👩🏻💻 📆 🚀 My Three Types of Work Weeks
How I structure my time as a creative solopreneur, mom, and occasional Tasmanian devil
Whoosh….. Flump.
Those are the sounds of me heaving a sigh and flopping down in a chair to finally write this newsletter.
It feels so good to be writing.
Robert Henri said, “The object isn’t to make art, it’s to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable.”
Suffice it to say, I have not been in that wonderful state for quite some time.
A Flurry of Motion
Ironically, since my last dispatch about the spacious nothingness of solitude retreats, I’ve been living at the extreme opposite end of the spectrum. Let’s call it “high-speed crowd-surfing”. For everything there is a season, no?
An amalgam of opportunities converged in the last six weeks of my personal space-time continuum, and I said yes to all 783 of them. I knew what I was getting myself into, and I got myself into it anyway. And I loved it. And I’m tired. If I were an emoji, I would be this one. 😵💫
My Three Types of Work Weeks
A Diving Board reader asked me to post about a “week in the life” of my work.
At first, this task sounded perplexing, since my weeks vary widely, and I can’t groove to any consistent routine. But upon closer reflection, I realized that in general, my weeks fall into one of three categories:
👩🏻💻 Desk/Couch Weeks (lots of virtual meetings and computer-based work - creating proposals, designing content, or writing newsletters. Oh, and emails. Always emails.)
📆 Event Weeks (I may have some desk time, but my energy is consumed by one or more events – workshops, team experiences, etc.)
🚀 Hyperspeed Weeks (weeks with travel and/or back-to-back meetings and/or multi-day events and absolutely no margin to do anything but THE NEXT MANDATORY THING)
Typically, these three types of weeks occur in equal measure. But since mid-February, I’ve experienced multiple Hyperspeed Weeks in a row, cushioned by the other types of weeks, all of which is as foolish as it sounds.
Yet somehow, I did more than make it through this wild ride. I relished every opportunity. I felt GOOD. (This is different for me…I’m usually very easily stressed out and overwhelmed.)
I’ve been paying close attention to what helped me feel so good in hopes of repeating those vibes should a busy season hit me again. More on that below.
I’ve missed you dearly, readers. What follows is a closer look at my three most common types of work weeks, all of which have occurred since my last post. I’m also sharing some musings – both philosophical and tactical - about how I relate to and structure my time.
👩🏻💻 DESK/COUCH WEEK (FEB 17TH- 21st)
WHAT I DID:
Coaching sessions + Other meetings (12h)
Content Design (Creating speaking notes, slides, and participant handouts for upcoming events)
Proposals for Work (to land new business)
Personal/Kid Appointments (5h)
Recorded a Podcast (I’m the guest – will share when it’s live!)
Took an afternoon off for some me-time
Hours Worked: 38 (11 of these hours occurred outside the 8-5 window)
REFLECTIONS:
Clockify: In November 2024, I used Clockify to track my time as a one-month data-gathering exercise. But I felt so empowered by knowing where my time was really going that I’ve continued the practice. Some learnings:
I found that I was way underestimating how much time I spend on various kid-related appointments during the workday. No wonder I felt like I was working full-time but not getting as much done as I wanted!
As a result, I designated regular windows outside the 8-5 box - specifically 5:30-7:30 am two days a week - to ensure I’m truly working full-time. (Do I love this pace? No. Have I found another way to maintain my income while keeping our family running? No. So, for now…this is how I’m managing.) During busy seasons, I work additional early mornings, sometimes on the weekend, and rarely in the evenings.
Permission to recharge: Leading up to this February 17th week, I knew from Clockify that I’d worked 40-50 hours the previous two weeks, and I also knew things were about to get bananas. So, I took an afternoon off with absolutely no feelings of “I really should be working”.
Calendar Blocks: I hate task-switching back and forth between meetings and work time – my brain does not feel happy when I work that way. So, I block my calendar with Work Time vs. Meeting Time and make sure my online scheduling tool matches this. I’m not always able to preserve that structure, but it helps to aim for it.
Focus Fridays: I’m attempting “Focus Fridays” in 2025: no-meeting days focused on deep work (writing these newsletters and future social media content, applying to speak at conferences, business development strategy, etc.) I honored “Focus Fridays” until this busy stretch and hope to get back to them now.
📆 EVENT WEEK (FEB 24th- 28th)
WHAT I DID:
Keynote Speech at the Mortenson Construction Women’s Event (~½ day on-site, plus tons of prep time)
Coaching and Other Meetings (13 hours)
Personal/Kid Appointments (2h)
Picked up my parents from the airport!
Birthday Party Prep (left work early Friday to prep for my daughter’s Harry Potter party)
Hours Worked: 41 (12 of these hours occurred outside the 8-5 window)
REFLECTIONS:
The Keynote: I intended 2025 to be the start of my “keynote era”, so this opportunity felt amazing! Slides and Participant Handouts were finalized earlier, so the week of the keynote, I nailed down my talking points and practiced a ton. (FYI, when I facilitate with a smaller group, I don’t practice. I just read through and highlight my notes in advance, considering how I want to lead each section.) But speaking for an hour straight in front of 350 people meant a different level of prep was needed – so practice I did!
PSA: I do not endorse keynoting, visiting with out-of-town family, and hosting a
major production8-year-old’s birthday party all in 3 days.Thank you, Rob: Gratitude to my husband (aka, Dumbledore in the picture below) who drove across town early the morning of my keynote when I realized I had left my makeup bag at home. He saved me from the horror of keynoting plain-faced, God forbid. 😉
🚀 HYPERSPEED WEEK (March 17TH - 21st )
WHAT I DID:
On-site Client Presentation: shared a proposed design for a year-long leadership development program my colleague Nikki and I created following a Discovery process (stakeholder interviews, surveys, etc.) with the Client Organization. This presentation was the final step before the Client decided whether to engage us for the full program development and delivery. (The contract is nearly signed, so this work will be a big priority in 2025-2026!)
Facilitated a 2-day Leadership Development Program at a different Client Organization
Traveled to Washington D.C., attended a 2-day MyWorldView Certification Program for coaches, with two of my close friends, Nikki and Beth!
Coaching and Other Meetings (6 hours)
Personal/Kid Appointments (2 hours)
Stayed in D.C. for an extra night to spend time with college friends
Hours Worked: 60
Additional Travel Hours: 6 (this is time at airports or in Lyft rides when I wasn’t also working – I got a lot done on the actual flights)
REFLECTIONS:
The Right Mix: I didn’t have to prep much for the 2-day program I facilitated because I’d led it recently. (We call this a rinse-and-repeat engagement.) The organization even handled all the logistics, so I just showed up and facilitated. I like having some work on the low-stress end of the speaking scale. Variety is the spice….
Energy Math: Weeks like this are enormously energizing and draining, so it’s hard to tell how the math shakes out. I loved traveling and learning alongside my friends, seeing the Washington Monument and Smithsonian out of the window of my Lyft (no time for a proper tourist stop), and catching up with my college pals over brunch. I was pooped by the time I reentered my home on Saturday afternoon…just in time for my kids to latch onto me like koalas, desperate to make up for four days of missed affection. 🐨🐨
Why Did I Feel Good? I have no “hack” for how I got through six weeks of madness unscathed, except that I do prioritize a full night’s sleep (7-9 hours) with very few exceptions. I did not have time for much more self-care than that during these weeks. I think what helped me thrive through it was:
The inner work I’ve done over the last 5-10 years around my relationship to time and achievement. I am a go-getter by nature, but more and more, I relate to time as a tool I can wield to live a meaningful life rather than a limiting force I’m battling against to succeed at all costs. I’ve still got a lot of work to do here, but this dynamic is way better than it used to be.
Staying connected to myself: checking in with my feelings, honoring them, noticing when I was feeling taxed, and offering myself nurturing
Lots of time in learning experiences and courses sprinkled into these six weeks – this filled my cup and gave me built-in time for reflection and exploration
Connecting deeply with friends, family, and colleagues – both in the course of the work and outside of it.
How About You?
How do you structure your workweek? What feels good to you right now, and what’s trickiest about your workflow or work-life mix?
Anything you have more questions about or want me to elaborate on? Let me know in the comments!
News & Announcements
My book proposal officially went out to the first batch of potential publishers in March! My agent Morgan prepared me for a potentially long and winding journey ahead, and so far, no book deal. I have been gifted several rejections, including one publisher who expressed then retracted interest. Ouch. This is the part where my delicate skin gets thicker!
BIG NEWS! I’m presenting at the International Enneagram Conference alongside my friend and colleague Nikki Shultz this summer! We’re thrilled (and a little stunned) that we were selected, as the competition for presenter slots is fierce. We’re presenting on: “Better Together: Fusing the Enneagram & Vertical Development to Accelerate Leadership Growth”. We even made a fancy promo video:
The conference is July 24-27, 2025 in Minneapolis, and Early Bird Tickets are on sale through April 15th before prices go up. Register here: IEAExperience.com
STAY TUNED: big announcement coming soon about an IN-PERSON event I’m planning in Minneapolis!
Finally, I leave you with this. Hope it makes you giggle:
"A burrito is a sleeping bag for ground beef.”
Mitch Hedberg
See you next time on The Diving Board!
A note from a 20-something that’s trying to figure her sh*t out… thank you for saying that part of your success in the last several months is connected to the 5+ years of work you’ve done to connect with yourself. The more time I spend now unlearning and growing into the best version of myself, the more engrained it will feel in 10 years. Thank you !!!
See - I know what you've been up to now so I feel all caught up! Plus I gleaned some new tools! Clockify is new to me and I just might try it. Love that you share who you are, what you do and how you're growing with the world, Claire.