary on The Minimalists where they described the movement as ‘Minimalism is a lifestyle that helps people question what things add value to their lives. By clearing the clutter from life’s path, we can all make room for the most important aspects of life: health, relationships, passion, growth, and contribution’.

I am building a holistic business that will eventually offer many different things but for now I am building the first element which is my Facial Acupuncture side.  I am super fortunate that new clients trickle in quite consistently but I also have to be very flexible as I build this. I work 2-3 Saturdays a month and 1-3 evenings a week as I build this business.  I work full time in an office.  I am just about the start studying for a MSc in Positive Psychology and I also have interests in yoga, sculpture, drama, improving my fitness, vegan cooking, walking in nature and, and, and….

So I decided to automate some of the areas of my life to give myself more room for the things that bring me happiness and also more space for self-care time.

Here are a few other things I have got into the routine of automating so I can keep on top of my variety of interests and not feel overwhelmed by the different things I need to do;

For myself...

• I choose my 7 yoga classes on the the app I use to do every morning.
• I do my 20 minutes of meditation every morning.
• I run 1.5 miles every other day.
• I plan my meals, cook and then freeze them so I can take them to work to heat up and also have something when I get home.
  
• I choose 5 podcasts each week to listen to when I get ready / drive to work.
  
• I have clothes I only wear for work so don’t have to think much about what I will wear.
  
• I choose specific TV programmes to watch in the week, rather than watching TV randomly.
  

For my business...

• I use Google Alerts to pull out articles that are of interest to me
• I schedule 5 Facebook business posts – sharing articles – at the beginning of the week
• Decide to write one blog a week.
• Keep my Acupuncture bag packed and ready.
• Each week decide what I would like to refresh my learning on or learn more of and spend 1 hour reading things relating to that.
  

These might seem small but in my head if I don’t have to spend time deciding what to wear in the morning, I can spend more time doing yoga. Or if I don’t don't need to spend time trying to look for articles (Google Alerts does it for me!) to share with my clients, I can be furthering my Acupuncture skills or studying Positive Psychology.  Also there is less chance I will talk myself out of doing exercise because it is already decided what and when I am doing it!

I also find by choosing to automate something I am bringing attention to it and by bringing attention to it I have acknowledged it's importance to me.  I want all of these things to be part of my life but I want to simplify them so I am not having to think too much about them.

It can also reduce anxiety when I feel I am always on the go or juggling lots of different things sometimes. 

Is there anything you can automate to give you more time for the stuff you love?