Wow, you’ve got a wonderful planner for more focus and cosiness!
On this page, you’ll find tips and examples for relaxing moments that suit you
Tips and examples in three parts
With the help of the planner, you can divide your time over three moments:
Focus
Moments when you enter focus mode to do what you need and want to do
Use the orange-brown boxes marked ‘focus’ in the planner
Butterfly
Time to check off relatively easy, routine tasks
Write these in the white ’to do’ boxes at the bottom of each day
Self care
Wonderful moments of rest that you fully enjoy
Use the grey blocks marked ‘self-care’ and ‘cosy moments’
Naturally, you also have commitments at specific times and dates, such as appointments and meetings.
Use the weekly planner for these fixed ‘rock’ moments, so the other three moments can flow around them like a river.
Tips for focus moments
Focus moments form the foundation of your focus formula. By making the most of them in your own way, you create more value for yourself and more time for self care and cosiness💫
Focus moments are the self-marked time blocks when you direct your attention and mental energy to a single task or activity
🟡Choose time windows when you know there’s a high chance you can find the right focus mode, for example, because you usually feel most energetic at that time of day or there are fewer distractions.
🟡Choose tasks that, when you think about checking them off, give you an immediate sense of satisfaction and/or relief. Tasks that you find quite challenging or tend to procrastinate on, for example.
🟡Be mindful of your present focus capacity. If you can currently stay in focus mode for about half an hour, try extending it by just a few minutes without forcing yourself, and only on a weekly basis.
Turn every focus moment into a unique, enjoyable ritual. For example, light a specific (scented) candle during each focus moment or drink from a particular mug that you like, like this one.
Research shows that a ritual lowers the threshold to start a new habit and adds more meaning to the moment itself, increasing the sense of satisfaction.
Tips for butterfly moments
Butterfly moments are perfect for handling tasks that are easy to check off but still add value to your day💫
During butterfly moments, you tackle relatively easy tasks that require less mental effort but still need to get done
🟡Recognize the moments when you can check off butterfly tasks, such as a half-hour of free time between two appointments, when your energy is low (afternoon slump), or when you notice you’re easily distracted.
🟡Batch process similar butterfly tasks as much as possible. For example, handle all your emails during one butterfly moment, use another butterfly moment for administrative tasks, and bundle reading newsletters for the third one.
Fill your butterfly moments with good stimuli. Every brain is curious and loves new input. So during butterfly moments, play music that stimulates you a bit more, like this playlist, or slightly increase your work pace.
Here’s why: if you don’t sufficiently stimulate your brain during a routine butterfly task, it will start seeking stimulation on its own and you’ll catch yourself scrolling, for example.
EXTRA: Smart tips for apps, tools, and websites
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Tips for self care moments
Self care and cosy moments are all about you and what you need to relax and recharge💫
During self care moments, you choose complete rest and relaxation
🟡Recognize the signals from your body and mind that you need rest. For example, you might clench your jaw or raise your shoulders, find it hard to sit still, or feel that even easy tasks seem overwhelming.
🟡Avoid new stimuli as much as possible. Your brain doesn’t distinguish between work and catching up on the news. Instead, enjoy staring out the window with a cup of tea or take a nap.
🟡Let go of the idea that your breaks need to be useful in some way. You don’t need to count steps, keep up your meditation streak, or read a work-related book. You can just relax and do whatever you feel like doing 🙂
What recharges you is very specific to you. You might first think of chilling on the couch with some Netflix (I love that too!), but if you spend a lot of time indoors behind your laptop, you’ll probably recharge much better by taking a slow walk outside.
Rest and sleep are not the same thing. Try to ask yourself throughout the day what drains your battery. It could be loud noises or having a cluttered mind. Fix the drain; find your calm.
Embrace the rhythm of the seasons
Give yourself more time for self care in the winter and ride the spring’s energy wave
Reflection
Take a cosy moment at the end of each month to reflect on your focus, butterfly, and self care moments💫
During a reflection moment, you look back on your experiences in a warm way and give space to (unexpected) discoveries
🟡Notice when you discover something about yourself and write it down in the blocks marked evaluation in the planner. For example, if you had a really great focus moment and realize what sparked your focus flame: make a note of it.
🟡Make it a cosy ritual and begin on a high note. Sit in your favorite chair or a nice coffee shop, eat your favorite cake, and start with the question: ‘What went well?’.
🟡Plan for the next month by exploring your own questions. A few examples: Do I need more self care? What would I like to do more or less of? Where do I want to set a clear boundary? What is my intuition telling me about my needs?
Focus can fluctuate for many reasons. Be kind to yourself if you notice you’ve done less than you wanted to. Just like nature has its own rhythm, so do you. Observe with curiosity, and nothing more.
Your body and mind respond to factors like sleep, your work environment, and the self care moments you were able to take. Try to recognize patterns and include them in your reflection.
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