How do you Bookend Your Day?

I'm in the middle of a disheveled week. There's a workshop sucking up 4 hours of my morning which is basically the whole morning - from 7 am to 11 am. The afternoon sucks up more time related to the workshop... with the end result that I'm spending 6-7 hours of my day working on this contract. Normally... I do maybe 1-2 hours a day. Hence the dishevelment of this week!

Given all that is going on, I am handling it remarkably well. And that's not must me thinking that... that's my partner commenting on it as well! Despite the fact that my usual morning routine is a bit out the window... I'm not blogging, journaling is hit or miss, and let's not even talk about my morning walk... However, I am managing to keep some of the key pieces in place - like meditation, cat cuddling (very important) and a healthy breakfast.

And in the evenings, I am still doing my journaling and reading a book. Still finishing eating by 6:00 (ish) and limiting my time on the computer screens... even though I still have to do a final sweep of workshop related stuff at 8 pm. 

All in all... not doing too badly. As we were talking, it came to me that... as long as my morning and evening routines are remaining fairly intact, the rest of the day flows not too badly. Yes, there are ups and downs and disruptions but... I'm handling it better than I have in the past. It's like my morning and evening routines are bookends to my days.

Some days... I probably wouldn't miss a bookend, or even both of them... because the day is like a bunch of hardcovers... they can stand up on their own for a while. Day after day... likely not. But for just this day... I can manage without a bookend.

Other days however... I'm trying to corral a bunch of floppy softcovers and... geez... without both bookends, the day just ends up falling apart. Pull those bookends away and it's a right-old mess!

The thing is... I really don't know what the day is going to look like, so it's important for me to tend my bookends. I need to pay attention to my morning routine... and if I can't go for a walk, at least I could puzzle for a bit instead. I can make these little adjustments and still find time for me, even in a hectic morning. What I'm realizing is that I can seize those small moments and actually get a fair bit done. This morning... I didn't journal or blog... but I did work on another personal writing project, and that felt really good.

I also can't neglect my evening routines. Even though the day is done... the evening routine gives me a chance to decompress... to journal a bit and debrief. To play a game with my partner (and lose!). To read a book, even just a few pages. All of this calms me and prepares me for the next day. It allows me to clear the space so that I'm not carrying unresolved stuff into the next day.

What I'm also realizing is that my morning bookend has a bunch of moving parts. Depending on the day of the week, I might do weights... or I might go for a walk. Or I might work on one of these blogs. Or maybe I'll work on my other writing project. Perhaps I'll go for a walk... or save that for later. It's much easier on me when I have a set routine... first do this, then do this, then do this. That's part of what makes habit stacking so effective. I'm finding it harder with all of these mobile options. It's very easy for me to forget some key parts, especially if I start off the day doing something different... like working on a puzzle first thing. I really need to focus to connect with... what to do next.

A flexible routine is an oxymoron to me... routine is something set and solid. It's not flexible. And for something to be flexible... that implies that there is a lot of room for variability... totally not routine! So I am having to wrap my head around the idea of marrying these two contrary concepts into a united whole. Is there such an offspring?? I guess I might need to alter my vision of routine... perhaps it is not "rigid" or "structured"?

Or perhaps... rather than seeing my morning routine as a solid block... I need to see it as series of smaller pieces, that can be combined into different shapes. Kind of like Lego blocks. Some pieces are non-negotiable... like stretching and meditating... and journaling... but other than that, I can grab different pieces and combine as I choose... in the timeline that I choose.

Maybe... I will have to mull this over a bit more. In the meantime... I will work on hanging onto my daily bookends! They are small steps... but without them, my days would be a bit of a mess!