The Art of Adaptability: 7 Questions to Help You Perfect Your Rhythm

Here’s what you do. First, get up super early and exercise. Secondly, spend time with your family. Third, write for 2.5 hours (or at least 90 minutes). This was the morning productivity formula that a writer/entrepreneur I've followed for years advised on his Instagram channel recently. His main goal is to write a book. 

His philosophy prioritizes doing the 3 things that matter to him most each day before anything else. If he can do these tasks 200 out of 365 days, he considers that a year well lived. 

He's spot on by training himself to devote his attention to the most significant matters first. This certainly minimizes possible interruptions that could crop up later. My pushback on this advice is that his routine wisdom works well for some leaders, but not all. If every day is the same for you and you like that, then his system may work amazingly. 

As I tried repeatedly to instill a systematic, unchanging routine of writing into my life, I felt frustrated, incompetent, and inconsistent.

However, I strove for years to follow this scheduling advice and that of many other leaders who took a prescriptive approach to structuring one’s day. I am incredibly grateful for their assistance and guidance. From people like them, I’ve learned a great deal about creating an overall rhythm of life. 

Yet as I tried repeatedly to instill a systematic, unchanging routine of writing into my life, I felt frustrated, incompetent, and inconsistent. I realized I really don’t like to repeat my basic schedule each day, but I do need a structure that’s also flexible. Instead, I am a person who requires a rhythm rather than a system or schedule. 

A Creative Leader’s Groove

Many artistic women (definitely not all) are both rhythmic and flexible. First, we are seasonal creatures by nature; our rhythms change monthly based on our bodies’ needs. Secondly, we need to flex a great deal more in life.

Take work and home responsibilities for instance. Some women transition from working full-time to staying at home to care for children or elders for a time, then returning to work in some capacity. Some of us return to higher education after many years. On the whole, women—including single, retired, or those without children—need to change more than the average male because of the ever-shifting expectations of what it means to be a woman in the 21st century. 

We look at our lives holistically and flex with our needs.

In the past month, I’ve moved from one morning rhythm to another. I used to wake at 6:40 a.m., spend a few minutes with God, take my son to school, get ready, write for 30 minutes, take a walk, then start any other work around 9 a.m. This has shifted to at least a half hour later (sometimes 90 minutes later).

Now I wake at 7:15 a.m., drink coffee in bed for a while, make a school run, spend time with God, do 10 minutes of exercise, get ready, write a little, and then start my work at 10:30 a.m. In addition, each day I allow myself the flexibility to tweak this schedule based on the sun’s appearance and temperature. (I’m solar-powered.)

Women Who Flex

For most female artist-leaders, few days in the week are the same. We’re creatively squeezing our art into early mornings, nap times, late nights, car time while kids are at practices, and around career demands. We change things up seasonally because this comes naturally to many of us. We look at our lives holistically and flex with our needs.

Here’s my encouragement: don’t be afraid to change your rhythm if it’s not working. You may be like the productivity guru I mentioned who prioritized exercise, family, and writing routinely. Go for it! But never fear taking action to shape your days. Prescriptive scheduling works for some, but certainly not all. Take out that shiny new planner that may or may not transform you into the most productive person of 2024. Thoughtfully take time to reflect on what rhythm you need to flourish.

Consider these 7 questions to help you reflect on what you may want to change in your schedule.

7 Questions to Perfect Your Personal Rhythm

1. Do you prefer routine or rhythm (structure with flexibility)?

2. What’s been working in your current rhythm?

3. What needs to change?

4. What are you proud of making time for in the last year?

5. How do you want to feel at the end of 2024?

6. What are 3-5 things that will help you get there?

7. How can you make time to reassess your routine or rhythm each month?