Make every day pop

Does your digital calendar spark joy? If not, do away with the pile of to-dos, and make space for the real you

- Kritika Kapoor [e-mail]

It started with friends’ birthdays and “very important” meetings. And now look at us — scheduling everything in our online calendars.

Morning moka-pot rituals labelled orange, journaling sessions in pink, Hinge dates in blue, and Sunday brunches in yellow. We even block time to “water the plants”. Calendar creep has invaded both work and personal life. At this point, are you evena couple if your online schedules aren't synced, colour-coded, and basically flirting with each other on their own?

For many of us, calendaring feels like control. A small win against burnout. We hope that planning will lighten the mental load, make the insurmountable a little manageable. But overstuffed schedules mean decision fatigue, no spontaneity, and the shame of little unchecked boxes silently judging you.

So, how do you match your calendar to your energy, instead of the other way around?

Plan for the real you, not your Pinter-est alter ego.