Following my energy (or, why time blocking doesn’t work for me).

Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to attend a workshop with Sara Cannon. There we learned all kinds of tips and tricks for making our plans and ambitions actually achievable. One of my biggest realisations was that I could give myself permission to follow my energy. 

This is an approach I now take, wherever possible, each day, week, and month. I’m still working on the specifics, but for now what it looks like is a week’s to do list (colour coded if I can), rather than time blocking my day like I thought I was meant to. So often (for me) time, blocking just meant I arrived at a time I was meant to do something, felt guilty, and moved it to a different spot in my calendar. This added guilt, meant I didn’t give myself credit for what I had actually achieved, and resulted in hours of misery trying to force myself into something that just wasn’t clicking with the way my brain was working at that time. 

Sometimes we just have to do the thing. Sometimes, once we start the thing, we get into the flow of it. However, what I am discovering is that, by giving myself higher-level tasks in smaller chunks, by coding them different colours depending on what kind of energy it is (business, housework, connection, creative, exercise), and having that list visible, I can actually get through a lot more in my day. I don’t forget what I need to do. I still get the stuff done that I need to do (even if a gym class today turned into a trail run and some home weights), but there is a lot more freedom. 

As a multi-passionate person with family, social life, running goals, two businesses and employment, this is an approach that works well for me. 

The other top tip? If you do something beneficial that you hadn’t put on your list, add it and tick it off. That still counts, even if it looks different to what you had originally planned. 

In-house lawyers, caregivers, business owners, volunteers, workers, so many of us have things pop up in the day that require our attention. Or our energy looks different to what we thought when we made our carefully laid plans the night before. This technique helps me to get more done, update my priorities on the fly, and be kinder to myself. 

How do you plan your days?