Feeling like a busy bee these days?

I mean, it’s May. It comes around like Christmas – once a year, every year. Yet somehow… I never see it coming.

And every year, as a mom of school-aged kiddos, I expect it to be manageable, but inevitably it’s full of numerous events: permission slips due, field trips, final projects due, and end-of-the-year celebrations – and it’s all good stuff, but TBH, it leaves me feeling worn out.

You don’t consider all the other things going on in your life – so we add on meetings, launches, (oh- maybe I need to rebrand right now!), new product ideas – like it’s just another ordinary month.

You’re in constant motion. Always moving. Rarely stopping to slow down, soak in the moments.

I don’t know about you – but this has been a BIG season of change for 3 out of 4 of my kiddos – one is ending middle school, another is ending elementary, and another is going to be a big Pre-K kid.

It’s a LOT. And things move fast.

I look at my oldest and still wonder, how did we get here already? Have you felt that way with your kids? I bet you have!

Earlier this week we celebrated #WorldBeeDay, but unlike our buzzing friends, we don’t have to be in constant motion.

Bees are actually some of the most purposeful creatures. They build their hives using the hexagon – which is the most efficient shape found in nature.

They even move with purpose – the males dance in a mating ritual to attract the female. (Does that give anyone else an idea for their hubby? Haha!)

Jokes aside, I think we can take a cue from these fuzzy arthropods.

What if I told you that slowing down and being purposeful can actually lead to MORE productivity and joy in your work life?

This past January, I read the acclaimed 10x is Easier Than 2x by Dr. Ben Hardy and the ideas in that book are wonderfully simple, but not necessarily easy to do.

One of my biggest takeaways was a new-to-me idea of blocking my days in three categories.

Side note: I used to theme my days – for example: Mondays I focused on marketing, Tuesdays I focused on client work, etc. But the problem I experienced with this model, is I left no space in the middle of my work week. No room to slow down.

I lacked margin to actually process and even, dare I say, play! I was missing time throughout my week to implement things I was learning, or rest from working really hard on a project.

I so often see too many people, especially those who work a traditional 9-5, who work solely for the weekend.

As an entrepreneur, I could opt to not set boundaries and work all the time, over time, after my kids go to bed, or on Saturdays when my preschooler is napping. Or I can easily fall back into the familiar trap where I work M-F to only look forward to the weekend – just as if I was working a 9-5.

So at the beginning of the year, I implemented this new method I learned in the 10x book, and today, I want to share with you the three ways I now categorize my days, which are helping to intentionally give me more balance by incorporating margin throughout the week.

They are:

• Buffer days
• Focus days
• Free days

Let’s go deeper into what these categories are and how you can make them work for you too!

Okay – let’s talk first about buffer days. These might be my fave! Here’s the beauty of buffer days – you can use these days for whatever you need to! They’re planning days, content creation days, scheduling days, team meeting days. It’s all the BTS stuff you need to do FOR your business. You’re doing the work – whether it’s client project planning, writing the emails, designing your social media graphics, making the phone calls to set things up – whatever it is you do. To use a classic sports metaphor – think of these as practice days.

Next up are focus days – these are your performance days. The days you show up live. You’re meeting with the client, hosting the workshop, recording the podcast, giving the presentation, publishing the blog post. And that’s all you’re doing on these days. By not scheduling a million other small tasks on focus days, it allows you to 100% FOCUS on the important performance task at hand – allowing you to have a clear mind and do your very best.

Last but certainly not least – FREE days! Or what I also call FUN days. These are the days – you RELAX, rest, recharge. Use these days to do anything other than work. Read. Do laundry (ok, only out of necessity haha!). Binge your favorite show. Go take a hike with the family. Spend the morning slow sipping your French press and read an old fashioned newspaper. Whatever sounds fun to you. It’s a FREE day. Free days allow your brain to rest, to be creative in other ways. It’s why you have those “eureka!” moments when you’re NOT thinking about trying to solve all the world’s problems.

Here’s a formula I find works well for me – but I want to encourage you to find one that works for you!

In a typical week – here’s how I use buffer, focus, and free days.

• Monday – Buffer
• Tuesday – Focus
• Wednesday – Free
• Thursday – Focus
• Friday – Buffer
• Saturday – Buffer
• Sunday – Free

I’ve tried a few different combinations but found having 2 focus days, 2 free days and 3 buffer days feels like a good balance. Try out different combos and see what works for you!

With four kids, every week is a little bit different – so I love how flexible this system can be. For instance – yesterday was my free day and I spent the majority of it at the beautiful La Cantera resort with some new friends in my local women’s co-working community. It was amazing – and relaxing. I feel refreshed and recharged today!

I hope that you’ll find this useful to incorporate more freedom and flexibility in your busy schedule!

If some of your summer goals include upping your brand game – I’ve got a great new resource for you.

You can download my FREE Tech Resource Guide where I’m sharing my top 5 systems that keep my business running smoothly (at least as smoothly as I can whip up pb&j sandwiches for all these growing boys!)

Head over here to grab your guide today and grow your brand with more confidence, ease and fun!