Man, I needed this. Seriously. Last week was a total disaster. I’m usually pretty good at holding things together—juggling clients, writing posts, making sure I actually eat something that isn’t stale crackers—but I absolutely dropped the ball on something crucial. I missed the notification for my daughter’s final presentation at school. Just totally blew past it, buried under a mountain of urgent-but-not-important emails. My wife gave me that look, you know the one? The one that says, “You handle complex global projects but you can’t manage a shared Google Calendar?”
I felt like a total fraud. That’s why, when scrolling through some random newsfeed trying to distract myself from the shame, I stumbled across some airy-fairy headline about Pisces maximizing their week. Now, I don’t follow astrology, not even close. But I was so desperate for a system—any system—that I thought, “What the heck, maybe the stars can help where my complex productivity software failed.” I grabbed the tips, which were actually just five surprisingly sensible action items wrapped in mystical language, and I vowed to implement every single one of them, starting Sunday night.
The Pre-Week Scramble: Setting the Stage
The first thing I did was print out that stupid list. I usually just glance at my week in my head, but this time I forced myself to sit down with a giant whiteboard.
The first tip was about “Finding your creative flow by anchoring the ship on Sunday.” Which translated to: Plan your damn week thoroughly on Sunday.
I opened the calendar and didn’t just dump tasks in; I scheduled them. I allocated two hours of deep work every morning before 10 AM. I physically drew boundaries on the whiteboard with a red marker, labeling those slots “DO NOT ENTER – Deep Focus.” This usually doesn’t happen; I just wait for the inbox to tell me what to do.
The second tip was “Protect your psychic energy field.” This meant: Identify and eliminate energy drains.
I went through my existing meeting schedule. I realized I had three separate 30-minute status syncs that were basically just people reading bullet points. I emailed the organizers and politely—but firmly—requested they switch to a weekly email report instead, citing “critical focus requirements” this week. Two of them actually agreed instantly. Boom. One hour saved immediately. That was a huge win right off the bat; I usually just sigh and attend.
Mid-Week Execution: The Grind and the Struggle
Monday morning came, and I kicked off with the third tip: “Dive deep into the well of creation first.” Or, Tackle your hardest, most important task first.
I shut down Slack. I put my phone in the drawer. I wore noise-canceling headphones. This was painful. I felt the phantom pull to check Twitter or just peek at my email, but I resisted. I dove into writing the comprehensive client strategy proposal that I had been putting off for two weeks. Because I had blocked the full two hours, I crushed the outline and the first draft. Usually, this task would have taken three fragmented afternoons. I felt a massive lift.
Tuesday and Wednesday were about applying the fourth tip: “Delegate the non-essential currents.” Which meant: If someone else can do it 80% as well, hand it off.
I looked at my administrative tasks—invoicing, receipt aggregation, scheduling the maintenance guy. Tasks I hate. I called up my virtual assistant (who I already pay, but I rarely use for fear of “bothering” her) and dumped the entire pile on her desk. It cost me $40, but it bought me four hours of sanity. I usually think I save money by doing those tasks myself, but really, I just waste my prime mental hours on junk.
Finishing Strong: Boundaries and Rest
The final tip was the hardest for me because I always feel guilty about it: “Seek refuge in the quiet harbor.” Schedule intentional, screen-free rest.
I used the time I saved from the canceled meetings and delegated tasks to actually implement this. I booked a one-hour massage on Thursday afternoon—something I haven’t done since before the pandemic. I took a full hour for lunch and read a novel instead of eating over my keyboard while doomscrolling. I made sure that when 5:30 PM hit on Wednesday, I closed the laptop and didn’t open it again until Thursday morning. I usually sneak back to “just check one thing” after dinner, but I fought that urge.
Here’s how the week shook out:
- I completed the massive client proposal two days ahead of schedule.
- I cleared out my inbox to zero for the first time in months (because I wasn’t constantly interrupted).
- I managed to research and outline three new blog posts, which was a bonus.
- Most importantly, I showed up on time for the family commitment I had scheduled—a movie night—and wasn’t distracted by work messages.
It’s crazy, right? Following five goofy “astrology-inspired” tips pulled me out of my rut. It wasn’t the stars; it was the simple act of intentional scheduling and ruthless elimination. I reclaimed about ten hours of effective work time, just by being structured. I don’t know what next week’s Pisces tips are, but I’m definitely going to find them and use them as a framework again. Sometimes you just need a silly excuse to be disciplined.
