Wednesdays are always my busiest day of the week. It’s the only day I do late appointments, and I end up being booked literally until 9:30 p.m. every week. If I do my live stream and record and upload a video that day, I’ll be working from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. with almost no breaks. Today is no different than any Wednesday, except that I have one extra “emergency” client appointment (we call them emergency appointments when clients make them less than 48 hours in advance).
(On the plus side, that only happens one day a week. Most days, I’m able to leave the office by around 5 or 6 p.m.)
For a long time, I dreaded Wednesdays. I felt overwhelmed by the schedule and kept promising myself I was going to stop this at some point. But for the sake of my family, I can’t work evenings more than once a week. And some clients just need evening appointments. So, for now, I need to keep the crazy Wednesday schedule.
But I did not want to keep the feelings of dread and overwhelm that kept coming up each week. So I decided to try making certain changes to make the day less difficult.
Here’s how I do Wednesdays now.
I start by making sure I go to bed at a decent hour on Tuesday night. And then I get up at 5 on Wednesday morning so I have time to hang out with the kids and have a leisurely cup of coffee (or several, let’s be honest). I try to spend at least an hour relaxing on Wednesday morning before digging into these busy days, so I’ll be the first shower (usually I wait until everyone leaves for the day).
Then, while my son showers, I’ll have coffee and watch YouTube. When he’s ready, I’ll hang out with him (and sometimes my husband, if he doesn’t leave early) while he eats breakfast. Then, I get my daughter up and she takes her shower. My son and husband leave for the day, and my daughter gets dressed and we hang out and talk while she has breakfast. Once she leaves, I start my day.
I check emails, check in on my clients who are part of my coaching by app program, and figure out what I’m doing for the day. Then I write a list of “to-dos” and ideas in my bullet journal.
Plus: I’ve recently started doing a little two-minute mini-meditation before each client session, opening myself up to receive the right understanding and to give them the help and ideas they actually need so that they can heal.
And once I finish up for the day at usually 10 p.m., I’m too wound up to go to sleep. Usually, my husband goes to bed around 9, so I will just relax for an hour or two and then go to bed. It’s not quite enough sleep, but so far, it is seriously helping to reduce my sense of overwhelm on Wednesdays. 🙂
Today, it’s a good day. I’m feeling strong, in control and ready to roar! I’ve got some really great videos planned for my YouTube SPANily, and things are really starting to come together in a few different places. (More on that later).
With that being said, it IS Wednesday, so I need to stop thinking so much and get to work. If you’re among the two or three people who read this, I challenge you to figure out how to remove the dread of your next difficult day by changing the way you manage your time and your energy – or at least by doing a bit of self-care in the process. Happy Wonderful Wednesday!
