Once I discovered that unplugging from my system (accidental as it was), I discovered true liberation and freedom.
We celebrated with a vacation. About six months ago, we had booked some timeshare vacation in September. That is the beauty and flexibility of homeschooling, so we wanted to enjoy it. I have been dreaming of days and days of relaxing in the mountains or on the beach. Kevin prefers the mountains, while I love the serenity and sunshine of the beach. We all just packed up and planned to not only get our school, but also to focus on our family.
Here’s what I learned from that vacation.
- I learned that people don’t die when I don’t babysit my business.
- I remembered that people are grownups and can look for information, as well as search for what they want. I also remembered we empower others to take charge of their own wellness
- I realized that this business is a gift.
Mostly, though, I recognized that the axiom of time being the only currency you can’t get back, is TRUE! We got to visit James Monroe’s Hatfield estate, the largest corn maze in Virginia, and played on a life-size chess board. We visited all the pools at our resort one day. And to top it off, we got to pet LOTS of animals, from the resort kitty to donkeys and sheep at Monroe’s estate, to the dog who runs the corn maze. My kids loved it.
I pondered the axiom that hard work can be rewarded. All work and no play make Jill a dull girl!
Here’s what I gained from leaning into that experience.
- I learned that I spent time, the one thing I can’t get back, well!
- I learned I am committed to greatness, to the ultimate plan God has for my life, and I am a fighter.
- I learned I’m still willing to believe that I can live into the Proverbs 31 woman and be ultimately wise and resourceful!
Here’s what I decided I would never do again.
- I will endeavor to use a schedule and a checklist, not to leave my days to chance, not to be dictated by others who do not have a voice in my life.
- I would never put my family last!
- I would never head into a month, quarter, or year, without a vision or goal I was holding in my sights!
Here’s what I determined I needed to immediately do!
- Immediately I need to envision what my future looks like, so I have something I’m working for!
- Immediately I need to develop a checklist for daily activities to complete
Here’s what I implemented immediately.
- I started a Trello board rather than keeping my checklists in my notebook, where I was losing them.
- I started a daily system so I can work around it to add more activities to my schedule.
- I started to evaluate daily what did get done, what didn’t, and why.
- I began asking myself more questions about WHY certain activities needed to be done.
Here’s how my vacation was, and here’s how things have been since then.
We relaxed! We vegged out, we cooked, we played games, we enjoyed the porch, we just lazed around. I needed it. For weeks before that, I had been getting all these “signs,” in my devotional time, conversations with my husband, silly online quizzes, to take it EASY! So I finally had the opportunity to do that!
Here’s how I have been able to reallocate my focus for my business and what it has meant for me and my family since then.
- I often start in the morning with my priority tasks, which for me are stretching, coffee, devotional, and checking mail and calendar.
- I then move to heady tasks, those requiring decisions to be made, or thoughtful interaction. This can often include supporting my kids in their homeschool or reaching out to customers and parishioners on topics of interest to them.
- I then have the evenings free to spend time with my family. This is a new opportunity for me to relish. I have hustled so hard for so long and am grateful to be practicing different ways to serve others through tweaks in HOW I view my days.
Here’s who else has been able to benefit!
My family benefits, for one, and my customers do, too. They get the best of me, and they learn that they also can access the resources I have put at my fingertips. Look at it this way. I went hovering right outside someone’s mouth, waiting for them to get hungry, only to have them push back from the table because they were satisfied, and step away from the table before I noticed they were gone. Now I serve a plate that stays warm, and put silverware right by the plate, even, trusting people to serve themselves when they’re ready, without me having to stand over them waiting for them to be ready to eat. Much more mature, huh? I agree! 😊
Life is short. It’s so important to see an opportunity to retool your business to work FOR you. It’s super critical to determine the right time to make systems to support your business so you can live. Here’s how you know it’s “that time” to build and implement systems!
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