I have never been a great time management person. In college I was the queen of burning the midnight oil to get a essay or studying for a test because I had binge watched One Tree Hill the night before. I'd stay up all night then go take the test or turn in the essay and then nap. I kind of got away with that same mentality when being a Mom. I stay up late doing all the household chores that I put off during the day and then basically I try and get through the morning till nap time. That kind of worked with Leo cause I could rest when he rested, but now with 2 it isn't as easy. Leo is a night owl and stays up later and likes to sleep in and Monroe prefers to be up early. So going to bed at 11:30 and then waking up at 5:30/6 is just plain terrible. I have realized I need to get to bed at a more reasonable hour and in doing so I need to try and manage my time better during the day to "Get My Shit Done". So here is how I'm doing it.... or at least attempting to do it.
Lists- I am by no means an expert but I finally sat down and wrote down the things that were important to me to do everyday. I made a good ole fashion to do list. On my to do list I first have things I need to get done that day and then I also have weekly goal tasks. I write this out at the beginning of the week so I can schedule all the things out I need to do. I have someone that cleans on Tuesday but by Friday the house needs a refresh so I do all the floors etc then. I also do my meal planning on this list. I find sitting down and focusing on this list for 15-20 minutes every week helps me keep my week in line.
Say No- I am terrible at this too, like I say yes to everything and then find myself stressed. I work better on a schedule as much as I want to be good on the fly I'm just NOT. When stuff gets planned last minute it really stresses me out. So I have learned it is best for me to say NO rather than trying to rearrange my entire schedule and stress me out when I get last minute invites.
Clean- So when my house is messy and full of toys it really stresses me out and I like don't know where to begin. So I started being OK with their being a mess during the day. Then when the kids go to bed I spend 20/30 minutes ( I set a timer and listen to a podcast) and clean up all the toys and living room and kitchen. It is crazy the amount of things you can get done in 20 minutes once the kids are asleep!
Be Disciplined- When I stick to my plan and stay disciplined I set myself up for a great week. That is why having goals for the day allows me to stay disciplined. Like this week when both kids were napping I really wanted to take a nap too but I hadn't gotten my workout in so I stuck to my list and made sure I got it done.
Create an Evening Routine- I wish I could create a morning routine but Monroe wakes up anywhere from 5:45-8:30 so my mornings are all over the map. But I have found that having an evening routine no matter what works well for me. I have a 1/2 hour built in for chores and if Jay is working I have even more time to get things accomplished around the house. For me I'm most productive in the evenings for everything but working out. So because of that I know I need to prioritize getting my workouts in during the day preferable the morning. So this is what a typical evening routine looks like no matter what-
7:30- Monroe to bed
7;30-8:30- Leo bath and play then bed for Leo
8:30-9- Clean and take care of last minute chores
9-10- If Jay is home we watch TV if I am alone I either read, edit photos, do blog posts, organize, etc.
10- Get ready for bed
10:30- Lights out try and sleep
With 2 kids that like being up different hours of the day it hard to manage my time. So finding a schedule and lists really help me stay on task and keep up with my time management. I can't say I get everything done on my task list everyday but I am pretty darn good at getting most of them done. The biggest thing I am working on is that at 10pm I need to force myself to be done. When Jay is working I often find myself doing chores or things till 11:30 at night and that just doesn't work.
Hope these are a few good tips for you and time management. I'd love to hear what you guys do for time management. I've heard of people doing time blocking but I don't know how structured I can be with that at this phase in my life. But I'd love to hear if any of you do do the time blocking. I also can't wait till Monroe is a predictable sleeper and I can start getting going with my morning routine!
Cheers and Happy Friday
Jess
Be Disciplined- When I stick to my plan and stay disciplined I set myself up for a great week. That is why having goals for the day allows me to stay disciplined. Like this week when both kids were napping I really wanted to take a nap too but I hadn't gotten my workout in so I stuck to my list and made sure I got it done.
Create an Evening Routine- I wish I could create a morning routine but Monroe wakes up anywhere from 5:45-8:30 so my mornings are all over the map. But I have found that having an evening routine no matter what works well for me. I have a 1/2 hour built in for chores and if Jay is working I have even more time to get things accomplished around the house. For me I'm most productive in the evenings for everything but working out. So because of that I know I need to prioritize getting my workouts in during the day preferable the morning. So this is what a typical evening routine looks like no matter what-
7:30- Monroe to bed
7;30-8:30- Leo bath and play then bed for Leo
8:30-9- Clean and take care of last minute chores
9-10- If Jay is home we watch TV if I am alone I either read, edit photos, do blog posts, organize, etc.
10- Get ready for bed
10:30- Lights out try and sleep
With 2 kids that like being up different hours of the day it hard to manage my time. So finding a schedule and lists really help me stay on task and keep up with my time management. I can't say I get everything done on my task list everyday but I am pretty darn good at getting most of them done. The biggest thing I am working on is that at 10pm I need to force myself to be done. When Jay is working I often find myself doing chores or things till 11:30 at night and that just doesn't work.
Hope these are a few good tips for you and time management. I'd love to hear what you guys do for time management. I've heard of people doing time blocking but I don't know how structured I can be with that at this phase in my life. But I'd love to hear if any of you do do the time blocking. I also can't wait till Monroe is a predictable sleeper and I can start getting going with my morning routine!
Cheers and Happy Friday
Jess
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