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Tuesday, March 3, 2015

How I manage my crazy hectic beautiful life and TIPS FOR SUCCESS!

"How do you do it all" 
I get this all the time.  
School, work, cooking, blogging, running, friends, travel.. 
how do you fit it all in your schedule?

Well my friends. It isn't a secret.  We all have the same 24 hours a day.  Unforunately I was just blessed(often cursed) with the inability to relax.  I am an impatient go getter do everything and do it all right now.  It is my personality more than anything.  Okay so that wasn't really helpful advice was it...  

Let me walk you through a day in the life of Katie Arruda-
  Lets use Thursday as an example. 

Thursday:
5:45-  Alarm goes off.  Hit snooze until 6:00.   
6:00-  Out of bed, throw on my running clothes, grab the dog and coffee and meet the girls for our run
6:15:    Out the door driving to our running meetup spot
6:30:   Off we go- 4 mile run
7:20:    I am back in the car and heading home
7:35:    Quick shower, make breakfast, clean up kitchen
8:00:    Sit down behind my desk and spend 30 minutes on the blog 
8:30:    Leave to grab the train for class at 9:10
9:10:    Class until 10:30
10:45:   Meeting with a professor for some advice on an upcoming presentation
11:30:   Catch the train home, grab the car and head out to a lunch meeting 
12:00:  Meet my co-captains for lunch to plan our first session for Girls On The Run
1:30:    Home-  Walk dog again
2:00:   Put in a 3 hours of work for the consulting firm
5:00:   Start getting ready for night class- pack my bagpack, water, and a snack
5:30:    Leave to catch the train to campus
6:00:    Class until 9
9:00:   Bike home or grab the 9:05 train
9:30:   Quick dinner
10:00:  BED! 

I am exhausted just typing that!  Not every day is like this obviously.  Some days I have a ton of homework I need to do, or I need to babysit for 7 hours.  Some days I can find a few hours to drive south to go ride, but sadly this is usually the first thing I have to give up on busy days. 



RUNNING A RAGNAR's 
FIVE Tips For Busy Bodies: 
1. PREP!  I start the night before.  I lay out my running clothes, the dogs leash and harness, put socks and my sneakers by the door, and put fresh grinds in the coffee maker so its just a push of the button while I throw on my running clothes.  


2. SLEEP!  I go to bed early the night before.  I am often in bed by 10:00 and asleep by 10:15-10:30 (sometimes sooner sometimes later!).

3.  WAKE UP EARLY!  I hate to say it but this is the most important for me.  Before 9 I have run 4 miles while simultaneously tiring out the dog, showered, had breakfast, cleaned up the apartment quick, blogged, packed for school, and on the train and on campus-  This is all before most people have gotten to work.  I hate to say it but the key is to wake up early and conquer the world, and you can only do that if you go to bed early. By waking up and working out you take care of your body, set a positive mood for the day, and don't have to spend the entire day dreading a workout after a draining day in the office-  I have dinner on the mind after 5, not running.  

4.  ROUTINE!  I get in a routine that helps-  prep night before, run tuesday thursday mornings, tabatta monday wednesday, trails friday.  This routine and structure is what I crave and its easy to go through the motions even with a busy schedule.  

5.  LISTS!  I think making lists and keeping my wall calendar updated is the only way I manage to show up at the right places at the right times.  My magnetic notepad on the fridge saves my life for making sure I don't go to the grocery store 10x in week and my wall calendar lets me not "over book" myself.  Ill write out my busy days schedule in list form and make TO DO lists for the day or for the week.  

Aristotle-Inspirational-Picture-Quote



And now for someone elses opinion: Full article here 

20 Habits That Will Make You A Success

1. Don’t define success with a dollar amount, but in relation to your happiness.

The habit of defining success with a dollar amount will lead you to constantly chasing a higher price point. It’s a chase that will never end, and a view of success that will never be attained. Get in the habit of seeing your success and your happiness in the same light.

2. Read before you write or work.

Reading a good book will get the creative juices flowing, the brain learning, and your knowledge base growing. Try reading for 30 minutes to start your day. 

3. Wake up at the same time everyday.

Having a good sleep routine will help you have more energy to do more work during the day.

4. Always finish your to do list.

Get in the habit of never leaving anything that you wanted to finish at the beginning of the day, incomplete at the end. If you simply do what you set out to do, it will be hard for success to elude you. 

5. Keep your to do list small and scaled.

Have 1 or 2 things that are important to finish, and make sure you finish them first. The rest of your tasks should be tended to only after your most important ones have been completed. 

6. Keep two journals; one for your planning, scheduling, and work.

The other for your big ideas, thoughts, and goals. Writing stuff down makes it real and tangible. A to do list, a goal, or a dream, that isn’t written down isn’t yet real.

7. Measure everything.

Every goal you set needs to be measured. Every sales page you create, needs to be measured. If you measure everything you’ll have a blueprint for exactly what does work, and what doesn’t.

8. Stick to 90-minute work sessions.

Few people actually work as much as they say they work. Their time is usually made up of distractions. They Facebook, Tweet, and surf the interwebz. Time your work sessions. Keep a stopwatch. Focus for 90-minutes, take an active break, then get back to the beautiful grind.

9. Take active breaks.

A work break should enhance your working experience. It can’t – at all costs – take away from it. So do something active that will get your blood pumping and your mind working as effectively as it was when you first started working in the wee hours of the morning.

10. Wake up early.

The list of successful people who wake up before the rest of the world is far too long to list. This isn’t a coincidence. Get up before 6 am, 7 days a week and get a head start on your day and your dream.

11. Put your family first.

Success can’t exist without family – even if that “family” is simply loved ones and friends. You need to be working for a greater purpose than your own monitory gain if you’re going to accomplish true success.

12. Work harder than your competition.

If you work harder than everyone else, success can’t hide from you. You will find it. And you will enjoy it.

13. Use a board.

Use a big white board to keep your goals visible and close.

14. Share your dream.

Get in the habit of talking to others who have a similar dream, even if the similarity is the enormity of your goals, and the audaciousness of your plans. Napoleon Hill coined this relationship “a mastermind”, and it’s one of the most important factors in your eventual success.

15. Only surround yourself with successful people.

That is, don’t have “suckers” in your midst – people who will tear you away from your work, and destroy your dream. If you have friends that do this, stop hanging out with them. Are they worth you living a mediocre life when greatness can be in your future?

16. Keep a healthy body.

Without a healthy body it becomes evermore difficult to maintain a healthy mind.

17. Spend your money only on things that will propel your dream.

Cars, “things”, are only good for boosting your image in an effort to impress people who you really don’t want to impress. Spend money, instead, on your own development and your business to fuel your growth.

18. Make a sacrifice.

Get in the habit of sacrificing things that you may like in your life, for things that will help you become a success. The road to greatness isn’t one of excess spending and easy living. Hustle. Focus. Sacrifice. Succeed.

19. Review your journals every month.

A journal can bring you clarity when you write in it, but it’s far more powerful when you get in the habit of reviewing it.

20. Write down 3 things you’re thankful for every day.

What you’ll find is that success is often in your midst if you look at it from the right perspective. And study after study has shown that happy people achieve far greater things than pessimistic, unhappy individuals. This habit, combined with hard work, is as simple a recipe for success as you can create. It’s also an effective one.
I really loved these tips and I am going to adopt some of these as well.  
Especially this last one. 

2 comments :

  1. I love this! I think I might print it out and frame it in my office! Thanks for posting it here. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is a great idea I should do that too! I love those 20 habits especially the last one about writing down three things you are thankful for each day- simple and powerful!

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