When we think about scheduling, it doesn’t often elicit a super sexy visual. Yet, the concept of sacred scheduling opens up an entirely new perspective around the art of planning. It merely asks us to shift our intentions. This practice allows us to embrace our intuitive nature as we take aligned action. Sacred scheduling supports our ability to open up a sense of spaciousness while creating the momentum required to move the needle forward.
So how do we begin?
Step #1: Awakening to the truth within
This may sound a tad bit heavy, but it’s the first step in peeling back the layers to reveal a life of freedom. This truth starts from knowing the core of what we are – whether or not that encompasses a specific belief system or not. We are truth; we are whole; we are love. We are beautiful and perfectly imperfect, and we get to marvel in this adventure that is this human experience. With this unwavering sense of inner certainty, we can release the need to be anything other than what we already are.
Starting from this empowering perspective, we can get clear on our core truths and values, who we are being called to be, and how we want to feel in each area of our lives.
We can begin by asking ourselves:
- What do I feel called to cultivate in my life right now?
- What do I value first and foremost? (Is it truth? Service? Joy?)
- Is my current focus on aligning each area of my life with the intentions of my most genuine essence, my soul?
- Am I feeling a stir in my gut to finally bring that non-profit to life?
- Is my focus on collaborating with others so that we can create a significant impact?
- Is it contributing to raising the collective consciousness through my podcast, business services, or online presence?
- Or is it merely to live a more playful life, have more fun, and be the embodiment of joy as I connect with my loved ones and carry out the simplest of daily tasks?
Pro Tip: Release any tendency to self-judge or play small during this process. Get clear on what you are being called to bring to life right now. Focus on how it feels in your body to align your action with the truest version of you. This is what intention feels like.
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Step #2: Write it all out
It’s time to bust out that journal and brain dump it all onto the page. Stream of consciousness writing allows us to empty all that we are carrying – everything from that grocery list to the remnants of those pesky subconscious stories we are hauling around.
Allow it all to flow onto the page without thinking or self-editing. Write Out:
- Your “get-to-do” list
- The global-sized goals that are calling you
- The steps that may be required to fulfill those massive goals
- Your current projects & client work
- The volunteer opportunity you’ve been pondering
- Technical tasks, email checking, & behind-the-scenes duties
- The resentment you’ve been carrying around from that disempowering conversation you had with your Aunt Cheryl last week
- The retreats and conferences that have caught your eye
- The new movement practice you’d like to integrate into your week
Pro Tip: After you’ve written everything out, give it a few moments to settle on the page. Take in a few very intentional breaths, and allow yourself to recalibrate. You are now lighter. Carry out this process each week, in whatever depth feels supportive for you.
Step #3 Attune to a natural flow
Minimizing how often we have to shift from one type of activity to a completely different kind of action can allow us to stay present, focused, and in a flow state.
Whether we take into consideration our personalities, energy levels during our menstrual cycles, astrology, human design, teachings of Ayurveda, or an intuitive blend of multiple approaches (my personal favorite), separating our activities into categories supports our ability to take action more fluidity.
We can also zoom out to apply this approach as we map out each month, season, and year.
So how can we do this?
First, consider which items are creative.
Choose ones that evoke a sense of flow, birth novel ideas, open up spaciousness, feel airy, or may be considered of the Vata dosha. Then, decipher which tasks are necessary to move you toward your goals (aligned action steps that require more structure, a sense of inner fire, and momentum). Finally, discern which items are needed to fill up your cup (those that ground you, provide an opportunity for reflection, allow for rest, and support integration of what you have learned).
Separate like items with like items.
Use different highlighters or create categorized lists to group them accordingly. As much as possible, aim to schedule tasks of similar nature together. It may look like dedicating specific days of the week or simple blocks of time to certain types of action (time batching).
Place your self-care routines and daily practices into your schedule first.
Include time for journaling, reading, meditation, prayer, breathwork, movement, baths, envisioning, mantra, gratitude, float tank, dancing, workouts, and any rituals currently supporting you.
Batch creative items together.
Consider dedicating full days or longer blocks of time throughout the week to creation. Items in this category include article writing, newsletter conceptualization, blog posting, social media captions, video recording, vision building, event planning, etc. If you are an entrepreneur, you may want to make space for playful creativity (solely for the fun of it) at a time separate from your content creation time.
Feel into anything you may have written down that is asking to be explored and healed.
This includes disempowering narratives running through your mind, attachments to past circumstances, or fears about the future. Ask yourself what action step, reprogramming process, or perspective shift you would need to embrace in regards to this topic for you to shift into the most real version of you. Set aside time to journal about this and commit to bringing awareness to your internal dialogue around these stories.
Schedule
Next, schedule out your delegated working hours, client service delivery, team meetings, interviews, collaborations, project work, travel, events, household duties, meal preparation, and all hands-on tasks in a way that minimizes process disruption.
Create on-going task lists
Finally, place back-end work-related tasks, researching, emailing, invoicing, accounting work, etc. into an ongoing task list on your Google Calendar, onto a separate sticky note in your daily planner, or somewhere where the list can be transferred easily to the next week. Schedule in these tasks as needed and update it as you go.
Pro Tip: Less is more. Thinking about doing something often leaks more energy than simply moving through the resistance and fear of failure. Leave ample room for the completion of action steps when possible. Ensure to make energetic (and time-blocked) sacred space for human-to-human connection and exploring new experiences. Intentionally set boundaries around when you will be unplugged so that you can be fully present with your self, soul family, friends, or romantic partner. Give yourself space to be. It will infuse more efficiency, focus, and quality into the work that you do.
Step #4 Develop a Rhythm
When we release the desire to be perfect, we can open up to reveal our unlimited potential. Set aside time on the same day each week for sacred scheduling and reflection. It can allow us to infuse a sense of ease and flow into the structure systems we have built to support our wellbeing, our work, and our lives as a whole.
As we reflect on our previous week, we can ask ourselves:
- How did my schedule (or expectations for myself) allow me to feel in my body this week?
- What are the three experiences I can celebrate this week?
- How can I extend more grace and gratitude for myself and my loved ones this upcoming week?
- Moving forward, how can I rise, take further radical responsibility for my choices, and continue to move in the direction of creating the life that is calling me?
- What is one habit I am prioritizing every day for the next week?
Pro Tip: Before scheduling each week, take a few minutes to ground and set the mood. Light candles, take a dance break, turn on your favorite playlist or podcast, and envision what it feels like in all areas of your life. What’s it like to be living in alignment with your truest self? Then choose an intention for the week and the primary focus for your energy. Write it down on a sticky note. Repeat it, as you would a mantra. Close your eyes, and feel it crystalize throughout your physical form. Be grateful for this intention as if it’s already done.
As we move into this next decade, let’s commit to empowering ourselves as an essential aspect of contributing to raising the collective consciousness. That means we all get to harness both the feminine and masculine energies within us. It is time to recognize that to be the embodiment of unconditional love. We must first be able to see that truth within ourselves. Treating ourselves with reverence will propel us to be able to create meaningful change in the world. The practice of sacred scheduling can support our ability to do so.
