3 Keys to Managing Your Life

Last night I was deciding if I should skip a post today as I have much to do for my three careers that are all moving ahead at once, and I’d rather they not leave me behind.

I poked around some of the closets and back rooms here at eduClaytion to see if I had left any partially written drafts lying around. Then I spied my site stats and saw this hilarious search bomb.

“dear clay morgan: stop checking your stats and go work on your proposal”

Love that and knew instantly who delivered those necessary words. Lately, my writing accountability machine has been Leanne Shirtliffe a.k.a. Ironic Mom.

A good accountability partner will scare you a bit. Like this.

Accountability isn’t just about keeping us from screwing up or motivating someone who is lazy. Accountability is about focus.

We first have to be honest and realistic about our responsibilities. Life is full! Here’s some of my current career obligations off the top of my head.

• Teach classes year round for 3 colleges on 4-5 different campuses.
• Manage growing number of speaking obligations which sometimes require major preparation and/or travel.
• Keep PopTeacher (educational consultant hat) going and growing as opportunities continue to develop.
• Finish book proposal and sample chapters (ASAP) and then write the rest of the thing.
• Keep blog going which includes interacting with awesome community. *waves hi to awesome community!*
• Maintain social media presence as networking is critical to creating opportunities for myself and others.

That’s a good smattering. All these things are in addition to the critical elements of family needs and personal sanity time (workout, sleep, read, etc…). Now let’s follow my own advice from above.

1. Be honest–Sure, delusion is the ultimate weapon, but you won’t benefit from pretending you aren’t busy or your life isn’t full. Don’t deceive yourself when you list the things you are required to do.
2. Be realistic–Is this schedule sustainable? If I catch myself complaining about how busy I am all the time I have to reevaluate. Note that telling people you are busy is realism; complaining about it all the time means you are off center.  That’s not healthy. Make like a rocket and shuttle the excess to propel yourself forward.
3. Focus–I struggle with bouncing from one thing to the next and losing full effectiveness in each area. So rather than tell you I’m a time management wizard and here’s how to make your life work, I’m asking a question. Who keeps you accountable?

Get with someone who will both push and understand you, a big-hearted person with a pom-pom in one hand and metal ruler in the other. Look at your lives honestly and realistically. Then determine to help each other stay focused. Strive and celebrate together. Then do it all over again.

There is no one-size-fits-all template here, so don’t bother looking for a guru’s book to solve your life. Some of those books contain great advice, but only you and those close to you will know what works best across your entire life.

Are you being honest and realistic about your obligations?

Who keeps you accountable?