TheSanityPlan

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Why Everyone Needs a Sanity Plan & How to Create One

December 17, 2016 By Sara M. 9 Comments

The Sanity Plan.

What comes to your mind when you read those words?

If I’m correct, most of you already have an idea of what that means. When I mention working on my Sanity Plan, most people tend to nod their head like they intuitively know what I’m talking about.

 

Why Everyone Should Have a Sanity Plan

735x1100-working2I look around me all the time and see the blur of people hurrying, rushing, and trying to get it all done. I see lots of commitments being made, piled up to-do lists, and work with no end in sight. Everyone I know is in high gear. What I don’t see, is people taking time for themselves. Making a plan and carving out space for some sanity in their lives.

This is so important. We can say that we want a break, complain about being overwhelmed and overworked, but nothing is going to happen until we prioritize our well-being.

I’m speaking from experience here, I have 3 kids ranging from 2 to 13 years old. I’m juggling part time work for a startup, managing a rental property, and I help support my husband’s business. I have all the telltale signs of modern life, mountainous piles of laundry, and a to-do list a mile long. You can read more of my story here.

The Goal

The goal is sanity. A balanced schedule and systems that work. So many times, we walk around with a wish list in our heads of things we’d like to change, but nothing changes without a concrete, actionable plan. As my husband likes to say,

“Sanity, you’ve got to PLAN for it.”

680x450-rainbowTry to visualize what a saner version of your life would look like. Can you identify the biggest areas that need work in order to make that happen?

Are you getting enough of the basics: sleep, healthy foods, exercise?

How effectively are you balancing your various roles as an employee (or business owner), partner, parent, family member, etc.?

Do you run your household efficiently, with systems in place for recurring tasks in order to save time and money?

Do you have enough down time for recharging your batteries? When you do have down time, are you choosing the right activities to give you a return of energy?

Everyone’s concept of sanity will vary based on their individual circumstances, values, and preferences. Some people need activities and social time to recharge. Some people, like me, prefer alone time with a good book instead.

The Plan

680x450-working4Now it’s time to get to work. The Sanity Plan has two components. The first is a set of principles that help guide us toward a less complicated life. The principles are available for quick use when you don’t have time for a lengthy decision making process. The second is a set of 5 personalized goals for making improvements in your life.

I have created a list of 10 important principles, but feel free to modify the list to fit your needs. I’ll cover the first principle here, but you can join my Sanity Plan Principles series for a detailed discussion of each.

Be present is the first principle.

I chose this one to be first because I don’t believe that any of us can change without being conscious our lives in real time. How can I see what is not working in my life if I am on autopilot? How can I know why I am angry and irritable with my husband if I cannot slow down and ask myself right then? Am I hungry, am I tired, am I feeling disconnected from my friends, or am I frustrated about something unrelated at work? Or, is it a sore spot between he and I because I haven’t been honest with him about a particular issue?

Being in the moment is the key to making any changes. How can we change anything if we cannot see what it is that needs to change?

Next, we set some high level goals. For this, I recommend setting 5 because more than that could get overwhelming. Don’t worry if you have more, you can write down as many as you like, but DO choose the 5 most important ones to use for your Sanity Plan.

For me, I have a laundry list of things I want to do, work on, and change about myself. The sheer number can easily overwhelm and stall me into complete inactivity. So instead, I set the following goals to prioritize change in certain areas of my life:

  1. Work on improving the kids’ behavior (limit meltdowns, create better routines)
  2. Strengthen my relationship with my husband (date nights, consistent co-parenting)
  3. Make personal care a priority (sleep, exercise schedule, self-care plan)
  4. Create organizational habits and routines (conquer my clutter bug)
  5. Balance my work & creative projects with home life (create effective systems)

There are lots of helpful materials out there on how to set effective goals. If you are not sure, I suggest checking out this strategy or this strategy.

What’s Next?

So far, we have established Principles and Goals for our Sanity Plan. Take time to consider both, and make sure that you have chosen areas that will make the biggest impact in your life.

The next step is all about taking action. Stay tuned for Part 2, where I will cover:

Setting Specific & Timely Goals

Reviewing Your Progress Regularly

 

I’m looking forward to helping you work on your Sanity Plan! Part of my mission on this journey is to connect with other people interested in finding and creating balance in their lives.

 

What is the biggest area of your life that you would like to improve?

 

Filed Under: Wellbeing Tagged With: goals, principles, sanity, sanity plan

What Does Sanity Mean to You?

September 26, 2016 By Sara M. 3 Comments

pinterest-yogaAccording to Merriam-Webster, the simple definition of Sanity is:

: the condition of having a healthy mind

: the condition of being based on reason or good judgment

Since our mission is Sanity, our first step on the journey is to define what it means to us. Everyone will have a slightly different definition based on their own needs and experiences. For example, what makes one person feel calm might make another person feel anxious.

Here is what Sanity looks like to me:

Calm and peaceful

Calmness and quiet moments are nourishing for me. My favorite activities are often solo, with minimal distractions. I love to find a quiet corner to read or write. I look forward to driving alone in the car, with the radio off, to have uninterrupted time to think. With the chaos of having young kids and a busy household, it is critical for me to have alone time, quiet time, and down time. It is this time that allows me to recharge and better navigate the more stressful demands of parenting and life.

Smooth and systematic

Functional plans and systems keep me sane. Doesn’t it feel great when things go according to plan? Those are the days when I feel like the stars just line up. When the kids take a nap at the same time and I am able to get work done without anyone hanging on me or interrupting me every 3 minutes. Regular and recurring tasks must be automated wherever possible to ease the workload.

Close and connected

Strong relationships are incredibly important to me. My husband is my best friend, and I don’t feel right when we are at odds. I am working on developing friendships with people who also have young kids because I need that camaraderie. I also keep up with my own family regularly, they provide an additional layer of emotional support.

680x450-reading2Balanced

This one is a hard one. Finding and maintaining the right balance. Many of our obligations cannot be changed, so it is hard to make time for everything that needs to be done. I must balance between my family’s needs and my own. I must balance between work for others and time spent on my own creative ventures. I must balance work and play.

Having high level goals helps prioritize time allocated to each area of my life.

Grounded

I feel my best when I am present. I often have to remind myself where my feet are, to feel the ground beneath them. Putting my life and my responsibilities into a greater perspective keeps my thoughts sensible and rational.

It will be important to define what Sanity looks like for you as we go through the process of building a Sanity Plan. Take time to reflect on when you feel your best. Consider the times in your life when your mind is most clear. Describe the activities that make you feel the most refreshed, recharged, and ready to fight your daily battles.

This visualization will become the guiding compass for the goals we set in our Sanity Plan.

Remember, Sanity is defined as a condition, a state of being. Not a few fleeting moments here and there.

Join this series to learn how to build your Sanity Plan:

680x450-peacefulwoman

Filed Under: Wellbeing Tagged With: dreams, sanity, sanity plan

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Welcome to THE SANITY PLAN! Here you will find my attempts to restore order in my crazy life post kids. I'm just getting started & I have a lot to say. So far I've written a lot about my perspectives on parenting (sorry, it's where I am at), but I'd love it if you followed my journey to improve my habits, get more organized, redefine my career, and generally live a good life. Or, you can follow just for the entertainment, I promise there will be lots of that. Do you want to learn more about building A Sanity Plan?

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