How to Implement Dead Week Into Your Schedule
(Even If You’re a Busy Adult with a Lot on Your Plate)
You’ve probably heard of Dead Week if you went to college—it’s the week before finals where no new assignments are given, and students are encouraged to focus only on reviewing, studying, and simply surviving the stress.
But here’s a question:
What if we took that same principle and applied it to our real, grown-up, overly packed schedules?
What Is a Personal Dead Week?
A personal Dead Week is a built-in pause.
It’s a short window of time—maybe a few days or a full week—where you intentionally clear your schedule of anything that isn’t urgent or essential.
Instead of pushing through stress, overwhelm, or crisis with a “keep going no matter what” mindset, Dead Week invites you to stop adding more, and to honor what your body, mind, and spirit actually need.
Why You Might Need One:
You might be deep in a season of:
– A major life change
– Physical or emotional exhaustion
– A health scare or recovery
– A big work project
– Family stress or caregiving duties
– Just feeling like you’re juggling too many balls and can’t keep them in the air
In a hustle-driven world that glorifies doing more, faster, and better, Dead Week gives you permission to do less, slower, and gentler.
How to Plan Your Own Dead Week
Here’s how to implement Dead Week into your real life without needing to quit your job or ghost your responsibilities:
1. Look Ahead and Choose Your Window
Pick a timeframe where you know things are already intense—or will be soon. This might be:
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The week before a big deadline
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When your kids are starting school or wrapping up a season
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During PMS or perimenopause flares (yes, really)
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After a loss, illness, or emotional crash
Mark this time clearly in your calendar as “Dead Week” or something meaningful like “Low Power Mode.”
2. Cancel, Delegate, or Postpone Anything Extra
Clear out anything that isn’t essential:
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Reschedule coffee chats or calls
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Let go of your usual workout routine
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Push off big house projects
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Reduce your screen time and digital noise
This isn’t forever. You’re not quitting. You’re just protecting your bandwidth.
3. Decide What Stays on the Plate
There are probably a few non-negotiables. That’s okay.
Just get clear:
What has to get done this week—and what really doesn’t?
Stick to the basics: food, sleep, work essentials, caring for yourself or others. Let that be enough.
4. Choose a Daily Anchor
Create one gentle ritual each day to remind you that you’re still showing up:
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A walk outside
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Lighting a candle in the morning
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A five-minute journaling session
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A quiet moment with your coffee or tea
This is about grounding. Not productivity.
5. Set a Reminder That You’re Allowed to Do This
We’re conditioned to equate busy with worthy.
So you might feel guilty slowing down.
Write yourself a note:
“This is my Dead Week. I am not lazy. I am resetting so I can come back stronger.”
Put it on your mirror. Say it out loud. Believe it.
What Happens When You Honor Your Own Dead Week?
You recover faster.
You avoid deeper burnout.
You protect your mental health.
You parent, partner, and work more compassionately—because you’ve taken time to tend to your own needs.
You remind yourself that you are human, not a machine.
And humans? We have seasons. We ebb and flow.
Dead Week is one of the greatest tools of intentional living. It helps you:
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Reclaim your energy
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Reset your nervous system
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Move forward with clarity and calm
Final Thoughts
Slow living doesn’t mean your life will always be peaceful.
But it does mean you build in practices—like Dead Week—that allow you to respond to stress with intention, not panic.
So the next time life feels like a pressure cooker, give yourself the grace of Dead Week.
Say no to what doesn’t serve you.
Say yes to rest.
And let that be enough.
P.S. If you liked this post, be sure to check out the Slow Living Podcast episode called “Dead Week” where I dive even deeper into this topic. And if you’re craving more peace and purpose in your everyday routine, come join me in my free Masterclass or in Simple Shortcuts to Peace.
You are worthy of rest. Always.
