Adults Need Schedules Too!

I just finished putting my littlest one (he’s 2) to bed. He’s such a creature of habit when it comes to bedtime. When 7:00PM rolls around – Bing! –  he’s ready to get to bed. Seriously, I’m not joking! It’s not that he’s ready to actually go to sleep, but somewhere during his 2 years of life he has determined that from about 7:00-8:00PM is his “down-time”! Crazy how even at such a young age humans are such creatures of habit.

I have heard it said so many times that children need schedules, in fact they crave schedules. I couldn’t agree more. But, you know what?  Adults need structure and schedules too!

As I sit here typing this I realize that structure and scheduling are two areas I have slacked off on when it comes to my business. Yes, that’s a confession. I mean my blog won’t write itself right? Maybe in the future?

So, as a solopreneur I tend to wear many…wait, it’s more like ALL the hats! Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade this great opportunity for anything, but sometimes we start to look more like a clown juggling then an actual business owner.

My goal for the next 2 weeks is to recreate the good structure and scheduling habits that I once had in place. I want to share them with you all because it’s important to hold yourself accountable. So, here are a few things I’m going to be working on:

1. I’m going to follow the great editorial calendar I have already created. Yes, that’s right, the hard part of creating a calendar is already done, now I just need to stick with it!
2. I’m going to utilize my Daily 3×3 (this is my “must-do” list). This has been such a great system for helping me focus on the “must-do’s” and not the laundry list of “to-do’s”.
3. I’m going to start getting up at the same time every morning. And in turn going to bed at the same time every night. I don’t know about you, but for me getting the right amount of sleep is critical.
4. And on a personal note, I’m going to focus on my running training. I sure can’t “will” myself to be faster!

These are just a handful of things I want to regain control of. I’m a firm believer in planning ahead. This doesn’t necessarily mean scheduling every second of my day, but it does get me back on track to get things done.

What kind of structure and schedule do you have? Is it working? If not, what can you do NOW to change it?

Schedules and Structure Here We Come

It’s official, I am the mom of a Kindergartner. Exciting and overwhelming all at the very same time. I will say though that I’m more excited than overwhelmed. I remember having such a great experience in school and I can only hope that my boys are blessed with a great experience too! Of course the start of the school year also brings structure and schedules. I’m not sure how you feel about that, but these are two of my most favorite things. I have loved the “fly by the seat of our pants” summer, but I am welcoming (with open arms) the structure that is upon us. This summer my 5-year old was not on a rigid schedule. His bedtime was a little later, and he would sleep a little later, getting up around 8:00 am instead of 6:30 am! I didn’t go too wild though because we did keep Russell (my 17 month old) on a pretty tight schedule. Not only is it good for him, but he actually demands it. I think I have my hands full with this little monkey!Schedules can be a great thing. Knowing when, where and what time we have to be somewhere can help us manage our time more efficiently.

How do you feel about schedules and structure? Are they something you embrace or something you fight tooth and nail?