It amazes me how often I'm asked, "But HOW do you manage it ALL?"
Saying that I homeschool is enough for most people to think I'm nuts or have some type of super power. But when they learn that I homeschool AND work AND run the budget AND clean the house 99% of the time AND read books for fun & development AND prepare for Sunday School AND cook 95% of ALL of our meals ALL while managing my weight (90 lbs down) AND my lupus, they start to look ill.
Or, they simply don't believe me. To be fair, before I grew to this point, I would have felt the same way. I also would have felt inadequate in my own efforts to manage my life.
But, I don't like for people to have to dwell in the dark places that had once consumed me. So, I'm going to share my secret.
A few years ago I was listening to a CD that changed my life. I don't remember the name of the CD or the man speaking. But, I remember feeling empowered once it was finished.
A little bit of background.
The man speaking was a self-made millionaire who learned how to get the life he wanted from other millionaires and individuals who were full of wisdom. He basically says that it's pointless learning to be wealthy from broke people. So, he took it upon himself to learn a different route.
During this particular talk, he was teaching about staying focused on the goal. It doesn't matter what the goal is, these 4 steps will help you reach it.
Plan. Do. Check. Adjust.
(P. D. C. A.)
Let's walk through this... To keep things simple, I will only use my weight loss as an example from this point onward.
PLAN
At my heaviest, I was 292 lbs and counting. After being humiliated at Six Flags because I couldn't fit on a roller coaster seat, I knew I needed to make a change. So in July of 2016, I decided to lose 10 lbs by the end of the year.
A plan has a couple of important parts.
1. A goal.
A goal is a change that takes you from where you are to where you want to be. In order to reach your goal, you will have to make changes that requires you to leave your comfort zone. Doing so can make you feel exposed and vulnerable.
There are different types of goals. Long term and short term. My original weight-loss goal was a short-term one. My ultimate weight loss goal is so long-term, that it requires many short-term ones to be successful. Walking a mile is done one step at a time.
2. A date.
This is where most people slip up. You MUST put a time frame around your goals. A GOAL WITHOUT A DATE IS JUST AN IDEA!!! Without knowing when something should be completed, procrastination takes over and getting started never happens.
Personally, at start of each year I make myself a goal board. It has weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly goals. Many of the short-term goals are directly related to the yearly ones. I then hang the goal board in a place that is private, but visible to me on a regular basis. This way, I'm constantly reminded of what I'm working on, but the people who visit have no clue.
DO
After deciding to lose the weight, I had to take steps to make it happen. For me, this meant conducting research. The first thing I learned was that I was NOT drinking enough water. This was where I started. I gradually increased my water consumption each week, until I was consuming 194 oz of water each day. And even though it was the ONLY thing I did, I started moving in the right direction of my goal.
Personally, I suggest learning about where you're trying to go before taking off. I also suggest prioritizing the steps you want to focus on so that you don't become over-whelmed by trying to do too much all at once.
CHECK
This is a hard step. Checking your progress requires you to be self-aware and brutally honest with yourself about your progress. The best thing about weight loss is the scale never lies. Either you're losing weight, or you're not. To be great at checking you have to let go of excuses.
ADJUST
So what if I wasn't making progress? Then I need to make some adjustments. But first I need to identify what should be adjusted. The first question I would ask myself is, "Did I actually follow the plan?" Sometimes we start off strong, and then we lose our way. Other times we never got started at all. If you didn't even follow the plan or if you didn't give it your all, then it's you that needs to be adjusted. You may need to adjust your mindset or your accountability methods. Whatever the case, worry about yourself and leave the plan alone.
Now, if you did fully commit to the plan, then it's the plan that needs work. Sometimes you only have to tweak a couple of small steps, but other times you have to start from scratch. Starting over sucks. It sucks up your time, money, energy and eagerness. But it's also the best opportunity to learn. Pain and disappointment are some of the most effective teachers. They don't feel good, and we are hardwired to avoid painful stimuli. Therefor, we do what we can, not to go through that again.
The greatest quality of these 4 steps is that they can be used by anyone for anything. Do you want to heal your marriage? Would you like to save more money? Do you want to go back to and graduate from school? P.D.C.A. is the way I've found to be most successful.
With Love,
A Newly Domesticated Lady
Disclaimer: I am not a licensed or certified professional. What I share is all personal lessons I've learned via personal experiences.
Saying that I homeschool is enough for most people to think I'm nuts or have some type of super power. But when they learn that I homeschool AND work AND run the budget AND clean the house 99% of the time AND read books for fun & development AND prepare for Sunday School AND cook 95% of ALL of our meals ALL while managing my weight (90 lbs down) AND my lupus, they start to look ill.
Or, they simply don't believe me. To be fair, before I grew to this point, I would have felt the same way. I also would have felt inadequate in my own efforts to manage my life.
But, I don't like for people to have to dwell in the dark places that had once consumed me. So, I'm going to share my secret.
A few years ago I was listening to a CD that changed my life. I don't remember the name of the CD or the man speaking. But, I remember feeling empowered once it was finished.
A little bit of background.
The man speaking was a self-made millionaire who learned how to get the life he wanted from other millionaires and individuals who were full of wisdom. He basically says that it's pointless learning to be wealthy from broke people. So, he took it upon himself to learn a different route.
During this particular talk, he was teaching about staying focused on the goal. It doesn't matter what the goal is, these 4 steps will help you reach it.
Plan. Do. Check. Adjust.
(P. D. C. A.)
Let's walk through this... To keep things simple, I will only use my weight loss as an example from this point onward.
PLAN
At my heaviest, I was 292 lbs and counting. After being humiliated at Six Flags because I couldn't fit on a roller coaster seat, I knew I needed to make a change. So in July of 2016, I decided to lose 10 lbs by the end of the year.
A plan has a couple of important parts.
1. A goal.
A goal is a change that takes you from where you are to where you want to be. In order to reach your goal, you will have to make changes that requires you to leave your comfort zone. Doing so can make you feel exposed and vulnerable.
There are different types of goals. Long term and short term. My original weight-loss goal was a short-term one. My ultimate weight loss goal is so long-term, that it requires many short-term ones to be successful. Walking a mile is done one step at a time.
2. A date.
This is where most people slip up. You MUST put a time frame around your goals. A GOAL WITHOUT A DATE IS JUST AN IDEA!!! Without knowing when something should be completed, procrastination takes over and getting started never happens.
Personally, at start of each year I make myself a goal board. It has weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly goals. Many of the short-term goals are directly related to the yearly ones. I then hang the goal board in a place that is private, but visible to me on a regular basis. This way, I'm constantly reminded of what I'm working on, but the people who visit have no clue.
DO
After deciding to lose the weight, I had to take steps to make it happen. For me, this meant conducting research. The first thing I learned was that I was NOT drinking enough water. This was where I started. I gradually increased my water consumption each week, until I was consuming 194 oz of water each day. And even though it was the ONLY thing I did, I started moving in the right direction of my goal.
Personally, I suggest learning about where you're trying to go before taking off. I also suggest prioritizing the steps you want to focus on so that you don't become over-whelmed by trying to do too much all at once.
CHECK
This is a hard step. Checking your progress requires you to be self-aware and brutally honest with yourself about your progress. The best thing about weight loss is the scale never lies. Either you're losing weight, or you're not. To be great at checking you have to let go of excuses.
ADJUST
So what if I wasn't making progress? Then I need to make some adjustments. But first I need to identify what should be adjusted. The first question I would ask myself is, "Did I actually follow the plan?" Sometimes we start off strong, and then we lose our way. Other times we never got started at all. If you didn't even follow the plan or if you didn't give it your all, then it's you that needs to be adjusted. You may need to adjust your mindset or your accountability methods. Whatever the case, worry about yourself and leave the plan alone.
Now, if you did fully commit to the plan, then it's the plan that needs work. Sometimes you only have to tweak a couple of small steps, but other times you have to start from scratch. Starting over sucks. It sucks up your time, money, energy and eagerness. But it's also the best opportunity to learn. Pain and disappointment are some of the most effective teachers. They don't feel good, and we are hardwired to avoid painful stimuli. Therefor, we do what we can, not to go through that again.
The greatest quality of these 4 steps is that they can be used by anyone for anything. Do you want to heal your marriage? Would you like to save more money? Do you want to go back to and graduate from school? P.D.C.A. is the way I've found to be most successful.
With Love,
A Newly Domesticated Lady
Disclaimer: I am not a licensed or certified professional. What I share is all personal lessons I've learned via personal experiences.
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