How does your schedule currently make you feel? Weary? Overwhelmed? Trapped? Suffocated? Depressed? As Jen Carrington asks so succinctly, “Is your schedule a free-for-all that accommodates everyone else’s needs — but not your own?
For the longest time (we’re talking years, if not decades), my schedule was a never-ending task list of obligations to which I was in a state of constant reaction. I had a problem where I couldn’t say “no” to anything that was asked of me (more on that later), and my Google Calendar looked like a failed game of Tetris.
Plus — and I hesitate to admit this, but I’m gonna do it anyway — being so busy, with my calendar so full, secretly made me feel important. Like I was a big, important, in-demand adult with important places to be. (Hello, ego.)
Friends and mentors suggested I be proactive and start blocking off time for myself each day — an hour to read here, three hours to write there, dinner and a movie with my husband on Friday night — but that didn’t feel freeing to me. It simply felt like I had even more tasks to pack into the very limited time I felt I had.
What if you could blow up your current schedule, like a cartoon character with a wheelbarrow full of dynamite, and start over? What would you do with that blank slate? What if you could recreate your schedule to make you feel good about the way you were living your life?
What if your schedule could help you feel focused? Invigorated? Excited for each new day?
I know it’s tempting (or at least, it’s tempting for me) to want to replace my current schedule with 10 hours of sleep a night and 14 hours of reading books and drinking coffee and/or tea all day. But when I’m honest with myself, that’s… not actually ideal. Not really. It’s a great goal for an indulgent day off, but… turns out, I like a lot of what I do. I like my work. It’s meaningful and gives me a sense of purpose and fulfillment.
Out of all of those tasks, meetings, obligations, and appointments on your current schedule, which give you a sense of purpose and fulfillment? Which do you need to keep (e.g., going to work, getting that cavity filled, picking up the kiddos) — and which do you only keep because you feel guilty or like you “should” keep (e.g., lunch with that annoying co-worker, dinner at your in-laws’ next Friday, that virtual networking event tonight)?
We’ll talk in future letters about the “should”s, about learning to value our time, and about the selfless act of self-care, but for now, one final question:
What is one thing you can change about your schedule this week that will help your life feel more focused, purposeful, and intentional — especially regarding your self-care and creative work?
Whether it’s canceling drinks with that acquaintance or ducking out of a meeting where you won’t really be missed, whether it’s adding in 30 minutes of writing time before bed or working on your craft over your lunch break… I hope it helps you take a step closer to what you’re searching for.