I am the type that really loathes schedules. I really cannot stand them. I find them confining and predictable and down right wrong. The funny thing about that is I am just the type that thrives with one.
I spent eight years in the military. Now that place knows how to execute a schedule. I had an interesting love/hate thing going on there. I showed up when I was supposed to (the majority of the time), I accomplished my given tasks and called it a day when all was done. Mission complete. It was almost easy. Just about effortless.
Maybe that’s the difference between then and now. Or at least this is the way my mind is computing the situation. Then the schedule was done for me. I just showed up and got it done. Now my schedule is about a 70/30 split. The 70 belongs to my employer. The other 30…well…that’s kind of tricky.
I have a bit more freedom with my schedule now and yet I am unable to lock anything down. I guess I don’t want to get stuck in something? I’m not sure. I have plenty of things to fill it with. Sometimes it can be quite overwhelming due to the number of activities and projects I’m currently involved in.
I’ve found that I enjoy a lot of spontaneity in my days. Case in point, yesterday my “schedule” had me going to the gym at 7am, then to work, then finally home to enjoy my evening. Pretty simple. I didn’t make it to the gym that morning. I did, however, do a home workout that got the job done. It was off to work with me after that. I ended up going to the gym in the evening. Made it home in time to chill out before going to bed. It was an awesome day.
Maybe it’s not the schedule that I thrive on. Maybe it’s some semblance of a routine. A very loose routine. It cannot be redundant. It cannot be stale. It has to feel fresh. In order for this to work I have to have many options to choose from. These options need to be available at the time that I’d like to do them.
Hmm. I believe I just stumbled on an issue plenty of people can relate to. So tell me…how do you all keep your routines fresh? Do you thrive on schedules? How do you keep to your schedule? How much room do you leave for the spontaneity? I would love to know what you all think.
Let’s discuss further on Twitter. Looking forward to the continued conversation.