Anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I love a busy schedule.

Back to the office? Count me in. 6am spinning three times a week? Absolutely. Weekend staycation? I’ve already booked the Airbnb. Evening hobby? Oui, j’apprends à parler français…

However, while this kind of treadmill of productivity can feel energising and exciting, it often means I don’t feel very present.

In fact, by not making time to indulge in unscheduled moments of enjoyment with my friends and family, my life had started to feel a little lacklustre.

So, to avoid becoming the inflexible ‘Type A’ cliché of a noughties chick flick, I decided to change something.

I would spend an entire week making an occasion out of as many everyday moments as possible, elevating even the most mundane of activities and trying to make more of the ultimate luxury – time.

Here’s how I got on…

My morning routine usually sees me tearing out of the front door just in the nick of time, before grabbing something from the local Pret to consume hurriedly at my desk.

So, to get my week off to a more luxurious start, I decided to get up an hour earlier and carve out some time for a moment of peace before the chaos of the day unfolded.

I brewed a fresh pot of coffee, made some toast and set the table with the best spreads the household had to offer (Biscoff, Marmite and blackcurrant jam, if you’re asking). Then, instead of drinking my morning cuppa alone, I invited my housemates to join me.

We only had about 20 minutes all told, but coming together on a weekday morning to share a bit of chat before scuttling off to our respective jobs was surprisingly lovely.

Instead of feeling like the work day had begun the second my alarm went off, I felt as though I’d managed to wring out the last bit of juice from the weekend, putting me in a much better mood as I set off for the office.

Recently, my catch-ups with friends have most typically consisted of a phone call, FaceTime or a disjointed WhatsApp convo with no real sense of connection.

So, to celebrate making it through Tuesday, I decided to meet up with a friend IRL for a post-work drink.

We’re both working hybrid at the moment and since the weather was decent and she’s lucky enough to have a back garden, I headed straight over to her place as soon as the clock hit six.

I took a bottle of my go-to fizz, a fresh and citrusy Freixenet Prosecco D.O.C., which turned out to be the perfect move as my friend proudly announced she’d landed a long-awaited promotion.

With a glass of bubbles in one hand and the early evening sun beating down on us, it genuinely felt like we’d skipped out of the daily grind and landed somewhere in the Med.

I felt so pleased to have been able to celebrate with her in person, rather than hearing about it in the group chat and responding with a bunch of bottle-popping emojis. The real thing was far more luxurious.

I’m all for socialising and making up for the time lost over the last two years, but sometimes I need to prioritise time alone and I’m notoriously bad at doing it.

However, if there’s one thing that’s likely to tempt me into slowing down, it’s a soothing bubble bath.

Now granted, the bathroom in my Peckham flat doesn’t have floor-to-ceiling French windows or an exquisite view over the city skyline, but it does have an actual bath, which feels like a win as a renter in London.

Instead of hopping in and out as I usually would, I took a book in with me and set the scene for a proper wallow.

By the time I’d lit a few candles, I could almost have convinced myself that I was in a Parisian hotel room, albeit a budget one somewhere out in the 15th arrondissement.

An hour spent away from my screens focusing only on relaxing felt like the most luxurious thing I did all week and something I’ll definitely try to make time for going forwards.

Food is my first love, but my schedule often means I end up eating on the go, buying takeaways or indulging in restaurant dinners to the point where they no longer feel like a treat.

So on Saturday night, I switched out my standard Domino’s for a homemade dinner, and best of all, I invited my mum and sister round to help me make it.

Weirdly enough, preparing our own food was much more satisfying than ordering it in, while combining a catch-up with cooking made for a better bonding experience than fighting over the last slice of pizza.

We opted for a garlicky prawn Alfredo, which was no easy feat for three amateur chefs whose kitchen prowess usually extends to pesto pasta and tuna jackets…

Nevertheless, the meal was delicious and we rewarded our efforts with a large glass of Freixenet Pinot Grigio D.O.C., a delicate white wine from northern Italy and the perfect pairing for our seafood special.

It felt like a proper occasion and not just a mindless evening in front of the telly. A night in, taken to the next level.

If we have our Italian friends to thank for anything (besides good food and delicious wine, of course), it’s the concept of ‘dolce far niente’ – the sweetness of doing nothing.

You might recognise the phrase from Eat Pray Love where Julia Roberts discovers the joy of doing sweet FA and I’m here to tell you… it’s a game-changer.

I took a long, aimless stroll on my lunch break rather than staying glued to my laptop. I skipped my evening French lesson to read in the garden. I bought some fresh sourdough, olives and cheese for dinner instead of spending time cooking.

All of it was dreamy.

If time is the ultimate luxury, then not trying to cram it with endless achievements and activities is the icing on the cake.

I won’t be tearing up my schedule just yet, but making it a little less crammed is about to become my new priority…

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