Take Control of Your Day
I find it fascinating that no matter what is happening, the hours in the day just feel fleeting. Finding balance between what we want vs. what we need to do in our day is huge. Before we know it, the countless minutes in the day add up and we can easily be occupied with what is not important to us. I've fallen off track many times, and I've decided to take back my day!
Life as we know it feels turned upside down, backwards or all-together confusing right now. I want to be sensitive to challenges that encompass us. There are countless hurdles; mentally, physically, financially and or spiritually. Below are a few core ideas that have contributed to juggling our family of seven, running my design business and finding the time to take better care of myself. Even if you're not running your own business, are there any hours in the day that you can take control of? Can you change how you optimize them?
Before I get there, I want to set the tone. I feel its no one's business, but your own what your day consists of. Is this a RANDOM thought? Not at all! Everyone must ask themselves what THEY want and what do you need? Part-time, Full-time, Volunteer, binge-watcher, PTA-president, sun-bather, care-taker, shopper, protester...the list goes on and on. Regardless, all of us have the same minutes in the day. SO, ARE YOU TAKING CONTROL?
A few quick tips for handling business
What helps you organize your mind? If it's exercise, do that. If you feel prayer or mediation sets your intention of gratitude for another day? Give yourself that time. I've learned to initiate this time. What's worked for me lately is deciding how many days per week I'm going to exercise. Put it on the calendar, because you're so important. Can you create a group text that not only encourages you, but holds you accountable.
Put the fires out first. The night before, write down what MUST get done, then do those things absolutely FIRST.
Be reasonable with yourself. Be kind. Be Respectful of your priorities. We can treat ourselves terribly if not careful. Whatever you are doing in your day, you've got to take charge. When I planned a birthday party for our son, I knew I couldn't juggle the responsibility of having it at our house. Instead, we had it at the beach. It was simple and just what our son wanted to do on his day! I bought simple snacks, had pizza delivered to the beach and a cooler of drinks for the kids. I allotted time for the party, baking a cake for later, buying the gifts (my husband and made a plan a few weeks prior) He found and bought the main gift. This leads to the next suggestion...
Communicate. Communicate. Communicate. I could not get things done in my day without my family. There are many days in the week when my list feels overwhelming. Delegating work saves the day! It's not really my strongest quality, but I'm learning. How can anyone know I need help, If I don't tell them? I know what my day looks like, what can I take off my plate?
Order online = save TIME! Especially during this unprecedented time, I prefer to shop online if I can avoid going to stores. When I was commuting last fall, finding the time and energy to get to the store was proving impossible. A clever friend told me about Instacart and I was hooked!! Costco delivered to our door and it was truly a lifesaver.
Set your timer...I'm tired. Some days are longer then I can imagine, then all of a sudden, we can't avoid a trip to Costco or Target. Those are the two stores we currently go to that can easily send me over the edge. Walking into Target, I prepped the kids and told them we have twenty minutes to get what we needed and get out. They set alarms on their phones and it was almost a game. Haha. I did the same to myself at Costco last week. It helped me to stay focused on what I came for. Get in and get out. Then I can get home sooner!
If you can afford to hire out, do that. There was a time in my life, I had no choice, but to hire a sitter for our 4th child. She was an infant, my mom has just passed away and I was experiencing the worst time of my life! My sister told me, "It doesn't mean it's forever, it's what you need right now." We made financial sacrifices in other areas, to get the help at the time. What a game-changer! Back to Communication: my husband is the greatest listener. He's also an incredible problem solver. We talked about what was working and not working at the time for our family. He was my greatest support, my rock during this time. He was encouraged me to do whatever it took to feel better.
Depending on the scope of work, I can hire my children to help get it done. It's beneficial for them to see what I do, we spend time together, they love earning money and best of all I can teach them about the importance of working hard. A little GRIT goes a long way! The picture below shows them unloading a ton of extremely heavy flooring for my clients home.
Grind. If you have hearty goals and aspirations, it's going to take sacrifice! I mentioned earlier, there's only so many minutes in the day. Work hard and when you think you can't work any harder, keep going. There's so much power and accomplishment knowing that you can do it! Ride the wave and take it for what it is. How many hours can I work this week? *with our most recent schedule, it's worked out better to have appointments earlier in the morning or in evening. I've been able to hold an appointment and back home before they are awake! Yes, this is the bounty of having older children. I absolutely realized this!
Enjoy the fruits of your labor. I also need incentives in life. Along the way, give yourself a win. Create a goal, and when you obtain (or get close?), enjoy! From small to big, you know your budget, book a dinner reservation at a local hot spot. Get done up and feel confident you accomplished your goal. Not your idea of fun, then what is? It's time to take control of your ideal day.
The day is yours. Some days I feel like I'm crushing it, other days I want to crawl into bed and binge a season of Schitt's Creek. I find the purest joy in life's simple pleasures. Taking in the custom sunset of the day, watching my kids at the beach, going on a hike, wiggling my toes in the sand, sharing a delicious meal with my favorite date or at home. I've had to make daily decisions to create more balance in my life. It's helped tremendouldy! I would love to hear how you've taken control of your day? Or if you plan to try any of my suggestions!
Now, I've got to log off and get some much needed Zzzzzzzz's!
Xo,
Amy