Author: caseylmatzke

Closing Chapters and Opening New Doors

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Have you ever had to close a door on a chapter in your life and you weren’t 100% sure you were ready? You knew it was time and you knew you had to, but there was that nagging feeling in the back of your mind.

Yesterday, I closed a door on one of the longest chapters of my life. For the past 16 years, I have worked at least two jobs pretty much the entire time. There were a few gaps in there where I have tried other things, like selling Younique makeup and working booths for The Rustic Pony.

For the past year, even with a full time job, I was still working a part-time job. That part time job meant putting in 25 – 30 hours a week. I could get into how hard it is in this society to live on a single income, raise a child, and put yourself through school, but I am not. I know that I haven’t made the best financial decisions along the way either.

But what I am going to tell you is how scary it is to end something you are so familiar with. Even when you know you don’t need that thing anymore, even when doing that thing drives you absolutely crazy at times, even when you know that thing is taking time away from the things that really bring you joy in your life. It is still scary. It is scary leaving something guaranteed. It is scary walking into the unknown. But it is also very brave.

The past eight months, I have had some many amazing doors open for me. It took God/The Universe opening several doors for me to see the bigger picture. It took getting uncomfortable and not being afraid to take a chance. Now, I already had some rock solid people in my life, that have changed the directory of my life all together. But the past eight months, I have had some of the most amazing people join my circle. People who believe in me, congratulate me, remind me how much of a rockstar I am, and push me daily on getting out of my comfort zone. Those are the people that are going to make this transition so much easier.

I knew 2023 was going to be amazing and let me tell you, it is far better than anything I have imagined so far. Keep having faith, keep chasing your dreams, you never know where your path might lead.

So here is to the unknown, here is to the future, here is to the next big step. I can’t wait to see what is in store for me.

Share some love, we could all use a little more love
XOXOXO
Casey

How Do You Handle Time Management?

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I recently got asked about my time management. How did I manage to juggle multiple projects and things going on at one time?

Well, first I had to laugh a little. Then, I had to pat myself on the back for keeping things running even when the ship is barely afloat. We all run through seasons of being busy. I am currently in one of those seasons but I am so grateful that this season is filled with being busy with things I really enjoy and am passionate about.

Everyone handles busyness differently, but here are a few of my tips and tricks.

First and foremost, every week that I make out my calendar, I have to see some yellow blocked out. With my calendar being color coded, yellow is my color for self-care or activities that make me happy. Every week there has to be some kind of yellow on my weekly schedule. This can be as simple as taking a walk outside, buying a new book, getting a massage, anything that brings you some kind of happiness outside of work. This is important because if you are all work and no play, you will get burned out and fast.

I hand write my to do list. I have a running list of every single thing that I need to get done for work. This list is prioritized with what needs to be completed first. Once that item is completed, it gets marked off the list. There are many days when new items come in, and I will add them to the bottom of the list. Depending on what is added, I will re-write my to do list at the end of the day, making sure I know exactly what needs to be completed first. If I do not have a lot of new tasks that come in, then I will update my to-do list weekly.

When it comes to working, I work a couple different ways, depending on the flow of things.

I will sit down and focus solely on one task at hand for an hour. After the hour is up, I get up, walk around, stretch my legs and take a few minutes before I jump into the next task. This helps give my eyes a break from the computer.

If that task is not complete but does not need to be finalized that day, I move on to the next task and work on that for the next hour, just repeating the process all day.

There are two ways this changes up. If I have a task that has to be completed today, no if, ands or buts about it, then I still step away for those few minutes but then go right back to working on that task without jumping to another one.

Sometimes I get in a groove, if my creative juices are flowing and I am in the zone, then I will switch to batch working. I will basically spend a whole morning or afternoon, working on particular topics. For example, if I am in a writing mood, then I will go ahead and knock out as many blogs as I can. Sometimes when you are in the zone, it is better to stay locked in and knock out all the things you can.

Everyone works differently and if you feel like your ship is sinking, you are not alone. Don’t be afraid to try out some different working techniques, to see if it helps get things accomplished or with fatigue.

If you have tried all the options and nothing seems to be working, don’t be afraid to say “No” or ask for help. Say no, to any extra projects or things outside of your job duties that are asked of you until you have caught up. If you can, delegate some of your work out or ask for help from a colleague. If you work alone, take a step back and analyze everything you are doing, make sure the things you are working on are getting you to the overall goal.

Remember work is important, but so is your mental health!
Don’t be afraid to step away and take a break!

Share some love, we could all use a little more love
XOXOXO
Casey

One way to Combat Being Overwhelmed

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That feeling of being over whelmed, I know we have all felt it. You know the feeling you get when you cross something off your to-do list, only to have two more things added to it? The feeling of everything needing your time and attention all at once? The not knowing how you are going to get everything done feeling.

This has been my life the past few days. I have tried all the tricks that I know. Taking a moment to step away from the madness. Taking 15 minutes to read something I enjoy. Taking a really long and extra hot shower. These things have helped, but there was still the feeling of rush rush rush to get it all done.

I have this book that was given to me a few years ago, it sits on my night stand and every morning I try to read one passage out of it. “You Are a Badass Every Day. ” – Jen Sincero

The passage I read today

“NOW = Never Over Whelmed”

“Overwhelm cannot touch you when you’re all wrapped up in the here and now. Overwhelm is a mindset; it’s the choice to focus on everything all at once and stress yourself out. Instead, choose to take your life moment by moment and savor it.”

So instead of thinking about my mountain list of things I need to do, I have to switch my mindset up and be in the here and now and focus on one thing at a time. I need to be grateful for the social media posts I get to create and schedule, and finding joy in educating people with my posts. Be grateful for the tasks needed for the organizations I am involved in. Find joy in every single thing my hands are involved in.

Yes, I will always have my to do list, but instead of looking at the long list, I am taking the first thing on the list and putting all of my heart and soul into it. Imagine the creations you can come up with when you are less stressed about the 9 million other things that need to be done. When you are focusing on the one task you are working one, the creative aspect of your work has a chance to soar.

God/Universe works in powerful ways, I needed that passage today, and I hope it helps you as much as it helped me.

As always share some love, we could all use a little more love
XOXOXOXO
Casey