Tomorrow is Monday and already I am feeling my shoulders tense. Even as a freelancer who chooses her own work, Mondays are wild. I had a friend point out to me over the weekend that I am very, very busy again. What happened after Half Moon Bay? Remember how I wanted to find more balance?
Freelancers, creatives, self-employed pals: how do you make your Mondays less hectic? How do you avoid the scarcity mindset that makes you say yes to everything in fear that next month you might have nothing and not make rent? How do you make sure you make time to create? How do you find balance?
I know a lot of us feel the same in this community so if you have tips, big or small (self-care practices, rules for what you say yes to, budgeting tips, making time for joy/play/creativity) let’s share them with each other in this thread.
I don’t know if I fall in the category of folks that you’re asking for advice from but I’ll chime in anyway. At my last job we got the option to work four 9-hour days and one 4-hour day to make up the 40 hours a week. Most of my colleagues chose to work half day on Friday. I chose to work half day on Monday. I would start my day at 1 pm and Monday was not for any meetings, it was office hours for me to set up my week and tie up anything leftover from the previous week. I was strict about this as it helped me set up my week as I liked. I don’t know if this is an option for you but this literally made me look forward to Mondays 😊 😊 😊
Always! I was specific with my ask but for sure didn't mean to exclude. Thank you so much for sharing this tip! I really like this thinking and it makes perfect sense. I don't have the option to free up my morning BUT I do have the option to free up my afternoons so this has inspired a revamp for sure, thank you 🧡
Occasionally, I have to step back and remind myself to step away from busyness. I'll go through a brief spell where I feel like I'm not being enough, doing enough, or that I want to do something new and challenging. So I do things like sign up for a comedy writing workshop. :-D Or apply for a freelance job, just to feel useful. It doesn't matter that I am employed full-time and teach as an adjunct, plus have a husband and an 11-year-old. Sometimes, I just feel stuck. It is in these moments that I have learned to just stop. Then I weed through things and decide what things are useful and bring me joy.
Stripping back then re-adding the best parts is an excellent way to look at it. I love this, thank you so much for sharing it 🧡 I can so relate to the taking so much (unnecessary stuff) on but never considered how I could get my time back in this way. I appreciate you.
I don’t know if I fall in the category of folks that you’re asking for advice from but I’ll chime in anyway. At my last job we got the option to work four 9-hour days and one 4-hour day to make up the 40 hours a week. Most of my colleagues chose to work half day on Friday. I chose to work half day on Monday. I would start my day at 1 pm and Monday was not for any meetings, it was office hours for me to set up my week and tie up anything leftover from the previous week. I was strict about this as it helped me set up my week as I liked. I don’t know if this is an option for you but this literally made me look forward to Mondays 😊 😊 😊
Always! I was specific with my ask but for sure didn't mean to exclude. Thank you so much for sharing this tip! I really like this thinking and it makes perfect sense. I don't have the option to free up my morning BUT I do have the option to free up my afternoons so this has inspired a revamp for sure, thank you 🧡
I listen to Lou’s Substack 😁 😘
YES!!! 🧡
Occasionally, I have to step back and remind myself to step away from busyness. I'll go through a brief spell where I feel like I'm not being enough, doing enough, or that I want to do something new and challenging. So I do things like sign up for a comedy writing workshop. :-D Or apply for a freelance job, just to feel useful. It doesn't matter that I am employed full-time and teach as an adjunct, plus have a husband and an 11-year-old. Sometimes, I just feel stuck. It is in these moments that I have learned to just stop. Then I weed through things and decide what things are useful and bring me joy.
Stripping back then re-adding the best parts is an excellent way to look at it. I love this, thank you so much for sharing it 🧡 I can so relate to the taking so much (unnecessary stuff) on but never considered how I could get my time back in this way. I appreciate you.