Most people consider Sunday to be the off day, the Day of Rest, the day they tie up lose ends and wind up or down for the coming work week. If you work Sundays or have a non traditional work week, then just replace Sunday with whatever day is technically your Sunday. If you don’t get a Sunday in any sense of the word, then STOP – we need to talk! You deserve a day of rest, you deserve a day in which you exert control over your time, energy and resources. In fact, every day can and should be that way for you.
Sunday, however, is your day to catch up in case the week got out of control. Why not Saturday? Because Saturday is seen by many as the party day. Its seen as the stay out late because there’s still one more day day. It’s ingrained in popular American belief that Sunday is that day of rest, so use it to your advantage.
Even if your kids have a bunch of sports events to go to you can still exert your influence and take advantage of Sunday, and get some balance back. This includes getting balance in the coming week. Remember: planning is and continues to be your pal.
Find your place
First and foremost, you need to find a place, physical or mental, that allows you to do this magic. You can’t do this reading the paper, or the iPad, or scrolling through Twitter. You can’t do this “off and on” throughout the day. Maybe you can do this while cutting the grass, or in the car on the way to your friend, but lets not, OK? Find a place, get some mental, emotional and physical space between you and anything that needs your attention.
Use it as a look back. Think about this past week. Did you feel pulled apart? Was it a whirlwind? Did it move fast, or did it drag on? If it moved fast was that because your were busy doing really fun, fulfilling things, or because you were so overwhelmed in your job, or the combination of job and responsibilities you have at home?
Was there something you feel you rally missed out on? Is there a “I wish I could have…” thought lingering? Is something nagging you that you could have done that you’re going to carry into this next week? If so, that kind of baggage is just going to add stress.
Was there something that made it The Week From Hell? Was it a person, a boss? Was it a special week at work that screws up everything because everyone is stressed so because everyone is stressed everyone is stressed? Was it because a number of responsibilities all fell out of the sky at once and lined up to be The Perfect Crapstorm?
Is there something particularly great about this last week? If so, what was it? Was it a complete feeling because you got to do more varied (balanced) activities? Was it that a certain person of activity left you the hell alone this time? Was it simply that you avoided a stressful person, activity, etc? Was it something that you got to do that you never do – a chance to step up at work, fill in for your boss, lend a hand on a project? Did you get a chance to cook and make dinner because your partner was indisposed? Was your daughter’s game cancelled and you got to just stay home and read that book?
Think about it. Think about it long and hard and explore, with your emotional memory, what it felt like. Then see the week for what it was.
Regardless of your answers here, just reviewing this allows you to learn from this. You may encounter a repeating pattern that once you see it you’ll wonder why you didn’t just fix it. And thats just as important for the good stuff too. You had that joy, do it again. That’s what the balance coaching is about – figuring this stuff out with you, and then having foresight and fixing it, adjusting, squashing the bad, moving forward.
It’s so simple but you don’t do it.
So, do it.
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Mark Bradford is the author of nine books, both fiction and nonfiction, including the clinical psychologist-endorsed Three Voices as well as the award-winning trilogy The Sword and the Sunflower.
Mark Bradford developed a system to achieve goals, manage your energy and understand and strengthen your path – it’s Alchemy for Life™.
He writes, coaches and speaks on the subject. For more information, tips and tricks, like Mark Bradford on Facebook, follow Mark Bradford on Twitter.
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