stick to it

TIP #4- HAVE A DAILY PLAN AND STICK TO IT

When you are going to take on any project, activity or assignment, you don’t usually attack it without having a plan. You wouldn’t typically start cooking without a recipe, or sewing without a pattern, or assembling ANYTHING from Ikea without the instructions (Lord knows I tried that and it was a NIGHTMARE). So why would you try to live your crazy, hectic, busy day without some sort of plan and organization? It’s so easy to become overwhelmed when you have ‘lists in your head’ or when you don’t really know what comes next. When there’s no structure or organization, it’s really easy to become and feel totally overwhelmed. Not only is it easy, but it’s inevitable.

I think being organized is so super important. I know it’s hard to do, and it’s harder for some than others. BUT I do know that if you figure out a system that will genuinely work for you, it will change things drastically. I have to have a daily plan and I have to make myself stick to it. It’s not a rigid plan, meaning, it allows for some flexibility in the day. Stuff always comes up, kids get sick, phones ring at inopportun times and stuff happens. But if you start the day with a plan and have an idea of what is supposed to come next and what you are supposed to work on and when, it can completely change your day.

As an example, my typical daily plan looks something like this. Keep in mind, it does change from day to day, depending on what activities/photo shoots we have planned and on what projects we are working on. But this is a basic outline:

5:30 AM- Wake Up! I have two hours to get stuff done before the kiddos are up so I try to take full advantage. I get a cup of coffee, read my Bible and then get to work. I mostly answer emails during this time (I usually wake up with 30+!!) and I’ll cull (or pick out) any sessions that we haven’t started editing quite yet.

7:00 AM– IF I’m lucky, sometimes I’ll get a 20 minute workout in right here. But that’s only if all my emails answered and organzied. If I’m REALLY lucky, I’ll grab a quick shower after I work out. *Sigh*

7:30 AM– Both boys are usually up right at this time. Jason helps me tremendously to get them up, dressed, and fed. We try to remember to eat too. Cruz always watches Sesame Street. After breakfast I get myself dressed and ready and pack the diaper bag if we are going to leave to go somewhere in the morning.

9:30 AM– Rider naps. If we are out and about, I try to make sure I’m home by 9:30 or somewhere where there’s a pack n play so he can sleep. Or the stroller works. It just depends where we are. *Keep in mind I’m checking/answering emails via my iPhone ALL DAY LONG. I try not to work while I’m out, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. During this time, I’ll play with Cruz if we are home. I’ll take him right out front of our apartment and let him play outside with chalk, blocks, cars, balls etc. Duh. He’s a boy. If we aren’t home, then we’re doing whatever it is that we are doing and Rider is hopefully napping. Hopefully.

11:30 AM– Rider is up and it’s lunchtime. So we eat. If we didn’t leave the house in the morning, we leave now FOR SURE to go run errands or play in the park before afternoon naps. It’s a rare day that we don’t leave the house in SOME form. I would go absolutely crazy if I didn’t leave at least once during the day.

1:30 PM- Afternoon naps for both boys!! This is the time when I really focus on getting work done. It’s hard because this is the time that I have to LET GO of the fact that my house is usually a disaster area from the morning. But I have to sit down and get work done. I usually work on any and all edits that we have in our workflow. I tend to any emails that have come in since 7:30 am, which is usually another 15-20 by this time. If I have phone calls to make, I do it during naps too. Talking on the phone before naps is just not even a possibility. Especially to clients. Please note- I NEVER get all of my work done during this time. But I try to get as much done as I can. And pray that naps are long and uninterrupted. Which they aren’t always. And it’s frustrating. But it’s part of the flexibility I talked about.

4:30 PM– Ok, I know you might be freaking out that my kids actually sleep until 4:30. But yes, on a GOOD day they will BOTH sleep until 4:30. It doesn’t always happen. But it’s amazing when it does! Once they are up it’s snack time for both. Rider gets a bottle and Cruz gets something different with a little cup of juice. He lives for the juice. I’ll usually start prepping dinner around this time too. I plan my meals once a week for the entire week. So I only need to look in my organizer to see what’s for dinner. I use Our Best Bites A LOT and it’s completely revolutionized the way I cook and meal plan. On days that we have photo shoots, we typically start right at 4:30, at least until the summer.

6:30 PM- Jay gets home around this time (except on certain days) and we eat dinner. Don’t get me wrong- the kids are usually both screaming the ENTIRE TIME that I make dinner. Jason came home the other day and said outloud, “Sometimes I forget how truly chaotic this time of day really is”. And he’s right. It’s crazy. I want him to be able to come home to perfectly bathed children, picked up toys and music softly playing as I greet him at the door with a glass of wine (dripping sarcasm). But truthfully, the kids are lucky if their diapers have been changed more than once and there’s always food spilled all over the counter from the hectic cooking I’m doing while wiping noses and holding a baby THE ENTIRE TIME. The bewitching hour. That’s what it is. And it’s not pretty.

7:30 PM– Rider gets bathed and is in bed by 7:30pm.

8:00PM– Cruz gets bathed and is in bed by 8:00pm.

8:00 PM-12:00 AM– I clean up the disaster that is my house and then-Work. More emails, edits, and this is the time of day I email out any contracts that we have from new inquiries that have come in throughout the day. Jason and I also talk about the day, what we are working on, and what the detailed plan is for tomorrow. All with Friends on in the background. No joke.

And then it starts all over again tomorrow! And yes, I usually get 5.5 hours of sleep. And coffee is my friend. And I’m usually a girl that can’t do without 8 hours of sleep either. But there’s no other way to make it work and for me to be a good mom to my kids. Both things (motherhood and work) can’t suffer because of the other. They have to work in harmony together, and I’ve had to sort of change who I am a little to make it happen.

Because the alternative is me on the verge of a nervous breakdown every hour and minute of the day. And it’s not healthy for anyone.

So that’s my basic, general plan for how each day goes. It flexes a little each day, but I pretty much know what to expect down to the half hour no matter what. I have to make sure that I’m disciplined enough to actually stick to this plan. Waking up at 5:30 has been a HARD discipline that I have had to get used to. And it’s really not easy, every single morning.I don’t just bounce out of bed ready to answer emails and workout at 7:00 on the dot. But I do it because I know what the alternative is. If I can’t get a jump on the day, I am a total stress case. So I’ve really had to stick to my plan and my plan starts at 5:30 am.

And it’s really hard. But the coffee helps.

But when unexpected things come my way during the day, I can flex with some sort of ease because I know when my pockets of time are to work. And I know when my pockets of time are to play. It’s all a balancing act. But you’ve gotta get organized, be committed, and STICK TO IT.

There might be a lot of wasted time in your day that you didn’t even know about because you don’t have a PLAN.

You can do it girl. I promise it’ll make things TONS better.

*There is a second part to this tip, but it will be Tip #5. And it obviously comes next, so stay tuned.

Pictures from here and here.