Welcome to my second installment of the “How Do I?” Series. This post isn’t going to be very technical or involve actual painting or refinishing, but so many times people ask, “How do you get things done so fast? Do you have little minions or elves working for you?” I don’t have any elves or minions, but oh the possibilities if i did…. (picture me staring off into the distance with a crazed and dazed look, drumming my creepily long fingers….). Ok, back to reality. No minions, just serious time management.
I am a planner. I need to know what my days and weeks are going to entail so I can give myself a realistic goal of what can be accomplished while being a mom and managing the house. I typically will choose 2-3 pieces of furniture to work on at a time, one large and two small, or two large. I sand them outside on the weekends when my husband is home, or I sand them and bring the kids outside with me to play in their sandbox or playset. I sand several projects at one time so that they are all ready to be worked on as I get to them. Now, let me give you a rundown of a typical day so you can see how it all plays out and how it all gets done…
5:15 am: alarm goes off, throw on gym clothes and head to gym to teach class. (If I don’t teach that day, I get up at 7 am and continue the day as normal, but squeeze my workout in while the kids are at school. The workout is important in managing stress and just feeling better about yourself and it makes it easier to get through the day. If you don’t already, I highly recommend it for more energy and stamina!)
7:20 am: arrive home, and make kids breakfast, make their school lunches, and make all the beds. I find the house looks instantly tidier when the beds are made. get the kids teeth brushed, dressed and ready for school
7:55 am: walk Sawyer to the bus stop. always give him a big hug and kiss before he gets on the bus (enjoy this moment before he gets too old and embarrassed by it!).
8:10 am: hang out with Emmy; we color and I also read my blogs and try to comment as much as possible!
8:50 am: MWF only bring Emmy to school. (Tuesdays we go to the gym together and then she has a friend over to play. Thurs, she goes to play at a friend’s home while I go to the gym and run errands).
9:05 am: arrive home and work on furniture projects until 11:30 or 12.
12:00 pm: lunch break!
12:30 pm: write blog posts, ads for craigslist, work on website and blog.
1:30: pm: shower
1:50: pm: leave to pick up Emmy
2:05 pm: take care of any cleaning, laundry, etc. (Emmy likes to help with this and if it’s something she doesn’t find fun, she just gets some toys or coloring books and keeps me company.)
3:20 pm: pick up Sawyer from the bus stop.
3:30 pm: arrive home and let the kids play for a while. Mondays we head to the gym at 4 pm so I can teach, Weds we head to soccer practice at 5, and Thursdays we head to dance at 5:45.
5-7 pm: various activities listed above, homework, dinner, bath for kids.
7:00 pm: teeth brushed, read books, and tuck kids in bed.
7:30 pm: work on furniture projects
9:00 pm: have a glass of wine, relax, catch up on blogs and write posts while I watch TV with my husband.
10:30 pm bedtime if I have to get up at 5:15 am; if I don’t have to get up, I read for an hour and then go to bed.
Start it all over again!!!
So there you have it… basically what I am saying is that you really have to have a plan for each day and for your week, and set goals per day and per week. Which projects do you want to get done this week? What will you on this day to achieve it? What household chores need to be done on this day? And always make sure the kids get some playtime with you, and always make time to read to your kids. And finally, make sure you cut out some time of your day that is just for you- for me that is the gym, or reading a book. No matter what, even if it is only 30 minutes, I always carve out “me time” to keep my head on straight.
I know this wasn’t a very technical or painting type post, but I wanted you to see how I get so much done, and that it is possible!!! It doesn’t always go according to plan, and sometimes the laundry piles up, but I am also lucky enough to have a husband who is very helpful with the house, and the best hands-on father to our children. We all work together as a family to achieve individual and common goals, and we make time for ourselves and each other. As Sawyer would say, “we got teamwork!”
