I'm a single mom with two young kids. I work full time. And cleaning up the house is another full time job. Work, home, kids, cook, clean. Work, home, kids, cook, clean. Yep, I definitely don't feel like I have a life. Tyeese Gaines Reid has written The Get A Life Campaign for women, single or married, who feel as if they do not have a life. The book and the advice within is priceless.
At first I felt as if The Get A Life Campaign was geared towards the upper class, as Reid lists the circumstances that made her write The Get A Life Campaign. Looking at the book as being geared towards the upper class was a mistake on my part. All women whether lower, middle, or upper class are faced with the same challenges to make time for themselves and their goals. So, despite my initial impression, the rules and advice outlined in The Get A Life Campaign are universal.
The first three chapters of The Get A Life Campaign are introductory and cover less than ten pages. The fouth chapter, "Introspection," is the most telling of the entire book. It is where the reader is forced to admit the type of person she is. Reid explains that there are four types of women: The Do-Too-Much Woman, The Not-So-Proactive Woman, The Filled-With-Excuses Woman, and The In-Between Woman. I was an In-Between Woman because sometimes I am motivated and sometimes I'm not. Gaines described my personality type as "wishy-washy" but she also stated that wishy-washy women have the most potential. I have never been so proud to be called wishy-washy.
Chapter 4 also forced me to look at my habits and excuses and link them. It felt weird and empowering to actually see my bad traits and the traits I wanted for myself written down.
The most important chapter for me was chapter 6: "Busiest Waste of Time." Reid writes, "From this point on, every moment in your day should be focused on work or relaxation. Period. If you're supposed to be writing a report for your boss but instead you're daydreaming....you're better off closing the file...and returning to your work when you're done" daydreaming. Daydreaming and half-working is my biggest downfall, so I took this chapter, which was barely a page long, to heart.
The book is titled The Get A Life Campaign and I took it to mean: how to do more recreational things with your life. The Get A Life Campaign is about more than finding more time to party. It's also about but finding time to achieve your goals.
Article comments
1 - Carole
Sounds like a great book. I, too, am greatly busy wasting my time. -C