October 3,
2015. A date that will go down in history as the first weekend I have had free
in a LONG time! And I mean LONG friends! It’s the perfect kind of weekend too.
Hurricane Joaquin has brought in plenty of rain and cool weather to the South
East and it’s these gloomy, rainy days that are my favorite to curl up in my
sweats with a good book. The kind of weekend that I NEVER get to have because
usually I am so busy that even on weekends like this, I am running around
fulfilling some duty that is cluttering my planner or to-do list.
So this
morning, I got up and decided to stay in bed for a while and catch up on some
blog posts that had been piling up that I haven’t had the chance to read. One
of my favorite blogs to follow is Emily Ley’s Joy and Simplicity. Her Simplicity series is full
of advice from busy women on how they balance work and life so that they can do “what matters most”. I have
always loved these posts but I think today was the first day that I actually
read these women’s words and took them to heart. I am a busy woman, but am I
keeping in mind what matters most to me? My husband and I are VERY busy. And
that is an understatement! We both work two jobs. TWO! While he is working as a
department store GM AND setting up his own real estate investment company, I am
working full time as a first grade teacher AND spending time at my “hobby job”
as I like to call it: Agecroft Hall. It’s a 17th century (that’s the
1600's folks) Tudor manor that was taken down and moved from Lancashire England
and rebuilt in good ol’ Richmond VA. I work there as a tour guide and living
history interpreter in my “free” time. But as much as I enjoy both of my jobs,
I can definitely say that especially this time of year, I am bogged down with
commitments and obligations, and my husband and I DO NOT get to see much of
each other. I am a Type A person if there ever was one and I also have a hard
time saying no to people. Not a good combination to have my friends. So in addition
to over-committing myself, I also have a hard time accepting help and tend to
just do everything on my own. As I sit here writing, I am also reading a text I
just received from a sweet teacher friend, offering to help me write the
monthly grade level newsletters. And as much as I should say yes! I would love the help! My gut is telling me to just
say no and do it myself.
1. Make time for Jesus every day! It was
mentioned in an Emily Ley post and also in a bible study that I read that sometimes
rest cannot be found on a pillow, it has to be found in Him. And in this crazy
season of life, Jesus is exactly what I need. I cannot tell you how many times
I have gotten to the end of my day and thought, “I have not thought about or
prayed to Him once today.” And that is not good folks, not good at all. So I
need to set a specific time each day that I can spend in the word and focus on
what His plan for my life is. Because as busy as I am, it is all for not if it
is not His will.
2. Write and keep up with a to-do list
and a planner, but keep the goals REALISTIC. I am an old school paper and
pencil kinda gal so I already write EVERYTHING down. But I write so much, that I
have to-do lists for my to-do lists.
And then I get so bogged down that nothing gets done. So I need to be more intentional
with my time and set goals for each day that are reachable and not overwhelming.
This is where my Emily Ley Simplified Planner will come in handy!
3. Do not over-commit (especially to
things I do not want to do) and leave room for MARGIN. Though it is good to
have goals and a to-do list. I want everything on that list to be things that
are going to be life-giving in some way. The mundane parts of life like doing
the laundry or washing the dishes might not be life-giving in and of
themselves, but if you set time to get them done without getting bogged down in
the chores, then it will leave you with time to do things that are life-giving.
4. Order my groceries. One of my least favorite
parts of those weekly mandatory to-dos is going grocery shopping. Because of
this, my husband and I tend to eat out more than we should I cannot say that
our habits are the healthiest. So I am dabbling in the idea of trying out one
of those meal delivery services like HelloFresh so that I can still avoid the
grocery store but also make better eating choices.
5. Make a cleaning schedule and stick to
it or have a cleaning service come once a month to deep clean the house. Another
weekly mandatory chore that doesn’t get done like it should…cleaning. And while
I prefer to clean over grocery shop any day, I still fall behind in this task
simply because I am not home often enough to get it done! I love to organize
and I am usually pretty good about keeping things tidy, but it’s the dusting, vacuuming,
scrubbing, etc. that I run out of time for. So a little help in this area would
go a long way. Not only would it make me feel more comfortable in my home for
it to be cleaned on a regular basis, but it would free up the available time I
do have so that I can fill it with something that is life-giving.
6. Clear out the
clutter and organize everything! While my Type A personality does love
organizing, when you are not home often, things definitely get unorganized and
the clutter starts to pile up quickly. This is something
that just needs to be maintained once it’s done! And I can definitely tell you
that getting ready in the morning and preparing for whatever is next on my
to-do list is a lot simpler and easier when everything is in its place!
7. Get everything
ready for the next day the night before. When I am not too lazy in the evenings
to do this, it makes my mornings run much more smoothly. I am not a morning
person, so I like to sleep in as long as possible, but I also do not like to
rush around and feel like I’m going to be late. So picking up the house, packing my lunch, and
setting out my outfit the night before definitely allow me to take my time in
the morning and feel more prepared for my day.
8. Showering and
getting dressed each morning even if I am not going anywhere. Because I am so
busy, I hate feeling like I am wasting time and I want each choice I make to be intentional and have purpose. I hate feeling like I am wasting time
doing something that is not life-giving. And if I get up in the morning and
stay in my pajamas, I am more likely to be a couch potato and binge on Netflix all
day rather than be productive and tackle something on my to do list.
9. Schedule ME time.
Because I like to feel productive, I have a hard time keeping up with self-care.
If I am not doing something on my to-do list, I tend to feel guilty because I
am not getting something done. But if you don’t take care of yourself, you are
not going to be able to take care of others. So I want to add me time into my
to-do list. Whether that be a mani/pedi, a massage, or just time to read a good
book before bed.
10. Find time to exercise! Yes folks, I know, not
only do I eat out too much, but I also do not exercise. I have had a gym
membership for several years and only gone a handful of times. It’s something
that I need to work into my schedule because even though I do not enjoy it, I
know it will make me feel better in the long run and it is great for stress
relief (which everyone needs)!
Overall, my goal is
just to be present and purposeful in everything I do and do things that are life-giving
and intentional. So join me friends as I
embark on this journey to live a life of simplicity where the focus is what
matters most and I share how to carve out white space and margin in this busy,
hectic world.