I think one of the hardest things as women, as moms and as wives....is to compare ourselves to one another. We might look at someone else and wonder how they do it all, I mean they look like Wonder Woman balancing 4 kids, hockey, meetings, work etc. But what we don't know is all the behind the scenes things.
Maybe she has a house cleaner?
Maybe she orders all her meals from Hello Fresh?
Maybe on the inside she's actually screaming for help?
One of the most frequently asked questions I get is how I balance my time. So let me share with you a few tips that have helped me along the way.
1. Don't do it all.
I use to feel like I had to say yes to every social outing, every play date AND volunteer at school until someone once told me that I needed to learn how to say no. At the end of the day it doesn't get me any further ahead to say yes to everything, in fact it puts me behind and just ends up leaving me feeling more stressed. So I've learned to say NO. Do I get invited to less things-sometimes it feels like it. Do I feel like less of a mom because I work from home and don't always volunteer - sometimes that crossed my mind but in the end I am not less of a mom. Always remember, what matters most is what's inside the four walls that surrounds you<3
2. Decide what your priorities are.
Once you learn how to say no to things, take a few minutes to sit down with a nice warm cup of coffee or tea and write out what your priorities are in a day. Be sure to include the necessary things but ultimately what are your ideal priorities:
-exercising
-work
-family time
-making meals
-coffee dates
-date night
When I sat down and decided what my priorities were, that's when my schedule became regular and the stress felt like it started to melt away. I always felt like I had to do certain things because society says I do AKA have a corporate job....vs....doing one that's out of the norm. But let me let you in on a little secret....this is YOUR life and you get to live it however you wish-remember...you only get to live it once!
3. Everyone has shit going on.
Always remember, you only see what you only see and the reality is everyone has things that are going on behind the scenes. I know for our family we have had an intense two years of everything under the sun happening. I don't share the stories publicly because they aren't my stories to share....but there's one thing that's maintained the same throughout the rollercoaster of the past two years and that's our family routine and our priorities. Stress will always exist. Things will always be happening. One of the most freeing things that you can do for yourself is to let go of the idea that you will "start" when things ease up. Don't wait for that to happen because unfortunately it won't. So I suggest, if you're trying to figure out how to balance it all....think of yourself when you are 80, what would your 80 year old self say to you today. Would she have regrets? Would she have some I wished I would haves?
You don't have to be Wonder Woman.
It's ok to hire out a house cleaner to lighten your load for something that might be a higher priority.
It's ok to order your groceries online because you wanted to be at your sons hockey game.
Pick your priorities.
Schedule them in throughout the week.
And make peace with anyone elses expectations other than your families<3
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