Friday, May 28, 2010

What Appointments Are You Making In Your Life?





What appointments are you making in your life?

Is your diary full of appointments related to work? For most people I would say that this is the case.

Have you thought of making appointments for other areas of your life?

I believe that it is important for us to make appointments for all areas of our life. This allows us to achieve a balanced approach to life.

Don’t just fill up your diary with appointments related to work. What I am suggesting is that you be deliberate in making appointments for all areas of your life. Make a specific date and time that you are going to do things. By doing so you will ensure that you are not neglecting important areas of your life. Don’t allow the important areas to be low on the priorities list and something that you will only do if you have the time. You will most likely never have the time to do many of these things if you don’t commit a date and time to doing them. You need to make time for these areas and you can do this by planning them into your daily/weekly schedule. Make appointments in your diary for these areas just as you would do for work.

Below are some suggestions of appointments that you should consider making:

* Make an appointment for your health. Exercise regularly, join a sporting team, have a regular check up, get a massage, attend a yoga class etc.

* Make an appointment with your partner. Allocate some quality time to spend together with your partner. Go out for a dinner, see a movie, have a romantic date at home etc.

* Make an appointment for your children. Set aside time to spend time with your children. Do some outings, go to the park, play board games, help them with their homework, attend their school events etc.

* Make an appointment with your family and friends. Visit your family and friends or invite them over to your place, have a meal with them, go out for a picnic or have a BBQ, arrange some social and recreational activities together etc.

* Make an appointment for yourself. Spend time doing things that you enjoy and make you feel good. Have a warm bath, spend time on your hobbies, read a book, listen to some music, go to the beach, have a sleep in, read a magazine or paper, go for a walk, dance etc.

* Make an appointment for your spirituality. Meditate, read the Bible, attend church, spend time surrounded by nature, pray etc.

* Make an appointment for your admin. Find your paperwork a home, pay your bills, maintain your records for tax etc.

* Make an appointment for self-development. Attend seminars, read personal development material, listen to educational CDs, get some coaching etc.

* Make an appointment for planning. Write down your goals and the actions you need to take to achieve these goals, use a Weekly Planner or To Do List, establish what your priorities are etc.

* Make an appointment for fun and laughter. Watch some funny DVDs, attend a comedy club, arrange a theme party, go to an amusement park, attend trivia nights etc.

* Make an appointment for managing your mental state. Spend time daily focusing on getting your thinking right. Read/say/visualise what you want in your life, write down what you are grateful for, read some motivational and inspirational writing, ask yourself questions that will help you focus on solutions to achieve positive outcomes etc.

Knowing and wanting to spend time on important areas of your life is not enough. Make an appointment for them to happen. Stop justifying, laying blame and making excuses for why you can’t do them. You can! It is a choice.

Author: Steve Decker – Life Management & Success Coach

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