It’s been interesting adjusting to a new working pattern.
I don’t have particularly extreme shifts but it’s still hard to switch off after a late evening. It’s tricky working out how to relax in the most time efficient way possible – it’s hard to start yoga after 10pm when I just want to flop into bed and read
One of the bits I find hard is I don’t see my son as much as I would like – he has a long school day so the times when he’s free tend to be times when I have a shift or a personal training client. One of the great things about working with older clients is that they tend to be available during the daytime when the gym is quieter, allowing me to be at home when my son is. It does encourage me to make the most of the times when we do overlap though!
The positive side of being free during the daytime is that it’s a great time for getting in my strength and cardio training. It’s also good for life admin and I have a new habit of going to the fruit and veg stall at the market on Mondays.
But I do also need downtime and I find it hard to relax properly during the day – there’s something about daylight that makes me feel I should be busy! Today I have most of the day free before working 5.30-10. So I really need to make sure I get some downtime in advance. But relaxing when already tired comes more naturally than relaxing when I’m not tired but need to pace myself to have more energy later.
Still, I like the idea of consciously planning relaxing activities – and I hope that doing so will help me make sure I choose things that I find genuinely restorative rather than just scrolling social media or puzzles.
The great thing about a significant change is that it forces you to reflect on what you need, and the way in which your routine does – and doesn’t – work for you. Lots of things I did unconsciously were things I actually had choices over – but having to make shifts helps me think through what my week need to look like to give me what I need.
What shifts might you make to align your week with your needs?
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