I actually gasped as I received a work meeting invite yesterday for a Q1 business review scheduled just a few weeks from now. Although, I spend plenty of time with my calendar, it provided me with an alternative (and startling) perspective on the fact that we are already halfway through the third month of the year – which served as a powerful reminder that there truly is no time like the present. One thing I have started trying to do consistently over the past month is to observe what Gretchen Rubin calls the “One Minute Rule.” In her book, The Happiness Project, she talks about her commitment to automatically do anything which can be done within one minute without delay. That translates to hanging up a coat, throwing out the junk mail as soon as it arrives, putting away shoes, etc. right away without further consideration, deliberation, or (indefinite) postponement. She argues that it is something which can be easily implemented, but helps to manage and control all those little, nagging tasks which can build up otherwise. And in my experimentation throughout the past few weeks – it does help. It provides a little boost of energy, a sense of accomplishment and helps to keep things tidy and much less cluttered which was one of my big aims for the month of February as I focused my resolutions around clearing clutter and tackling nagging tasks. But in light of my realization that this year is already nearly 25% over, I started contemplating the significance of now in a broader sense.
I recently read a blog post on Carrie Dorr’s (creator and founder of Pure Barre) website entitled the myth of time. As Dr. Alexis Emich wrote “people often prolong living the life they want because they believe, often subconsciously, that there will always be more time. Paralyzed by this myth of time, we hold off pursuing something new, wait to have an important conversation, and delay our next adventure. Our life passes and we do not fully live.” It is as Rubin wrote in Happier at Home, “one lives in the naïve notion that later there will be more room than in the entire past… and now is now. [Often we experience] a skipping, a feeling of jumping from prologue to epilogue without ever feeling that [we’re] at the center of time.” Although we may know that time is precious, most of us have more potential than we’ll ever develop. And as we close off the first quarter of 2018, I am personally taking a step back to consider some of the important lessons I have leaned throughout the past year about the significance of now and assess how well I am applying it within my own life.
- Learn to savor: Learn to slow down and fully appreciate the moments, both past and future, but most especially now. As I wrote previously, savoring is defined as any thoughts or behaviors which are capable of generating, intensifying, and prolonging enjoyment. When we make a concerted effort to savor the now, we can deepen our appreciation for the good things in our lives – celebrating good news, admiring a job well done, soaking in nature or engaging with our senses. While reflection on the past and anticipation and planning for the future each have their place and can contribute positively to our subjective wellbeing – an ability to savor now is one that allows us to live more fully.
- Know Yourself Better: Since time will continue to pass regardless of how well we leverage it, I have found it invaluable to understand that what is fun for others, is not necessarily fun for me (and vice versa). One powerful book I read a few months ago was Laura Vanderkam’s 168 Hours, which helped me to understand that I can maximize the limited time that I have each week by knowing myself and my own values and priorities better and committing my available time in pursuit of those activities. Completing my own Time Use Study over five weeks was eye-opening and tremendously valuable. Along this same vein, another invaluable activity for me was Sonja Lyubomirsky’s Person-Activity Fit Diagnostic which allowed me to better pinpoint those pursuits which are likely to have the most impact on my own happiness and quality of life. This assessment takes into consideration what types of activities suit one best based upon what would feel natural given one’s strengths, weaknesses, and preferences, what would enjoyable or feel valuable versus that we would do out of guilt or situational pressures. By spending as much time now on the things that matter and less on those that don’t – life is so much better!
- Don’t get it perfect, get it going: I have a long history of perfectionism and my fear of failure or less than a “perfect” outcome has held me back from just getting started in the past. As I mentioned previously, many times we struggle with “tomorrow logic” – the perception that we will start or stop something tomorrow. The problem is that quite often tomorrow never comes. Rather than procrastinating or waiting for the stars to align, getting something started now is better than waiting indefinitely and squandering our most valuable of all resources – time. If you have lost sight of your resolutions or goals or theme for 2018, there is no time like now to get back on track or get started. Find ways to keep your commitments to yourself by scheduling the necessary time in your calendar, writing yourself a contract, finding an accountability partner, using an app or coach, or whatever it is that you need to do to stick to a habit which honors you and what you want to focus on.
In order to live our lives to the fullest, I believe we need to consider the significance of now and periodically take a step back to review and assess where we are relative to our priorities, goals and resolutions. Now, three months into 2018, might be a good time to schedule your own personal Q1 review to check in on what you have accomplished so far, where you may be off track, and what your next strategy or next steps are moving forward. I personally will be doing just that over this new paleo and Whole30 Fiesta Frittata! I have said many times in the past, one of the best ways I save time and make better use of my mornings is by prepping up a breakfast option or two over the weekend. Frittatas are so on-the-go friendly, taste good warm or cold and have endless different flavor possibilities – and this one is a winner!
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6
- Eggs 10 each
- Full Fat Coconut Milk .5 cup (120 ml)
- Franks Red Hot Sauce .5 cup (120 ml)
- Pico de Gallo - recipe here (half in the frittata, half leftover to use as topping)
- Baby Spinach - 2 cups (85 g)
- Avocado, Sliced as topping
- Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C and lightly grease a 9x9 baking pan with melted coconut oil.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, coconut milk, and hot sauce together until well combined.
- Add half of the pico de gallo and the spinach and then stir well.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan and place in the oven for approximately 30 minutes or until set.
- Remove from oven, allow to cool and then slice up and enjoy topping with remaining pico de gallo and sliced avocado. Salsa verde would also be a nice addition!
- This Whole30 Fiesta Frittata can be made in advance and kept refrigerated for up to a week. I usually cut mine into bars and take it on the go to eat warm or cold throughout the week.
One Comment
Pingback: