Honor Commitments To Yourself

If you have something that you want to do, but it keeps getting put on the back-burner or ignored altogether, ask yourself a few questions and discover why:
1) Is it something that YOU want to do? 
2) Does it need done at about the same time every day or every week? 
3) Are you repeatedly interrupted and feel it is hard to stay focused? 

If you answered yes to any of these questions, here are some quick tips to think about. And implement immediately.

First, if something is truly important to you, consider blocking out time for it on your calendar. Treating an appointment with yourself just as any other appointment will help you remember not to schedule over that special time. When starting this blog I was struggling to find a time that worked for me, but I did block each time out as I tried to find the one that would work. Making that appointment with myself and honoring that time commitment has helped me get to this blog when weeks are crazy and it helps me remember how much I love writing and sharing. 

Second, prepare for your appointment with yourself just as you would any other appointment. Make sure you are ready for that time. Before I sit down, I make sure I have cleared some distractions before my set time. If I am having a hard time focusing, I know I can turn off my phone for a few minutes and make sure that time is actually spent writing, as opposed to having my time be over and actually accomplishing nothing. Dragging out those personal time commitments can make you want to give them up and we all know that checking social media when you are supposed to be doing other things just makes you feel wasteful and stressed when you have to move to the next thing without completing the task you set out to. 

Third, if can be helpful to know exactly what you expect of yourself. I know that I want to complete one blog post and share it before I get up. Knowing exactly what I expect of yourself sets you up for success to reach for the mark and actually know when you have hit the mark. 
  
I have done preschool with each of my children. I have written or found a curriculum and just done it with them. It has always been fun and rewarding, until things started getting in the way. With my third child, things were just busier and I found that blocking out preschool time for her just twice a week did amazing things for me to be able to tell people no and to start honoring that time that really was important to me and my daughter. 

Whatever you set out to do, do not be afraid to put important things on the calendar and honor them as real time commitments to yourself. If it is important to you, prove it.