It's no secret that life seems to speed up once you become a parent. Everyday I get into bed at night and think "Wow, is that really another day gone?!" Time seems to slip away and it can be hard to juggle and fit in everything that life throws at you daily. I'm no expert on time management and sometimes I let the pressure get to me and I need a good old cry, just like probably most other Mums do at some point. But I wanted to write this post to point out the things that do help me stay on top of the sheer craziness that can sometimes be life!
- Remembering that it's so much better to be busy than to be bored Remembering this every now and again always makes me feel SO much better. I'm one of those people that absolutely cannot stand to have nothing to do, so when I'm moaning about how busy I am, I remind myself of what it feels like to be utterly bored and it usually quickly puts things into perspective for me!
- Writing things down in either my diary or on the reminders or notes app on my phone I'm not going to pretend that I am super organised, because I'm just not like that. But at the start of this month I pulled out my new Cath Kidston diary for 2015 and I promised myself I was going to start using it. And the main reason why I made that promise to myself is because if I don't get stuff out of my head and onto paper, my head just may one day explode! Since I've started writing everything down, I've felt SO much better and it means it's okay if I forget something - as it's written down! For blogging I use spreadsheets to keep on top of any work I have. My Husband Adam got me into using spreadsheets and though I was at first reluctant, I couldn't be without them now!
- Accepting that it's perfectly fine to recruit some help from time to time - These days I just don't get the time or sometimes even have the energy to do odd jobs around the house and garden and with Adam also working for a company AND working for himself, he rarely has the time either. Sometimes it's more beneficial for us time wise and sometimes financially to pay someone to help us out. We're actually paying someone who is at our house right now, sorting out all of the front garden bushes and our driveway, because it's not something that we'll ever get around to doing!
- Prioritising - It's so easy to have a list full of a million things that you need to do and to go on to pick what is the best thing to do from the list or the easiest, when really if you're short for time the best way to manage that list is to simply prioritise! I've never been great at this, but I'm slowly learning how to do it and I now realise that it's sort of the only way!
- Remembering that I am only human and that I am a Mum first - If I don't get things on the list done because I've spent what seems like most of the day playing trains with Ethan - well then that's okay! I'm a Mum first after all, and making him happy is never not time well spent! If something on the list has taken far longer than I thought it would and hasn't left any time for anything else on the list, then that is also okay - these things happen and there's only so much one person can do in a day! Remembering this helps me stop myself getting stressed our needlessly.
Life is busy as a parent but I wouldn't have it any other way, would you?! :)
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I have no idea how I juggle everything but it just kind of happens! x
ReplyDeleteGreat post Alex, your life sounds very much like mine. Go-go go and go some more. Lovely to share your tips and how you juggle it all. Sometimes I feel very overwhelmed but then I remember I love being busy and I can't stand not knowing what's going next so blogging keeps me going along side my hyper active two tots. Soon you will be juggling two tots yourself. I can't wait its still so fun and you somehow still manage to juggle it all. I promise. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm like you and like to be busy. In fact I struggle to relax as I feel like I'm wasting my time if I'm not doing anything!
ReplyDeleteGym Bunny Mummy | Bloglovin’ | Facebook
Ah yes, 'Im only human' has become my mantra for 2015. Sitting still doesn't seem to happen much anymore, but, like you, I like to be busy. Sounds like you've got a pretty good balance worked out :)
ReplyDeleteSo true! Mums struggle with feelings of insufficiency all the time! I am trying to wake up one hour earlier every day to feel like my day has 25hours. It's helping a bit but there's just so much to do! Just wait until your second baby arrives :) After that having just one to look after feels like holiday. We live and we learn.
ReplyDeleteSomebody told me that meditation helps to slow down time. I have yet to try this but think I'll have to try it soon. With this rate I'll be an old woman in no time!
I was going to write a post similar to this soon, so was looking around to see who else had written one and what tips you can help me learn too! I needed to set up a spreadsheet first to get totally organised before I can complete my post though. I wondered which spreadsheet you use? Thank you! xx
ReplyDeleteGood tips. I don't even have time to figure out how I get everything done. Got so many projects I'm juggling at the moment and just somehow reaching it all comes together when it needs to. A diary sounds like a good idea!
ReplyDelete