Inviting in Flexibility + Structure

At a glance, I’m sure when you read this title you thought I was joking. Flexibility and structure do sound pretty damn opposite to me, but hear me out: 

One word embodies a flow and an adapting nature.

While the other brings in organization, accountability, and repetition. 

And both are needed inside your business. But when we focus solely on one, we run into an issue. 

When you only have structure, it can be limiting. You can run into not feeling tuned in or intentional in your day-to-day operations. It can feel as if you can only do THIS and not that. 

But if you ONLY have flexibility, you bend over backward to make anything work. This is when you feel as if your boundaries have been crossed or are running around with your head cut off. 

However, what if there was a way to invite BOTH words intentionally? 

This question is what inspired the way I create my schedule for my day, week and month. I created it with the idea in mind that I needed structure each day, but space to invite flexibility. 

I’ve dropped everything I am doing to create something magical, just for me to forget to return to that task. 

Or I dismissed that creative burst and pushed the creative tasks to the back burner and felt too tired and uninspired later. 

So let’s take a look at what this looks like for me, and maybe you can take some inspiration and create a similar feeling for yourself and your business! Here’s how I set it up:

Braindump: This is where I dump everything I need to do for clients, myself, my business, and my personal life onto paper. I don’t worry about the “schedule” just yet, instead, I get it out of my brain first. 

Organize + schedule: Once you have your mind clear, organize your tasks however you see fit and start to create your weekly + monthly schedule. I do this in a google sheet with a monthly calendar and weekly calendar. Any “on-demand” tasks are in my personal to-do’s, but recurring tasks go here. 

Next, fill in your daily to-dos for yourself. What do you need to do to feel fulfilled? I love to do a morning routine, so this goes in as a task. When we schedule something, it won’t get pushed to the side. And PLEASE actually schedule some self-care. It is a game changer to give back to yourself FIRST. 

Now mindfully use your time: This step is what made this system really work for me! Because I am prepared for what I have to do each day, I am able to use my time efficiently. I know the amount of time it takes to do each task, and therefore I can better judge my time when I have a creative burst, or want to take a break. 

Here’s another tip: don’t necessarily time block (unless that’s your groove) but simply have what you need to do in a day laid out. Visually you can see your day, and you can pencil in those creative bursts, mindful breaks, self-care practices, you name it! 

There needs to be an awareness of the duality inside your life as a business owner and human. When we focus on too much of one thing, we create an imbalance. So don’t let your business rule your world, and don’t let your personal life run the show. Instead invite the practice of filling up YOUR cup first, and then flowing into your daily tasks. 

Take some time, create an intentional space, and lay out what you want your day, week, and month to look like. You get to design how you spend your time!