Very often I get emails, questions, and comments about my lifestyle. At the gym where I work, I’ve even had people come up to me and say “I watch you and just cannot get over what you do! How do you have the energy for it all? Where do you find the time?”

People do see me and what I do. My life is somewhat public now that I have a business. I post things about myself on my Facebook page. I share updates on Twitter and LinkedIn. I send out a monthly newsletter and always put my “out-and-about” updates in. Even here in this blog, I typically share from my own experiences.

So it is no secret what I do. I work part-time at the hospital. I own Living Sublime Wellness. I am the founder of the Rejuvenation Collaboration. I am often involved in school, workshops, or some sort of training program for my own education. I moonlight at the gym. I have two pit bulls and a husband. We just moved- selling and buying a house. I do my own self-care: workout, meditation daily, reading, Reiki, etc. I am busy.

People watch all that I put out within my business: monthly workshops, group coaching programs, print books, articles, tele-conferences, etc. It is no surprise when people email or ask me: “How do you have time for it all?”

I often wonder this myself. (Smile). There are a couple of ways/reasons/things I do that help me to have all of this time and I will share some of them now with you. But remember my friend; we all have the same 24 hours in the day. I keep coming back to that because it is so crucial for you to remember!

• I keep a calendar. In fact I have many. I’ve got my daily planner that I carry with me WHEREVER I go. That keeps my workouts, my appointments, where and when I have to be at work, etc. That book is my lifeline. I have a calendar at home to keep Drew up to date on what is happening with us. And then I have an online calendar at work to keep work schedules tidy. So, if you are not already doing this I URGE you- get and keep and use a calendar. Please. It is a fabulous way to save your time. Because it is then right there in front of you and you cannot double, over, or under book yourself. And it is the way I schedule my self-care time. I put that down in my calendar as I would anything else.
• I eat well and stay hydrated. I’m serious. This helps save time because when you eat right you have more energy. When you have more energy you have stamina and endurance. You can do more.
• I rest, rejuvenate, recharge, and play. When you are constantly at work, doing work, thinking work, or breathing work you will actually lose time. (Not that you will lose hours, but you will feel as if you have less time). You need to work in downtime so that you can be productive. You need quality rest so that you can rebuild. You need to have fun and enjoy life so that you are healthy.
• I do my best to do one thing at a time. I make a list at the start of the day and try to stick to it. I turn off distractors and stay in the moment. I complete a task before moving on to the next. I reach a goal and then set another.
• I do my best to live in the now. I practice meditation daily. I have to. I still am not “good” at it, is one ever? I still need work. I still have a mind that wanders. But the more I do this daily practice, the more my mind is trained to come back to the present moment when I am involved in work, task, or concentrated effort. I get less distracted because I have been using the muscles of my mind. I recommend daily meditation practice to every single nurse as it is a wonderful way to clear the fog and allow yourself the luxury of having more time!

What helps you have more time? How do you get all that you need to done? What can you add to this list? I’d love to hear your techniques and tools that help you have more time for you!