Goodbye 2013 Hello 2014

     Looking forward to the New Year and all of the changes I wish to make within my life and within everything that I do.  A lot of the scheduling I do is due to having a special needs household.  Acquiring time for myself and my work needs to juggled on a daily basis.  I also have my own PTSD.  I love to organize and for me to be able to do everything I need to in life I must have three things:

1. All areas planned out.
2. A rigid schedule
3. A flexible time schedule. 

     I know this sounds crazy and many of you may think that this is just that.  Let me tell you how it is incredibly simple and easy.  First I use the chunking system.  Some call it the time block system.  Those blocks are rigid in nature.  They have plans, sequence, and work in them.  The rigid part is where I know a day may have business for three hours, house work for two, meals for two, art work for three with my morning routine taking one and a half hours.  The flexibility part is being able to move those blocks around as I need to work around appointments etc. 
     OK, what if I had a rough night's sleep?  Don't get up till 10am.  On a complete rigid schedule I would be panicking because my day didn't start on time.  Under the rigid scheduling I would probably be panicking about which aspects do I let go of.  Being flexible I can take my blocks and move them around until they fit.  Now I don't schedule everything.  There are typically sixteen hours a day in which we run the atypical rat race or daily living.  With how I have my blocks set up I can mess up about six hours a day. If I needed to.  That simple.  Reduces worries and panic as well.  The only thing is that you have to be good at planning your blocks in the first place.  Give yourself ample time to get tasks done and their own wiggle room. 

With all of this and yesterdays post about resolutions I have my basic planning outline for 2014.

New Year Words:  Finding Spiritual Creativity. 
This captures a little of last years Finding Crazy with adaptations for the other two things.  May produce some interesting art. 

Seasonal Home:  Things that are required to be done,
Jan-Feb-Mar   House, Prep for spring, schedule seed planting, map garden, Spring holidays planned, budget and plan fence along with garden pieces.
April-May-June   Prep for summer things, garden maintenance schedule worked out, travel plans, Summer holidays planned, fence and garden pieces built, and planting done.
July-Aug-Sept   Prep for fall, plan yard requirements, Plan holidays, canning set up, decorations gone through, and follow maintenance schedule, travel schedule and budget for wedding in Dec.
Oct-Nov-Dec    Prep for winter, plan holidays, holidays set up, canning done, travel.  Set up New Year.

Business Quarterly:  A fair amount on promotion this year.
1st quarter: Promo and flexible agenda written.
2nd quarter:  Promo and Self esteem basics book written.
3rd Quarter:  Promo and Recipe book written.
4th Quarter:  Promo and New Year Clean book written. 

Each days must have blocks making up for 7 to 8 hours out of the 16 awake hours:

• Morning routine at 1 1/2 hours
• Meals (prep included) 2 hours
• House 1 or 2 hour blocks
• Yard for 1 hour
• 4 deliberate 15 minute breaks
• Night time routine 1/2 hour
• Business at 3 hours

The remaining blocks that can juggle around are:

• Business 3 hours:  email, blogs, promotion, idea development
• Business 3 hours:  Clients, book writing, development
• Movie night at 3 hours
• Creative works at 3 hours
• Novel writing 3 hours

Everything else that life may bring up like appointments, needed phone calls, groceries and such other things have the musts and other blocks flowing around them. 

I hope you get some ideas on how scheduling can be both flexible and rigid at the same time.  I have many friends and clients that require this method while they are recapturing a more flowing life in this fast paced world. 

If there are any questions, please ask below.

Nadine Seely
Organizing Coach and Life Planner
DustBunnyHell