For many of us, the first couple weeks almost felt like a really extended weekend, or really long spring break. No one really knew what day it was, slept in, wore pajamas most of the day, and didn’t have much structure at all.
That can happen for 1-2 weeks and feel nice in many ways, then we realize that life can’t really stay that way.
Our lives typically have quite a bit of structure, and many would argue their lives have too much. Regardless, we typically have jobs to get to, people to serve, children to guide, or places to be. As much as it can seem overwhelming at times, it gets things done.
Structure, obligations, and responsibilities are what keep us productive. An object in motion stays in motion, right?
I learned this firsthand 7 years ago.
There was a 6 month window after I finished coaching full time at my old gym before officially opening CrossFit Reform, and this window was much more difficult for me than I expected.
Since I was 10 I was always juggling multiple commitments, with work, education, sports, and social time. While I was about to go into working for myself and starting a business, I couldn’t help but realize it was more difficult than expected.
While it was nice in the beginning to have a little time off, I realized my work-flow state was poor, my urgency was low, and my productivity was lacking. None of these traits were common for me. There was something about waking up at any time I wanted, having limited structure to my day, and all the time in the world to do something, that made it less urgent.
I had fallen into the trap of Parkinson’s Law, and it took a while to realize that structuring my day and tasks made me constantly productive.
It’s always nice to have time off, especially a mental break and reset, but it can’t stay that way forever, and you need to move forward.
If you’ve lost a job, what can you do right now to make you the most desirable candidate to your next boss? If your kids are slouching around at home can you give them an experience they would not learn in school, but is applicable in the real world? If you’re a business owner, can you temporarily pivot your service, direction, or offering for what your clients need most right now?
We are all in an unexpected place at the moment, but it won’t help to just sit around and wait for it to end.
Who do you want to be 30/60/90 days from now? What do you want to have accomplished, learned, or completed? What small steps can you take today that will move you forward through all of this?
We can all come out of this better, just structure yourself so there is no alternative.
Here is a great podcast we just did about “Setting Your New Routine.” Have a listen, it will definitely help.
