Do you feel like you are always on go? From the moment you wake up you know you’ve got to get your run in before all your other responsibilities of the day. Does it seems like the days become a blur of things that need to get done, work, errands and commitments? Do you feel guilty for wanting to take a break and sit out on the back porch with a glass of tea and flip leisurely through a magazine? Do you wish you could enjoy a board game with your children without thinking about all the stuff you really need to be doing instead?

Even worse do you feel guilty that you make time to get your running workouts in, but you can’t seem to get other important items on your “to-do list” or your “I wish I had time for that list” done! I know the feeling. It can be overwhelming and stressful. You wish for more time but truthfully you would probably fill it with more things that needed to get done, right?

Well adding more time is not realistic and honestly this kind of frenzied stress is not good for you mentally or physically. It’s not good for your running either. When you are always on go and feeling overwhelmed by what you need to do, your body can’t relax and recover like it should. Feeling guilty only adds to your stress.

But how can you be more productive,

less overwhelmed and actually enjoy the process?

The answer doesn’t come from a “master to-do list” and a regimented schedule. These external tools may help, but the actual solution comes from within. You choose how you will feel, how you will react to unplanned situations, and how you will design each and everyday of your life. If you dream of having more peace and serenity in your life then you must choose to feel those feelings now rather than later.

The truth is if you don’t start learning to feel those feelings in your life now, then your someday wish will never manifest itself. Think of it like training for a marathon. You don’t sign up for the race and then just show up and expect to be able to run 26 miles. No, instead you start practicing months advance, gradually increasing your long runs and experiencing what they feel like so that your body will be prepared to go the distance.

The key is to get a clear picture on how

you want your life to look and feel.

Just like in running, you have to know what the goal is before you take action. If your goal is to run a 5K PR then you wouldn’t follow a marathon training program, right? So you have to take time and figure out exactly what you want. Clarity on your feelings and goals will lead to increase productivity because you will learn to eliminate tasks that do not serve you.

To get started is simple. Grab a journal and a pen, find a quite spot and spend the next 30 minutes writing down how you want your life to look and feel. Use details to paint a picture so that you can really imagine what life will be like. Don’t focus so much on material things but rather feelings that are more desirable than stress and overwhelm.

Now that you know what you want let’s break it down. Describe how you would like a typical day to look and feel 6 weeks from now. Visualize yourself being productive and enjoying the feelings you described above. Pick an actual day on the calendar and factor in what might be going on in your life. When I did this exercise, 6 weeks later was the day after my birthday. I was surprised by how much what I had written, that was yet to be true, had actually manifested itself.

From here you can either describe a typical day 6 months from now or one year from now. Every 6 weeks write a description of what a day 6 weeks out would look like and make an appointment with yourself to read over it 6 weeks in the future and write a description of another typical day 6 weeks down the road.  It’s important to do this exercise regularly if you really want to change how you feel and increase productivity.

Now that you have clarity on how you want your life to look and feel, start making small changes towards those goals. Maybe it’s spending a few hours over the weekend prepping for the week’s meals. Perhaps it’s getting up 15 minutes earlier so you have time to read your Bible and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee before going on your run. Maybe it’s planning what you will wear to work and packing your lunch the night before. Maybe it’s a simple as choosing not to worry about anything else when you play that board game with your child and just savor the moment!

Increasing productivity and decreasing stress is a choice that begins with you. Following this tip to journal about your desired feelings will help you get clear on what you want and make choices that  support your intentions which will bring your desired results.