This is a quick best practice I have recently realized is a necessity in my life. If your world is like mine, your days are not the same moment to moment. Some days seem they are the perfect pace where everything just seems to go as planned, my list is fully checked off, and I even get to enjoy lunch with my team. Those days are few and far between. More often than not, days are interrupted by someone or something that I consider a “Code Red high-level stressor” that throws off my day completely.

As a business owner and high output person, I can’t really change the Code Red moments I navigate daily. What I’ve had to do to adjust is change my social life to being a “last minute” plan rather than a “scheduled” plan. The people in my life (my friends, wife, kids, mom, etc.) have had to accommodate, but the outcome has been incredibly rewarding. Here’s what this looks like:

“Scheduled Social Life” – I make a plan to have dinner Friday night at my favorite Mexican restaurant with my favorite people. I am stoked all week. All of a sudden, it’s Friday at 3:00 and a Code Red lands on my plate. I have to be a dinner at 5:00 and I don’t have time to work through the details. Now, if that happened on a Tuesday, I could get through dinner because I am back at work the next day, but on a Friday, I would be unable to relax for 2 days and 3 nights while I wait for everyone to get back to work.

“Last Minute Social Life” – Friday rolls around and I haven’t committed to any plans. I am looking forward to the weekend but my headspace is free and clear. Say a Code Red comes in at 3:00. I now have as much time as I need to deal with the issue and get home with a free and clear mind to enjoy my family and friends all weekend. Say all is copacetic, I call my favorite people and see who is down for a fun Friday night at my favorite Mexican restaurant.

The main reason I switched to a last minute social life is because I have such a demanding job that making the transition from work to play is not always so easy. On days where my list is so large, many times it is better for me to get that list to a place where I am comfortable versus not being present throughout a weekend. Basically a few extra hours of wrap up time give me the ability to truly enjoy the entire weekend! Follow me?

It’s not that I never schedule plans. In fact, during the week, scheduling plans is much easier for me personally. Pretty much anything can go wrong, but as long as I can fix it during the next work day, I can put it down.

I don’t know about you as I understand everyone is different. I’d love to hear your strategies for how you take care of yourself in spite of being a rockstar. What do you do?

Thanks for Reading!