Here’s a week that didn’t break me. Monday 6 a.m. flight, landed by 8:45, blocked 9:15–10:15 for “client prep” that was really focused edits and a 15-minute stretch. Tuesday ran long, but I held my 7–8 a.m. ritual: light run, quick outline, status note. Wednesday I asked for a 12-minute midday alignment and it saved our Thursday. Flew home late, kept Friday as recovery plus two hours of pure thinking. This was stitched together with veteran advice from here: set visible boundaries, label them in client terms, and prewire the checkpoints. If you’ve got your own week-in-the-life that actually leaves you a sliver of beach time, what are your non-negotiables and where do you flex?
non‑negotiables: early block every day, midweek micro‑alignment, and a hard cap of one late night. flex: which morning is long vs short. i also keep a “drop list” ready—three things i’ll kill if the week tilts. sounds harsh, but otherwise everything becomes “critical” and you lose the plot. label boundaries in client language and people suddenly respect them.
pro move: book return flights that force a thurs 4pm wrap. the calendar does the pushing for you. if the team balks, you “have a connection” (you do: your sanity). it’ll train them in two weeks flat.
my win: pack duplicate chargers + a tiny toiletry kit. zero CVS runs = 30 mins back. silly but real.
i prewrite the thurs EOD summary on wed night with blanks. faster send, fewer pings later.
Love the cadence! Your micro-alignment and labeled blocks are clutch. Keep iterating 1% each week—you’ll lock in a flow that protects your energy.
My turning point was naming the blocks like you did. When I called it “briefing,” people left it alone; when it was “run,” it vanished. I also set a tiny ritual: shoes by the door and the doc open before bed. That shaved ten minutes of fritzing every morning. Thursday returns got smoother after I started the Wednesday “pre-read only” loop—no live debate, just markups. It’s boring, but it keeps the beach evening intact once a week.
Two levers improved my weeks: a 10-minute Wednesday preview reduced Thursday edits by ~30%, and a 60-minute early block pushed deep work to mornings, cutting evening spillover by ~45 minutes. I also track “errand minutes” and keep them under 15 by duplicating chargers and toiletries. If total protected time drops below 4 hours, I preemptively cancel optional dinners. The consistency matters more than hitting a perfect plan every day.