Act

In plays and performances, there's a concept of diving the material into acts. For example, a stage play might have an Act I, an Act II, an intermission, and an Act III.

In planning out my day, I've recently found it helpful to consider the day as having a number of acts as well, and thinking about a theme for each act depending on the time of day, my priorities, and my energy level. The number of acts can vary depending on the fixed events of the day.

On my weekends, for example, I'm home with my two-year old daughter, who naps in the middle of the day. So it's natural to divide the day into five acts:

  1. Act 1: The time between when I wake up and my daughter wakes up. Writing, coffee, and reading the news.
  2. Act 2: The time between my daughter waking up, and her nap. We get ready, have breakfast, and have friends over.
  3. Act 3: My daughter naps. I do some work and catch up on errands.
  4. Act 4: The time between her nap and bedtime. We spend some time outside the house, play games, and have dinner.
  5. Act 5: The time between her bedtime and mine. I clean up, watch some TV, read, and head to bed.

Now, the details of my schedule might be the most boring thing you read all day. But the point is that in each act, my focus is only on what's to take place during that act, and I find that incredibly helpful.

For example, when I'm in act 2, then it's time to put away work and just focus on time with my daughter. I don't worry about dishes or bills or whatever else has to happen. This is my time for us.

When it comes to our digital tools, I think it's interesting to think of the acts of our day, and which ones they belong in. Smartphones, for example, allow us access to everything, everywhere, but it's easy for them to take up moments throughout the day when they are really just needed at specific times. Cal Newport writes about the concept of a foyer phone in his outstanding blog, and the benefits of using a smartphone at specific times in the day.

Dividing the day into acts lies in the middle of a spectrum, where on one end the day isn't scheduled at all, and on the other it's tightly scheduled to the minute. I find that the middle path seems to work well for me. Some structure allows me to focus and get in flow, but too much makes me feel like a robot. There is happiness in the middle.