A few months ago, I lost my job.

One day, I had deadlines, Zoho messages, meetings, and a schedule.
The next, I had silence. No meetings. No login. No direction.
Just a quiet kind of grief and a calendar that suddenly felt empty.

You’d think more time would equal more clarity, right?

Wrong.

For weeks, I couldn’t keep time to save my life.
I’d wake up, scroll, overthink, work small gigs, cry, plan to do things, then… not do them.
I wasn’t lazy. I just didn’t know how to hold time anymore without structure around it.

And if I’m being honest, even before the job ended, I was already wasting time.

During my 9–5, I kept telling myself:
“I should post on social media.”
“I should start that side hustle.”

But I didn’t. I buried it.
I slaved away, ignored the whisper, and poured everything into a job I thought was secure.

It was all work, work, work.
No room for creativity. No space for myself.
Sheesh. And then it ended, just like that.

But slowly, and I do mean slowly, I started rebuilding.

This post is for anyone in that same place right now.
Where everything feels messy, uncertain, and shaky.
Here’s how I learned to plan my life again, one quiet step at a time.

🌧️ First, A Reminder: It’s Okay to Feel Lost

Before we talk systems, let’s talk about the journey.

If you’ve just lost a job, a relationship, or even a sense of self, your brain isn’t wired for clarity right now.
It’s wired for survival.

So if your planner is blank, your days feel fuzzy, or you’re angry at yourself for “wasting time,” I want you to know: you’re not failing.

You’re just rerouting. And rerouting takes grace.

🧠 How to Start From Zero (Mentally + Practically)

Here’s how I began again from literal zero.

1. Acknowledge your season

This isn’t the season for 5AM wakeups and 10-step morning routines.
This is the season for gentleness, for counting brushing your teeth as a win.

Write this somewhere:
“My life can be quiet and meaningful at the same time.”

2. Reclaim one rhythm, not all of them

For me, it was waking up before 8:30 AM.

I didn’t need a full plan. I just needed one consistent cue that reminded me:
I can still show up for me.

1. Pick one rhythm:
2. Morning walks
3. Cleaning your desk every night

A 30-minute Sunday planning moment

Just one. If you can do it at the same time daily, even better.

🗓️ My “Safe Week” Layout

At the beginning, I stopped color-coding and over-planning.
Instead, I picked one thing per day.

Here’s what my week looked like when I had nothing figured out:

Each day had one intention.
One page. One action. One direction.

That was enough.

🔁 Expanding Gently: How I Moved From One Task to Three

After a few weeks of sticking to one intention per day, something shifted.

I wanted more.

Not more pressure, but more purpose and structure.
Not hustle but a little more fulfilment.

So I added two more things to each day.

At first, I went too hard. The tasks were too big. I burned out, slept late, woke late, and felt crushed when I couldn’t finish all three.

So I tried again. This time, with care.

Here’s how I built my 3-task flow:

✍🏾 1. One Big Priority
The one thing that, if done, would make me proud.
Example: Update CV

🌿 2. One Gentle Task
Something light that kept life moving.
Example: Fold clean laundry

💭 3. One Simpler Task
A grounding habit for the soul.
Example: Read Psalm 23 slowly with tea

It was simple. It was soft.
And it gave my days shape without turning them into chaos.

And when I couldn’t do all three?
I did one. And that was enough.

📓 How I Use My Planner in “Survival Mode”

I actually created the First Things First Planner during this season of my life.

I didn’t need a planner that made me feel guilty.
I needed one that held me with care.

So I designed it with:

• One page per day

• Just 3 priorities

• A gentle habit tracker (even if the habit was “take a walk”)

• A reflection space: What went well? What felt hard? What am I grateful for?

Some days I didn’t fill it out. But it was always waiting for me when I came back.

📖 Scripture + Soft Affirmations That Held Me

Here are verses that carried me:

• “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” — Exodus 14:14

• “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” — Psalm 90:12

• “Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10

And affirmations I whispered when I couldn’t get out of bed:

• I am not behind. I’m being rebuilt.

• My time still matters even in the quiet.

• God is not done with my story.

🪞 If You’re Here Too…

If you’re navigating job loss, change, or that weird blurry in-between, I see you.

Start with one gentle plan.
One page. One act of intention. One morning, you don’t hit snooze.

That’s where it begins.