Having spent much of my life as a student, I was used to the rhythm of semesters and quarters. As final exams neared, I’d push myself harder, until near the end I was running on Mountain Dew and chips. But I always knew that I could collapse onto the couch the week after finals to recover. Run, sprint, crash. Run, sprint, crash. It worked somehow.
Out in the non-academic world, we are often asked to run and sprint. What we don’t have is that built-in recovery period that school offers. And yet we still run and sprint—often until our bodies make us crash.
But what do we do instead?
I’m going to use the B-word here. Nah, not that one. This one: budget. I know, I know. The idea of a budget stirs up resistance, scarcity, rebellion, anxiety, boredom….all kinds of reactions.
It might help to think of a budget as making a mindful choice. Setting intentions. That’s what it is at heart. We have a certain amount of something, and we decide ahead of time how and where we can use it to make the most positive difference in our lives. To be sustainable this month, you’re probably going to need to make yourself a plan for how you want to spend your energy and time while minimizing (as much as you can) the negative aftereffects.
Follow these steps to make your plan:
Step One: Create Categories
Before doing anything else, brainstorm the 3-5 categories or areas that are really important to you. For example, this could be friends, self-care, family time, work, volunteering, creative time…you decide. If it’s not already in there, make sure to add one for essentials (the stuff you have to do to keep your life running, like paying bills and stuff).
Step Two: Look at Your Calendar
Now that you have your categories, pull out your calendar (or make one) for the month of December. In a separate place, list out anything you have already committed to or know that you want to do this month.
Put a category from Step One by each of those activities. If you don’t have any activities in a certain category, or not very many, then think of a few that would fit and add them to the list. If you have a bunch in a category, think about if you can take a few off the list or do them for a shorter amount of time.
Step Three: Plan Your Month
Take the items from the Step Two list and put them on your calendar. For the ones that don’t have a scheduled time, like “read for an hour,” pick a time and day for them. Look at the month as a whole and make sure there aren’t too many activities in one day or week, or, if there are, then see if you can clear out some time after them to recover. The goal here is to find a steady, sustainable pace.
Of course, any plan or budget is subject to change, so you can be flexible with this. The main goal is to identify what’s really important to you and to make sure that you have the time and space to do that stuff. Doing that can have a positive snowball effect, making us feel better about ourselves and our lives.
There you have it, short and sweet. Work your way through those three steps—and drop me a note if you have any questions! And if you haven’t already, the Chronic Comebacks to Nosy Questions is still available for free download (click here). It’s your cheat sheet to dealing with those obnoxious questions we spoonies get asked at work and in social situations all the time. So until next time, be sweet to your spoonie selves!
