Wow, I tell you, what a week it’s been. Not multitasking is proving to be far more challenging than I ever imagined. It’s so deeply ingrained in me, more than I ever realised. I think for many women, it’s almost instinctive, built into us by our mothers, grandmothers, and every woman we have grown up around. We watch it all happen, absorb it, and often replicate it without even noticing. This week, I really saw it in action, not just in myself, but in those around me. From conversations, to watching TV while doing something else, to talking on my Bluetooth while driving, to speaking on the phone while cooking… OMG, I did it all this week.
Every time I caught myself multitasking, I paused and really noticed what I was doing. I thought I had slowed down and simplified things this year, but this week, WOW I had a moment of realisation. Every day, I caught myself doing one thing while attempting another. I couldn’t focus the way I thought I could, and I got distracted far more than I realised. This week was a huge eye-opener. Can this actually be unlearned? I really want to master this because I know focus and productivity can improve dramatically by doing so, but I am still figuring out exactly how to do it.
This brings me to the heart of this week: planning. Perhaps the key to unlearning my multitasking habits is in planning better. Planning out my days, weeks, months, and even the year. I have been reading Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell, and the process of planning the year and breaking it down into manageable chunks, I haven’t done that since selling my cafe. Yet, through everything I have changed this year, I discovered a genuine love for structure. My morning and evening routines are now automatic, flowing, and productive, they set me up for the day and close my day with intention.
I am entering a new phase in my life, with a lot unfolding, and this book has got me thinking: I really should embrace planning. Is this the missing piece I’ve been looking for this year? In the past nine months, I have transformed in ways I never imagined. Even I can barely believe the changes I have experienced and the growth I have achieved, simply by shifting habits. Learning about the power of habits has been extraordinary. Once habits become automatic, you grow stronger, more capable, and more intentional in every area of your life.
Multitasking is a habit too, and breaking it takes awareness. It starts with observing what we do unconsciously, how we act, speak, think, and react each day. That observation has completely shifted the way I show up and the way I operate. I truly believe that how you do one thing, you do everything; it all comes down to the micro-tasks, the little words and actions that shape our lives.
Now feels like the perfect time to take this step. With my birthday coming up next month and a coaching program I am launching, I will finally commit to sharing my gifts with the world. I know what it takes to run a successful business, and stepping into the coaching space will demand planning and damn good time management.
Creating a yearly, quarterly, monthly, weekly, and daily plan is a big task, especially for someone like me who hasn’t really planned this year at all. I have loved the freedom of exploring, experimenting, and shaping habits that work while getting rid of the ones that don’t work. I have spent my time observing, reflecting, and consciously removing the unnecessary, only keeping what serves me. I have always valued freedom, but this year, I have fallen in love with structure, organisation, and flow. Perhaps this planning process is the missing piece I need to truly elevate to the next level.
With the knowledge I now have, I am ready to build out my year and break it down into macro and micro goals and tasks. I couldn’t have done this earlier, as I didn’t want to overload myself, I have been strategic in layering habits gradually, committing to small changes at a time. This planning step has always been on my radar, and now I feel ready. Maybe this is the piece I’ve been waiting for all along.
So here’s to embracing the process, having fun with it, and seeing where a little structure, intention, and planning can take me. I’m actually really excited to start building my plan. This could be a lot of fun.
