Mindful in 5 Podcast

Flexible Routines, Structure Without Stress

• Spiwe Jefferson • Season 5 • Episode 176

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Curious how Brianna and Rashad rediscover balance as empty nesters? Get your sample chapters of Mindful in 5 – Meditations for People With No Time.

Feeling overwhelmed by the chaos of summer schedules? 

You're not alone. The struggle to balance work deadlines with family time while still enjoying those spontaneous summer moments affects nearly everyone. That tension between structure and freedom is exactly what we tackle in this episode of the Mindful in 5 Summer Zen Series.

Drawing inspiration from our friends, Brianna and Rashad, we explore a transformative approach to summer scheduling. Rather than rigid hour-by-hour planning or complete lack of structure, this approach offers a middle path that brings clarity without constriction. 

This simple shift acknowledges reality – unexpected events will happen, some tasks will take longer than anticipated – while preserving your sense of accomplishment and peace.


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Spiwe Jefferson:

Welcome to the Mindful in 5 Summer Zen Series, your hub for thriving leaders. Here we will explore actionable insights to support resilience and success as we navigate the unique chaos of summer, and success as we navigate the unique chaos of summer. I'm Spiwe Jefferson, certified mindfulness practitioner, lawyer and author of the Mindful in 5 book series. I believe we all deserve a bit more balance and peace, especially when work and life get a little hectic. When work and life get a little hectic While you're enjoying the sunshine and this vibrant season, I'm excited to share insights and practices that can help you integrate mindfulness, balance, peace and a sense of purpose, whether summer's just beginning or winter's at your door. Grab a comfy spot and let's explore these practices together. Elevate your work, empower your life, work higher, live stronger. Let's go. Does your summer schedule feel like a juggling act? Work deadlines colliding with kids' energy and the unpredictability of summer days predictability of summer days. What if you could create a routine that brings structure but leaves room for joy and spontaneity? Today, our title is Flexible Routines Structure Without Stress. How about that? We are tackling the art of flexible routines, finding that sweet spot between structure and freedom so that you and your family can flourish.

Spiwe Jefferson:

Let's step into the story of Brianna and Rashad, two characters from the Mindful in Five books. With their twins off to college, they suddenly have an open summer calendar and a house that feels both empty and full of possibility. Well, okay. So at the outset in the book, the house was actually empty and full of ambivalence and acrimony, but that's another story. Let's assume for today that they want to reconnect but struggle with how to fill their days. Should they plan every moment or just let things unfold?

Spiwe Jefferson:

The one idea for this week is adopt the flexible routine. To help you, here are three components of this idea. Component one the power of a loose framework. Structure brings clarity, but rigid schedules can add stress. Instead, try a loose routine. Anchor your day with a few fixed points, like shared breakfast or a midday walk, and let the rest remain open for whatever comes. You can do this by using time blocks rather than hours. Why not hours? If you schedule your time hour by hour, the minute one of those hours or part of it gets thrown off, or the minute it takes longer to do something than you budgeted time for, all of a sudden, your whole day is off, and if you are a list checker, then you may feel incomplete if you get to the end of your day and you can't check everything off your list. So instead try buckets of time like morning work, afternoon play and evening wind down. On my weekends I only give myself three things to do in a day and actually in my workday I only prioritize three key things that I want to get done that day, because I know the phone's going to ring, things are going to come up, meetings are going to happen and people are going to show up to chat and I know all those things will happen. So therefore I only hold myself accountable to do the three most important things that I need to do that day. You can do the same thing with your summer that way, if you get sidetracked cleaning out the fridge or moving the patio furniture cushions from the basement to the deck it's okay.

Spiwe Jefferson:

Component two Build in spontaneity. Summer is a season of surprises. Some people don't like surprises, but in this context that's pleasant stuff. Leave space in your day for spontaneous fun, whether it's an impromptu ice cream run a walk in the park or a quick game with the kids. Ask yourself where can I let go of control today? Just a little to invite more joy. When my husband and I were dating, we liked to take a weekend afternoon siesta. He might nap, I might read, but the point was to just spend quiet time resting together. Years later, well, okay, I confess we don't do it as often as we did not rigid, but we do leave time in the schedule to do it spontaneously when we both happen to be home and we're hanging around the house. So that takes us to component number three. That takes us to component number three Communicate and adjust together, whether you are solo or with a partner or managing a family.

Spiwe Jefferson:

Talk openly about what's working and what's not. If you're solo, the perfect time to evaluate is maybe at the end of each day. You sit by yourself for that still time, for your meditation, for your mindfulness time, for your centering time, and you just reflect on your day and ask yourself how did I do? Did I build in flexibility? Did I stress myself out because I overscheduled? And then the next morning you sit down and, starting with at least five minutes, you think about what you have in store for the day and you mentally decide what are the three things that you really want to get done today and how do you build in that flexibility into your summer schedule.

Spiwe Jefferson:

Flexible routines thrive on honest check-ins and small tweaks. For those of you who are God lovers, when you have your centering time, hold your schedule up to God and ask him where can I let go? Where can I have flexibility? You could even give him permission to interrupt your day with opportunities for you to pour life and light into others. What about that? So, for your weekly schedule, hold a five-minute Sunday reset to review the week and adjust your routine as needed. As needed, a flexible routine is your summer superpower, offering enough structure to keep you grounded and enough freedom to let you, your work and your family thrive. This softer, more mindful approach can help you feel more peaceful, clear and supported, even on the busiest days.

Spiwe Jefferson:

Now, before we close, let's do a quick routine reset. Start by taking a deep breath Three slow, deep breaths Inhale and exhale. Feel your feet on the ground. Inhale and exhale. Connect with your body parts. Inhale and exhale. Drop your shoulders, relax, close your eyes and visualize. Picture your ideal summer day. What is one anchor you want to keep? Where can you allow more flow? And then, when you're done visualizing, write down your three daily anchors and the one area, or the two areas, or as many as you want, that you want to leave open for spontaneity. Carry this flexible plan with you and adjust as you go.

Spiwe Jefferson:

So tell me, drew, what is one way that's mindful? I-n and the number five. All one word on Instagram and or Facebook with your answer. Tune in next time for Child Care Hacks, creative Solutions for Working Parents, and don't forget to click on the link at the top of the show notes to meet Brianna and Rashad and explore more mindful strategies for your summer. Peaceful, clear, joyful, supported. That is your Mindful in 5 Summer Zen Until next week. This is Be Weigh saying be mindful and be well.

James@DiscovertheVoice:

Thank you for listening to Mindful in 5. If you enjoyed it, share it with a friend, follow and rate it on your favorite podcast platform. Pick up your signed copy of the book and journal from spiwejefferson. com, or unsigned copies from Amazon, Barnes and N oble or wherever you get your books. Visit spiwejefferson. com to download sample chapters of the book, watch videos and become a mindful ninja. Join us on the LinkedIn Mindful in 5 group and share your thoughts. Until next time, be mindful and be well.