Making Space
When intentionality meets structure
This week, my newsletter is a bit short as I’m currently on a writing retreat. This retreat is focused specifically on my academic writing, which means I am working on grants, manuscripts to submit for publication, and future planning.
I started attending these writing retreats approximately annually when I first heard about them. They are through the Thrive Institute, led by Dr. Jasmine Abrams at Yale School of Public Health. These retreats focus on supporting public health researchers have a space of intentionality, wellness, support, and infrastructure to WRITE.
I love writing…it’s actually one of my favorite activities for my profession. But as I go further into my career and higher up the ladder, I find that my calendar is consumed with meetings and urgent “to dos” to handle on my research studies. So, I relish the opportunity to block a whole week off - out of office turned on - to just write. This is, of course, made possible by my institution’s support and my amazing husband’s ability to hold the fort down while I’m gone.
But something occurred to me on the last day, as I prepare to return home tomorrow and to a very full calendar, a very large inbox, and a long “to do” list next week. I can find more spaces and ways to block out and intentionally guard my time for the things in my career that make me successful: time to read and get caught up on the literature and research of my fellow colleagues; time to brainstorm, strategize, and plan; and time to write. I just have to schedule it (easier said than done…trust me!)
Who knows how long I’ll last in upholding these protected spaces of time. But it is a good reminder that sometimes we just need a reset and more infrastructure to help ourselves succeed at what we care about.
It isn’t always possible, and often the challenges in our lives are far beyond scheduling. But what is something - maybe a project you’ve wanted to tackle, a hobby you want to try, or even a new recipe you want to cook? How could you take one tiny step this week, perhaps by making a meeting with yourself? Where is one spot where you could schedule an hour to do the things you love?
Until next week…