Avoiding Burnout

Thank you Sharon Jaynes for today’s message.

Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” (NLT)

I sat on the edge of my seat as I watched my son’s first track meet. The crowd was abuzz as moms and dads chatted, waiting for their teens to dash, sprint, or endure the eight laps of the 3200-meter race. But when the boys lined up for the hurdles event, the visiting stopped and the crowd watched with rapt attention.

Why? In the hurdles event, the stakes were higher. It became less about who would win, and more about who would gracefully leap and clear the metal roadblocks or tip and topple over the intentional barriers.

Hurdles—they are not simply found on the asphalt of track and field but also in the great race called life. As women, we struggle finding balance with our many roles and responsibilities. Our flame of enthusiasm begins to diminish when we are doing more than God intended or when we are doing what God intended, but on our own strength rather than His.

In the Bible we see many who experienced times of burnout. After Jonah’s miraculous delivery from the big fish and prophetic announcement to the people of Nineveh, he sank into a depression and wanted to die. “Now, Lord, take away my life,” he cried. “For it is better for me to die than to live.”(Jonah 4:3).

After Elijah destroyed 850 false prophets and called down fire from heaven that miraculously burned up sacrifices to Baal, the fire in his own life went dim (1 Kings 18-19). And yet, after it was over, he wanted to quit. Elijah prayed, “I have had enough, LORD. Take my life” (1 Kings 19:4).

How do we avoid those same feelings of burnout, even after a great success? The first step is to realize that it can happen and does happen to the best of us. Burnout is real. We can run out of steam and lose our drive.

What was God’s response to Elijah’s cry to quit? Let’s take a look at 1 Kings 19. I suggest you pull out your Bible and follow along.

• He allowed Elijah to sleep (19:5)–rest.
• He sent an angel to provide food for him to eat (19:5)–refreshment
• He allowed Elijah to sleep again (19:6)–more rest
• He sent an angel to provide food for him to eat again (19:7)–refreshment
• He caused Elijah to ponder what he was doing: “What are you doing here?” (19:9)–reflection
• He spoke to Elijah personally (19:11)–response
• He caused Elijah to ponder what he was doing, again. “What are you doing here?” (19:13)–reflection
• He told Elijah what to do next (19:15)–redirection
• He showed Elijah whom He had appointed to help him (19:16)–reinforcement

Even Jesus had to take time to rest, refresh, reflect, respond, redirect, and gather reinforcement. The Bible tells us this about Jesus: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place where he prayed” (Mark 1:35 NIV).

Early in the morning Jesus went off by Himself and spent time alone with His heavenly Father. Interestingly, Simon and his companion interrupted Jesus’ time of prayer.

“Everyone is looking for you!” they exclaimed. (I’ve been there. I bet you have too.)

The day before, Jesus had healed many men and women. No doubt, the disciples and the townspeople wanted Him to return to perform more miracles. But Jesus had a different idea. ”Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also,” He said. “That is why I have come.”

I love that Jesus said “no” to a good thing so that he could say “yes” to the best thing. That is the bull’s eye to avoiding burnout. But how do you know when to say no? He prayed.

If you’re feeling a bit burned out today: Consider the following.

• Rest often. (God rested on the seventh day.)
• Refresh with proper diet.
• Re-evaluate priorities and responsibilities on a regular basis (monthly).
• Relegate and delegate.
• Review commitments regularly (monthly).
• Resist saying “yes” to demands and requests that do not line up with what God has called you to do.
• Resist being ruled by your schedule and allow for divine appointments from God that may not be on your schedule.
• Remove superfluous activities that interfere with or choke out God’s agenda.
• Refocus on what God has called you to do rather than what others would like for you to do.
• Remain in close and constant communion with God.

Have a blessed day!

Productive Or Busy?

How often do you answer the question “how are you doing?” with “I’m so busy”?  Think about it…. as wives, mothers, and business owners, we often wear busyness as a badge of honor.

But is “busy” really a label you want to wear? Does it mean, your business is doing well?  Does it mean we have it “all together” as moms?  Does it mean we are reaching our goals and being successful?

Or does busy just mean being occupied? You are doing stuff. I’m not saying some of it may not be purposeful but I am sure some of it is not.  Yes, some of it necessary while some of it we do simply out of habit.  Does being busy mean you are being productive?  Does it mean you are getting things done which actually need to get done?

Think about it… do you have a plan in place for the day or the week? Do you have a clear picture of what is important or what matters most?  If you are “busy”, the answer to both of these questions is probably NO!

What if you were to say “I’m productive” instead of “I’m busy”.  What’s the difference, right?  Semantics?  The reality is, it makes a HUGE difference in how you go about your day.  You become purposeful in what you are doing.

When you’re busy, you take on new tasks without considering whether you even have time to complete them. You are less likely to delegate the task to others.  You are less likely to ask for help.  Why delegate? Because when you delegate, you take time to think: “Do I really have to do this myself? Who could do it instead? When can I ask them? How long will it take to explain?” In many cases when you are busy, the response is “never mind, I’ll just do it myself.” In the long run you waste more time and get less accomplished. Being busy generates a more stressed and hurried way of life so doing it yourself is an easy answer.

What if you were to look at “hurrying up” as the one thing which is actually slowing you down? Yes, if you took just a moment to slow down, you could actually get more of the right things done in less time and be more productive. WOW!  I know it is crazy but it really does work.  It is a great way to de-clutter your life.

I find the weeks I am more productive are when I follow a simple process of planning out my week. I make a list of everything I’d like to accomplish this week. If a week is to overwhelming, do it just for a day.  Now, put each item into one of four categories: Do it. Delay it. Delegate it. Delete it.   Stick with me, it really does work and it can all be accomplished in about 10 minutes.  Yes, you have 10 minutes to spare when the end result is feeling more productive.

So, first pick the stuff you choose to do is important. It is a priority.  I know, right now everything seems to be a priority BUT try to limit it to no more than 3 things.  I hear the groans!

Now, move on to the stuff you can delay. These are things which are not urgent and may actually be causing you stress.  Maybe you really don’t have time to do it right now, and frankly, it doesn’t yet need to be done now. Add it to your schedule for a later date.  This is where my planner comes in handy.  I list things at the bottom of the week in the space called “infinite possibility”.  If I have time, great!  It may get done before the delayed date but most times, it doesn’t.  It is okay!

Here is the tough one – the stuff you delegate.  I will admit, I struggle with this on a regular basis.  Health challenges have helped me to put this in perspective.  Delegate things which do not require your personal attention. Someone else can handle it just fine. Okay, they may not do it your way BUT it will get done.  Does it really matter as long as the end result is the same?  Maybe it is tossing clothes in the washer.  Maybe it is putting labels on the catalogs.  Maybe it is putting out the trash or emptying the dishwasher.  Learning to let go and delegate things has made life less stressful for me which is a plus as some days the health challenges are a struggle.

The last list is the stuff you delete. It is those tasks which serve no important purpose at this time. We all have them.  So, give yourself permission to take them off your to-do list.

The truth is hurrying up or busyness is actually slowing you down. What can you change in order to be more productive?

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

 

How Do You Manage Time?

If you are anything like me, the words “time management” makes you cringe.  You are busy.  There is not enough hours in the day or week or month or maybe even the year.  I read a blog post on Girlfriends in God that really made me stop and think about the way I prioritize my time.

Time is wasted unless it is invested in goals and priorities that are rooted in God’s plan.

SMACK! I will admit that I waste time – I think we all do.  Now, don’t get me wrong, you could be very busy,busy doing good things but you feel exhausted and burned out.

Lately, I have begun to look at time differently as a result of some health issues.  I used to plan every moment, prioritized what I thought was important and was always busy.  It was painfully obvious that I needed an adjustment.   I needed to understand that time is a precious resource given to us by God who trusts that we will use our time wisely following his plan for our lives.

Here are some great ideas on time investment NO time management from Mary Southerland.

• Tithe your time. Just as we tithe our money, we should tithe our time. God blesses and multiplies the time we spend in Bible study, prayer and service.
• Get organized.  Being organized is a spiritual discipline, freeing us from the tyranny of the urgent while making room for things that matter.
• Keep a calendar. A calendar keeps you from wasting time and “bunching up” activities. It forces us to prioritize, doing the important things first.
• Establish a planning day. Pick a time to plan the week ahead. Review the tasks you need to complete and appointments. Pray over your week, asking from your Higher Power for guidance.
• Eat the FROG. Tackle the job you dread the most and then you will be energized  for the remaining tasks. Use the time of the day when your energy is highest, for the most important and the most difficult tasks.
• Delegate. When we delegate work to our children, we teach them discipline as well as basic life skills.  Look for people waiting help and then delegate.
• Leave margins in your schedule. Sometimes this is easier said then done, right? We tend to fill every minute of the day, then the “unexpected” happens and we become overwhelmed.

If we don’t set priorities – others will. Time thieves will steal our time as we allow them to impose their plans and standards on us.

So, how will you prioritize your time this weekend and in the week to come?  What is your best tip for time management?

Hope you have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Are You Living a Harmonious Life?

 

Let’s do a WOOHOO Wednesday!

Today, we are going to CELEBRATE all of you AWESOME mama-preneurs (thank you Desiree Wolfe for that term).  So, maybe you are wondering why I would celebrate YOU, right?  You feel overwhelmed.  Your business is not where you want it to be.  The house is a mess.  Dinner is take out most nights.  You feel like a failure OR that it was a lie – that you could have it all!

I am here to tell you that it is not a LIE!  You can succeed in all areas of your life IF you give yourself PERMISSION to succeed.  Sounds easy, right?  It takes practice but it is possible.

As a mamapreneur, you wear mega hats and play many roles. To have it ALL, you have to find harmony in your life.  WHY? Because we deserve and can have it all. Believe it or not, its not external but rather an internal experience.  When we do the internal work, it will show externally in all we do.

Here are some tips that I found and practice (at least try to) to bring harmony into my life and business:

1. Practice GRATITUDE everyday. Just for couple minutes, set your day off on a positive note. Let the UNIVERSE know what are you thankful and grateful for.

2. Love what you do. Enjoy your journey and how you show up in the world every day.

3. Have a plan. Plan your day with intention, purpose and a vision of what you would like to accomplish in your personal life and business.

4. Have healthy boundaries. Establish the boundaries and limits in your personal life and business. Its important to enjoy your life and the work you do with your clients.  This is still a work in progress for me.

5. Integrate your family in your business as much as you can.  For those with kids, it important to explain and talk about what we do in our business.   They may not always understand but I found it helps when they have an active part.  They will feel proud to know that you are IMPACTING the world in a major way. 

6. Delegate. Make sure that you get support for both your personal life and business. Delegate those things that you can give you extra time in your day to spend with your family or clients (doing what you love to do).

7. Flexibility. Life happens despite the best laid plans.  We need to be flexible to shift things as they happen. Having some help and support systems in place really do help in this department.

8. SELF-CARE. We need to take are of ourselves in order to take care of others.  It may be meditating or exercising in the morning, going for a walk, have lunch with our favorite friend, or having a conversation with someone you haven’t talked to in a long time.  Something that fills YOUR cup.

Finding harmony is all about letting things flow too as much as possible.  It means not having everything allocated on the balance scale but learning how to meld them all together.  This way we can be present in the moment instead of worrying about how we are going to juggle the tasks before us.

What do you do to live a harmonious life?

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Are You Phoning In

Happy Monday!!!!

Do you feel like working your business today?  Did the unbearably cold weather this past weekend have you wanting to stay home instead of heading out for your party?  You went but you weren’t really there.  Was your goal to make phone calls today and now you are distracted so you will do it tomorrow?  Does tomorrow never come?

I have been there and so have many others in direct sales.  It doesn’t just happen on Mondays, it can happen any day of the week.  Julie Ann Jones calls it “phoning it in”.  You know when you call in to your business but you don’t really work your business.

What if you take stock of what is really happening… is your to-do list a mile long, maybe you don’t have anything planned so you can’t focus (this is usually me), or maybe you are just feeling YUK today (you know when your self esteem is a little off) or maybe you really wanted to hang out with friends today but knew you “should” work.  So we make excuses, and have a million reasons why we aren’t getting the desired results.

So, how do you change it?  Here are some AWESOME suggestions courtesy of Julie Ann:

Check in with Yourself – see if something’s bothering you that you need to work through or deal with. Are you hungry? Having a bad day? Maybe you feel guilty because you’re working when you promised your kids you wouldn’t. Or you’re battling your gremlins (those little voices in your head that tell you lies about yourself and the world) about what you’re doing (you know, “Why are you even bothering calling her? She doesn’t want to talk to you! She hasn’t returned your call, so doesn’t that tell you anything?”).  The gremlins are the thing that usually get me.

Check in and see what’s really causing you to “phone it in”, and then deal with it. Take a break, have a sandwich, call a friend, put on some music.  Funny, taking a break is usually the last think that I do, maybe I need to switch things up.  What about you?  Do you take care of YOU first?

Get it Down on Paper – This is a great idea but I tend to have too many lists.  I shuffle papers and make notes then I am touching papers or emails 1000 times instead of just once.  I wish that once I put it on paper, I could let it go (yes, I started humming “Let It Go”) and focus more intently on what I’m currently working on.  I have to admit that I do feel like I accomplished ALOT when I write it on paper then get to cross it off with a highlighter that shows that I have done it.  What is your best tip for getting it down on paper?

Make Sure You Have Time to Do Your Best Work – This one seems like a no brainer but it’s not.  So don’t start a project if you don’t have time to finish it (or can’t stop at a logical place and come back to it later). This is where planning and having a schedule come in very handy.  I wonder if this applies to putting parties and/or sales in at the end of the month. You know the last hour of the last day of a sale or for your monthly goals or that certain incentive.

Ask Yourself if This is Something You Should Delegate – I know you are thinking, “I am a one woman show”, who am I supposed to delegate too, right?  You don’t have to have a huge staff but maybe it means enlisting the help of your hubby or kids.  So maybe the labels won’t be perfectly straight but they will be done and you can be free to work on something else. Is anyone really going to notice?  Maybe it is letting hubby do the dishes or clean.  Maybe it won’t be your way of doing things but it will be done and you won’t have to do it.  Think outside of the box when it comes to who could support you.

So, are you phoning it in today in your business? And what are you going to do do about it? I’d love to have you share below.

#JulieAnnJones #ThirtyOne #partywithHope