Running a Business with an Unstable Work Schedule

Tricia
6 days ago
3 min read

Updated: 4 days ago

Why I Stopped Planning Days and Started Planning Seasons

Full moon in a teal-blue sky framed by bare black tree branches, creating a calm, moody night scene

For years, I thought the problem was my schedule.

I work part-time with hours that change from week to week. Some weeks, I would have long stretches of uninterrupted time; other weeks, I felt completely fragmented. Alongside that, I am running a home, growing a creative business, and trying to maintain some sense of balance.

No matter how carefully I planned, it always felt like I was falling behind.

I would create beautiful weekly schedules, only to watch them unravel when work shifts changed. I told myself that next week would be different - more organized, more productive, and more balanced. It rarely was.

A Shift in Perspective

Recently, I read Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman. One of the ideas that stayed with me was that we don't have as much time as we imagine and to choose what matters most. We often create unnecessary anxiety by trying to control time too tightly. The goal isn't to fit everything into every day, the goal is to accept that we are limited.

That idea helped me realize something important: I wasn't failing because my days were unpredictable; I was failing because I was trying to create the perfect balance inside a single day or week to do everything.

When life disrupted my plans, I felt as though everything had fallen apart.

My Lunar Pivot

Instead of measuring my life in 24-hour blocks, I started looking at it through the rhythm of the lunar cycle.

A month naturally contains periods that feel better suited for planning, creating, sharing, reflecting, and resting. Whether you follow the moon closely or simply use it as a gentle framework, the cycle offers something that a daily planner cannot: perspective.

I no longer feel pressure to force creativity into exhausted hours. If I have a productive burst of energy, I use it, and if I need rest, I know there is room for that, too.

Rather than asking, "How do I do everything today?" I ask, "How does this fit within the month?"

The Unexpected Discovery: I Work Better in Seasons Than Schedules

As I started thinking in monthly cycles rather than daily schedules, I noticed something else.

For years, I tried to divide every day into neat little pieces. A bit of writing. A bit of product creation. A bit of administration. A bit of marketing. On paper, my daily to-do list looked balanced, but in reality, I felt scattered and stressed.

I seemed to always be switching gears. Just as I found my writing rhythm, it was time to answer emails. Just as I started designing a product, I had to move on to something else. Most times, I didn’t move on, and things simply didn’t get done.

Recently, I've been experimenting with working in blocks of days instead.

I might spend three days focused primarily on blog content - writing, editing, and planning future articles. Then, I'll shift into three days of behind-the-scenes work: creating products, updating listings, improving systems, and organizing the business. And the one left over day? It’s for family and rest.

The difference has been remarkable. Instead of constantly restarting, I stay immersed. Ideas connect more easily. Projects move forward faster. Most importantly, I end the day feeling less mentally fragmented.

I've realized that I don't work best in perfectly balanced days; I work best in focused seasons.

How I Plan to Use This Going Forward

Lunar rhythms have days for action and days for rest - days when creative energy feels abundant, and days better suited for reflection, evaluation, and course correction. I want to build my business around seasonal and lunar rhythms instead of rigid productivity systems.

That means:

Planning projects across an entire moon cycle rather than a single week.
Allowing busy work weeks to be lighter creative weeks.
Using high-energy periods for writing, designing, and creating.
Giving myself permission to rest without feeling behind.
Trusting that meaningful progress can happen in rhythms rather than straight lines.

The biggest shift has been to my nervous system. When plans change, I no longer feel as though I've failed.

I simply adjust the rhythm.

The moon will continue its cycle. Another phase will arrive. Another opportunity will come.

And perhaps balance was never meant to happen in a single day anyway.