#69 -My Husband's Hatred for Leftovers Made Me Reconsider My Time Management
“Lost time is never found again. ”
Hey there!
I’m so glad you’re here for this Sprout shorty episode! There is no video, just the audio for The Marketing Home, Marketing You podcast.
In this week’s quick episode I’m chatting about a topic that I know is often on our minds…TIME! Sometimes it feels like there is never enough of it. I’ve heard so many of you share these sentiments in my DM’s and emails. That’s why I thought this week I would give you an inside peek into a private conversation I had with my husband a few years back about leftovers that really got me to make drastic changes to how I spend my time.
As someone that has always loved to work, I found myself saying yes and yes to more “opportunities” in the name of building my career. I tricked myself into saying that this week was unique and I just needed to put in a few extra hours to “get ahead.” In my mind, “next week” was this magical week where all of my to-dos would be caught up and I would have enough time for my work and all of my loved ones. Does that sound familiar?
The problem was next week would come and somehow it would be even more full than the week before. I would sit down and evaluate my projects and meetings. I’d take out the red editing pen and try to see what I could cross out. But every meeting felt essential, I couldn’t bear the thought of letting anyone down (even people I barely knew) and the projects just kept coming. So I’d try to rearrange my planner, set my alarm for a little earlier, and just resign myself to tough it out.
I’d come home exhausted with little to give to my husband or friends. But I convinced myself it would be worth it.
Fast forward to today. My sister recently overheard me decline an invitation and she gave me the compliment. She said, “Wow, I wish I could say no to things that I didn’t really want to do like that?” I had to laugh because that was SO NOT ME a few years ago.
Last week while so many of my industry friends were attending The National Apartment Association conference, I was home. Why? It isn’t because I’m not a huge fan and supporter of The National Apartment Association. In fact, I spoke on their stages four years in a row and we have exhibited for many years. But this year, I had already said yes to a few other commitments. I traveled to the AIM Conference in April and I decided that was the only conference I would attend. Could I have made it work? Absolutely! But did I “make it” work? Not this year.
So what changed? The leftovers conversation. You are going to just have to tune in and find out how a leftovers conversation emboldened me to say no more often.
This episode isn’t about what conference to attend or not attend. It’s about hitting pause long enough to decide how you want to spend your most precious resource…your time.
As for me, I’ll still be spending plenty of time doing work I love (and some that I don’t love so much), but when I pull up my calendar every week, I make sure it has plenty of time for family, friends and breathing room!
“There’s only one thing more precious than our time and that’s who we spend it on. ”