I just finished reading a really nice piece on time management and how to devote your time to getting the most done. The suggestions were good and similar to the “work smart, not hard” theory that people strive for on a regular basis. Well, it got me to thinking: if people are ingrained in setting up their tasks for the week, when don’t they set up the time to enjoy the fruits of that labor? Shouldn’t that be on the list for the week? Wouldn’t incorporating leisure plans of downtime into the workweek make people look forward to each day, rather than dread Mondays and be too tired on Fridays?
If this pandemic has taught us anything it is that time can work for us if we go by the rules. Many people are working from home, and many families are finding time management for their day, let alone their children’s days, difficult to structure. That is because the pandemic has forced us to work outside of our comfort zone, but if we want to help ourselves and support the front-line workers, protecting others, we have to cooperate with a schedule that is being created for us to continue. However, that schedule does not have to be a hardship; it can actually make things go more smoothly with the correct tweaking.
There is a new norm, for sure. I have been using the below-thought process when creating my work week and I find it helpful.
* When you are deciding the schedule of the week, don’t separate work from play. In fact, schedule in everything that is important to move you and/or your family and friends’ days more inclusive with you without angst.
* Incorporate your menu into the schedule. you live alone or with others, everyone wants to eat and if there are no surprises as to when or what will be on the meal plan for the week, it becomes something to, rather than a question.
* When doing your work, put it into the schedule and tell others in the house to interruptions kept at a minimum. This goes for the children and schooling, whether virtual or in an actual classroom. This can do a lot to even out stress and emotions as we all learn to navigate via a new routine.
* Figure in your private time at the beginning and ending of the day where you are alone with your spirit and your thoughts. You can be meditating, exercising, writing, and doing anything that makes moving your body, mind and spirit. Reminder: work is not to be done during this time.
Finally, make a copy of your weekly plan and create a version of it as a schedule for family and/or roommates so you are all on the same page. If you live alone, you can simply use your regular calendar, as long as you are planning in your downtime, your relaxing, your playing, your exercising, AND your family/friend time into the week!
This is my way of living through these times, and it’s sure to make you and/or your friends and family feel more like responding to the week with anticipation, rather than reacting to it with dread.
First Published on Medium.com January 15, 2021