Guilt Free Mom Tip #12 – Hand over your calendar!
How can we fit ONE MORE THING into our days? (Providing you actually want/need to…?) (this can be used in either your personal calendar or professional one!)
Just for fun…ask a friend, family member…someone you trust, to schedule your day. You may get some laughs, but you will, for sure, get a more objective opinion on when and how you can do the things you need to do!
When things come up, that is off my normal schedule, I often call my sister. Why? Because she does not have the subjective feelings about my day and therefore she calls to the front, any odd obstacles that are obvious to me and not to the outside eye. Often she digs up information that I, myself, don’t even consider until our conversation forces me to!
I email Beth what I am trying to get accomplished and then I add the ‘constants’ (i.e. school drop off/pick up, nap time, etc.) and then I forget about it for a while since I know she is working on it! My sister will then call me with what she thinks is a reasonable plan of action.
Here are two recent (abbreviated) examples:
Meg: How can I fit in working out everyday?
Beth: Uhmm…get up at 5:30am instead of 6:30am.
Meg: But I really like my sleep…and I get my 8 hours by waking up at 6:30am.
Beth: Well, then you have choices….you COULD fit in exercising in your day…you just choose 8 hrs of sleep over working out!
Meg: ouch…and…you are right.
Meg: How can I fit this part time job into my schedule?
Beth: Well, work longer on Tuesdays and Thursdays…until 6pm.
Meg: Oh..but I really like have an hour before dinner with the kids.
Beth: Ok, but you can have that the other three days of the work week.
Meg: Oh yeah, didn’t think of that!
Obviously you can take or leave whatever your friend suggests about your day. Every now and then its nice to get another look, from an objective source, on how else to get things done. (Another benefit, is you are sure to have good conversation and some good laughs, too!)
