Hey there,

That's the view from my back patio this Thursday morning. And it took a conscious choice to make this happen.

I've been running my own business since 2010, but for years, I was still trapped in the traditional 9-5 schedule.

My web design clients worked Monday through Friday. Their free time was in the evenings and on weekends. But I insisted on keeping that same schedule (although I often ended up working weekends anyway, thanks to the overworking/undercharging trap).

Why? Because that's just how the week had been planned out for us, and we didn't stop to question how it affected us personally.

A few years ago, my husband (who also runs his own business) and I decided that we would choose which days we took off.

What if we took Wednesdays off?

It seemed perfect. A little break in the middle of the week would help us rejuvenate. We did this for a few years before realizing something. Taking Wednesday off actually broke the momentum we'd built on Monday and Tuesday.

So last year, we said, "How about we try something else?"

What about Thursdays and Sundays?

That way, we could keep the momentum we'd built, run errands when things were quieter, or visit the beach before the weekend rush. And we could be available to our clients on Saturdays, when many of them had time off.

This has been working beautifully for us so far.

The point isn't so much about which days of the week we take off. It's realizing how a seemingly small change in our weekly schedule can make such a world of difference.

This morning, I'm sitting outside with my hot lemon tea infused with Indian masala (spices), and enjoying a slow start to my day in this post-rush-hour traffic peace.

The trees are swaying gently in the breeze. I can see acorns dropping from the oak trees around me. And somewhere nearby, an elusive bird is calling out, sounding like a parrot from my childhood days in Mumbai.

These are the gifts I get to enjoy because of one conscious decision to question something we otherwise follow blindly, simply because "it's always been done that way".

It makes me wonder:

What other parts of our lives are we organizing around rules we never consciously chose?

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Do share your thoughts with me in the comments below. I’d love to hear your experience of questioning these types of unspoken rules.
~ Sophia from Fly Free