I wonder if I can enjoy a heavily scheduled week by changing my mindset about what a “busy” schedule means?

How do I determine my schedule and plan for the week?

To start this challenge I needed to start with some reflection.  I consider myself to have good systems in place for my scheduling.  Working as a principal of an elementary school I have to be organized.  I have a great system for breaking down projects into small tasks, scheduling meetings, holding myself accountable, preparing for meetings, and prioritizing time with students and staff.

At home, we have a family planner that breaks down what is scheduled for each day.  The header of the schedule has the everyday routines ready for me to check.  It lists the kids’ bus schedule,  a space for my husbands work schedule, who will be putting the kids on the bus, and if they will have a hot or cold lunch.  Next, it has a space for what is for dinner, afterschool or evening activities, and then a spot for any notes or things we need to remember.  It has been so helpful and ensures that everything is covered for the day.  I sit down on Sundays and fill it out for the week.  Both work and home events are also in my Google Calendar. 

I have two effective processes in place. So why the anxiety and dread when I look at a busy schedule?  

Discovering what Busy Really Meant to Me

Once I broke everything down, I discovered my definition of the word busy meant that I had events in my calendar which I might not be prepared for.  This past week I had to tighten up my schedule at work to make up for three missed days due to the POLAR VORTEX here in Minnesota! 

With so many events to reschedule, my calendar was not set in stone and I was worried that I was not going to have time to prepare and may lead me to fall behind on other work I already had planned.  

On top of this, my husband was going to be out of town and the kids’ events were going to require a lot of driving back and forth at similar times.  When examining this closely I realized, when the schedule is that tight I worry that I will be late.  I can’t stand being rushed.  I usually forget something when I am rushed and that leads to me feeling unprepared!  That’s when I realized it.  I just need a schedule that allows me to be prepared and to have some transition time between activities!

Once I realized this, I looked at my schedule for the week again and noticed that I wasn’t overscheduled!  The events that we had after school and in the evening only required me to chauffeur my kids around or for me to workout.   I discovered I have a limiting belief that having events scheduled in the evening is hard for me.   

Time to Actively Work on Changing my Mindset

Now that I discovered how my thoughts around my schedule were causing stress, I started to get to work on how to change this mindset. 

First, I visually separated my Google Calendar events into work and home events with two different colors.  This helped me feel less stressed at work when I looked at my calendar.

Next, I looked at what I had control over and what I didn’t.  Many events at work have timelines.  Although I have these responsibilities, I can choose when to do them in my day and how to break the tasks apart.  I also know the agenda for the meetings I have coming up and I can schedule the time to prepare for them.  I still have control over these events and a choice in how to manage them.

When looking at the after school events I realized they are events we have chosen.  I created this schedule for me and my family! 

I said yes to the events on my calendar. 

I needed to own that I agreed to these events.  I  wanted my son and daughter to enjoy playing sports and have time with friends.  Scheduling time to work out and see the chiropractor helped me take care of myself.  I chose these activities and I need to own it.  These things are a blessing, not a curse. 

After looking closer at my schedule I discovered it isn’t a heavily scheduled week that stresses me out.  It is the idea of not being prepared or forgetting something.

I Don’t Fear Busy – I Want to Be Prepared and On Time

I mean, let’s face it, I don’t want to relive the times I forgot the dress up day for school, showed up at the wrong softball field, or completely forgot about a meeting.  These memories along with the feeling of letting others down stick with me.  Even though, mathematically, I bet it only happens 5% of the time, disappointing others because I am not prepared or organized is a terrible feeling.   And I am letting that feeling stick with me instead of letting it go and realizing that 95% of the time I have it together.  

I needed to trust my systems and figure out where I need time to prepare for anything on my calendar for the week. Then I needed to work on changing my mindset.   I added a three-minute activity to my morning journaling.  I took the time to look through my scheduled events for the day and jot down a reason to be excited about it or how I wanted to show up and why. 

This simple activity gave me a more positive outlook on what I had ahead of me and helped me to feel prepared for the day!

Busy?  Nope. 

Thoughtful and purposeful choices I made for me and my family.  YES! 

Changing my mindset around the word and acknowledging what I need to feel successful in my week worked wonders on my mindset!  

Challenge #6: Creating a charging station from a secretary desk!