Today is the first day in a couple weeks that feels like a “normal” work day. It promises to be a simple day without any appointments, just lots of time for me to fill with the things I need to get done.
It felt so good to wake up this morning with “nowhere to be” (until at my computer for office hours at 12pm), with the whole day stretching out in front of me. I was able to sleep in a little to make up for how tired I’ve been feeling lately. I made time to make a cup of tea. And now I’m writing this without worrying what time it is or thinking about everything I need to do.
I am well aware of how ironic it is that this kind of day suddenly feels like a rarity for me. I work for myself and generally I work from home! You’d think that my schedule would constantly be wide open and full of freedom. Not so. That joke about people working for themselves having the worst boss in the world? It’s kind of true, but it doesn’t have to be.
Today, on this normal work day, I am putting a task on my to-do list entitled: “Plan out an ideal week & calendar block”. The thing is, if there’s space on the calendar, it will usually get filled. Before I know it, I’ll end up at the beginning of the week looking at my calendar and wondering how everything got there.
I know I can be more proactive about making sure that my time is structured to support me in how I work best, and how I can best serve my clients. I know I can block off space for my most productive work hours. I know I can build in time for me to have a lovely morning routine, and a lunch break, and to stop working at a reasonable time.
The trick is to get super intentional about it. Create the boundaries I need. Make space for what matters. Clear the path towards the schedule I want. Cut things out. So today, on this normal day, I plan to do that for the next couple months. Hopefully there will be many more normal days in my future.
