How to set boundaries
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When we think about finding peace in our day-to-day lives, flexible time management and rolling with the changes that come our way may not be the first thing that comes to mind.
But for my friend Nealy Fischer, that flexibility is how she’s created a life she loves — one where she doesn’t dread going to work, feels inspired often, and has time to show up for her family.
And in today’s episode, we’re going to talk about how she got there.
But first, let me introduce you to Nealy!
Meet Nealy
Nealy Fischer is the author of the best-selling cookbook, Food You Want For the Life You Crave. She’s also known as The Flexible Chef, and she’s a mom of four who somehow manages to do all of this while traveling back and forth between the U.S., Hong Kong, and Israel, where she now lives.
Her brand, The Flexible Chef, is all about approaching life with a flexible mindset so you can live the fulfilling life you want.
Let’s take a look at how Nealy leans into “flexibility” and how it’s become her best tool for a life well-lived.
How the flexible time management approach changed Nealy’s life
If you looked at what she’s doing today, there’s no way you’d ever guess that Nealy was also once someone who struggled to meet deadlines and find time in her day for her family or even for herself.
During our chat, she shared that she’s definitely had struggles with time management. But by being flexible with changes, instead of fighting against them, she was calmer and had more clarity in her work and home life.
Flexible time management in travel
Nealy attributes much of that learning process to frequent traveling. When you’re thinking about what to pack for a family of 6, you have to be prepared! Between thinking about meals, clothes, and keeping the home managed while you’re away, there are a lot of moving parts that require your full attention.
And as we all know…things don’t always go as planned, especially when traveling. But along the way, Nealy learned to be prepared by being flexible, aka planning for the faux paus, because those can end up turning into some of your best stories.
Nealy’s secret to using flexible time management
Nealy says the secret to staying flexible isn’t necessarily having a nonchalant attitude — you don’t have to be chill 24/7. It’s about making space for mistakes to happen. And by doing this, you ultimately make more time for the things that matter most to you.
It’s hard to be creative and dream big whenever you are constantly in a time crunch or trying to cram things into your day that just don’t fit based on what is actually happening around you. But when you make wiggle room, you can actually have more time to pour into yourself and others.
So…how can you become more flexible?
Nealy says that, when things begin to feel like a chore for her, she tells herself to pause and evaluate what’s going on. By simply taking this moment to reflect, she often finds the root cause of her resistance or frustration is about something deeper, not just the task or activity itself.
This is because the why pushes the how. If there’s no passion or oomph behind it — if you don’t have a good “why” — then chances are you’re not going to care about the how for very long.
I just loved these insights into flexibility as a tool for time management and living a better life. I know we talk a lot about time management strategies, but being flexible and accepting what is are strategies, too!
If you want to learn more about Nealy and how she manages to stay flexible, check her out here!
In this episode, we talk about:
- Nealy’s story and when she learned a valuable lesson about “productivity”
- How flexibility can be your greatest time management asset
- How to plan for pivots in your day-to-day life
- Using all of this to live with purpose and passion
Resources Mentioned In This Episode
- Mind Management, Not Time Management: Productivity when Creativity Matters by Dave Kadavy
- Sunsama – The Daily Planner for Busy Professionals
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