My secret to staying calm and getting stuff done.
Last week I made the time to take a morning off and drive down to Marin to take a yoga class with my friend Tara. Afterwards we were eating lunch and I was telling her about all the things that were on my plate and what I was working on for VISION. She looked at me and asked, "Meredith, how do you get so much done and still have the time to come meet me for yoga on a weekday??"
I thought about it, and remembered back to the time I was living in New York City and would sometimes spend 8+ hours a day in front of a computer. I always felt like I was in a rush, behind schedule, and that there was never enough time to get everything done. I had chronic headaches and jaw tension and began to see the link between spending so much time in front of the computer with my stress levels and the pain in my body.
Today, I work on my business 4 days a week, Monday through Thursday (during a program launch it may be more) and spend between two and four hours at the computer on a workday. On Mondays I work on the marketing side of my business - writing blog posts and corresponding with administrative tasks, then I see clients in three timeslots over the phone Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. That's it.
In my free time I go to yoga classes, I take an hour and a half to make a delicious lunch and on Fridays I meet with girlfriends for tea, yoga, or I go to a cafe to write in my journal or to write the next chapters in my book.
My schedule may seem relaxed, but behind the scenes I am loving up my eight one-on-one clients, having client consultations over the phone and skype, and am putting tons of energy into enrolling my online group program. I am also an active member of my local toastmasters chapter where I have to prepare 10 speeches over the next few months, I make time to lead workshops and one-day retreats, I create teleclasses, I show up for biweekly meetings with my mastermind group, oh and I teach yoga classes!
Because I am so sensitive to spending too much time on the computer, I know I need to focus in order to make the most of my time and actually get things done.
Here are a few of my secrets:
I Start My Day With A Run
I've been working to raise up the heat levels in my body (I'm generally very cold) so I have been doing more cardio exercise. In the last month, 2-3 days a week I will wake up, grab my ipod and go outside for a run. It takes 30 minutes out of my day, I run down the road outside my house for one mile and run or walk the mile back. Starting the day with the fresh air and moving my body energizes me for the rest of the day and connects me to my intuition and priorities.
I feel more focused and productive from the start.
I Eat More Protein
Since I started my business I have had to learn how to hustle and feed my body in the best way to provide me with the energy I need. I remember being in nutrition school and listening to founder Joshua Rosenthall share about how he started his nutrition school. He ate a macrobiotic diet for most of his life, and then when he was creating his school, he actually started eating more protein and occasional meat at that time.
He was building an empire, and his body needed more protein to push through. As I have been creating my online program and enrolling for it, I have been feeding my body more protein - sunflower seeds, kale, fish, tempeh, beans, and most recently bone broth. Having this extra protein in my diet gives me the energy and sustenance to BUILD all I want to create.
I Ask For Support
Last Monday I sat down with my partner and said, "Michael, for the next two weeks I need your support.
I am going to put EVERYTHING into enrolling for this program, because it is so important to me that these values and teachings reach more women.
Just for these two weeks, I need more support. I am not going to be doing the laundry, tidying up the house, making meals or doing the dishes as much as I usually do.
I need to devote my time and energy into my business right now and I am asking that you step up and support me during this time." Michael saw how important it was for me to step up for myself, my business and the women who will be joining me in my program, so he gladly said, "Yes, I'm here to help."
I Take Baths
Now, more than ever, I see the importance of my own self-care. I know I can't be telling my clients to go to yoga, take baths, or take time to cook organic homemade meals if I am not doing it myself.
Every time I take a bath or do something loving for myself, I think of the women I teach and know that I am a living example of my teachings.
Every time I take a bath, I feel any stress from the day melt off my body and I sleep more soundly through the night.
I Meditate
Meditation is my time to connect to my WHY. Why am I doing what I am doing? Why is it important for me to reach out to these women? Why is it important for me to create this program?
When I connected to my mission in this life, I realized, "There is no time to waste."
I need to show up for myself, because I care so deeply about teaching women how to step into courage and self-love to honor their bodies and live their passions. I feel it is so important to join together in sisterhood to gain the strength for us all to elevate the consciousness of the world.
When I remember that, I push through my fears and blocks and get things done. In VISION I will be teaching my personal meditation practice for manifestation, and we will be supporting each other through 40-days of daily devotion and meditation.
I Follow Time Mastery Tools
I work with a number of tools including batching and bookending that allow me to accomplish more in a shorter amount of time. I use spreadsheets, I have financial tracking systems in place, and I use an online scheduler.
Being efficient with my time has been KEY to getting things done without wasting time at the computer.
In VISION I will be teaching the tools I use as part of the week on "Grounded Action." We will be taking our dreams and visions, and actually putting them in the calendar. We are going to create a roadmap of the entire year ahead.
I Created My Ideal Schedule
"You are the owner of your time and you choose how to spend it." When I learned this statement at the Live Free retreat I attended in October, I took the time to sit down and map out everything that needs to happen in my week. I created my personal and business goals for the year and then I put them into my weekly schedule so I knew my goals and ambitions would have the spaciousness in my schedule to actually happen.
In manifestation, we sometimes think we can just wait for everything to come to us, when in reality we need to take action.
I will be guiding the women in VISION to create their ideal weekly schedule to find the time to "fit it all in."
If you are ready to step up for yourself and be held accountable for making your dreams a reality this year, I invite you to join VISION.
It is time to step up, face your fears and take action towards your dreams.
There are 4.5 days left to enroll, and only a few spots available. If you are ready to take grounded actions toward your visions, and honor your body and spirit in the process, I highly recommend you join us.
Deep down you know if this is the right next step for you to take. Don't waste any time and miss this opportunity, enroll now.
Love, Meredith
P.S. On Wednesday night I am leading a Storytime Q&A teleclass. You can ask me ANYTHING - questions about how I run my business, how I make time for it all, questions about VISION, my meditation practice, etc. I will be sharing a few personal stories of synchronicity and manifestation - how I fell in love, how I found my home, and how I created relationships to take my career to the next level. You can sign up and submit a question in advance here. All sign ups will be sent a recording the following day. See you there!
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About the Author:
Meredith Rom helps women find the balance between divine feminine and masculine energy to manifest their dreams and live their visions. She helps women tap into self love and create a life full of magic through her writing, coaching, and yoga retreats.
