I've been on a kick to create and have my work week more satisfying and fulfilling. As someone who does love structure in their day but also flexibility when I need it, I noticed having a too regimented work week drains me and left me with putting my creative pursuits at the bottom of the list when realistically they should be at the top.
So to flip this engrained structured habit of mine, I decided to go about creating my week more loosely and prioritizing what would feel satisfying to me to get accomplished. So how do I go about structuring my day?
Journaling in the AM
This is not your "dear diary" kinda journaling. The way I've been going about journaling to is writing down a simple question or prompt -
What would make me feel satisfied today?
I then break it down into small buckets between business, personal + movement creatively. This is NOT a to-do list. It can be as simple as one sentence such as "set time to walk outside for 30 minutes" for movement or "make a delicious dinner to eat outside on the porch" for personal (literally from my morning journal). The idea is to help you figure out what would at the end of the day make you feel happy and have your cup filled. This is helpful in also focusing and appreciating the little moments more.
Brain Dump Your Week
I am forever a paper + pen person when it comes to brain dump-ing anything. I use my notebook and brain dump my initial thoughts and then reference my calendar with any meetings, events, etc. I have in there and include any personal items in there too.
I re-evaluate and see what actually has to get done and still keep in mind what would make me feel satisfied so I am aware vs. doing things because I "should" or "have to" or the "everyone else is doing it" mentally. I follow up with adding the to-do's in notion which help me stay on track of what I actually want to do.
Bucket / Theme Your Days
I like to have themed days because it helps me stay focused. For me, Monday's have been my "content" days where I plan content for the week. This includes email, blog (this post), Instagram + Pinterest. I block out time when I plan to focus on each part and also add time for breaks. A big reason why I prefer to create content ahead of time is because I don't want to be on my phone all the time. I personally prefer to not be on my phone and I have a set time I *ideally* like to be on IG. I am NOT perfect at following through on it but I like to be aware of how much time I am spending on the app and either can reuse that energy towards doing something that fulfills me more (like block printing!).
Plan Your Day
I like to schedule out my days by time-blocking. I estimate how long something will take me and block it into my day to give me guidance and if I need more time then I give myself more time. It is not intended to be aggressive or rigid but to give you guidance. I also keep in mind some of the journal prompts and add those in there as well where it makes sense (ex: mid-day movement for 30 min).
Everyones Business is Different
Everyone has a different business or lifestyle so you will have to think about how you want to structure your days based on your wants, business and personal life. I am my own boss so I do have the ability to create much flexibility in my days especially since we don't have kids right now. This can look different if you work for a company or a mom but I hope some of the tips can work with you and help you figure out how to plan your days with more intention and allow you more time to do what you love (and that can definitely be binging a show!)
- Jo
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