HOW TO BE RESILIENT IN THE 21^ST CENTURY

Part Two:  Organizing for Resilience

 

By Karin Leonard

This article series is designed to help you build greater resilience.  According to Webster’s, this is the “ability to recover from or adjust easily to change…”  In part one we explored how to create a lasting lifestyle, and a peaceful state of mind.  Part two examines managing and organizing the day-to-day more effectively. 

Make it Meditation

Certainly, easing your day with periods of meditation and relaxation is wonderful and builds resilience.  However, sustained benefit depends on how well you continue this precious state of inner peace throughout the day.  Experiment with making every moment of your day your meditation, and an opportunity to practice staying centered.  No matter where you are, and what you might be doing, you can take a moment to take a deep breath, calm your thoughts.  Anytime you are getting flustered, bring yourself back to your breath and focus on the task before you.  Jot down stray thoughts and to-do’s, and keep your mind free from clutter.  Attempt to flow with the events of daily life rather than resisting them.

Time for Thyself

With the requirements of a fast-paced life, multiple roles to play and endless chores to attend to, are you getting squeezed out from your list of priorities?  Do you attend to everyone else and each item on your to-do list, before you give to number one?  If so, try a different strategy: make yourself the VIP on your calendar!  How to do that?  As you schedule your week or day, reserve some time for you each day.  This may be minutes or hours, depending on what is possible for you.  Do what you love and what nurtures you during those periods.  Examples include exercise, reading, getting a massage – or doing absolutely nothing.  Whatever you choose each day, time for you is supposed to refuel and center you.  Without that we eventually run on empty, get resentful and life seems to pass us by.

Sustainable Systems

In addition to strengthening body, mind and spirit resilience also depends on how well we organize our time, environment and resources. When planning your schedule, consider your natural rhythm and the energy required for various activities.  If, for example, the early morning is your best window for mental tasks, maximize those hours for your most challenging work.  Do less demanding chores when your energy is typically lower.  Also, balance your timetable: buffer demanding times with relaxation and recreation. 

For greater resilience, examine your systems at work and home.  How well organized are you?  Does the mere thought of paper piles on your desk, or chaotic closets in your house, raise your blood pressure?  Turning your home into a heavenly haven of rest and recreation, and building solid functional foundations for your work life are great goals. However, be patient with yourself.  Plan reasonable steps: for example, file papers for 30 minutes a day, or organize one drawer at a time.  Look at your intention for better systems as a lifetime investment.  The more supportive your foundation, the greater will be your resilience.

For information:   

Karin Leonard & Associates:  (831) 724-5400  

Register online

E-mail karin@innerevolution.com.

 

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