By Brenda W Hargroves
When I think about all the different jobs my father held to support his family, I realize I am so his child. And like my dad, I’ve gained a boat load of experience. My working career spanned several occupations and varied from full- to part-time employment. I’ve chosen part-time for the past ten years.
It is ironic that while many employers are currently laying people off, my employer decided to turn my home-based part-time job into a full-time position The thought that my performance was so highly thought of was flattering. Then I weighed the pros and cons of accepting a full-time offer, which required spending five eight-hour days a week at the office versus working part time from home. With much regret, I resigned. So, to the world, I am officially unemployed; however, I prefer to think of it as moving from semi-retired to officially retired.
This leads me to discussion about organizing your life. The first step towards organization is having a vision. This is when you dream big by expressing your heart’s desires. Then you must come down to earth and move from thinking about your desires to setting goals. The next step is to give the goals direction, focus on them and try to control outside factors. Organize → Prioritize → Proceed begins a continuous process that morphs into Reorganize → Prioritize → Proceed → Reorganize → Prioritize → Proceed…
Organizing and/or Reorganizing Your Life
Years ago, one of the most organized people I know told me he tries to do three things every day:
Some form of work
Something he likes to
Something he hates to do
I’m a firm believer in not reinventing the wheel; however, my version addresses one of my character faults. My daily life organization steps look like this:
Some form of work
Something I like to do
Something I hate to do or have been procrastinating about doing (Let’s face it. We all have things we don’t necessarily hate doing, but make excuses not to tackle.)
Reorganization comes into play when a step experiences a disruption, which is my current situation. I am presently reorganizing my life, or as I like to think of it, reorganizing the business of my life. OK, so what do I do now? Do I need to find part-time employment? If so, what does that scenario look like? What if I choose not to work? What, if any, choices must I make in order to continue my current lifestyle? The questions go on and on.
Returning to the Vision Stage
My heart’s desire is to continue working from home. The steps are obvious if my goal is simply to find another part-time job. It becomes more challenging when I consider going the self-employed route of developing potential revenue-producing goals. How do I prioritize possible earning income efforts and what will my daily work routine look like?
When facing this type of dilemma, I suggest making a list that starts with what you perceive as your fastest potential income-producing goal. Add your next goal, then our next. And so on. Strive to work on Step 1 every day. When you’ve done all you can, or are not in the mood for Step 1 on any given day, move down the list. Work on Step 2, 3 or even 5–whatever you feel like doing. This method allows you to gradually address accomplishing all of your listed goals.
Don’t Forget the Other Steps
Remember, also do something you like and something you hate or are procrastinating about. If you follow this three-step process, the business of organizing and reorganizing your life will be less stressful.
Let me know what you think of my organizing/reorganizing your life method!
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