February 2, 2020
If you follow me on social media, you may know that I was (and still mostly am!) super pumped about setting strategies in place for 2020. Becoming a mom of 2 in April of 2019 rocked my systems more than I thought it would. And I felt behind. In all areas of life really (okay, I’m hard on myself, but truly, I could’ve helped myself a bit!).
And with the systems I implemented for 2020, it proved that they CAN be helpful! Also, #listslistslists
I love being a mom. And I love my job. I feel “called“, in a way, to both. I’m passionate about both. Because I have felt seasons of “success” achieving the unicorn “balance” as a mom and entrepreneur, I knew how I felt in 2019 *WASN’T* the goal. But it was a season. And I think there was a purpose that I’m still unfolding as to why I felt that way.
It’s actually made me really passionate about the subject of being a “working/staying at home mom-preneur”–or whatever you identify as! You can absolutely be expecting more content regarding such, and you’ll even hear me speak on it in an upcoming podcast episode to air in a few months.
Because I’ve experienced what I would define as “success” balancing these two important parts of my life AND I’ve experienced how both have simultaneously felt like chaos, I’ve seen both sides. And I know it’s worth being intentional about to aim to find that beautiful combination of both.
So without taking anymore of your time, I’m going to dive into what worked this past month for me (life-wise and biz-wise) and what I could work on for February 2020.
What worked:
1. Stock up at Costco on first Sunday. I got meats, pre-made meals, frozen meals, diapers, wipes, bulk snacks, etc. for the month.
2. Write down meal for the night on each day of the month of January. Once I unloaded, I knew what I had bought and what was in my pantry/fridge, so I simply wrote down 31 meals for each night of January. Crazily enough the simple act of writing down a meal saved me SO MUCH TIME. And I’m talking easy meals: crockpot, frozen, breakfast for dinner, etc.
3. Order additional necessities first Mondays of each week. I put in small Walmart orders each week for things we run out of and buy in smaller amounts: milk, creamer, specific sauces, canned goods, snacks, etc.
4. Plan “duty day” for first Monday of the month. I have a running list in Trello! I’m making this day sacred–blocking it off, and I can’t wait for this upcoming Monday to do so! Things like: plan ahead for babysitting, check bank accounts, order client gifts, plan work days for the next month, write in kids journals, upload personal pictures, etc.
5. Plan ahead for babysitting for the month. This felt like a huge relief simply looking at what was on my calendar and asking babysitters EARLY. I always felt behind in the past, and it never feels good to scramble.
What I could work on:
1. Better anticipating my work-load. I crafted my weeks for x amount of time for x kind of work, and it wasn’t very accurate. I need to anticipate more time for February.
2. Better anticipating baby-sitting. With my work, it can just be difficult with meetings popping up or sessions getting rescheduled. I can give myself grace here, but I do think it can improve!
3. Oops–didn’t make it to the gym twice a week. Better luck next month! However, I did make it more often than I did in December, so that’s a win! My goal is simply to make it to Pure Barre twice a week. Sounds doable, right? With Jordan and my schedules and limited childcare, it’s just tough! Worth it though!
4. Scheduling Instagram posts at the beginning of the week. It would make so much sense to do this at one time.
5. Planning outings with Luke on my days “off”. Because distinguishing between ‘mom’ and ‘entrepreneur’ can sometimes be hard. I tried hard to label my “work” and “mom” days this month, and in doing that, I wanted to intentionally plan fun outings for us on the “mom” days (or off from work). I ended up planning on a whim (Jump Street, play dates, ice cream, etc.). Next month, I’d like to write down ideas at the beginning of the month so that the day doesn’t sneak by! 🙂
This is truly just the tip of the ice-berg of inviting you into this space of my life, but I can assure you, I’ll share more as I learn from experience, glean wisdom from others and have the time to put it in writing!
It feels a bit vulnerabe to share my goals with you, but I’d like to hope that some are helpful to others, and that it’s almost like accountability for me. Taking bite-sizes and giving much grace a month at a time seemed helpful for me in January. I’ll let you know come March 1. 😉
What I’m adding to my February list:
*Keeping track of and limiting my toddler’s screen time. I’ve actually been surprised how easily this has looked for him this past week as I’ve simply just offered toys, conversation, play, etc. Turns out, he’s actually better off without TV that I thought, and it was more ME being lazy (I said it).
*Waking up with Jordan 1-2 times per week (that means at 6:00 am when he leaves for work).
*Finishing 1 book. I read 1 in January, guys! I did it!
I love being helpful, so please let me know if there’s a way I can be for you!
Are there any strategies you could work on come February?
Hugs!
Lindsay
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