Spring Cleaning for our Schedules

OK. So you want more info on cleaning up your schedule. These are some of my favorite changes to make, because they are so dang impactful.

Ultimately, we all have the same amount of time. Go all the way to your full 24 hours. And start adding back in. It's like thinking about your schedule like a budget. (ACK! I know, stay with me!) But really, it's very similar.

So we all need sleep. Add that in. We each have different needs but be realistic. You need decent sleep, so clock it accordingly. I block from about 9pm-7am for this. Now, I'm not sleeping this whole time, but it's dedicated to it for early nights or later mornings.

Then we have to eat. Sorry, fact of life. So think about what kind of eater you are. Are you a granola bar on the run kinda person, or do you prefer to sit with your family and have drawn out family meals where you cook, eat and then clean up afterwards. We all have our own situations, but figure out what your days look like (most of the time, there'll always be exceptions).

And then are there any other non-negotiable in your life? Time with kids. Walk the dog? Gym session? 8-5 job? Yep, you're starting to get it, write those in.

Now, what's left? Hopefully, it's still a lot. But each of us will have a different amount left. So don't compare yours to anyone else's (especially your S.O.'s!). Consider this your discretionary time. How do you want to use it? Start with the big rocks. Been wanting to go back to school? That's a big rock. Want a rock-solid marriage with weekly date nights? Big Rock.

Here's the thing. Grabbing groceries can be flexible. Putting the trash to the curb on time for pickup, maybe not.

And then make it a practice. Daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, make sure you are spending a moment to understand what your schedule looks like and what's most important and then pencil that stuff in! If it's growth in 2021, great, make room for learning. If it's peace, great, make room for mediation or reflection. But just get started. (see below)