IPOH Chapter 4 - Needs

I have identified several needs that I must maintain or improve upon to stay happy. Family and friends are important to me but balancing two careers, school, family time, friends and personal time has seemed to overwhelm me of late. Work is a known quantity and one that will remain the same regardless of my desire to change it. Somehow I must plan time every week for all of the people in my life including me.

Like most of you, work consumes three quarters of my weekly time. This leaves a narrow window of a handful of evenings and a scattering of weekend days to plan time with family and friends. Once every third week I am off from Friday until Monday and this is my dedicated weekend with my children. Somehow I must have time for Abby and Noah, for my father and sister, my girlfriend and finally a me day all in the scant few moments I have. But I may have a plan:

1. In order to continue having fun and finding love with these people I must plan at least one get together per week with each of them. To do this I will:
a. Plan an evening with my children
b. Plan an evening with my Dad
c. Have dinner with my girlfriend
d. Spend a combined day together on the weekend.

2. In order to continue getting healthy I must find the time to work out at least on every duty day and at least two other days per week for a total of five workouts.
a. I must set aside time at the station that is mine, alarms not included.
b. I have to make time for at least an hour every day I am off for exercise.
c. Perhaps this can be incorporated with time with others.

3. In order to continue finding freedom I must set aside time for discovery and adventure. I love being outdoors and being with nature.
a. Once a week or every two weeks I need to plan an outdoor outing perhaps that incorporates family and exercise.
b. I need to inventory the state and local areas that are close by and gear up to get out and enjoy them
c. I need to find time every day to get outside and breath.

Lastly this all must be accomplished with what is to me a bad word…PLANNING.
I have been a free spirit winging day to day schedules and avoiding the uptight boundaries of a schedule, instead choosing to live each day as it comes. But as my recent weeks can attest this carefree lifestyle has done nothing but create angst in me as things back lashed on me in a hurry leaving little time for fun, power, love or freedom. My new goal is TIME management.