By Jenny Giesbrecht, IPHE
In a time where all you have is time – do you ever feel like you wasted the day?
Although our routines have been thrown out the window, it is easy to sink into a routine of doing…well, not much! Whether you feel like a lethargic sloth or like the burnt-out busy bee, setting goals and a daily schedule could be your cure. Having a routine reduces the amount of time to think about what’s next and makes you proficient by repetition. When you set a schedule, you decide what is important to you and prioritize your tasks which can lead to a feeling of relief by having tackled pressing matters. Taking the guesswork out of when, and what you need to do, can ease some of that stress.
How often do you say to yourself “I really need to clean that” or “I need to really file that or put that away”? Adding these dreadful tasks to your schedule reduces procrastination and gives you peace of mind because that task isn’t on your to-do list until day X.
Once you check off that checklist, you will begin to feel great satisfaction and find motivation to continue on with the next task. Feeling accomplished builds confidence. Setting goals with a timeline helps us achieve our goals. Success comes from doing what we need to do and doing it repetitively and consistently. Doing things over and over again forms the habit which makes it easier to do things like brushing your teeth.
It may be easy to put our goals and schedule down on a piece of paper, and sometimes we are successful and keep on track. But there is a high chance that something will break our routine. In that case, make adjustments to your plan, generate a new schedule or try again tomorrow.
Take control of your day. Whether you knew it was going to be a busy one or you scheduled to do nothing, you can check it off your list and feel amazing about it.
Jenny Giesbrecht is a recent University of Manitoba graduate with a Bachelors degree in Human Nutritional Sciences. She currently teaches nutrition and cooking classes to Winnipeg’s Home Care staff and has been working in the training department for the Air Cadet program for the last nine years. She is currently completing the Interim Professional Home Economist/IPHE program.
In her free time, Jenny loves cooking, the outdoors and spending time with friends and family.
