I was talking to one of my clients this week and she was saying that she has been really busy at work and so has been dropping her requirements on some of the ways she spends her time outside work, like gym or meal prep etc. We talked a bit about not sacrificing the things you do to live a better life when you’re choosing what to drop but we then spent some time chatting about structuring life outside of work in such a disciplined matter that it feels like work.
This is what I do.
I have a lot of scheduled items in my free time. I have exercise every morning, blog posts on the weekends, family photos on Saturday mornings, teaching the kids at night, not to mention all the kid stuff like drop offs and pick ups and teaching there every Wednesday and going to a bunch of school commitments, etc. My life is generally very structured.
Which, for the most part, serves me. I know that when I am not very organized, I don’t get anything done. I can sit on the couch for days without choosing to exercise. This is true even for the things that give me joy. I can get lost in wasting time as much as the next person and structuring my life is a way I get around this pull of inertia.
There are times I completely get sick of it. Sick of myself. Sick of all the things on my list. Sick of wanting to try so hard. And I take the day off or sometimes the weekend off.
But then I get back on it because I feel strongly that this is what keeps me stronger. It’s what helps me be the best version of myself and it’s what helps me live my life intentionally. And if work deserves my loyalty, discipline and dedication, so does the rest of my life.
On My Mind is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018 here.
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