Time Flies
I rarely have a moment when I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing. And as a creature of routine, I am generally pretty comfortable in my rut. I am also always aware of what time it is, so it's not surprising that my life is more or less scheduled out to the minute. Here's my daily routine, Monday through Friday.
5:45 Wake up
5:45-6:00 Shower
6:00-6:20 Read scriptures
6:20-6-40 Exercise
6:40-6:50 Get dressed, get things ready for work
6:50 Wake up kids for school
7:25 Get the kids out the door for the bus
7:30 Leave for work
8:00-Noon Work stuff
Noon-1:00 Walk (Mon/Wed/Fri) or run (Tues/Thurs), eat lunch
1:00-5:00 Work stuff
5:00 Leave work
5:30 Get home
6:00-8:30 Make dinner, get kids to do homework
8:30 Have kids brush teeth
9:00 Get Clara and Allison in bed
10:00ish Prepare whatever I need to for the next day and get ready for bed
11:00ish Collapse from exhaustion
I try to encourage Katie to get out for a bit in the evenings for a break, and she goes to the gym a few times a week. That means I'm usually trying to make dinner and watch the kids for an hour or two, and by the time she's back and everyone has eaten (which usually requires making 2 to 4 meals to satisfy everyone [don't judge me for enabling my kids]) it's just about time to start getting ready for bed.
If there's nothing specific I am trying to accomplish at a given moment, I try to field all requests from the kids so Katie can do something, which is usually dishes or laundry or some other cleaning task she wants to get done. But if there's a few minutes when I'm not immediately swamped with tasks, like the kids are out playing with friends, I find myself at a loss. I don't really like to sit on the couch and watch TV, because I'll get interrupted every 30 seconds or just fall asleep. So I usually wander aimlessly looking for small things that need to get done.
This probably sounds like complaining, but I like efficiency, and I feel like I've figured out how to get the most done by trying to focus on tasks. I feel that even small things are worth doing well, and if my life's not glamorous at least it's full.
Do you have a schedule, or do you prefer to play it by ear?
5:45 Wake up
5:45-6:00 Shower
6:00-6:20 Read scriptures
6:20-6-40 Exercise
6:40-6:50 Get dressed, get things ready for work
6:50 Wake up kids for school
7:25 Get the kids out the door for the bus
7:30 Leave for work
8:00-Noon Work stuff
Noon-1:00 Walk (Mon/Wed/Fri) or run (Tues/Thurs), eat lunch
1:00-5:00 Work stuff
5:00 Leave work
5:30 Get home
6:00-8:30 Make dinner, get kids to do homework
8:30 Have kids brush teeth
9:00 Get Clara and Allison in bed
10:00ish Prepare whatever I need to for the next day and get ready for bed
11:00ish Collapse from exhaustion
I try to encourage Katie to get out for a bit in the evenings for a break, and she goes to the gym a few times a week. That means I'm usually trying to make dinner and watch the kids for an hour or two, and by the time she's back and everyone has eaten (which usually requires making 2 to 4 meals to satisfy everyone [don't judge me for enabling my kids]) it's just about time to start getting ready for bed.
If there's nothing specific I am trying to accomplish at a given moment, I try to field all requests from the kids so Katie can do something, which is usually dishes or laundry or some other cleaning task she wants to get done. But if there's a few minutes when I'm not immediately swamped with tasks, like the kids are out playing with friends, I find myself at a loss. I don't really like to sit on the couch and watch TV, because I'll get interrupted every 30 seconds or just fall asleep. So I usually wander aimlessly looking for small things that need to get done.
This probably sounds like complaining, but I like efficiency, and I feel like I've figured out how to get the most done by trying to focus on tasks. I feel that even small things are worth doing well, and if my life's not glamorous at least it's full.
Do you have a schedule, or do you prefer to play it by ear?
Comments
6:45-- wake up
6:50-- wake up kid who is usually already awake and getting ready because he's quite the morning person unlike myself.
7:00-7:50-- make and eat breakfast, discuss 1 trillion topics with kid, perhaps read our book, and send him on his way.
8:00-9:00-- Sit in a stupor. Wait for my brain to wake up. Do some reading or writing. Clean the kitchen. Put on workout clothes.
9:30-10:30-- yoga
10:30-12:00-- run errands
12:00-2:00-- shower, eat some lunch, do more reading or writing. Pass out for my afternoon lethargy.
2:30-5:00-- do chores and spend time with child: Discuss day. Help with homework and piano. Work through issues that may arise. Read our book together.
5:00-6:30-- Dinner
6:30-8:30-- miscellaneous activities. ride bikes, walk, play, work on writing, see friends, etc.
8:30-9:00-- put kid to bed.
9:00-10:30-- TV time, cherished time.
10:30-11:30-- shut down the house, bed prep, and hopefully sleep.