My son was complaining, he didn’t want to take a shower, didn’t want to tidy his room, didn’t want to get his school bag ready for the next day. All he wants to do in the evening, when the house is finally quiet and settled, is to read his book.
But then it gets really late, he’s too tired to do it all and he gets really grumpy.
Then we argue and he ends up going to sleep too late, exhausted the next day.
We’ve been trying to find a solution. I said to him, imagine what it’s like. You do everything you need to do and then showered, in your pajamas, you crawl under the covers with your book. How does that feel? He smiled. It’s delicious, I said, Right?
And the deal was done.
I began to think about that delicious moment. When you just surrender to the warm covers with a good book and melt into the story. I truly love that moment.
And I realize it’s been a while.
I’ve been busy, working until late, checking email, final arrangements and plans for the next day. Then laundry. Quick tidy up. Check the kids. And fall into bed exhausted, barely feeling my head hit the pillow and I’m gone.
What about my precious moment. Missed it, I’m fast asleep.
So as the year draws to an end, I’m promising myself more of these precious moments.
How? Well, here are my 7 biggest commitments and strategies:
- Plan my schedule with PM’s (precious moments) worked in.
- Be less reactive to other people’s plans
- Create healthy boundaries for the end of the day (I do it for my mornings why not for the night too!)
- Develop a rich list of pm’s (not just the book in bed type, but the coffee with a friend type or the phone call to my sister type!)
- Share the plan with a partner/friend – telling it makes it more real
- Journal or blog the positive affects of PM’s – seeing the benefits (especially written down) will make it easier to sustain the practice
- Breathe deep and enjoy
So what are you going to do THIS WEEK for your PM?
