I have always loved to be involved. Whether it was in school, after school, or in my circle of friends, I needed to be in the thick of it. And don’t get me started on events and parties. I do my best to make it to everything we are invited to (flash back to summer 2016 where we attended EIGHT weddings!).
With working full-time in a job that requires a lot of travel, being so heavily involved requires a lot of strategic, color-coded planning. Usually Sunday nights require a full rundown with my husband to talk about where we will be each day of the week, sometimes even triple booking our days to make the most of every minute.
Being so jam-packed sounds great in theory, but I have noticed we come out of the weekend with a sort of “life-hangover” trying to rush through so much. My poor son always struggles on Monday mornings going back to his school routine, and we go back to work more tired than when we started the weekend.
Last Sunday, our family had a rare and magical day: we didn’t go anywhere. No commitments, just jammies, snuggles and baking treats. As we tucked our little man into bed that night, it hit me: This is the year I take my schedule back. This is my year I slow down. This is my year to smell the roses.
Then reality set in and I thought, how in the world will I do that? So I am starting with the basics . . .
No thanks. Loving to be involved has gotten me into a ton of extracurricular activities, add that on to being a mom, and working full-time and *poof* there goes any free time I may have had. As much as I want to be at everything and support everyone, I have to take some time back for myself and my family. This is the year I learn to say no thank you.
Getting over FOMO: I am guilty of scrolling through social media and getting bummed seeing photos from events I didn’t attend. This year, I am getting over my FOMO (fear of missing out) when I don’t attend something. I love my friends, but its alright to not be in a super cute Instgram photo or on someone’s Snap Story to have more time with my family.
Making the most out of limited weeknights. Between work, school and bedtime, I only have about two hours with my son on the weekdays. Since that time is so short, I want to make sure we make the most of it. No more TV, just time cooking, conversation over dinner, and reading and snuggles at bedtime. Once he is off to bed, my plan is to knock out a household chore so that time won’t take away from him.
Living in the moment. I love photos and videos, who doesn’t? It’s so easy to get caught up in technology and social media. This year I commit to living in the present, enjoying what we are doing while we are doing it, and not worrying if I have the perfect photo of each moment.
Being OK with no plan at all. Being very Type A, I generally even plan our downtime out. This year, I am going to work on feeling OK about days with no schedule, and allowing casual family days to just happen. Maybe we sleep in, maybe we only venture out to have lunch, whatever we do, we are doing it to together and on our timetable.
Allowing for “me time.” I am most guilty of never giving time for myself. I will plan a manicure, and within a few moments of mental guilt of taking time away from my family, quickly change my mind. This year, I will make time for me. It doesn’t have to be big, maybe its solo lunch with a friend, or an hour reading a book in a coffee shop, just something that is only for me.
These are my commitments to myself and my family to take back my schedule. Are you an over-scheduled family? How are you taking back your schedule this year?
