I’ve been working full-time for almost five months now and the biggest change is getting used to working full-time. When you’ve been working part-time for most of your adult life, not having weekdays where you can have most of the day off is a big change. Not that I mind the steady work as I am more financially secure. The second issue is finding a schedule that leaves me feeling satisfied and fulfilled. I’ve learned that if I can wake up each morning around 11, I have about six hours to do (mostly) everything I want. Unlike a 9-5, tasks are done before work instead of after. (Which isn’t too different from before, except I have fewer hours in the day now.) This routine includes exercise, chores, running errands, and getting appointments out of the way.

However, I’ve noticed in recent weeks I’ve been feeling burned out and little personal projects go by the wayside. Personal writing, personal branding, and home improvement projects are taking the biggest hit. The desire to do these projects haven’t diminished, but the will do to them has been lacking. Now that I’ve figured out what my ideal day and week should be, I’ve been slowly adding these activities back into my schedule. I’ve also included a schedule for days dedicated to free time activities (gaming) and others related to productivity. Now I just need to set my schedule to account for distractions, appointments, and events that quickly tend to eat up time.

For the most part, I’m seeing a steady decline in frustration and an uptick in productivity.

 

How do you manage your weekday free time?

Appointment Book by Suzanne Carey of Flickr

Appointment Book by Suzanne Carey of Flickr