“Either you run the day or the day runs you.” Jim Rohn

Now more than ever weaving our lives amidst “social distancing” rests with greater comfort and balance from setting boundaries using a personal and easy to follow daily routine!

Creating a schedule will keep you centered and from here you’ll find more time with less stress to get daily must-do essentials completed while finding time to care for yourself too! 

1.Make your list:

First, make a list of everything you need to get done daily, both in your home life and at work. Don’t worry about how you organize your list. This is a “brain dump”, not a to-do list.

Next take thirty minutes with a notebook ( online or physical!) to jot down everything you do each day, as well as everything you want to get done.

If you feel like it’s too hard to remember all the tasks in one sitting, carry a small notebook or dictate on your phone all the things you do daily as well as the things you’ve declared you want to get done.  For example – if you want to work physical movement/exercise into your schedule – put this on your list with a certain time of day and amount of time spent doing this.

2.Structure your day

Think about when you do your best work and group your tasks into the time of day that makes the most sense for your energy levels to complete these.

Morning

If you have bright and high energy in the morning then reserve the mornings for the tasks that require critical thinking, problem-solving and troubleshooting. There’s a common saying, “Eat the frog,” which refers to getting the task that you want to do least done first thing in the day, so it’s not looming over you. If you are a night owl and find you are more energized and creative in evenings than use this time for your “critical thinking and creative time!

Midday

This can be a tricky time of day because your energy levels may dip with less energy and less brain power for creative/critical thinking. However, this means you might be primed to do the “boring” routine stuff that doesn’t take a lot of brainpower. Use this time for tasks like answering emails, setting appointments and running errands. If you are based at home during the day, use this time for some routine cleaning/de-cluttering or if you work from home use this time for next day prep or follow up calls and emails.

Evening

As your workday and daily activities wind down for the day. Set up things for the next day with  day to day items such as breakfast, lunch and meal prep in place. Make sure your clothes and anything else with your morning prep are cleaned and ready to go for you. Check to make sure you have any things needed for work ready to go. ( Yes, even if you are  working from home!)  Make a  more detailed list if this works for you. Do the same prep for the day ahead with your children and what they will be doing.

Close your day with intentional peace and calm so you set yourself up for what is yet to be tomorrow!

Here is an example of a detail-oriented hour by hour morning schedule if this works better for you:

Example:

• 7 am wake up (This wake-up time will vary depending on your work/life schedule during the season you are in!)

• gratitude/prayer/personal grounding and centering time.

• 730 coffee/morning beverage/breakfast.

• 745am shower/dress.

• 815am ready for “virtual office meeting or out the door for work.

• 9 am break in between meetings

*If homeschooling your schedule would include this as well.

•  930am virtual conference call/office meeting

3.Schedule time for flexibility and personal downtime.

Yes, life gets in the way of the day at hand!  You’ll want to harness your most productive time with your high energy/more challenging tasks and your least productive times for the mundane stuff.

4.Test your new routine

Follow this to the letter for the next week. Notice what was in the flow and perhaps what felt too rigid or out of alignment with you and your household.  Go back if this was the case to make any edits and revisions so this schedule is in alignment with you and your needs.

With a semblance of schedule in the form of routine… balance finds its place in your home and workspace!

How to create a personal schedule during stressful times

“Look for magic in a daily routine.” Lou Barlow

Yes, your personal routine may be completely off right now but your life despite the disruption from the global pandemic can still maintain daily flow!

Now more than ever we need to have continuity within our daily life. This makes room for new life parameters that have arrived uninvited in the fabric of our lives. 

Enter your “new normal” daily routine. Revised and revamped on your terms and with your  own needs covered instead of smothered

Almost all of the normal structures that were built into how we fashioned a routine have changed. Now you need to craft for yourself and those in your home space structure in the form of routine for healthy energetic boundaries that build and foster positive energy and wellbeing amidst all that is during this time!

Here are five key areas needed to craft your routine:

Sleep

You may find yourself staying up later engrossed in the news, involved in leisure activities or if you have littles using this time to get “work” done or carve in “late” night me time. Doing this derails your body’s sleep cycle and potentially brings with it health and wellbeing issues including weight gain, lack of focus and possibly increased issues with anxiety and depression.

Follow these steps to get on track with sleep:

Determine the best time to get up according to your work schedule or need for alone time before attending to your household and work day. 

Reverse engineer this by knowing how much sleep you need. (Typical sleep needs range 7-9 hours for most adults) Create a go-to bedtime and wake up time based on your sleep needs and start time for work.

Build in intentional calming downtime before actually going to sleep so your body and brain are connected with the revitalizing task of sleep. 

Gather some tech “sleep” help with one of many calming and sleep aid apps available today on our smart devices.

Work

Keep your work schedule as close to possible to your office schedule if you are working from home. Start and stop your workday as it was in the office. Set us a space in your home that is for work whether in a separate room or a space in a room that is now “office” space. 

The same applies for moms with children now home and being homeschooled and all required with managing ebb and flow with all activities now done at home.

Have a time structure with meals, homeschool work,breaks,recreation,play and chores. Make this reasonable with your household and needs!

Childcare –  if you have littles and school-aged children.

If you are not only working from home but also have children at home you’ll need to build a schedule for yourself  and for your family. If your children are old enough to handle themselves then work together to plan a schedule to make the best use of their time keeping them on track as your work.

If your children are young and need more hands onattention, then you’ll need to work creatively to get your work done with your partner and if you have  part time outside help while you work.    

Exercise

In some ways, fitting in physical activity is easier right now with the elimination of your workday commute or on the go meetings and travel. The challenge lies in carving out time and your intention of setting up for exercise in your home. Our typical routines were built around going out to gyms and studios or sports centers. Now, these spaces that we depended on to achieve our fitness goals are temporarily closed.

Get creative with your exercise and be committed to yourself with your best health in mind. Use your smart device and go virtual if you enjoy working out with others or enjoy a specific class such as yoga, barre, Zumba,weight training or cycle etc.  Go outdoors for a walk/hike or bike ride. 

Set up and schedule your exercise time as if it were a “client meeting.” Choose a time of day and days of the week that this will work for you.

Recreation/Rest/Creativity

Given the huge amount of uncertainty right now, setting aside daily time to recharge and regroup is essential to your physical and emotional wellbeing. Intentionally limit time on social media, watching the news and your “shows”. Find something each day that brings you true happiness and inner calm. This could be time spent in quiet prayer and meditation or connecting with friends and family on a video call or listening to music or cooking or crafting or reading or going outdoors for a nature walk. Do what speaks to you and brings from within a smile and joy. 

By creating a personal schedule that’s right for you and your household, you can make the most of what is happening in the present while being in flow with more balanced energy to handle all that is right now in our world and communities.

Share what you’re currently doing to “center” your life. Sharing is caring.