This is a guest post by Jaclyn Aurore, a New Adult fiction author who – in the name of full transparency – also just happens to be my wife.?
Well, it?s been a little while since my last personal blog post. Not bad by my standards?
I bared my soul on that post, and I was hesitant to write again. What could I possibly say?
But then it occurred to me.
Time Management
I am a wife, mother, dog-lover, author, analyst, publisher, editor, and now beauty consultant. I am also learning to drive, taking classes, hosting parties, managing websites, blogging more (or trying to), working out, and finding time for old hobbies like reading (for fun, not work).
When I took on this new business endeavour (becoming a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant – now Senior Consultant, woot woot!), the first thing my husband asked was: What will you give up in order to make the time?
My answer was simple: Nothing.
Why should I give up anything? I want to be the woman who does it all, quite simply because I can.
When people ask me how I do it, I usually say, ?I don?t sleep.?
But the truth is: time management.
Why Do We Need to Fill Free Moments?
I?ll just keep bolding that. It deserves to be right on out there multiple times over. Truthfully, it?s more than time management, it?s multitasking. I don?t rest.
When I have a free moment, I fill it with something. While my kids are eating dinner, I am cooking for my husband (he comes home later, so I cook for him separately). While I?m eating my lunch, I?m reading or writing.
To quote one of my favourite movies (bonus points for anyone who guesses it):
There are 24 usable hours in every day.
I?ve done this for so long now that it?s second nature.
The other day, I had an epiphany. Why do I need to fill free moments? Why can?t I just live them?
[clickToTweet tweet=”Why do we need to fill free moments? Why can?t we just live them? #life” quote=”Why do we need to fill free moments? Why can?t we just live them? “]
Here?s how it happened. I was doing a driving lesson, and while waiting for my instructor to set up pylons, I had a moment to spare. There I was, sitting in a parked car with the engine off. Alone and silent. This would be an excellent time to check my email or my text messages even, but I purposely left my cell phone at home.
All I could do was wait.
In the five minutes, I tapped the wheel, fiddled my thumbs, and hummed a little. I felt antsy. It felt like I was wasting time. To calm myself, I closed my eyes and focused on sounds. I heard birds chirping, wind blowing against the car, and the sound of traffic faintly in the distance? and then nothing.
Silence. My thoughts stopped, my breaths were there but silent, chaos ended. For one brief moment, I had peace and zen.
It was glorious.
In order to be successful in all the things I do, I need to manage my time wisely. Yes, there are 24 useable hours in every day, but I can make time for five minutes of peaceful silence? and so should you.
Try it. See if it doesn?t make the rest of your day more enjoyable!
A version of this post originally appeared on Jaclyn’s blog.
About the author:?Jaclyn Aurore is the author of?The Starsville Saga (Starting Over, Standing Up, Giving In, Hanging On, Leaving Behind), and has recently published the stand alone fantasy,?My Life Without Me.?Among the other hats she wears, her favourite are that of??wife? and ?mother?.?When she?s not redecorating her home in Ontario, Canada,?Jaclyn can be found?at Williams Coffee Pub, caffeinated beverage?in hand, working on her next novel.?You can learn more about Jaclyn and her books on?her website?and?her Facebook Page.