Thursday: Your New Secret Weapon For Winning Your Week(end)
“We were all born with a certain degree of power. The key to success is discovering this innate power and using it daily to deal with whatever challenges come our way.” — Les Brown
There’s a surreal feeling on late South Florida afternoons in the fall, especially if you workout and shower, then slide under your duvet without a stitch of clothing on; falling asleep to shadows dancing on your wall as the sun lazily sets, napping for 30 minutes of brain bliss.
Thursdays have this feel. Maybe because that’s my ritual to reward myself for keeping a tiny human alive, maybe because I’ve worked hard to carve out that time to myself unapologetically.
I don’t know.
Regardless, Thursdays are big reflection days for me since it’s right before the week truly kicks into high gear with events, intense Saturday writing sessions, and teaching on Sunday.
If that just sounded like I work seven days per week, it’s because I basically do. Working in three-hour clips, three times per day most days allows me freedom to do what my toddler wants.
Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday are a blur.
My daily schedule, written out per day, for an average week, would have most people tapping out by Tuesday around noon.
Even if I had a full day off I’d find some way to keep my brain going with writing a recipe, guest posting a quick blurb somewhere, or brainstorming better marketing for the menu at Brooklyn Water Bagel while I’m in line with whoever wants to go.
I can’t turn it off and wouldn’t want to, getting my brain to be able to handle always being “on” took a tremendous amount of effort but was so worth the journey.
Anyone saying they can teach you the latest brain hack to get that level of thinking overnight also doesn’t hold the door open for others or say thank you when someone holds the door open for them. What a jerk, I don’t trust jerks.
Just sayin’.
Anyhow, back to Thursday, my favorite day.
Some associate it with the archaic Norse word for Thor’s Day, full of powerful promise and energy to fight through the end of the week into the splendid weekend.
Maybe you follow Kundalini Yoga and have heard it referenced to Guruvara tied to the planet Jupiter symbolizing knowledge and the expansion of the universe.
Perhaps, you’ve simply heard it referred to as Friday’s Friday.
Whatever you want to call it, Thursday is a widely overlooked day for planning and reflection. Plus, there are not too many social events on
Thursdays so we get to take family walks after dinner and visit with neighbors after sunset. We don’t have training to run off to, we eat at home that day, and simply fall into tea and conversation after our chores are complete.
We have a kid, there's always chores. Regardless…
It’s a glorious day — but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t come with challenges for you as an entrepreneur or go-getter.
Every single Thursday I reset and center myself so I don’t snap on family and friends simply for asking if I’m available for their weekend party, yes, this weekend.
After all, I work from home so why can’t I… make a cake? WTF?! (Actually said to me without shame.)
But I usually do if I can or at least make some Rice krispy treats or a healthy whatever I can pick up on the fly.
Because, deep down — I truly need my people to never stop asking, no matter how many times I tell them (or myself) I’m working and getting lost inside my own head.
I miss people but I also love to work and spend time with my son. Thursdays remind me of that.
They are also slow enough to help me plan time to see all of these amazing people, get my grocery list together, and spend some time doing the things I love most.
Some say joy shouldn’t need to be planned, but for me, it does.
Here’s what I do to connect again and get the most out of my Thursday:
- Read for 30 minutes, nap for 30 minutes,
- HIIT train throughout the entire day at odd times with one focused workout mid-afternoon while the baby naps.
- Look back through family photos from the week for all the feels and to remind me of how much outside versus inside time we had as well as laughs.
- Look back on my food photos from the week. Did I write at least one new recipe this week? Did we eat enough color or does one color stick out more than the rest? Did I eat for longevity, brain-power, or pleasure mainly?
- Encourage someone or wow a friend somehow.
- Free write at least 500 words.
- Wait with the baby outside to say hello to neighbors as they come home from work and greet my partner with baby hugs and welcome home songs.
That’s it, those simple steps have been my everything for about 10 years (#7 is a new addition).
Listen, Thursday has a hold on you once you start using it as a free planning day to connect with your personal needs. One time I tried a hot yoga class on a Thursday and it stuck…for a full year. Every Thursday at 7 p.m. I’d show up.
It’s a magical day full of possibilities to help you overcome end of week challenges, setting yourself up for so much opportunity. I hope you give it a try and love it as much as I do.
How will you win your Thursday?
Today’s Stats:
Days Writing: 14/60
Today’s Word Count Goal: 500
Actual Word Count: 970
Word goal from 11/1/19–12/31/19: 75,000