Before when I was working it was easy to find excuses for my lack of balancing everything well. However since the first of the year I’ve been among the many to join the ranks of the unemployed. This has left me with so much extra time then I had previously. I was so excited! I was immediately thinking of all the fun things I could do. The cleaning and organizing I could get done. I couldn’t wait! Then reality hit and I started getting some of the projects done but I wasn’t really getting any of the bigger things done. Problem? I was starting them and not finishing.
As the weeks went on I was realizing the mess was getting bigger and that the biggest obstacle was myself. I wanted to do so much that in return I was getting nothing done. I was wasting time with stupid things and not willing to stay focused on the bigger things. I found excuses to walk away in the middle or to not even start. Being home full time for me is only temporary. I will need to go back to work at some point so it’s imperative that I make the most of my time off.
So with that you won’t be seeing me on the computer as often. I get too easily distracted with facebook, twitter, online forums, email, etc. I need to spend more times in other areas and learn to walk away from the computer. Not only will it personally benefit me but my family as well. I will be able to see my family more by doing more with them and have a clean happy home with will be more rewarding then checking out the latest tweets. Now don’t take this as my blog won’t be regularly updated because it will be. I’ll just put away certain times to sit down. This will give me less time to sit in front of the computer forcing me to focus and get done what needs to get done like when I was working.
Do you struggle with balancing life and your to do list? What do you do to stay focused?
I have a lot of difficulty balancing things too…
To be totally frank with you, the amount of time I spend doing nonsense like cleaning out spam comments and email, posting giveaways on linkies, etc could be much better spent with my son.
Do you plan to keep up the site, just spend less time on social media? It would be a shame for you to give up this fabulous site. Family comes first, but if you find balance, maybe you’ll come back with renewed vigor.
And if you do, tell me your secret so I can waste less time online.
Penelope
Oh this site is definitely not going anywhere 🙂 I just need to cut out all the dilly dallying I do. You’ll find me chatting all over the internet all day long. Lately it’s been a lot of time not well spent.
I think it is easy to think that if you aren’t working outside the home you suddenly have all this extra time. I know I don’t and I worked full time until my youngest was 1 1/2 so I know both sides.
Things are easier to put off when you don’t only have so much time to do them when you are working. And it is much easier to clean up the house after the kids go to bed and go to work the next day and come home with the house exactly as you left it. Now I’m constantly cleaning up the kitchen, living room and playroom because we are here during the day. There are a lot more messes to deal with and it feels never ending.
And if you are like me, you feel like you want to contribute more financially so you spend even more time online to make more money so all that free time you envisioned is eaten up by your desire to contribute more.
I feel your pain and I know I need to be better at this myself.
I won’t get into the working/SAHM mom controversy but I’ve had it made in the shade here at home. Working was definitely harder for me. BUT I’m finding I’m not being productive now that I’m home. I waste a lot of time just sitting around on the internet NOT making money. In truth Mom Spotted has made $50 in 2011.
Eeek, $50???? Dang, girl. I think we need to have a talk again because that just isn’t right. 🙂
I definitely don’t have it made in the shade. And I do think the ages of children make a difference too. If I had a stretch of time longer than an hour to myself to get an actual project done that would help. Warren is with me all the time and isn’t all that great at playing by himself. Lucian is only in school 3 days a week for 3 hours. I spend an hour on those days in the car just dropping him off and picking him up not to mention I feel like I’m always preparing meals and cleaning up the kitchen after breakfast, lunch and dinner. Or finding something to entertain them, play with them, etc. all the while trying to fit work time in. And I definitely make enough to count my blog as a part time job so that takes some priority as well.
Juggling sucks. 🙂
Yes, I have this very problem. Knowing so, I have asked my husband to set the parental controls on the computer so I can only go online between 4pm and 10pm each day. I usually don’t go on until at least 7pm or later as the time between 4pm and 7pm is spent cooking dinner, eating, clean up, etc. Anyway, this has helped SO MUCH!! I figure if I can’t get done what I need to get done on the computer in that time, then I am spending way too much time on there!! Family comes first no matter what. My duties as a wife and mother should not ever have to compete with my blog! Good for you for realizing there was an issue. 🙂
I left of job of 6 years in November and i can tell you being home i work more than i did when i had a full time job and juggled schedules between work, housework, appts, errands, grocery shopping, projects. I think it has to do with now my kids feel oh moms home she can do it she ain’t got nothing better to do LOL. I do enjoy being home just at times i want to pull my hair out LOL.
See my family already had that attitude when I was working lol
Oh boy, I have a really hard time walking away from the computer. It can keep me so busy the entire day AND night are gone before I know it and I’ve accomplished nothing!! Good for you for making such a wonderful choice with your time!!
Balance can be elusive. One of the things that I do is break larger tasks down into bite size pieces, and then put them on my to do list separately. So, instead of “deep clean kitchen” I would put clean fridge, wash walls, etc, etc. Then, as I mark each thing off, I can see progress. But, if I just have “deep clean kitchen” I can’t mark it off until it’s done.
I totally understand where you’re coming from Jennifer-Actually right now, I SHOULD be doing homework {pretty much the ONLY thing I can do at this point}. It is definitely hard to find balance in life among everything. Hopefully you can find a good balance though!
I am having a hard time finding balance. My kids are almost 3 and 17 months. My mom watches them during the week when the older one isn’t at preschool. (She goes a day and 1/2) a week. I work full time from home. That part is great. However, I am required to be on alot of conference calls and I don’t feel comfortable working on projects at home when I should be working on work. When I pick up my kids, I want to spend all that time with them. Once they o to bed, I am either too tired, overwhelmed, or it feels too late to start anything. I really need to focus, make a list and start checking things off.