Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)
Often I am asked by others how I balance the many aspects of my busy life. My answer is that I just “get er done”. In fact “get er done” is a mantra I use regularly to motivate me to knock things off my list.
For example, if I am driving and realize I will arrive at my destination 20 minutes early, often something (or several things) will pop into my head about how I should spend that extra time (stop into the bank, drop by the post office, grab that birthday present, stop at the store for some fresh veggies, etc.). Then, my head starts negotiating with itself (“no, just keep driving and you can check email for 20 minutes in the parking lot”, or “I don’t feel like doing that right now”, or “I don’t need that present until next week anyway”). Really, we can talk ourselves out of anything (mostly healthy eating, getting out of bed earlier, and exercise), but success comes from being able to hear through the noise to make the best decision. Learn more about how to take advantage of that extra 20 minutes in our post Don’t Multi-Task, Multi-Purpose – It’s Better for You.
In my case, when my head is conflicted by the devil and angel arguing on my shoulders, I apply the mantra: “Julie, just get er done”. Every time I say this, it springs me into action.
I remember watching a YouTube video by Mel Robbins that clearly explained that thoughts are just thoughts and to turn them into action, we need to attach a physical component. We have five seconds to turn a thought into an action or it won’t happen. So, when hearing the alarm, we have five seconds to throw off the covers and put our feet on the ground, or the “thought” of getting up will turn into the action of not. Same with the thought of exercising: if, within five seconds of thinking “I should go for a good walk” you have not gotten up and moved towards putting your runners on, chances are another thought will tell you to stay put.
So, turn those thoughts into action. Use mantras and physical responses to your thoughts to just “get er done”.