“You know what honey, some days you’ve got to take the Super Woman cape off.”
An often heard plea from my husband as I run out the door wielding a to do list in one hand, texting madly with the other, keys between my teeth & a fully laden backpack to get me through the days various activities threatening to knock me off balance.
All whilst avoiding eye contact with the dog who knows full well it’s going to be another day at home alone without a walk.
Sound familiar??
In my role as a busy working Mum & as a Personal Trainer I often hear from clients and friends “How do I balance everything?” “How can I eat properly every day when I’m so busy?”
“What do I eat when I get home with the kids at 7pm at night after school then sport/music/dance when I haven’t been home all day to prepare anything?” “I’m too tired to cook every night” the list goes on.
It’s a common theme in our crazy, hectic lives and so many of us seem to fill our days with running around from sun up to sun down, whether a Mum or not.
My answer? Get organised. Simple as that. Or is it? If it was that simple wouldn’t everyone do it already?
Today I’m going to give away some of my secrets and will let you in on how I stay sane, organised & ensure my family & myself are well feed (most nights!).
Plan Weekly
“Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least” – Johann Goethe
Everyone keeps a diary – right? At least some sort of schedule whether it be on your phone, computer or a Filofax (remember those?!) where you keep track of your appointments, meetings, birthdays .. all the important things you can’t afford to miss.
But do you also schedule time for the regular tasks that are just as important but you perhaps don’t consider to be as ‘urgent’?
In “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”Stephen Covey dedicates an entire “Habit” to planning, it’s that important – Habit 3: Put First Things First.
Every Sunday evening I sit down with my diary for 20-30 minutes and plan my week.
Obviously all my most regular commitments are already scheduled (clients, kids sport etc, physio, hairdressers etc) so it’s a matter of looking at what else I need/would like to achieve that week and then scheduling those tasks into my available time.
So, what sorts of ‘tasks’ am I talking about here?
•Personal gym sessions (yes, even PT’s have to train!)
•Personal time … coffee with friends, a morning surf (my husband laughed when he read this so I have to admit, this one I’m most challenged by!)
•Grocery, fruit & veg shopping
•Programming time for my clients/groups
•Cooking nights (more on this in my next blog)
These are all things many people do on an ad hoc basis but you know what, I’ve tried that and it fails.
Something always slips through the cracks and before I know it, we’re mid way through the week, I haven’t trained myself for 3 days, I have nothing to feed the family, it’s the night we don’t get home from sports training until 7pm & there’s no present for my 7 yr old to take to his mate’s birthday party the next day!! Hello stress! 🙁
So folks my number one tip is schedule, schedule, schedule. Plan, plan, plan. EVERYTHING. The result will be:
•Fewer crises
•More life balance
•Peace of mind
•Better eating habits!!!! (my favourite result of all!)
OK, I’ve banged on about weekly planning enough now.
In my next Blog I’ll break it down and focus on getting meals organised so that there’s no last minute drama’s that lead to fast food, take away or just reaching for a glass of wine & cheese & crackers instead (yes, you know who you are!!!) 😉
So honey, yes, I can wear my Super Woman cape everyday, as long as I keep planning! xx
You can find much more information on living a holistic lifestyle in these free magazines and on our YouTube channel.
Sonya Lovell
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