Planning your week is a great way to get organised, reduce rushing around, and stay on top of everything as a busy parent.
Getting things done feels good because you've accomplished everything you had to do for the week...
But did you have any fun?
Did you get a chance to relax and chill out doing something you enjoy?
Did you get time to spend with friends, to binge-watch your favourite show, or finish that book you've had on your nightstand for weeks?
That's the problem with planning your week - we often leave out the stuff that makes us feel relaxed and fulfilled as people and we only include the stuff we should do in order to keep everything on track as parents.
Let's make one tiny tweak to your weekly planning routine and make sure you have time for the stuff you enjoy!
When you go to do your planning this week, plan in the stuff that makes you happy first.
Book that stuff in like it's an important appointment or a non-negotiable work task, because it should be a top priority.
There's never going to be a time when you find yourself with nothing to do but relax.
There will always be more cleaning, laundry, and cooking to do. Someone in your family will always need something from you.
Don't leave yourself last. You'll be tired and irritable and burnt out because you never have time for yourself.
Put yourself first and you'll have more balance by default.
It's like the financial advice you hear about paying your savings first on payday before committing the rest of your money to bills and expenses. If you pay yourself last, there will never be money for savings and fun stuff. But if you pay yourself first, not only do your savings and fun money start to build up, you feel like working is actually worth it and not just something that takes you away from your family for 40 hours a week and leaves you exhausted.
It's the same for self-care. Book that in first and you'll never run out of time to do it.
If it feels overwhelming to do it, start small. Choose one of these or something similar you'll enjoy:
- an hour for a relaxing bath one night
- an hour for reading one afternoon
- two hours for going to the movies one day
- a half hour for going for a walk listening to a podcast you love
I hope you found this tip helpful! If you're ready for next steps, you might like to check out my free online workshop 3 Quick things you can do to get organised today when you have young children. Watch it any time here!
x Marissa
