It doesn’t matter how old I get, how long I’ve been out of school, or what job I’m doing. August to me screams fresh start. I mean, that might have something to do with the many years I’ve spent as a football wife (byeeeee husband 👋🏻), but nonetheless, here we are. I have to physically stop myself from cruising the back-to-school aisles in search of the perfect planner or the ever elusive pen-of-life. But in reality, nothing really changes for me when this splendid month makes its entrance (well, except that my butt will be sat in a bleacher most weekends). But for many of us, things kind of get out of whack over the summer. Kids are out of school. Vacations interrupt your normal workflow. Clients are in and out of the office. Life and business just lose all sense of normalcy and routine. So when August rolls around, I am typically desperate to reintroduce some structure. And chances are, so are you. So, let’s chat fresh starts.

The Boundaries you may need for your fresh start:

Daily structure

Half the battle when it comes to designing a joyful life is knowing what you want. So I’d like to invite you to take some time to figure out what you’d like your standard days to look like. Obviously, there has to be some room for variation, but you can create a loose sketch to allow for some consistency. Now, while my day-to-day looks fairly different when it comes to the work I’m doing and where I’m spending my time, my structure looks fairly consistent. In case you need an example, here is what my standard daily structure looks like: 5:10 Alarm 5:15-5:35; Coffee + Bible/Devotional time 5:40-6:15; Journaling: daily pages, gratitude, affirmations, visualizations 6:15-7AM Free time (Typically filled with a daily chore, reading, watching a youtube video, getting ready, whatever) 7-8AM: Novel Work (Writing, editing, revising, etc) 8AM-3PM; Work 3PM-8PM; House chores, planning/prepping dinner, workout, dinner 8PM; Shower, unwind 9PM; Begin evening routine

Calendar block boundaries

Calendar block boundaries play a major role in keeping my sanity and protecting my productivity. (Which, if you ask me, kind of go hand in hand honestly…🤷🏻‍♀️) First, what is calendar blocking? The premise of calendar blocking is to basically list out all of your weekly commitments, prioritize them, then scheduled those commitments into your calendar starting with your highest priorities first. It’s a great visual representation of how much time certain tasks take up, and it’s a great way to filter out the not-so-important tasks as you start to see your calendar space filling up. It’s important to remember that every task on your to do list will actually take time. So the concept of calendar blocking is a great way to visualize how those tasks will play into your week. I categorize my calendar blocks. You can dig deeper into how that works for me HERE, but basically, I schedule in time in advance on my calendar for certain types of tasks by category. That’s important to know when it comes to understanding calendar block boundaries. Calendar block boundaries: These boundaries have honestly saved my sanity a time or two. I attach specific boundaries to each block category. For instance, the boundaries for my #WRITING and #FOCUSEDWORK categories are rigid. No emails. No social media. No interruptions or distractions under any circumstances. My phone is on DND or airplane mode in another room. I have a cold turkey session activated on my computer. These categories mean business! The boundaries for my #UNFOCUSEDWORK category are much more flexible. I’ll take a phone call from a friend. I may set up shop at a cafe an allow a friend to join me. If my husband is home, I’ll bring the laptop to the couch and work while he’s watching TV. I think you’re getting my drift. Basically, it’s important to know what you’ll allow into your space during certain blocks and communicate those boundaries to the necessary people. Have kids? An assistant? A spouse? Coworkers? Family? Make sure they know what each category means.

Invitation Filter

Ah, this one is a good but tricky one. My gut response to everything is no. But my people-pleasing tendency is to say yes. So invitations in themselves can cause me all kinds of unnecessary emotional drama. So, I’ve introduced an invitation filter to help keep my “obligations” joyful.

FILTER: 1. I DO NOT ANSWER ANY INVITATION ON THE SPOT. No. No way. Not ever. Regardless of how the invitation is presented, I always reply with “I will check my calendar and get back to you.” It’s not you, it’s me. I need time to sit with the invite. Sorry not sorry. 2. Is this something that:  a) I will enjoy b) I will learn from c) I will grow from d) Will connect me with new and interesting people that I actually want to meet? 3. Do I want to go? 4. Will I regret not going? (Supplemental question: if yes, why? If the “why” is about letting someone else down, feeling guilty, etc, I move on. If the yes is because I truly think it’s something I would enjoy or that I’d benefit from, then I go.)

Family time standards

I could busy myself behind a computer screen forever and ever (the work never stops), and the husband is rarely home. So it’s imperative for us to have some family time standards in place. That can mean whatever you need it to for your family. If you need some inspiration, answer these questions: Family Time Standards: > When? Where? What? (For us it used to be Friday night and Sunday night dinners. Typically at home. We usually followed dinner with our weekly shows on DVR.) >Are phones allowed? >What’s the protocol if someone can’t make it or it has to get rescheduled? >What’s considered a valid reason to reschedule?

Balance & Joy Protectors

Remember when I said half the battle to living a more joyful life was knowing what you want? That applies here, too. Make a list of all the things that make you feel joyful, peaceful, relaxed, inspired, encouraged, loved and create space for them. Life cannot be all about our obligations. I’ve been there, done that, and let me just say you should avoid that existence like the plague. In reality? You’ll likely get sick from living that way anyway. I did. Maybe those things include reading, exercising, going to the movies, taking a cooking class, participating in a wine by design night, spending time with friends, etc. Whatever it is, schedule it into your calendar and place boundaries around it. Make these things as non-negotiable as your yearly gyno exam. (Sorry, but hey! This is important)! Balance comes from intention. You will never find balance if you’re waiting for it to appear in the midst of all the obligations. Carve out time for joy, protect it, and balance will come.

Happy fresh start!

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