This past month has been a real challenge for me. My pregnant girlfriend Hollie has been in and out of hospital with a Kidney infection. Hollie’s pregnancy has been a rough one, It’s left me with a list of tasks longer than I’d care to admit. On top of working full time trying to grow this business, I’m the full time parent, I’m cooking, cleaning, washing folding, dropping kids and school and driving Hollie around from appointment to appointment. On top of that I have my fortnightly toastmaster meetings, I have weekly landmark seminars, I’m currently organising a large charity event and I am currently on a health kick and pretty intense exercise regime… Life has just been busy!
For some people this is just how life is always… and I don’t envy you. I prefer to have a little more spare time each week if possible, try to take the weekends off! But since circumstance has put me in this position, there have been a few things that I’ve done to get myself through it without getting too overwhelmed and I thought I’d share what’s worked for me!.
Schedule Everything
When time is scarce, scheduling is amazing. I usually schedule the next day, the night before. I write a list of everything I need to do and want to do, how long I anticipate it will take, and then slot it into my day. I find scheduling your meals, snack breaks, exercise and even your lazy/leisure time. I use my phone calendar and to-do lists and just try to stick to the schedule.
Multi-Task The Unimportant
I usually try to stay away from multi-tasking, especially when it comes to work, I much prefer to be focused on one specific task at once, it usually gets done quicker and it’s a better job. But I do multi-task the less important things. For example I might watch TV while doing a work-out or folding washing, making work calls while picking up kids from school (hands free of course!). It can be quite rewarding knowing that you managed to fit 2 hours worth of ‘stuff’ into 1 hour!
Define Specific over Broad Activities
I try to set aside specific actions to be completed, I’d prefer to break the cleaning into 5 x 10 minute tasks. Eg – dishes -10 mins, folding – 10 mins etc. rather than just scheduling in a 60 minute cleaning block. – The main reason I do this is because the chance of finishing a task early and having 60 minutes spare to fit in the cleaning isn’t going to happen, but finishing 20 minutes early and being able to complete a couple of smaller activities will happen!
Rest, Eat & Drink
Get a good nights sleep, as tempting as it is to try and stay up and cram in some extra work, make sure you get 7-8 hours sleep a night. Schedule in some time each week to just laze about, even schedule in a 30 minute nap during the day if need be! Keep yourself well hydrated and eat well-balanced meals!
Don’t be Scared to Ask For Help.
It is completely okay to ask for help! Don’t be ashamed of saying ‘I’m overwhelmed and need help’, Friends and family are willing to help where they can. Clients will usually be happy to wait an extra day or two for jobs, suppliers may grant you extended trading terms. If you don’t ask, you never know. The worst that will happen is someone will say “no”.
I’m looking forward to baby being born, Hollie recovering and things becoming a little less hectic… With a new-born though, the next few months may be just as busy as ever!