Life Balance. Is it Even Possible?

But HOW???

Y'all life has just gotten a bit out of control busy for me lately.

It's my own fault.  After all, I control my day right? (insert little snicker here for the non independently wealthy rebel in me)

I'm weary but I'm not sure where to cut corners any more than I already have.

Do you ever feel like the things that you are busy with are non negotiable but yet you are drowning?

I mean like... I HAVE to work and I also have to work a few extra jobs right now.  My work includes a side business that I hope one day will replace one of my existing jobs so I only need to work at one job.    I struggle with letting go because I love my part time stuff and I enjoy what I'm doing so they don't always feel like work, but they do chip away at time.  Regardless, I like to eat and being a paycheck to paycheck couple, the extra work helps us eat!  =)

I get it, we all have the same 24 hours a day, but a few hours of sleep is just not enough anymore.  When I was in my late teens and early 20's, I could go to school in the morning, work in the afternoon, go back to night classes, stay up late studying, go to bed at 2 or 3am, get up at 6 or 7am and do it all over again... then work double shifts on weekends.    I also managed life working full time, as a single mom, with a busy dancing daughter (I was very involved in her dance company and booster club at school) and I came through only a little weary.  Now at almost 50, I'm just tired!  Ha ha.

Just to kinda keep it real on the budgeting time thing... I started writing this post on 1/29/19.  Today is 5/2/19!

Being a bit contrary to what I'm writing about, I'm happy to report that I squeezed into the schedule a much needed item.  Exercise.  Since November, I started getting up about 30 minutes earlier to make time for fitness of some sort.  I was trying to do this after work but my workload and workday changed a bit and I don't get home until after 6pm, sometimes closer to 7 now.  After we eat, it's about an hour and half shy of bed time or I need to work one of my extra jobs.  Fitness after work isn't an option right now.  BUT, I was shocked at how different exercise first thing in the morning changed my attitude toward exercise.  I was getting on the treadmill for like 50 minutes after work.  I'd get off the treadmill starving and even more exhausted than ever.  With doing shorter fitness time in the morning (20 minutes pilates, 20 minutes elliptical, 30 minutes treadmill, or 30 minutes callanetics), I found that yes, I'm still ready for breakfast almost immediately, but I'm not getting that super tired feeling anymore after exercising.  I still haven't discovered the (exercise makes me so happy) feeling but I might get there!  This was a necessity that I have fit in and isn't really a smart option to remove from the schedule.

So I really need to "tidy" up the schedule.  Hubby has since started a part time job at a state park.  This is great because we'll have a little extra income coming in the summer when the substitute teaching well is dry.  But it's one more thing on the schedule and he only gets those weekly... so planning ahead may be a challenge.

I KNOW I'm not the only one in this boat.   Not only am I physically tired, I'm tired of being too tired to enjoy things in most of my spare time or being too tired to even thing of what might be enjoyable in our spare time.

I miss being creative in the kitchen.  I love to cook and create new recipes and share them here, but the desire to get through the week in one pieces has overridden that creative spark in me.  The other issue I have faced which grieves me the most, is that although my almost 3 hours of the day, spent in the car to drive to work, are spent with Christian sermons, leadership podcasts, and only positive stuff... I miss having quiet time with the Lord.  How did I get THAT out of balance.  I mean, I'm with Him, and stop to pray often during my drive, but I've got to focus on the road too.  I do pray throughout the day, but I used to be a faithful journaler.  I'd get up every morning, sit in my prayer chair, read some scripture, then journal.

This is not a post that gives you the tips on how I've arrived at a perfect balance with life like everyone around me seems to have done.  This is actually a post that is asking for YOUR tips.    Maybe I'll get some good ideas from y'all and we can create a help post for other folks out there struggling with balance!

Things I've considered and tried

Using a Planner:
I need to actually utilize the planner that I purchase every year.  I was off to a good start, but April got lost.  I mean really lost!    Hubby and I plan to sit down this month and look at our schedules to make sure EVERYTHING is on there. (white space so we can be quiet and sit with the Lord, together time with no distractions, my spare jobs times, his time to work on his woodworking, my time to work on my business, his time to speak with his family, rest -(is it sad we need to put rest on our calendars?).  My problem.  I'm spontaneous and the planner has always seemed so stifling.  (reality... I'm not that organized).

Meal Planning:
Ordering ready made delivery meals for 1 or 2 days a week.  I think Freshly is one of the overpriced services that it's ready to pop in the microwave.  I don't want a meal kit.  I can prepare stuff on my own on days I have time.  Any recommendations here?  I do normally plan our meals ahead and cook larger meals to plan leftovers, but sometimes the week can run you more than you run it and that big meal gets delayed a day or two.  My ego is hard on this one too because I feel like it's a cop out since I do really enjoy cooking and I could take more of my 1 day off a week to work in the kitchen, but choose not to.  Although pricey, I think taking my 1 day off for a DAY OFF is a smarter use of that time.

Accountability:
Really sitting down with someone to find some order in the chaos and finding out what exactly my priorities and goals are.  If I drill down with someone, maybe I can find out what am I spinning my wheels on and what needs to be a keeper.  Right now everything seems like keepers.  I'm just finding I'm not physically capable of keeping it all without order.

Changing errand day:
I am blessed to work from home 1 day a week.  We've started disciplining ourselves to make that grocery shopping and errand night since once I finish work... I'm home and we have a few hours before supper to get some stuff done.  This has freed up our "off work" time so we aren't so worn out after Sunday to start the week.

That's all I've got!

YOUR turn!

Please help by commenting or emailing me.  

Maybe I should be taking my own advice!

5 Things I Do Before Bed on Work Nights

In an effort to save a portion of my sanity, I have created a routine on work nights, that helps save me time and stress in the mornings.

Since we've been married, I have always gotten up with honey and made his to-go coffee, packed his breakfast and lunch for the day, and made sure he gets a big kiss and an "I love you." as he walks out the door.

When we first got married, we were 7 miles from my work and about 15 miles from his work.  We complained then about how tired we were.  ha ha... We sure do miss those 15 and 30 minute commutes.  But we wouldn't trade our lovely foot hills home for the world right now.  Although we both drive about 70 miles each to our workplaces, my morning routine hasn't changed.  I still get up when he does to make his to-go coffee, pack his breakfast and lunch for the day and give him a big kiss and tell him that I love him as he walks out the door.

I think the drive makes getting up the hour earlier every day even more painful, so I've slowly gotten myself in a routine before we go to bed, that helps my morning stress and rush level immensely.  It's only a few things, but they help me considerably at 5:00 am.

1.  I prepare the coffee pot.  This saves a few minutes on filling the water filter pitcher, getting a coffee filter, scooping the filter and then hitting brew.  I simply come downstairs and push the button.  It would save me even more time if I could figure out how to use the timer on my coffee pot!  =)

2.  I get our to-go coffee cups ready by the Magic Bullet and set the collagen, butter, and coconut oil out so that I can quickly get our bulletproof coffee ready in a flash.

3.  I get our refrigerated lunch and snack items prepared.  Honey is so not picky and this helps me a lot.  So I can go ahead and put his cottage cheese in a container so it's ready for his dessert after lunch.  If we are having left overs or salads for lunch the next day, I go ahead and get those ready too.  I place all of honey's refrigerated items on one side of the shelf and mine goes on the other.  This way, I just have to scoop them out and put them in our bags in the morning and add the fridgy pack.

4.  I pack our 2 daily snacks and set them out on the counter if they don't need to be refrigerated, so I can jut put them in our lunch boxes in the morning.  (assembling snacks involves counting servings and measuring servings, so my patience level for that, in the morning, is low... plus it adds time to an already short time frame to get stuff ready).  I just need to assemble our sandwiches in the morning.  Since refrigerated bread is disgusting, I do not make sandwiches until the morning.

5.  I prepare our supplement packs.  We have very few prescription medications but I add some supplements to our daily routine, so I go ahead and get our supplement packs ready so I can also just toss that into our lunch boxes quickly, in the morning.

6.  Bonus Time Saver:  We used to be able to carpool at least once a week and that was the best time saver.  Now I do my makeup while my computer turns on at work.  I don't wear a ton of make up.  Just foundation, bronzer on my cheeks, eyeliner on my upper lid, mascara (one coat) and lipstick.  Make up is down to a 3 minute application.  But lipstick after breakfast.

Before:  I know this looks like chaos... but the refrigerator stuff won't be here in the morning and the rest of the counter is cleaned (in our lunch boxes) when we leave.  Organized Chaos... 

Well, maybe you'll find this helpful.  It's a discipline.  Sometimes I get busy reading, blogging, or working my home based business and forget to get everything prepared by our early bedtime and then I have to rush in the morning.  I usually regret that decision to not take the 5-10 minutes before bed to save me time and stress in the morning.

After!  =)

What have you found helpful to save time and stress in your morning routine?

Sleepless in North Georgia

Can you relate?

Actually, I'm sleepless, often, no matter what my location.  Websters full definition of Insomnia is: "prolonged and usually abnormal inability to get enough sleep."

Well, in an overstimulated world, our minds have a hard time shutting down.  We experience "too many moving parts" in traffic, at the office, at the store, in a meeting, in the classroom, from our electronic devices, etc.  No wonder it's hard to wind down in the first place.  Then because of all of these "moving parts", our minds continue to work overtime.

How many times do you actually sleep deeply, only to dream that you are working!!!  Ugh, then you are tired from working in your sleep.  Ha ha!

Oh well.  To my fellow daydreamers and night thinkers, I know how difficult it is to shut down, wind down, and just make the world stop long enough for a few zzzzz's.  I am tired of being tired, so I feel ya!

I've really tried to re-train my brain from being a night thinker (worrier) into a night prayer.  When I can actually commit to this, I pray for many and do fall asleep most of the time. Other times, I guess the Lord just wants me praying.

My wind down helps (for me)

• Get off electronics as much as possible.  Especially for at least an hour or so before going to bed.  Resist the urge to check social media.
• no caffeine after 4pm (sometimes I need a green tea to make sure I'm not sleepy on my commute home)
• make sure I take my vitamins, especially my B vitamins, before 2pm.
• make sure I've talked with honey (my safe place) about the stresses and victories of my day
• before bed, I get the coffee pot ready, the vitamins packaged, and as much of our breakfasts and lunches packed for the next day.
• snuggle with honey for at least an hour before bed. 

What are your techniques for shutting down?  I'd love to hear from you.  Some of us may benefit from your experience.  

Good night and may your sleep be peaceful and deep.