It’s the last post in the detoxing your life in the New Year mini series and today we’re diving into your schedule and routine. These two things basically are our life and overtime we can either overflow them or leave them high and dry. Being such a prominent part in our daily lives, I think it is crucial to take that step back and really analyze everything involved in your schedule and daily routine from almost an outside perspective.

It is more important than ever to make sure you are filling your days in a way that makes you as productive as possible while also bringing you joy. Being busy and overbooked or saying yes to all the things isn’t necessarily what’s best for us and our routine. I believe that balance is key not just in our routine, but in all aspects of life. There are also so many ways and tools you can use to really make the best use of your time.

So let’s take a look at some key areas to analyze in order to detox your schedule and routine to make you productive…and sane!

PRIORITIZE

One of the key elements to take a look at is your priorities. This certainly sounds like a big task and vague at the same time but deciphering your priorities is so key to make your schedule and routine work best for you. It is essential to do this in both your personal and professional life in order to be the most effective.

The first area is the relationships in your life. Are you making time for people in your personal life that don’t serve you or bring you joy? If so, stop! Do not waste your time on people that don’t make you better or uplift you. Unhealthy relationships are so toxic and there is no benefit to keeping them around. Focus on spending your time with those close to you that truly value you…and your time.

There is a difference between working hard and working productively. It has happened to all of us at one time or another but you career will take over your life at some point in time. When this happens, you need to be specific and honest if it is becoming an unhealthy recurring thing in your life. Work-life balance does exist and should be a priority in your life. Having that balance doesn’t mean that you don’t work hard, it just means you are balancing your time more effectively and productively.

Tagging off of this, Brighton Keller talks a lot about priorities, diving into the difference of urgent vs important tasks. We all have those seemingly never-ending to do lists in both our personal and professional lives. It can be overwhelming sometimes when the list seems to keep growing yet things aren’t getting crossed off. You see all of these items that all seem like a must and you get this sense of not knowing where to start. This is where deciphering between urgent and important tasks. This will make a world of a difference once you are able to identify these in your life.

Along with tasks, taking a look at your habits can be very eye opening. Whether it is always checking your phone, getting lost in the social scroll, not getting enough sleep or stressing about all the things, there are plenty of habits that drain our time and energy, whether we realize it or not. Tuning into these habits can open up a world of time that allows you to focus on things that are more important, productive, joyful, etc.

Your mental health can be a huge factor in the balancing act too, and unfortunately, something that too many push off to the side and don’t make it a priority. Are you spending time to focus on YOU and YOUR well-being so that you can be the best version of yourself you can be? Maybe for some that means getting a therapist or life coach to talk through life situations and feelings a couple of times a month. For others, it might be prioritizing time each day to take a 30-minute walk outside without any distractions. Maybe allowing time to read, take a fitness class, visit an art gallery, whatever it may be is what you need to recenter yourself and clear your mind. Whatever your release is, make it a priority and stick to it.

BE REALISTIC

One of the biggest ways to overhaul your schedule and routine is to dig deep and be realistic with your time. How many occasions can you think of where you thought something would take say 30 minutes, and 3 hours later you were still working on it? Guilty as charged! Being realistic with your time does not happen overnight and can take a little bit more effort on your part.

Whether it is cleaning your home or generating a monthly budget, be honest with yourself on how much time these tasks are going to take. In most instances, you are better off adding contingency time, especially for travel, for unexpected things. You might get stuck behind an accident, the formulas in your budgeting spreadsheet are incorrect, the doctor’s office is running behind, or the analytics report you are creating is more detailed than expected. Now you are late for the next thing on your schedule or don’t have enough time to finish a project. Adding that buffer of extra time in turn makes you more productive and less stressed. It ends up being a bonus if you finish early, giving yourself more time for other things on your schedule or your persona priorities.

STOP SAYING YES TO EVERYTHING

This sense of constantly being busy and having a full schedule has overtime become this glorified “status” that everyone wants to reach. I’m not sure where, when or how this shift took place but in my opinion, it is completely unattainable and NOT effective. Plain and simple, we have to stop saying yes to everything. Whether it is in your personal or professional life, take a step back, a deep breath, and really decide if the event, outing, whatever it may be is truly something of value to you and your life. Are you saying yes to all of the thing but not making time for your family, friends or that workout class you love? It all ties back to priorities and really making the best use of your time.

DETERMINE WHAT BRINGS YOU JOY

Another important aspect in detoxing your schedule and routine in the New Year is to determine what things bring you joy and what is sucking the life out of you. Just like those toxic relationships, it’s time to get rid of and stop doing things that don’t bring you joy. Now look, I get it, not everything in life is going to be the best thing all of the time [like filing taxes] but the things that you can control, determine which of those are uplifting and which are not. We only get this one life…let’s make it a good one!

So there you have it, 4 ways to detox your schedule and routine in the New Year. Did any of these resonate with you? If so, share below in the comments!