“Well arranged time is the surest mark of a well arranged mind.”
Sir Isaac Pitman
Beyond the Quote (137/365)
Have you ever laid into bed at the end of a day and wondered… what just happened? Like the whole day felt like a big blur? And even after a few minutes of reflection, you still can’t quite get it all straight? This is a common effect of living a reactive and unplanned lifestyle. If you go into the day with a blurry vision of what you need to do, then, it follows that you’ll come out on the other side with a blurry memory of what you did.
On the other hand, when you live an arranged and planned lifestyle—the effect is clarity. This makes sense because when you start off your day with a clear vision of what needs to get done, it allows you to compartmentalize your day into priority chunks and attack each task clearly. Then, when you lay into your bed at the end of the day, it’s quite easy to remember what happened because you arranged your time and tasks going into it. It’s for this reason that I try to compartmentalize as much of my life as possible and why I recommend you try to do so too.
I think it’s safe to say that we all know what we should be doing in our days. We all pretty much know what it takes to be healthy; what we should be doing to stay well; what we should be doing to grow and improve—and yet, why is it then, that so few of us actually do these almost common sensical things? Things like eating fruits and veggies; exercising; avoiding sugar and sodium; reading books; meditating; getting enough sleep; communicating authentically; treating others the way we want to be treated; deliberately practicing; etc. We’ve been taught this stuff since we were kids (hopefully). And yet here we are, contradicting so much of what’s on that list every day. Why? Because common sense isn’t always common practice. Knowing isn’t the same as doing. In fact, to know and not to do is the same as not to know. Read that again.
Here’s where the power of compartmentalization really shines. Okay, so you know what needs to get done every day if you’re going to live a healthy, balanced, wholesome lifestyle. Here’s the trick: block out time for each of those important items the night before. That’s it. Rather than roll into your day with a blurry vision of the road ahead and just making it up as you go, give yourself some clarity. Block out some time for exercise and meditation. Plan out what times you’re going to eat and what those meals might look like. Figure out when you’re going to read and write. Organize your day around the variables that inevitably will come up—the random doctor appointments, the zoom calls, the errands, the vet check-ups, the house work, etc. This will give you the clarity you crave and the plan you need to put that common sense to practice.
Not only does this work for your macro-priorities of your day (exercise/ eat/ sleep/ meditate/ etc.), but it works for your micro-priorities too. Things like walking the dog, going on social media, watching your current TV show, talking to certain friends, researching funny dog and cat videos, whatever. By designating certain times of the day for all of the big and small priorities, you’re not only arranging your time—you’re arranging your mind. Heck, this even works for spontaneity. Yes, being spontaneous is supposed to happen naturally. But, I would also add that if spontaneity and adventure are important priorities to you, then you should give them blocks of time just like any other priority. Because who’s to say that you will ever have time for things that aren’t priorities to you? Anyone who has ever tried living a lifestyle where sleep isn’t priority knows how quickly we can take away time from something that we otherwise would consider of crucial importance.
The bottom line is this: If you aren’t willing to block out time for it, it isn’t a priority. Plain and simple. And don’t get it twisted, when you tell people you’re too busy—that is exactly what you’re saying. The task isn’t a priority—they aren’t a priority. And that’s okay. Especially if you’re responding from a place of clarity and not blurriness. And so do yourself a favor. Take some time tonight, after the whirlwind of the day, and plan out some time blocks for tomorrow. Give yourself a 30 minute block for exercise, a 20 minute block for reading, a 10 minute block for writing, and maybe a 5 minute block for meditating—as an example. Change the times and activities up according to where you’re at. Then, go about your day and really try hard to stick to it—see how it feels. At the end of the night, reflect, adjust as needed, and try again the next day. This is how you move forward in your life on YOUR terms—in accordance to YOUR priorities. Not in accordance with other people’s priorities or as a result of some random distractions that life throws at you. Take control of your time and you’ll take control of your mind. And more notably, your life.
In a Tweet:
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