A New Normal Schedule - Boundless Bliss

Prior to the chaos and calamity that has swept across the world, I had a schedule. I had a schedule that worked perfectly for me and my life. I would wake up early, do a word puzzle go to Orange Theory, get a great workout and sweat in all super early. This all was accomplished in enough time to get back home have a cup of coffee and answer emails before the real hustle and bustle of the day began. Enough with my schedule though, you get the point, I had a system, a system that worked well for me.

Fast forwarding to today. My system and old schedule no longer work. The gym is closed, and I can’t work out first then when I get up because in today’s day and age it’s just not smart for a woman to be running in the dark by herself. If you would have asked me how it was going 3 weeks ago I would have probably said something along the lines of awful, I hate this, ugh. I quickly realized though that I needed to change my mindset. This wasn’t a go to bed and wake up the next day and everything is back to normal kind of a thing. We are in a situation and time where we need to adapt. We need to reprioritize what’s important to us and to use the resources we have wisely.

A few days into the crazy I took the bull by the horns and was bound and determined to feel like me again. I needed a schedule, a routine, a new normal.

Setting a new normal schedule is as much of a mental task as it is making a new schedule itself. There is nothing normal or known about the times we are in, and the struggles we are facing, but we are all in this together. What we can do is developing that new normal schedule; putting a routine in place that works well for you.

Steps to Making a New Schedule

I have found it invigorating to make a new schedule. It has given me the pep back in my step and really allowed me to flourish in a time where it seems near impossible.

The steps below are meant to guide you in developing a new schedule for you. This can be done mentally or by writing it down. This process was more of a mental process for me at first. I really had to tell myself this is going to be ok, and that a new schedule isn’t going to kill me. I also had to get creative. You see not everything that you used to be able to do can be done at this time and point in life. If you get creative though you will soon realize it doesn’t have to all change for the worse. Many of the changes we have implemented in our lives right now may be for the better. They are slowly and surely bringing us back to our roots, and making us realize what is truly important in life.

1. Outline Your Old Schedule

Grab a piece of paper or just sit with a cup of coffee and outline your old schedule. Think about what you used to do prior to all of this.

I found it helpful to think of this on a day to day basis as well as a weekly basis. What are things and tasks I used to do everyday and what are things I used to do or schedule once a week.

2. Highlight the Items on Your Old Schedule that you can’t live without

Once you have your old schedule outlined I want you to go back through and make note of the things you used to do that you just can’t live without. I am not saying you are still going to be able to do these tasks/things in the same manner that you used to do them. This leads me to the next step.

3. Re-Invision Old Tasks

You have a list of the old tasks/things. Now what? Well it’s likely that quite a few of these things can’t be accomplished/completed in the same manner they used to be. The two words I have for you here are: GET CREATIVE.

Examples:

Going to Orange Theory every morning → Working out at home (To keep myself disciplined at home I write out a workout schedule at the beginning of the week and check them off as I go. This helps me stay accountable and get crushing my physical activity goals.)
Date Night Out → Date Night in (Get ready like you normally would. Set a special place in the house. Make a good dinner or get creative and do a fun date.)
Social Interaction → FaceTime (As much as FaceTime really doesn’t do it for me, it’s what we have right now. I personally have been FaceTiming friends and family at least once a day. It’s nice to see another humans face.)

4. Write Out Your New Schedule

Take note or write our your new schedule. In an effort to hold myself accountable for all the newness in my life I write my weeks out. Sunday night with a glass of wine or tea in hand I grab my planner, turn on a movie and outline my schedule/calendar for the next week. This not only keeps me busy (if you know me you know I like to be doing 24/7), but it holds me accountable for my actions.

At this time in life we really need to rely on our innate selves to get things accomplished. We don’t have a workout instructor holding us accountable, or for that matter anyone standing over us. We have ourselves. Hold yourself accountable and if that is something that doesn’t work well for you, find an accountability partner.

5. Add In New Tasks

Lastly, add in new tasks. Now more than ever it is extremely important to do something nice for you once a day. Add in new tasks to your schedule. I also challenge you to add in learning something new. I know it’s extremely easy to put on a movie or TV show and just relax and not think, but you need to keep your brain going.

Things I recommend doing to keep your brain going:

Read professional development books
Take up a new at home hobby
Take online college courses. There are numerous platforms that make this possible, such as Coursera and edX
Start listening to a new podcast
Watch documentaries

Closing Thoughts

I want you to know you are not in this alone. While life seems to be crumbling at our finger tips, at a pace exponentially faster than we can control, we are all in this together. Now, more than ever we need to support each other and really support ourselves. Whatever that may look like for you. Use the above steps to develop a new schedule, hold yourself accountable and really take charge of your life right now. You can do this. I know you can.