A Great Way to Feel Good Every Day
Growing up, I never used a calendar or a schedule. I always relied on my parents to let me know the day of what was going on. I don’t know why they never put an emphasis on keeping an organized calendar but what I do know is they did the best they could with what they knew. Heck, they did even better all things considered. I digress. As you probably could guess my life was pretty chaotic, I never felt “in control” but instead was flying by the seat of my pants. I always wanted to have some sort of structure to my day because I remember growing up dad telling me consistently, “You need to learn to be flexible.” In my immature mind, I took that as not having a say in anything. He would also say things like, “Just go with the flow” or “take it on the chin.” How can I blame him? He had my mom and 4 brothers who also had needs to be met. However, this lack of routine and schedule set me back in a lot of different areas.
I was always late. Yes, I was that friend who would constantly be late to things. I was just “going with the flow” but never considered how rude it is until college when I started to notice my friends throwing jabs my way anytime I was late. I was known for being late and didn’t appreciate it.
I was inefficient with my time. When I moved to Phoenix, AZ to attend Grand Canyon University, I lived a free spirit type of lifestyle. I would attend my classes, do my homework and then let the day run its course. This usually meant laying by the pool, hanging with friends, lounging in my dorm room watching a new show, or going on some simple adventure off campus. These were all great things at the time but looking back, I realize I wasted a lot of opportunities to really learn and grow. If you read my last blog, “The Cure for Boredom” you’ll be able to put together I was pretty bored in college. The challenges of school weren’t enough and I was inefficient with my time.
I missed big events and opportunities. Because I didn’t have a schedule, I would miss events and things I was really looking forward to like job fairs, internships, on-campus events with free food, or even experiences with friends I would have loved to participate in.
It delayed my ability to mature into an adult. After graduating college, life got real and because I was not used to operating on a schedule, I was struggling in my professional life, my social life, and my personal life.
Something needed to change.
In college I met my best friend at the time, he was a bit older than the rest of us but he was the opposite of me. He was type-A through and through. If something wasn’t on his calendar, he wouldn’t do it. If there was something he wanted to do, it was on his calendar. If there was an important date, you guessed it, it was on his calendar. I thought he was super weird and nerdy for caring so much about his calendar but then as time wore on I realized he had a lot more peace because he had an idea of what was going on. He still had fun but he also got to experience a lot of other things I missed out on because of how he utilized his calendar. It caused me to give it a shot.
I did try and I actually really enjoy planning things out especially at work. What I really thrive on is setting up routines. Once I decided to utilize a calendar I was able to accomplish a lot more and I figured out what the structure of my days would look like.
“Workout. Bible Study. Work. Family Time. Learn/Work on a project. Bed.”
This is how I structure my day. It’s simple but each section is setup for that specific part of the day because it’s what makes the most sense and makes me feel good every day. Each section also has it’s own organization structure. Workouts are built out every day to develop different areas of my body. Bible studies are usually the same but can vary depending on the time of the year. At work I like to use time blocking, Pareto’s principle, and other strategies surrounding my calendar. Family time is always a fun and rejuvenating time. After my kids go to bed I usually have some time to spend with my wife then I use the rest of my time to learn something new or work on a project, like these blogs. Then it’s bed with a smile on my face because it was a productive day.
If you’re interested in feeling good every day and need some help setting up your routine, schedule a free consultation with me and let’s chat!
