My New Schedule - With Thanks to the Basket of Dreams

The sun is known to shine down with extra conviction in New Zealand and Australia. We were warned and made sure to lather up with sunscreen, especially during our weekend in Queenstown. A little after noon, Matt, Imogen and I hiked the Queenstown Hill. In total we did 4.71 miles and 1,405 feet of elevation.?

We mostly walked together, but when we got to the top we each split off for individual moments of reflection. There was one major monument called the Basket of Dreams at the very top. I climbed in, closed my eyes and made a wish that all my wildest dreams would come true. It was December 27th, 2022 and I was beginning to really finalize my New Year's Resolutions.?

I made my wishes, took in the view, saw the goats playing in the high grass, smoked a cigar at the top of the mountain with my buddy Matt and proceeded to head back down towards the center of town.

Something felt slightly off, like I hadn’t finished the conversation in the Basket of Dreams. As we left the top of the hill, we were luckily greeted with more shade coverage. The change in sunlight led to a change in terrain and coincided with a change in mindset. I felt the urge to be alone and kindly looked back to Matt to let him know I was going to jog up ahead and walk solo for a bit.?

It came together pretty quickly. I know I’m close, but I need to make it easier on myself when I’m not traveling to have a killer routine that allows me to accomplish long term goals. Here’s what I came up with and have started to implement into my daily routine.

6:30 - 7:30 AM?

Free hour to wake up. Focus on hygiene like brushing my teeth, gulping down some water, light stretching and cleaning up my room/the house. Maybe I step outside, grab a snack. Really whatever I am feeling at the moment. Just one rule: No screen for that first hour.?

7:30 - 8:15 AM

Choose between a creative or a physical activity. Making this simple, I’ll either be journaling or creative writing. If I choose the physical route, I’ll either be lifting weights or going on a run. Prioritization for this to be outdoors.?

8:15 - 9:00 AM

Eat a big meal and start my admin work. Plan for the work day and also think through how I can carve out some more outdoor time. Great time for a protein shake, an omelet or meal prep. Also, an excellent time to think through priorities for the work day and potentially start those before 9 AM rolls in.?

9:00 - 6:00 PM

The main thing will be work, but no matter what there will be a 30-45 minute lunch break that includes being outside. I’d like to implement reading or basketball as a quick brain break.?

6:00 - 7:00 PM?

Similar to the 7:30 AM time slot, I’ll do whatever one I did not do earlier in the day. Ideally I’m outside doing a sunset run or I’m locking in to a long evening writing session. Either way, I’m using this hour to grow towards my long term goals of feeling healthy and working on a side hustle being a writer.?

Other goals

• 8 hours of sleep per night
• 1-2 days a week that don’t follow this schedule
• Self love if I don’t follow this perfectly on a day-to-day basis

Have you checked in on your goals that you made 12 days ago? Do you need to adjust your goals? Are you giving up on those goals already? Simplify, restrategize and feel energized by your ability for this to be Day 1 all over again.?And if you are starting to build momentum. Keep going! You've got this.