[Tracking Every Minute]-Day 17 – Return of the Routine
This post is the seventeenth in the #trackingeveryminute challenge. You can follow along here.
As I mentioned yesterday, this is my third week of the challenge, so this is my third Tuesday.
I’ve been trying to incorporate what I learn as quickly as possible. Snapping back into working is one of those learnings. After a weekend, or after an off day it’s easier than usual to not get any work done. For me, I’ve benefited from really trying to structure my days coming back from a day off.
Yesterday was a strong day. Today was a strong day. I am confident it worked out this way because of the planning and structure I have put into my days.
6:30 – 8:30. Kids dropoff.
8:30 – 9:30. Coffee before working out. I had my laptop on me and worked on a few different things.
9:30 – 11:00. Work out.
11:00 – 3:00. Office meetings.
3:00 – 5:00. Picked up a child and brought them home.
5:00 – 7:00. First and only deep work block of the day. Much later than usual, but happy that I got it in.
7:00 – 8:00. Dinner with the family
8:00 – 9:30. Got some more work in.
Today was a Good Day
While I only got in one deep work block today, it was still a productive day. I thought I would be able to get two deep work sessions in, but pickup at my daughters school and the traffic back home made it take 2 hours instead of 1.
Going into the day I was unsure of how long my mid day meetings would run. I estimated 11:00 to 2:00, but it ended up running until 3:00.
I make these two points to illustrate that I am moving and updating blocks as I go along in the day. I do not 100% stick to my plan. The plans are written in pencil, not ink. Today my plan was also looser than usual as I was not in complete control.
There is a possibility that I wouldn’t have been able to get any work in today. I would have had to adjust and fit more in tomorrow.
With the holiday season picking up I am going to need to be as flexible as possible.
Main Takeaways
- Routine, routine. Find one that works for you and use it to your advantage.
- Planning ahead is important, but so is flexibility.