Who Calls the Shots in Your Day - Is it You?
What runs your day?
Is it dictated by appointments and putting out fires? Or do you have a routine and rhythm that guides it?
A lot of people resist having a set “routine” because they fear it will take away their freedom and spontaneity.
However, the irony is that when we DON’T have a routine our life is dictated by demands. We are a slave to the clamors of the day.
A routine doesn’t inhibit us from being free, rather it gives us freedom. I remember explaining to one of my sleep training clients how the structure and rhythm of bedtime and naps that we give our children from the very beginning allows an incredible amount of freedom for my husband and I. We have adult time in the evening that we can count on, our children are always well rested and we have the option to be flexible when the occasion arises and the kids usually handle it really well.
Freedom is a really important element in a routine. We have to feel free. Otherwise we feel resentful. When I help my clients with their routine I never dictate how it should be. It is always their choice and one routine may look very different from another, but the outcome is the same - my client has a new level of freedom which enables them to be generous to those around them.
If this is something you want to improve in, let’s chat! This is a skill I use and hone in my own life and help my clients master as well! Common themes I hear from clients are:
Expecting to get more done in a day
Not knowing how much time they have for a project
Not realizing how long things take
Just having something on our To Do List for some eventual point during the day is a sure way to not get it done. This results in feeling like a failure at the end of the day for not accomplishing the list and stacking up failures instead of successes. When my clients and I make a routine together we keep it very simple. Once we make a routine and make a plan they are amazed by the clarity they have realizing how long things actually take and where to fit in tasks.
Reach out if you want to begin.
P.S. This is a fabulous resource from The Woman School about routine: https://bit.ly/HowToRemainFirmandFluidInRoutine