Defining Your Ideal Day {Priorities Series Part 1}

If you could do anything your heart desires, what would that be?

Would you travel, pursue that business you always wanted to start, volunteer, or just relax?

I think you would agree that our lives are so hectic, busy, and hurried that sometimes it’s difficult to imagine that we could actually live out our heart’s desires. After all, who has time to pursue their dreams when they have a job that keeps them busy and stressed, a home to keep up, and possibly even a family to care for. 

Life can be overwhelming for sure!

I feel like God has created us for more than living a stressful life. In fact, in John 10:10, Jesus shares why He came to this world. He says:

A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.

Jesus came to Earth and died on the cross so that we may have not only eternal life with Him in heaven but to have an abundant life here on Earth.

Now, a little disclaimer here…I do not believe Jesus is saying He came to give us a life with a lot of money, fancy cars, magazine-worthy homes, or anything material or worldly. However, I can say with certainty, He also does not intend for us to live lives that are so busy and stressful that we miss out on the abundance He has for us through serving God, loving our neighbor, and sharing the Gospel with the world.

This month on the blog we are talking about priorities. If you missed last week’s post about why you don’t get things done, you can check it out here. Basically the message I shared was when we don’t know and understand our priorities, then it’s all too easy to get sidetracked by other things. This causes us to do more than we should which results in us not getting the important things done.

This blog post and the posts for the next two weeks will focus on how to define your priorities. I’ve created a workbook for you to use over the coming weeks as we walk through the steps for defining your priorities. You can get your own copy by filling out the form at the end of this post. Print out your copy, read each post, and then begin doing the work to define your own priorities.

Let’s start by talking about your ideal day.

When I say “ideal day” I’m not talking about spending the day wandering through shops, museums, and art galleries in Paris. While that would be nice, that’s not what I’m talking about. 

The activities and tasks that fulfill you make up your ideal day. At the end of an ideal day, you should feel energized and accomplished. During your ideal day, you are doing things that matter to you and those around you.

Let me share the example of my own ideal day. Hopefully, it will inspire thoughts about your ideal day.

My Ideal Day

I rise at 6 am feeling rested, energized, and excited about the day ahead. Grabbing my coffee, I head upstairs to my office to journal and spend time with God. Feeling refreshed and clear about my priorities for the day, I do some activity that helps me to move my body.

I prepare and eat my breakfast once I’m done moving my body. After I shower and get ready for the day, I go back upstairs to my office to begin work. The goal is to be in my chair by 9 am ready to work.

During my work time, I create engaging and inspiring content to help women manage their time better and to give them resources to grow in their relationship with Christ. I also work with a team to come up with and produce physical products that will help women.

My lunchtime break consists of eating with a friend or spending some time to care for my home. After lunch, I’m back to work completing tasks that will help me achieve the goals I have for The Planning Woman brand.

I wind down my work between 3 and 4 pm so that I can run errands or complete other tasks around my home. Dinner prep begins around 5:30 and we eat it at 6:30. After dinner, I spend time talking with my husband, crafting, or doing other activities I find relaxing. At 9 pm I begin my evening routine so I can have the lights out by 10.

That is just a very general narrative of my day. However, I think you can see some of the things I consider to be priorities in my life. And that is the whole point of visualizing your ideal day. 

When you write down the kinds of tasks you want to get done on most days, the people you envision spending time with, and the way you feel about your day in general, then you begin to get a sense of what is most important to you.

Isn’t that what priorities are? Things that are most important to us.

Now it’s your turn!

Fill out the form below to get your copy of the downloadable workbook, “Define Your Priorities.” Step one in the workbook is to describe your ideal day. You can use my example and write it out as a narrative. Or you could just list out the activities, tasks, and people that would be a part of your ideal day. 

Be sure to come back next week for part two of this series. We will be talking about our responsibilities and commitments.