When I was a kid, each day of the week had a different color. Friday was pink, Saturday was yellow (sunny?), Sunday was white. I don’t know why. Maybe I had seen a calendar with the days displayed in different colors.
Mondays were blue. Not because it meant going back to school. We had a housekeeper come on Mondays who often wore a blue dress. Tuesdays and Thursdays were dark gray, probably because on those days I attended an after school event I didn’t like. Wednesdays were Orange, a bright color signifying a respite between the dark gray days, no doubt.
Whatever the origin of these colors, my attitude towards each day of the week was slightly different. That’s true even today. Today is Friday and I’m looking forward to the weekend. I’m more relaxed, more likely to write something light, maybe even fun.
How about you? You may not see the days of the week in different colors, but I’ll bet you see each day a bit differently. Your energy is different on different days. You probably get more billable work done on certain days than others.
Of course the same is true throughout the day. Clearly, we have times when we are more productive than others. I think this is also true throughout the year. During summer and during the holidays, we work a bit less, play a bit more.
So, what does this mean? It means we’re not machines. It means we have cycles. Our energy ebbs and flows. There is a natural rhythm to our lives. Unfortunately, we’re often out of sync with that rhythm. We have school and work five days a week and we have to show up and produce, whether we feel like it or not.
I’m not suggesting we abdicate our responsibilities, only that we be a little less rigid about our schedules and a little more open to going with the flow. Listen to our inner voices instead of always doing what’s next on the list.
When we don’t feel like doing something, we usually push harder, “because we have to”. The work has to get done. But maybe the resistance we feel towards the task means something. Maybe if we put the task aside temporarily, when we came back to it we could get it done faster, with better results.
Anyway, too much thinking for one day. Today is pink and I feel like having some fun.
