Have you ever thought to yourself, “what am I doing with my life?” Or maybe it was something more like, “is this where I’m supposed to be right now?” You might also say, “I was meant for more than this.” If you’re saying anything similar to this, let’s talk about how to get where you feel your life is on track.
It’s not always easy to recognize when you’re life isn’t on track with where you want to be. Oftentimes, we can get lost in the day-to-day monotony of life and our responsibilities which ends up with us pushing those thoughts and feelings aside.
Then you wake up one day and ask yourself a simple question. Once you ask that first question it just resides in your head and other questions start to join it.
It’s time to answer those questions by taking back control of your life.
First – Quiet Time
The first thing you should do is find a quiet, relaxing space where you can spend some quality alone time to answer your own questions. You may want to jot down notes in a journal or just think it through.
Consider what you want to change, what you’d like to accomplish, and when and where you feel your happiest, and least happy.
Maybe you sit with your eyes closed and listen to your mind as it cycles through questions and answers. If your mind is too overwhelmed and it’s hard to focus on just one thought at a time, it may be that you will benefit from guided meditations.
Following a guided meditation will help you quiet your mind and focus on one thing at a time. You can search for free guided meditations online or you can use an app like Unplug, Aura, or Headspace, to name a few.
Personally, I have a subscription to Unplug and love their guided meditations.
Routines
I’m a big believer in having routines. They help us stay on track and make sure that we prioritize ourselves, especially to make time for things that we love. Consider starting with a morning routine to start your day just right.
Start your day with a routine that gives you time to focus on yourself in the morning instead of rushing from the moment you get out of bed until you leave the house for work. This way you will start your day calmly, focusing on your mental well-being and hopefully adding something you enjoy doing into the routine.
With a morning routine comes an evening routine. The purpose of the evening routine is to make sure you’re set up for a successful morning routine. It’s also a great way to end your day. You can even help your children implement morning and evening routines so you can focus on yours.
Check out these articles for more on how to implement routines:
A Tried and True Sample Morning Routine to Kick Start Your Day
How to Create Your Perfect Morning Routine
How to Create an Easy-to-Follow Morning Routine for Students
How to Create a Simple Evening Routine and Why You Need One
To-Do Lists
Creating a to-do list will most likely fall into one of your routines. I write my to-do list at night for the next day. That way I’m not thinking about it all night and I don’t have to focus on it in the morning.
When you have a to-do list you are prioritizing what you need to accomplish in the day and taking control of your life. You will be less likely to let things fall by the wayside and will be more encouraged to keep going with your list once you start checking things off of it.
When I first started keeping a to-do list I always added a few things to it that I knew would be easy for me to get done and check off. Somehow, even though I knew I was doing it, it helped me pick up momentum to continue with my list.
The more organized you are the more you’ll feel in control of your life.
Declutter to Keep Your Life on Track
The less you have surrounding you and your environment, the less you have to focus on. Personally, I find it to be the less I have to keep organized and clean.
When you can eliminate some of the excesses that surround you, then you’re able to focus on the important things. Every so often I do a big sweep of my house to declutter. Whether it’s my kitchen cabinets or my closet, I go through and eliminate what I haven’t used recently.
This always makes me feel like I have more control of my environment and that I’m on track with what’s important to me.
More on decluttering here: The Simple Art of Decluttering and Why It’s So Beneficial
Journaling & Visualization
Finally, I would suggest spending some time journaling and focusing on visualization.
There are so many journaling techniques. I think starting with free writing is a good idea. This way you can just get down on paper your stream of consciousness. When you do this you get the jumble out of your head and on paper.
Just this process alone helps you clear your mind. It releases a weight you may not even realize that you’re carrying.
Then I think spending some time with visualization would be beneficial. This is when you visualize your future. You imagine yourself where you want to be. Consider all senses when you do this practice. Think of where you’ll be, see yourself there, think of what it smells like and feels like.
If you enjoy this practice then consider starting a future-self journal. This is a journal where you write out your future goals. Maybe start with writing a letter to your future self.
Here are a few articles you can check out to get started:
The Transition That Happened In My Life When I Started Journaling
What Is A Future Self Journal and Why You Should Keep One
Future Self Journal Prompts – Visualize Your Best Future Today
Visualization: How to See Your Hopes & Dreams to Fruition
Why the Above Will Help You Feel Like Your Life Is on Track
The above steps will help you organize your environment and your mind. Once you have control over what you surround yourself with and some routines in place you may then be in a calmer space to feel like you know and understand yourself.
When you reach that place you can then focus on your future self, set goals, and work towards where you want to be.
