When you have your own business, and for the most part, you are your own boss or in a business partnership, when Saturday comes, it's odd because you're not as excited that it's Saturday as you would be if you were working for someone else and you had the day off. Because I am half my own boss, I am always with myself, always thinking of all the things I want myself to get done.
I know, it has a Sybil ring to it.
I have to structure my week so that I can actually let go on Saturday and Sunday and experience the weekend.
For many years, when I was working with the vocal group, my life seemed SO unstructured that on weekends I would actually resent that there were suddenly a bunch of people out and about. Weekends for me were like work weeks... I didn't want to be out in the world with all the other people. I liked it better during the week when I pretty much had stores, malls, etc. to myself. But that's not reality. I was distorted.
When there is no structure to your life, time goes by very quickly. That sounds weird, I know, but it's true. If you live your life everyday just doing whatever comes to mind and don't really have a plan or have a weekly schedule of repeating things, the days go by fast. Some of us may live day to day with an open schedule and it sounds great, but it isn't. It makes me unfocused because there IS no focus. I might have one or two actual reoccuring things I do on a weekly basis and because only THOSE things are set in stone, they become benchmarks for the week and because there are only two of them, the week goes by or seems to fly by much quicker.
That's why people who have an iron clad work schedule (when working for someone else) this is why the week looks and feels long and drawn out and they are thrilled when Friday comes along. I used to think that the whole “Thank God It's Friday” thing was stupid. I still do. It sounds sad that someone only lives for one day of the week.
What? The rest of the time is just the real THEM on hold until they break free and get to then do what THEY want to do which is usually nothing.
I loved school. I loved the discipline of a class schedule. But when you are out on your own, when you are your own boss, it is very important to reclaim, devise and stick to that schedule.
Jason and I attempt this. I will say that he does it, but I am still floating about and giving myself excuses if I don't stick to the “schedule.”
My normal daily schedule (during the week) could be...
5:30 am get up, make coffee, wake up, read the news, write in journal, etc.
6:00 eat breakfast
6:30 get ready for work
7:00 leave for work and commute downtown
7:45 arrive and work and prepare for the day
8:00 start working
throughout the morning take hourly breaks. I never take breaks. And I know that this is not good.
Noon... lunch ofcourse.
I usually never leave the office at lunch. I have this whole city surrounding me with great places to wander, to chill out, to browse, eat... and I usually just stay in the office and eat a micro-wave meal. I want to change that and use the time to re-charge.
1-5 work, with (hopefully) breaks on the hour or every couple of hours. Also, don't just keep my nose in the computer. Find OTHER non-computer things to do.
5-6 come home via train although sometimes take the bus so I can see beautiful Lake Michigan as I return home.
6-7 home, eat, do whatever needs to be done, straighten up, etc.
7-10 Time with Jason, watching tv, reading, doing whatever...
10: go to bed. Maybe watch a bit of tv but would be better to just zonk out and get some good night sleep.
THAT would be a great schedule.
Do I do that?
Kind of. The problem is that I stray from it to the point that I end up NOT doing it at all and things get out of whack.
Any of you out there...
Do you stick to a schedule?
How does it work for you?
Do you love it, resent it?
How do you bring variety to your week yet keep it structured and productive?