It's 8:30 pm on a Tuesday night, and you're on the couch with your family. You closed your laptop hours ago but you’re still sitting with your phone in your hand, answering one last email.
If you've set working hours and work still creeps into your evenings like this, you're in good company. Most of us were taught to put a fence around our working hours. But nobody told us to fence in our non-working hours, so work slowly spills into it.
I lived this for years. I was answering emails in the carpool line, in the checkout lane at the grocery store, and on the couch with a tablet on my lap.
This week I want you to flip it and set your non-working hours instead, and here's how you do it:
1. Decide when you're off the clock.
Think about the life you want, not what your days look like right now because right now you're probably squeezing work in everywhere. Maybe evenings after dinner are yours, or you want an hour in the middle of the day to reset, or you'd love to keep your mornings for yourself and not be on the clock until 10:00. Start with whichever one you want most.
2. Put it on your calendar like any other meeting.
If it only lives in your head, it won't hold. Go into Google Calendar, iCal, Outlook, whatever you use, and create an appointment called Non-Working Hours. Make it a different color if you want it to stand out. This isn't about letting your calendar boss you around. It's a reminder that shows up right when you're reaching for your phone. When I was first doing this I was tempted to sneak back into work more than once, and seeing that time protected on my calendar every single day is what kept me out.
3. Put your devices out of reach.
Emails and messages are still going to come in, and that's okay. Put your phone and laptop somewhere you can't easily grab them, and turn off the sounds and pop-up notifications. Realistically, nobody's calling you at 8:00 at night. It's you opening your inbox, your texts, or your Teams and Slack channels, so once you've decided you're not looking, most of that pull to get one more thing done goes away.
4. Give yourself a day to adjust.
The first night might feel a little uncomfortable, and your brain will want to check just in case. Then the next morning you'll sit down to work, see that nothing fell apart while you were off, and it's honestly so freeing. It gets easier from there.
Notice what shifts
Once you've had a few evenings off the clock, pay attention to how dinner feels when your brain is actually at the table. Notice what it's like to go to bed calm, instead of collapsing into it after one last message.
Your off hours are worth protecting. đź©·
- Plan-a-Palooza 2026 — Katy Allen, The 3-Week Drop-Off
You know that feeling when a fresh planner or new system has you completely on track, right up until a few weeks in when it all quietly slides. Nearly everyone hits that drop-off; Katy Allen of Artful Agenda lives it herself, which is exactly why what she teaches is so hard-won.
As part of Plan-a-Palooza this year, I'm including her training on rebuilding that momentum again and again, long after the novelty wears off, so your planning actually holds this time.
Time Blocking Fails Women for One Reason
Most women don't start thinking about the holidays until it's already mid-November, the calendar's packed, the shopping turns into a scramble, and every weekend belongs to something you never actually chose. I'm getting into why the month you're standing in right now is the one that actually changes all of that.
I'm walking through how to protect the weekends you need before other people's requests claim them first, a gift list approach that lets you shop early and actually share the load instead of carrying it solo, and one specific conversation that shows you which traditions genuinely matter to your family and which ones you can quietly let go of. I'm also sharing how to hand off a tradition you're tired of running without it disappearing altogether.
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Do I need the TOP Program before I can come to Plan-a-Palooza?
A handful of people asked me a version of this question, so I wanted to clear it up. If you've been wondering whether Plan-a-Palooza assumes you've already been through other training with me, or whether it just repeats what you'd learn somewhere else, the short answer might surprise you. In this week's Weekly Buzz, I break down exactly what each one teaches and why they work together, whether you're brand new to all of this or you've been with me for years.
Remember, this video is updated every Wednesday, so don’t miss it! Head to The Pink Bee app to watch now.
Friend, don’t forget, just 15 minutes of planning today can set the tone for your entire week. You’ve got the tools, you’ve got the tips, and now it’s time to take action. Let’s crush this week together!
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