By Ashley Huisman
Graphic Designer, New Century Press Publications
Rock Rapids, IA
The last number of years I’ve been saying to myself in certain moments – BE PRESENT, ASHLEY! I have to remind myself to be more present, be more intentional with my time. Ever since I had my first child over 8 years ago, while trying to juggle being a wife and having a full-time job, I’ve been striving for this goal. How intentional are we being with our time? At work, at a meeting, at home, at the dinner table, on vacation even. What does it mean to truly be present, to be in the moment?
Notifications – texts, emails, calls, appointments. They’re all constantly distracting us from the moments, from our time. Technology can be a blessing and a curse in today’s world. We’ve all made ourselves so available, so reachable that we can’t get that one task done or spend that one hour in a meeting or at home with our families without being interrupted. The first step we can take to turn this around is simply prioritizing. Not everything needs attention in that moment, if you don’t respond to a colleague in 30 seconds, it will be OK. A 15-minute break between tasks is OK. The work, the question, the text will be there when you are ready to answer it.
When you’re at the office, take a few minutes to plan out your day so that your tasks are less random. Going into it with a game plan will always work out better than no plan. Find a schedule that works for you, it may not work for everyone but it just needs to work for you, to be the most productive version of you. Scheduling your day is a simple step to take to put more quality time into each task of the day and keep interruptions at bay.
Slow down and give your full attention to the meeting, to the project, to your goal, to your children. This will help you be less stressed, less anxious and be present in the moment. Small changes every day and being intentional throughout your day and your life will slowly become your new normal. So, turn off your email alerts for a time, silence your messages, recharge your mind. Being intentional with your time can be tough at first and trust me I am still working on it, but a more intentional, more present you will be better in the long run.
Ashley
Graphic Designer, New Century Press Publications
Rock Rapids, IA
The last number of years I’ve been saying to myself in certain moments – BE PRESENT, ASHLEY! I have to remind myself to be more present, be more intentional with my time. Ever since I had my first child over 8 years ago, while trying to juggle being a wife and having a full-time job, I’ve been striving for this goal. How intentional are we being with our time? At work, at a meeting, at home, at the dinner table, on vacation even. What does it mean to truly be present, to be in the moment?
Notifications – texts, emails, calls, appointments. They’re all constantly distracting us from the moments, from our time. Technology can be a blessing and a curse in today’s world. We’ve all made ourselves so available, so reachable that we can’t get that one task done or spend that one hour in a meeting or at home with our families without being interrupted. The first step we can take to turn this around is simply prioritizing. Not everything needs attention in that moment, if you don’t respond to a colleague in 30 seconds, it will be OK. A 15-minute break between tasks is OK. The work, the question, the text will be there when you are ready to answer it.
When you’re at the office, take a few minutes to plan out your day so that your tasks are less random. Going into it with a game plan will always work out better than no plan. Find a schedule that works for you, it may not work for everyone but it just needs to work for you, to be the most productive version of you. Scheduling your day is a simple step to take to put more quality time into each task of the day and keep interruptions at bay.
Slow down and give your full attention to the meeting, to the project, to your goal, to your children. This will help you be less stressed, less anxious and be present in the moment. Small changes every day and being intentional throughout your day and your life will slowly become your new normal. So, turn off your email alerts for a time, silence your messages, recharge your mind. Being intentional with your time can be tough at first and trust me I am still working on it, but a more intentional, more present you will be better in the long run.
Ashley