THE ROOT 9: 46.3 | The Mandatory Personal Invite

Ok, hear me out. When we see a meeting on our work calendar, whether it has a physical location or is virtual, we factor it into our day intentionally. We plan around it and for it. We think about what we need to prepare or how we will participate and show up. If it’s in the morning, we make sure we’re out of the house to arrive on time. If we are chatting with someone right before it starts, we politely excuse ourselves so we aren't late. We respect that block of time because we have labeled it as mandatory.

I’m not saying we need to calendar every single second of our lives. That would be exhausting. But I think it’s an interesting thought exercise: Is there something in your personal life that you value and should be elevated in importance similarly to how you prioritize a work meeting you can't miss? Is it a priority that you just aren't treating like one?

Let me give you an example of one in my life: sleep. I know…I write about it a lot. Honestly, I am still trying to train my brain and unlearn the narrative that less than six hours of sleep is just "how I am" and that it doesn't impact me, but I functioned like that for ~25 years. I say I care, but when I’m in bed scrolling or moving slower through a task at night, the sleep window just gets condensed, not the wake up alarm. I don't exert the same mental energy that kicks in during work mode to make sure I’m not late or prepared for a calendar block. I’m trying to work on the discipline of being similarly ‘prepared’ to be ready to go to bed when the clock says it’s bed time.

Truthfully, I started calendaring an "unwind" block for myself on my calendar. Nothing crazy. Its ~9:45 PM. But even seeing that alert every day has helped me a bit. It is a visual reminder that my rest is a commitment worth keeping.