People ask me all the time, how do you do it?
I sometimes wonder what ‘it’ is but I am guessing they are talking about working, raising kids, being someone’s partner, maintaining good relationships with family and friends, volunteering and participating in other activities, and at some point resting, too!
I will admit I just got a little tired writing that but with some good planning and boundary setting, anything is possible.
The other key part is managing your mind. Someone told me that they loved how rich my life was and I decided to substitute that word for ‘busy’.
Instead of trying to get through my week, I remind myself that this is the life I chose and I’m now living it. No need to rush through each day to make it to some unknown future time in which I will suddenly be well rested and feel fulfilled without actually having to do anything. My daily morning affirmation has now become ‘This is it. This is your life and you are living it.’
With that said, none of this happens by accident. I am very intentional with my time and also respectful of other people’s time for that same reason.
I wanted to share with you a typical Sunday and a typical work day in my regular weeks, so people can get an idea of how to ‘fit’ all of it. Realistically, all of it doesn’t fit into one day and being patient and kind to ourselves is very important.
Set your goals, plan your days, and keep going. The truth behind finding balance is that you can’t give everything 100% all the time. The balance is whatever you decide needs to get the most percentage out of you at that moment. That will change over time and that is absolutely normal!
Sunday – Day of Rest and Planning
– 8-9 AM Wake up (hubby takes son to soccer at 10).
– 930-10:30 AM Leisurely eat breakfast with my daughter (and with the rest of the family if they are there).
– 10:30 AM Food shop with my 5 year old or wait for husband and son to get back.
– 11:30 AM – 4 PM Activities vary but we keep it low key. If food shopping wasn’t done, I’ll go sometime in the afternoon. We may go to a park, meet some friends, or see family. We may stay home while my husband gardens and kids ‘help’. Sometimes, I do a Peloton work out during that time.
– 4-5 PM Current Fall sport is running series for both kids with lots of local friends, which means we stay a little bit longer and hang out after the 15 second race.
– 5 PM – 6:30 PM Dinner prep and eat dinner.
– 6:30 PM -8:30 PM Hang out with kids, baths, TV time before bed.
– 8:30 – 9 PM Bed time for the kids.
– 9 – 10:30 PM Write the meals for the week on the board, prep kids’ bags (I work from home Mondays, so I meal prep for myself Monday night), make the calendar for the week (write out each day’s schedule), do yoga or a stretch if no work out that day, shower.
– 10:30 – 11 PM Relax, hang out with husband, journal, meditation before bed, and sleep!!!
As you can see, I keep it pretty open and relaxing. This gives me lots of time to feel prepared and not rushed for the week. There’s also flexibility to do activities if we wanted to (birthday parties, pool, etc).
Wednesday – Hump Day
– 6:45 – 7:20 AM Wake up, get ready, drive to work (breakfast and coffee get eaten/drank in the car) while listening to a podcast.
– 8 AM – 3:30 PM Clinic .
– 3:30 PM Drive home.
– 4 – 5 PM Work meeting.
– 5- 5:30 PM Peloton home work out.
– 5:30 – 8:30 PM Hang out with the kids, eat dinner, go for a walk or play, watch TV before bed.
– 8:30 – 9 PM Kids’ bed time.
– 9- 10:30 PM Shower, prep stuff for next day, work on blog or website related stuff, read a book, hang out with husband
– 10:30- 11 PM Journal, meditation, bed time.
I try to give myself 8 hours of sleep, so on the days I wake up at 6:45, I move my bed time to 10:45 PM (doesn’t work all the time!) but I follow this basic schedule every week and I write out anything that has to get done on my Bullet Journal and daily calendar, so I don’t have to remember anything.
All I have to do is look at my journal or daily schedule and it’s all there, already planned. For tips on how to do that, check out my previous blog posts on planning.
I hope this can be helpful and give you some ideas of how to organize your time. You can substitute ‘work on blog’ with whatever activities you want. Sometimes, I have volunteer meetings for my kids’ school, mentoring meetings for work, or I may be giving an international talk via Zoom.
The main idea is for you to give yourself chunks of time that can be easily used for whatever you need. The time is already there.
Boundaries are important because you can’t say yes to everything and have enough time for all the things that matter to you. Be very intentional about what you say yes to. Practice saying no when it’s needed!
Your time is now. If you feel like you don’t have enough hours in the day to get everything done that you need to, take a look at how you spend your time. Only do the things that you absolutely need to do and those that bring you joy. Say no to anything else. And stick to your schedule!