Reclaiming My Time

Dear Not So Secret Diary,

I never thought I’d say this, but unemployment has been one of the greatest gifts I’ve received. I am forever grateful. I say all that now but in the beginning, I was super overwhelmed. I panicked. I tried rushing into the next opportunity just to prove I was “doing something.” I considered going back to the very place God delivered me from. I even fell into a get rich quick scheme. I was by all definitions hopeless. But God, He refused to allow me to get in the way of His divine plan. God forced me to chose me. He forced me to slow down and create a life that felt like mine. He even created the perfect situation for me to thrive in.

For the first time in a LONG time, I wasn't chasing someone else’s deadline. I wasn't reporting to an office or molding myself to fit someone else’s idea of “productive.” All of that free time helped me begin a personal journey: one that felt less like survival and more like soul work.

That was the moment I began to reclaim my time.

And this time I was going to do that in every aspect of the word.

Instead of consistently having God force me to do things that are optimally better for me. I started learning how to lean in. Since I’m extra, I started treating my life like I’m a celebrity; because tell me I’m not?

I schedule in dance rehearsals that feed my inner child, studio time that speaks to the creative in me, and meditation that centers the woman I’m becoming. I sip my tea slowly. I journal freely. I cry when I need to. I rest when I want to.

This isn’t laziness. This is liberation.

For years, I let society’s version of productivity define my worth. Checking boxes, overbooking my calendar, and celebrating exhaustion as if burnout were a badge of honor. But no more. I’m learning that productivity doesn’t always look like hustle; sometimes it looks like healing, softness, laughter, or even stillness.

Reclaiming my time means redefining what that time means to me. That meant I had to quit chasing my purpose and get used to allowing things to unfold naturally. Every day I started forcing myself to choose presence. If I was going to get closer to the passion that’s always been inside me I couldn’t be: buried under deadlines, distractions, and doing too much for too little in return.

This season, I’m choosing joy over urgency. Flow over force. Vision over validation.

This is what reclaiming my time looks like.

And it’s the most productive I’ve ever felt.

If you’re in a season where you feel like you’re starting over, let me say this: it’s okay to start soft. It’s okay to be unproductive by the world’s standards if it means being aligned by your own.

Reclaiming our time isn’t something we have to do alone. It’s a journey best shared. I’d love to hear how you’re reclaiming yours. Come join the conversation in my Facebook group Capree's Cozy Corner, where we share stories, encouragement, and real-life practices for living with intention. Leave your comment there and let’s grow together.

Warm Hugs,

Capree'