Quadrant!?!
Don’t let the word “quadrant” scare you away. There will be no math test here.
Now that we are in the second half of the year, I do want to ask you one question. How is 2016 is turning out for you so far?
Last year, one of my close friends did this exercise with me. Now I will share this simple, yet effective, way to organize your most precious commodity: time.
Spiritual
People have all types of spiritual and religious practices. Some may have neither, but you should recognize that you have a spirit that needs nurturing.
That can take the form of walking on the beach at dawn, or regularly assembling with people with similar beliefs. Whatever you do, find ways to take some time to refresh your spirit.
I was driving to an appointment today, and randomly landed on a station where a man named Dr. Mike Dow was speaking. Apparently, he’s a big deal, but I never heard of him before. But he said something that stayed with me.
Dr. Mike said that even in a situation when you have a relative in the hospital, self-care is important. If your loved one is stable, take 10 minutes to meditate, take a walk, or do something for your emotional well-being.
Personal
Our physical bodies are amazing works of art, and they epitomize nature’s brilliance.
In the younger years, we can get away with eating and drinking all sorts of terrible things. We take our bodies’ resilience for granted, but that has its limits.
Many people struggle in this area; I suggest taking the long-view, rather than short-term goals, which tend to overwhelm instead of help.
Work/Business
As a matter of course, the time we spend working, for ourselves or for others, is pretty much set.
For some, the grueling hours they work is a badge of honor. They look down on others who do not apparently work up to their full potential.
Others, who are underemployed, or who earn little, may find themselves either putting up with their lot in life, or working 1 or more supplemental jobs.
No matter your station in life, it is important to keep your eyes open to opportunities to do better, while retaining or improving your quality of life.
Should that opportunity already exist in your life, find ways to improve even further.
Social
What will have been the point of accumulating money, and achieving other goals, if you have no one with whom to be happy? Who do you love outside of yourself?
Family life is important, and you need to carve time out for it. If you have children, or other demands on your time, you may easily dismiss the need to associate much with other people.
We live in a society where more and more people are living alone. We are further isolated by social media, which can give us a false sense of being connected.
The way to solve this is to intentionally schedule time with others, however limited that time may be.
Your Quadrant Homework
I challenge you now to do this exercise. If you have done it before, perhaps it is time to review the first 6 months of the year, and see where you need to rebalance for the rest of the year.
If this is a new practice for you, look at your schedule. Does it reflect these 4 areas of your life? If not, how can you begin to make room for them that each and every week of your life, all 4 areas of this quadrant will be represented?
Make sure you “turn in” your homework: comment here, or let me know which of these 4 areas of the quadrant you will be focusing on more, from now on.