Feel Happier All Day With This 1 Scheduling Hack
I’m sitting on the couch, looking at my schedule for the next day: one calendar for work, one calendar for personal. And nothing was exciting to me. I already dreaded the day and wished it to be over… and it hadn’t even started.
My calendar looked like this:
9:30–10:30 Meet about training project
11:30–1:00 Luncheon
4:00 Oil change
6:00 Dinner with Matt
What came first in this schedule is my MUSTS. And they are worded as such.
“Luncheon” doesn’t highlight that I get to “Execute the ATD Memphis chapter meeting I organized and had record attendance for.” “Dinner with Matt” doesn’t highlight that over dinner, we are planning our fall vacation to New York City (!).
I had to remind my self that I should be excited. It worried me that just words on a paper altered my perception to much of what my day would be, and what my part in the day would be.
My part is not to arrive to a time slot and check a box; my part is to be present and fulfill my role.
Plus, there’s a lot of hours un-accounted for in that schedule. As Kevin Cullen puts it, “If It’s Not In Your Calendar — It Doesn’t Exist and It’s Not Going to Happen.”
So is this any better?
5:00 When my alarm plays Lizzo “Truth Hurts,” don’t press snooze. Shake my booty if the music moves me to do so.
5:10–6:00 Head to the yoga mat. Flow through the Yoga with Adriene routine for the day, then journal any notes in my cat notebook.
6:00–6:30 Enjoy a homemade, delicious breakfast of yogurt and granola
6:30–7:00 Play some Beyonce while getting ready for work! You’re fly and you’ll look it!
7:00–8:00 Drive to work. Relax and observe the scenery.
8:00–9:30 Touch base with Lisa about the SharePoint sites. Make sure she knows how much I appreciate her help.
9:30–10:30 Brainstorm with David about how we can get the training project kicked off on schedule. You have great ideas!
10:30–11:30 Sit and help anyone who needs my response to an email
11:30–1:00 Kick off the luncheon with enthusiasm, and welcome any newcomers. Take note of anyone to followup with afterwards.
1:00–4:00 Time to focus on the training project. You got this.
4:00 Read The Breakdown while getting the oil changed :)
6:00 Hug Matt and play Malibu on the record player while we cook a healthy, light dinner together and dream about our NYC vacation. Don’t forget to reserve tickets to attend Ask Me Another!
9:00 Let’s see what is planned tomorrow, and also see how today went. I’m thankful to have made it through today and to have the opportunity to go through my skincare and evening routine. Not everyone is this fortunate.
Do you see the difference between “Wake up” and “When my alarm plays Lizzo, don’t press snooze. Head to the yoga mat.” They’re both reality, but they are different perceptions of reality.
Use your calendar like you would your personal assistant; add some flair, some enjoyment, and some happiness instead of a box to check.
Take a look at your calendar and think of what you want to get out of whatever is on there. Then, focus on that as the outcome.
As Brendan Burchard says it in The Charge: Activating the 10 Human Drives That Make You Feel, “No matter your position, circumstances, or opportunities in life, you always have the freedom of mind to choose how you experience, interpret, and, ultimately, shape your world.”
We can’t always control where we have to be and when… but we can control yourself before, during, and after it.
