I’ve had a morning routine for many years now, but since becoming self-employed it’s become an essential part of my day.
I find that starting my day correctly ensures the rest of the day flows. A negative start to the day can put a downer on the rest of the day.
That’s where the morning routine comes in – it gives me time to set the tone for the rest of the day.
Priority is singular. It’s something I need to remind myself frequently as I often talk about my priorities. Yet the irony is that the moment you begin to work on your priorities, nothing is actually a priority.
It’s not just a clever play on words. The scatter effect of focusing on too many priorities is all too real. Attempts become diluted and focus becomes fuzzy and chaotic when you try to attend to too much at a time.
This week has felt like my first proper week of being fully self-employed. When I left my teaching job in July, although I knew I wasn’t returning, it mostly felt like I was heading into the summer holidays. It didn’t actually feel very different.
Now that the holidays are over and the schools have returned, it finally feels like I’ve left and I’m embarking upon my new adventure.
One thing I’ve noticed this week is that I’m struggling to structure my time. With the holidays over, I feel like I’ve thrown myself head-first into the list of everything I want to do but I’ve given myself very little time to breathe.
And that’s why, 7 weeks into the freedom diaries, I find myself writing a post about structuring your time when you’re self-employed.
To kick start my Naughty 40’s, I’ve decided to take part in Cancer Research UK’s Run 60 Miles in September Challenge. I’m aiming to raise £400, £10 for every year I’ve been on this planet.
It was a very last-minute decision. I’d mentioned to CP that one of my goals within the next 3 months was to increase my running distance to at least 25km per week and a few days later I saw an advert for the challenge. It felt like another part of the breadcrumb trail had been revealed – it’s a way to work towards my goal while raising money for such an important charity.
After I’d seen the advert, it played on my mind and I felt compelled to take part. So on the 31st of August, I hurried to sign up, set up my Facebook donations page and prepared my best running legs for the month ahead. And so far, it’s been amazing.
Sitting with inspiration is a new concept for me. I’m more of an impatient magpie who picks up a new nugget of inspiration and flies with it, only to drop it when it becomes too heavy. Admittedly, this tends to be because I’m endlessly attracted by new, shiny ideas and tend to over-burden myself.
This week, or should I say last week, was the second week of CP’s holiday, so we spent lots of our time doing lovely things. We visited The Deep, went up Withernsea Lighthouse and frequented many local cafes, comparing cappuccinos and sampling cake.
It felt amazing just to kick back and spend some quality time together. And I can’t wait to create more memories together.