People ask me all the time where do I find the time to blog while taking care of an active toddler, working full time, and taking care of household. The truth is I have very little time to do all the above, which is why my New Year’s resolution is always being able to sleep before midnight everyday. I’m lucky if I go to bed by midnight, 1 pm is a more typical for me. I tried to manage my time by utilizing excel calendar that I save in a Flash Drive. However, ideas for my blogs could come up at anytime, while I’m in the shower, cooking, or even about to fall asleep. So here’s my typical schedule:
6:45am
Get up and ready to go to work, wake my son up and get him ready for daycare. Everyday is a constant battle to get him ready as I’m entering the “Terrible Three” period. He’s insisting on doing everything himself. When he can’t he ask for help, and when I do help he gets upset. It’s the story of my life every morning (*sigh).
7:45am - Leave home and take him to daycare. By this time I know I’m already late for work
8:15am - Arrive at the office (I’m about 15 minutes late everyday)
5pm - Leave from work and either I or my husband pick our son up from daycare (whoever gets there first)
5:30pm - Arrive home and start preparing dinner that has already been cooked
6pm - Dinner time
6:30pm - Clean up while hubby play with son, and join them afterwards
7:30pm - Son’s bath time
8pm - hubby put son to bed while I’m having my downtime. I either watch TV for a little bit or browse Internet
8:30pm - shower
9pm - cooking dinner for the next day and cleaning the kitchen. Depending on the meal, sometimes I finish cooking and cleaning within 1 1/2 hour to 2 hour
10:30 or 11pm - start blogging. Sometimes ideas are just flowing like waterfalls and sometimes I got stuck in the middle of my post
12 or 1pm - bedtime
I know my schedule is a little crazy for most people, but I still try to manage it as much as I can. The key is you have to manage your time that works for you. Cooking at night for the next day’s dinner works best for me, because I cannot stand cooking while having two kids (the big one and small one, gotta count hubby!) up on my leg and ask every second when will dinner be ready. I also try to cook simple and quick stir fry food or the ones that you just throw in a crock pot. You can also make a casserole dish and bake it half way through, and bake it again the next day right before dinner time. Not only it’s healthy, it’s saves a lot of time and energy. I’m also a night person, which means I work a lot better as it gets closer to midnight. Usually that’s when ideas are pouring in.
I might be looking like a raccoon every morning, rushing in and be at work at least 15 minutes late (sometimes 1/2 hour) every day, but I do love the work I do and the life I’m living in. I sacrifice my time, but when you’re passionate about something, you just don’t feel it.
Tags: daily schedule, managing time
January 9th, 2010 at 11:24 am
Your schedule is pretty full! I am striving to be more schedule oriented this year. I was on a routine and found I had so much more done and organized then when I just winged it. Yeah, pretty much makes sense, huh? It’s just I have this side of me that wants to wing it and not be confined by a schedule. When that side wins I am quickly reminded that schedule are freeing and not confining. :)
January 14th, 2010 at 6:32 pm
I do have busy life and using schedule helps me stay sane.. :) You should try it, but don’t get upset if somehow things don’t go according to your plan.