3 Times a Week Is a Habit
Instead of holding yourself to a daily schedule, cultivate a seven-day mentality
Laura Vanderkam, the time management expert who wrote Off the Clock and Juliet’s School of Possibilities, is here to answer your scheduling questions. Check back every week for more advice, and send your own productivity problems to asklaura@medium.com. (Your name will not be used.)
Dear Laura: There are so many things I’d like to do — exercise, write poetry, learn French, try new recipes — but I get discouraged when I get to the end of the day and realize I haven’t done most (if any) of these things. How can I make more progress, or at least feel better about the progress I do make?
You mean you didn’t make the time today to exercise, write a poem, and practice your French, all while whipping up a pot of boeuf bourguignon? On top of your job, social, and family responsibilities? What’s wrong with you?
Or perhaps a better question is: Who says you have to do everything that is important to you every single day?
Your career is likely important to you, but few people report to their workplaces seven days a week. A week is the cycle of life as we actually live it. And when it comes to most habits, a seven-day mentality — instead of a 24-hour one — can be life-changing.
