In our continued talk about work/life balance, I think it’s important that we at least brush on the subject of non-negotiables in life.
What is a non-negotiable?
A non-negotiable is something that you do every single day, the things that make your heart sing, make your day worth waking up for. They’re the things that don’t bump for other things.
It’s something you are totally committed to, and it goes in your planner before anything else.
These things become the fabric of who we are and span several categories, and you’ll find by working through your non-negotiables list that you have one for nearly all the categories and some custom categories that apply only to your life.
For a runner, this could be that they run every day, without question, they find time to do it. For a crafter, like myself, I always find time to be in the studio, even if only briefly, to unleash my creativity – and if there’s a day that I can’t (it’s rare) I feel it in my soul.
Today I’m sharing the Non-negotiables Life Worksheet to help you work through your own daily life musts. I challenge you to list your non-negotiables in every category.
Family
Examples of Family Non-negotiables
- Dinner together as a family
- Phone calls and other forms of contact (see Free Relationship Tracker Printable)
- Attendance at events (school and otherwise)
- Birthday Celebrations
Relationships
Examples of Relationship Non-negotiables (this is outside of the things that you will or will not accept in a relationship with significant others and friends
- Date night
- Cooking together
- Coffee/events with friends
Health
Examples of Health Non-negotiables
- Eat Healthy Organic Foods (See Free Health Tracker Printable)
- Sleep 8 hours per night
- Physical Fitness (broad or specific: Running, Yoga, etc)
- Massage
Self and Spirit
Examples of Self and Spirit Non-negotiables
- Church or other religious event attendance
- Bible reading
- Meditation
- Reading books
- Earthing
Career
Examples of Career Non-negotiables
- Specific start and stop times to maintain balance
- Reading and further education
- Priorities
Other
Examples of Other Non-negotiables
- Crafting
- Bullet Journaling
- Planning
- Recreational Classes and Desires
- Home Needs, Chores and Upkeep
Once you’ve identified your non-negotiables in life, you plug these things in first when you sit down to lay out your planner for the week. Sometimes it’s blocking in that specific non-negotiable, like running or reading a book, other times it’s planning things that support that non-negotiable, like setting a hard lights-out time to support 8 hours of sleep, or grocery shopping and meal prep time if you want to eat only healthy organic foods prepared at home.
These priorities may shift from time to time but once a non-negotiable is identified and in-play, you honor it in your week.
