NORTHERN PLANNER

Time. It's the only thing you can't buy.

You'll find as you get older, as the work gets higher pressure, there are more demands on it than ever. 

Honestly, it doesn't get any easier and you're no less confused. Its just that when the buck stops with you more, you have no choice but to sort your shit out. 

I thought I was busy until I had kids, now I wish I had done more with all that time as a dawdling flaneur.

Here's how I flail though things these days. 

Create a ritual for mornings. Always know how you'll start the day. You can't control most of your day, but you can control how it starts. Drink water. Get a small win, when you feel good about yourself, you perform better, it could be as simple as making the bed for once. Exercise, it doesn't matter what, just do something, the happy endorphins are better than any drug. Look at what you need to achieve today, decide what must be done by you and what you can delegate.

Work in surges. Do 25 minutes of work, then 5 minutes break. The break helps you maintain focus for more of the day. Of course, if you're on a roll, keep going. 

Which means allowing yourself to Get into the Groove. Know what gets you into your Flow State. Create the conditions for that to happen. Music works for many – sometimes that might mean listening to the same play list every time you want to do Deep Work. I'm better in the mornings, even better straight after exercise, I work with that rather than against. 

Make mundane tasks all or nothing. Do one big shop, plan it. Do one mammoth house clean. Diarise one massive admin session a week.

Say no to meetings without an objective. Meetings suck time. Don't attend any without a defined point to them. 

Check your email less. If people really want you, they'll come talk to you or phone. Social media, even more so. Tell Slack to fuck off. 

Reward yourself. Without a treat, you'll lose the will. Give yourself a couple of hours of time for you if you can. Tired is stupid.

Develop a night ritual. I'm still working on this. For an hour before I go to sleep, ideally,  there are no devices, or screens. Its time to read or talk. Which in turn helps me sleep better. I'll get there. 

Don't beat yourself up. Learn from what is working and what is not. No one is perfect, it takes time to find your own rhythm.

Focus on the hour ahead, not the day. Once you’ve prioritised in the morning, live in the moment.  Take care of the hours and the days will start to take care of themselves. Any challenge is easier when broken down into chunks.