I have been trying to find a schedule for myself that will be productive but also accommodate the current circumstances that my life has.
My circumstances are that my mother is battling with cancer in Israel and due to the 7-hour difference I spend the first two hours of my mornings making calls, taking care of her aide schedule, talking with doctors there and updating the rest of the family. It’s important for me to do that and I feel wonderful that I get to be that daughter to my mom in these times.
I am also a writer and scheduled for myself over the past two months to sit and write everyday from 8am to 4pm, with one lunch break and I never once followed through.
What often happens is that I will take care of my mom’s issues first thing in the morning, then will update the family, and before I know it, I am choosing to go back and forth with cousins and neighbors to update each and everyone and hear what they are going through and get jokes from them and respond back.
In fact, every morning my calendar has these recurring meetings:
6:30am – 7:30am: Yoga @ Home
7:30am – 8am: Shower, Get Ready
8am – 12pm: Write
12pm – 1pm: Lunch Break
1pm – 4pm: Write
What my day ends up being is more like this:
6:30am – 7:30am: Call Mom, family
7:30am – 8am: Shower, Get Ready
8am – 12pm: Watch YouTube videos, text family and friends, listen to podcasts
12pm – 1pm: Lunch Break
1pm – 4pm: Watch YouTube videos, text family and friends, listen to podcasts
Today I thought, what if I will schedule my work to start only from 12pm and take the morning with ease?
Maybe I will find myself just as productive?
Maybe if I allow my brain to do what it wants in the morning, it will get its fix and will then be more focused later to work?
I know that once Brooke shared that she works only three days a week and starts her days at noon, why not me?
So, I put the idea of starting to work at noon in the C line, just to see what Model unfolds for me:
C= The Idea of Starting To Work At Noon
T= “You are just trying to justify procrastinating.”
F= Busted / Onto Myself
A= Procrastinate some more on YouTube
R= I don’t get anything done at any hour
By doing this Model I realize I am kind of onto myself and also don’t like my reason for starting to work at noon.
I don’t feel that what I do all morning is a worthwhile way to spend my hours.
I also realize that my brain interprets watching videos as a far easier activity than writing, which it frets doing.
The skill here would be to force myself to write at 8am and put the phone away?
