Wow, what a week this has been! Going back to last Friday when our website was hacked (among thousands of other Wordpress websites), to another week filled with new revelations, new ideas, and inspiration to become more of who God has created me to be, it's been an exciting time!
I've been going through a LOT of changes lately (all good of course), many related to that BIG NEWS that I will be sharing with you in May, as well as just getting more clarity in my personal and professional life. So I'd like to take a moment today, to share with you some of the changes and adjustments that I've made in my life, that are working out well for me so far. Hopefully, as you read about what's been working for me, you will be inspired to make some positive changes in your life as well.
It's all about time management, and peace. If something (or someone) creates stress or anxiety in your life, it needs to go. Period!
Your inner peace, your joy, your productivity, and your success, are all tied to how well you manage and invest your time. Remember, time is not like money. Once it's gone, it's gone, and you can't get it back. So it behooves you to be very deliberate and intentional about where and how you invest your time.
Some of the things that I've done recently to become more productive, more successful, and have more peace are:
- I cut back on how much tv I watch. If I watch one full hour of television a day, that's actually a lot for me. We don't even have cable, I cancelled it back in December '12 (but we do have Hulu and Netflix).
- I'm now investing more of my time and focus into "quiet time". It's basically a way of silencing a lot of the noise and distractions we deal with every day (i.e. phone, tv, music, social media, e-mails, etc.), and creating a space where I can truly hear from God, process my thoughts, and get clarity on every thing that I choose to do, or not to do each day.
- I am systematizing and delegating more of my day-to-day correspondences that tend to eat up too much of my time. When you have a system for how to handle things, how to sift through and process information, and keep things organized, it makes you so much more productive and calm.
- I am regulating my e-mails more aggressively. I've had a love-hate relationship with e-mail for YEARS!! lol It's just one of those things that can really eat up a lot of your time, and yield no significant results, if you let it. So, what I basically do now is set aside a time, once (MAYBE twice a week) to reply to all of my non-urgent e-mails at one time. That day is today by the way, in case you're waiting to hear back from me. :) Anything that's urgent (for me), I respond to immediately. But I got out of the habit, a long time ago, of being a prisoner to e-mail. It's just not worth it. I actually prefer to communicate with people via social media, where we can share quick and concise messages. It's much more efficient, in my opinion.
- I am being more selective about the types of meetings and events that I attend. Being in New York City, hosting and producing a tv show, and being active in the dance community can be a blessing, and a curse. I had to realize that I'm only one person, and cannot be everywhere, and do everything for everybody, unless I want to run myself into the ground! Luckily, I don't really have a problem telling people 'no', especially when I know it's what's best for me.
- I read a LOT, and observe a LOT! I learn from others who are experts in the fields of marketing, social media, online branding, business, and technology, to stay current on what's happening in the world, and learn about new techniques, and what works best.
- I am expanding my knowledge base and challenging myself in the area of video production. I am actually the new video editor for our dance tv show, "Inside New York City Dance
", and I'm learning a LOT about how to use Final Cut Pro X, and how to chromakey (use a green screen to create various types of background images within a video). One of my major goals for this year was to begin using online videos, in a BIG way, to connect more with you, and to integrate into our social media marketing and online branding strategy, and I'm excited to be following through with that commitment.
- Lastly, I am continuing my focus on health and wellness, inside and out. As many of you know, I'm vegan, and have been so for almost a year now. I start my day off drinking some room temperature lemon water, then possibly have some green juice, or other type of healthy, balanced breakfast. I eat clean (and treat myself from time to time as well), and I am sure to take care of my emotional, spiritual, and physical health too.
My main focus for now is redesigning our website, after it was hacked last week. I actually see it as a blessing, because I know that this time around, it will be even BETTER than before, and will be more secure from potential security risks as well. I can't wait to share it with you! We will be re-launching it within the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned!
I hope that by sharing my experiences, and what I'm doing to become more focused, more productive, and more peaceful in my life, that you are inspired to make some changes to improve your life as well.
Have a blessed weekend!
P.S. While our website is under construction, feel free to connect with me on social media, or on my personal website here.
