The Year of the Post-it.
No actually writing my plans in pen - or worse, Sharpee! - because once I seem to get going, BAM. Everything changes.
When I was talking to my parents on the phone for Mother’s Day, they both remarked how flexible I was learning to be. Insert upside down emoji…
But this got me thinking. If we make our plans knowing they can change, aka, on a post-it that can be moved to a different time, day or month then they’re not really setbacks, just rearranging.
It seems like every shipment that has arrived this year from our artisan partners has had some sort of surprise or delay or both! On moves the post-it to a new launch date with a new plan.
Just this week I had set aside all of Tuesday morning, when I have the studio to myself, to film a free Mini Course on how to budget for starting a new product-based business. My script was ready. Y’all, I put on eyeliner even thought I’d be headed to the gym right afterward.
And then I got a text that my youngest has what looks to be pink eye & can I come pick her up? And so I move the post it from Tuesday to today & move today’s to dos to Monday.
Because I’ve given myself all of May (well, except for the last week as my oldest has a random week off school!) to get this mini course filmed, I don’t feel frantic. A little frustrated, sure, but not like I’m failing.
I’ve introduced margin into my calendar & it feels so much better.
Maybe I don’t have to be surprised that a kid will get sick this Spring. A kid will! Probably both, multiple times (but never at the same time, lol).
If I’ve already baked in these days, when they happen I can just move over the post-its & try to shift to my mom role for the day.
Our culture tells us to hustle. To hurry & get everything done. To extract everything you can out of each day and if you somehow miraculously have free time, fill it up with more productivity. One more load of laundry. One more pitch email.
But I’m slowly trying to unlearn these pressures & build a different rhythm in to the day.
What have you found that’s working for you to introduce more margin into your day?