Scheduling Rest

You know how some people schedule things down to the hour so that they can make sure that all the tasks they need to complete get done?

I’ve never done that before.

Until this year.

“What on earth does that have to do with resting and relaxing,” you ask?

Absolutely everything.

Don’t get me wrong - I’ve been making to-do lists for years.

And they usually turn out to be long.

So long, in fact, that I inevitably look at them, get completely overwhelmed, and then wind up not doing much if anything.

You’d think by the number of things I wasn’t accomplishing most days I’d be the poster child for feeling well-rested and relaxed.

Uh, no.

I was stressed and anxious and always felt like I was behind. And it sucked.

Not only were the things that were important to me not getting done, I was also completely frazzled.

But one thing that I’ve always been good about is making time to learn new things. And luckily it was through listening to a podcast by Brooke Castillo from The Life Coach School that I picked up some tricks about time management.

First thing I did was retire those impossibly long to-do lists.

Instead, now I spend some time writing out what all needs to be accomplished for the week. But the absolute first thing that gets scheduled, down to the hour?

My time off.

If I know ahead of time that Monday morning is going to be packed, I schedule a nap for the afternoon.

If that isn’t doable, I at least try to give myself a little bit of time to rest in between other tasks so that I have a chance to catch my breath and recharge.

Meals, hanging out with my husband, reading, taking a bath, meditating…

I have time for all of it now.

And the most insane thing is that since I added down-time to my schedule, I don’t feel guilty when I take advantage of it.

Because it’s penciled in right under all the other things that I know I’m going to have the time and energy to get done.

When is the last time you enjoyed your down time without guilt and anxiety over all the stuff you weren’t accomplishing hanging over your head?

Yeah. Me neither!

Do I resent scheduling my days down to the hour?

A little.

But because I have rest and work all sorted into little time blocks on my weekly schedule, it is easy to see when I am about to over-extend myself. And I can fix it on paper before I ever need to experience it in real life.

It is freeing in a way I never expected.

And unlike my never-ending to-do lists, my time-blocked schedule reminds me that I’m allowed to be human.

That I deserve to rest even while I’m trying to accomplish big goals.

The craziest thing?

Since I’ve been planning my days out this way, not only am I more well-rested, but I’m also getting more things done too.

It’s pretty much the exact opposite of everything hustle culture tells us to do. And that is a refreshing change.

Because life needs to be about more than working ourselves to death.

By making the space to prioritize rest and relaxation I enjoy my life more.

I have more time to play, more time to create. I have more energy and attention to pour into all the other areas of my life.

Work will always be there. Because there is always something more than I’m going to want to accomplish.

But being able to sit down, relaxed and calm, ready to get to work turning my dreams into reality?

There isn’t much that is as refreshing as that.