I don't know about you, but I can always fill my time with cleaning or tidying something!
Hashtag goals! .... then, I don't know what happened to those 10 years!
Y'all, I know I am not the only one!
Those tasks that are repetitive and let's be honest, thankless, are those tasks that women often choose to focus on day in and day out.
It might look a little something like this...
Toy over here, toy over there, pick up toys and move to third toy, remember to tell kid to pick up toys then, tell kid, then go wipe off counter, locate spray, out of paper towels? off to the supply closet, socks on the floor, pick up socks and head over to hamper, dog looks hungry and it is time for dinner so feed the dog, then remind kid to pick up toys and offer consequence of doing versus not doing, remember to check calendar to see if you need to message someone about something this weekend, get to computer, check social media, then remember paper towels while forgetting about the calendar.....
BAM! 2 HOURS LATER! Gone. Just. Like. That. Time... POOF.
Nothing got done at all. Except managing to get exhausted. Then, it is time for the bed time routine.
Choice. Do I want to live like this the rest of my life? If yes, you can stop reading here.
If no, and you want more to your life - more meaning, more health, more wealth, more connection, keep reading.
In average from the time work is complete and dinner is done, I have 2 hours until the bath/bedtime routine begins.
This is not a post to tell you how to kick your businesses tooshie into millions in revenue. Nope. This is a post to help you be able to pull those early morning hours or those late nights and not only survive, but thrive.
Liz Ann Sonders, one of Barron's 100 Most Influential Women of 2022 was asked the following question:
Has there been one specific career achievement you're most proud of?
Liz Ann: I would say it’s the blending or the integration of my family life and my business life.
I. LOVE. LIZ.
Integration.... Not balance - implying a give and take.
Integration - implying we have the power to design our life.
I. LOVE. THIS. ADVICE.
Design Your Life: Be Intentional
I choose to be intentional about how my life looks. I choose to integrate the things I value into my daily life. I don't want to get to the end of my life and admit that the things I value did not get prioritized.
So, with 2 hours, I choose not to clean and putter around for 2 hours. I choose these 4 things to focus on: Home, Heart, Health, Helping....Notice that Home is in there. Someone has to clean, do dishes, and laundry, lol.
I Choose to Split My "In between time" (the time between dinner and the bedtime routine) into 4 Chunks
Chunk 1: Home time
For 30 minutes, I clean what I can - totally focused. I am intentional and merciless about completing the tasks at hand. I pick a room and tackle it! Or, I focus on laundry (folding day! 10 loads later! lol I don't even care if you are judging me. I call the piles, "my mountains to conquer!"
The benefit of implementing this is that my kiddo wants to help and starts cleaning too! Whuuut!?! She loves the energy and gets really excited!
Probably because she gets to participate in the next hour.
Chunk 2: Heart time
That hour includes 30 minutes for focused family time and 30 minutes of health. What this looks like for us is I just chat with my family or go push her on the swing or go for a walk with my full attention.
Chunk 3: Health time
Then, when that times out, I get out the yoga mat. Little munchkin thinks its funny how awkward I am and how much more flexible she is during the practice.
I am glad she finds humor in the practice, snort. :)
Chunk 4: Helping time
Then, for the last 30 minutes, I help. I truly believe we are here to share our light and to be of service to others. It is easy to get in our own heads and focus on our problems. However, helping other's gets us out of the cobwebs.
Sometimes, I call my mom. Sometimes, we go pick up trash in the neighborhood. Sometimes, I write an email or a letter to someone. Sometimes, I help my daughter clean her room. Don't worry, she is not getting used to it, lol.
The challenge is of course not getting distracted and back into the busy loop. However, I look at this as a practice. It will never be perfect, but I will enjoy the journey.
I practiced my flute for more than 15 years for two to six hours a day. I got REALLY good at playing the flute. I embraced the challenge and treated it as plugging in to recharge.
I can now play really beautifully and with joy. That was not always the case. I had to commit to the practice to get better at being present with the joy in the moment. I had to stick it out even on the days I did not feel like practicing. To get really good at something, it takes intention, but also a lot of giving yourself grace. I choose to enjoy the journey. If the journey of the day switches to a much needed snuggling session after school or talking about playground squabbles, then bring it. If the house looks like a wreck, then bring that too.
When that two hours comes open and free, and to be honest any amount of time that I can easily divide into four, then I bring it back to focus with intentionally focusing on home, heart, health, and helping.
Much love to all of you! Bring your joy, bring your gifts, find your intention that you wish to set, and go mamma go!
Love,
Lulu's Mom