Happy new financial year!
OK, so June was a mad dash to the end of the year, then we had the school holidays and now it’s time to get back into things.
Are you finding this difficult? Yep, it’s hard after overworking one month and then being super-relaxed the next.
This is my life at the moment – I feel your pain.
In my first week back, I really wanted to be able to return to my morning workout, weekly housework schedule and regular office hours, maybe even do some writing…and all this from day one. Many ambitious lists and schedules were made on a Sunday afternoon.
The reality?
I had a bad cold in the first week, so nothing got done.
The second week was spent clearing urgent client requests and cleaning my house, as part of ‘going back to work’. I only got one workout in…but at least my floors were looking good.
It was only in week three that I was able to return to my morning workout and resume my normal office hours.
Book writing is still on hold – maybe to resume next week, week four – but at least I got this post out. Progress!
Now, none of this a big deal since July was always planned as a slower, lower-capacity month. It’s just interesting to compare expectations with what really goes down.
I can often take on an ‘all or nothing’ mindset – either I am doing ‘all the things’ or I am ‘off duty’ – but I am teaching myself to have a more subtle approach to life. I find that this is a more effective way of establishing and maintaining good routines.
Perhaps this could work for you, too.
Instead of simply flipping the ‘on’ switch on the first Monday back and expecting to have a pre-vacation level of productivity, try picking one routine to re-establish before you return to the others. Once you’ve stuck to it for a few days or a whole week, then take on more.
I appreciate that I have more flexibility as a solopreneur. If you’re in a full-time job outside of the home and your first week back is booked out with work commitments, focus on your work first and try pausing or simplifying your home routines until week two or three.
I hope this is helpful.