Its 9 pm and my bum’s just hitting the sofa …

I catch a sideways glance at the mountainous ironing pile on my way down … the dog needs a quick scoot around the block; ½ the kids are in bed and I’m working out what I need to sort and get ready for the next day … In the back of my mind I’m also aware that there aren’t enough horizontal lines drawn through the ‘to do’ list floating around on the kitchen counter…

In that moment I wonder whether it’s being self-employed, a mum, working almost full time … or probably rotten time management (says my hubby) which keeps me feeling like I’m in a never ending cycle of ‘doing’. I think it’s probably all four!

My inbox and facebook feed is filled with women ‘entreprenuers’ telling me how they are successfully running their million dollar business, whilst jetting around the world. They promise they have the ‘perfect’ work life balance in which to ‘do it ALL and therefore SO CAN I!’ – I hear ‘bollocks’ coming out of my mouth as I read …

THAT ‘to do’ list, amongst others isn’t getting any smaller and the same old stuff just keeps getting recycled onto newer, tidier and more ‘organised’ lists!
In a bid to settle this ‘I am doing but not getting done’ scenario in my mind, I sat down one morning and asked myself ‘Just what, exactly am I doing with my time?’

So, in a bid to find some answers, I asked myself some more questions.

These were:

A: What am I doing to feel so knackered?

B: Why am I not getting my arse into gear and being more productive with my time?

And THEREFORE …

C: … finally get those horizontal lines going through my ‘to do’ lists?!

Soooo, I made a list (another one!)

Therefore, in light of my time spent making more lists, I am going to share that very one with you here and now … Brace yourself, for this week and in no particular order, I have …

♀ … set up and started a Blog … ta daah!
♀ … read, bled and scrutinised how to do the aforementioned!
♀ … had a dental appointment.
♀ … taught teachers how to de-stress (no easy feat let me tell you!)
♀ … got my oven cleaned.
♀ … questioned my time management BIG TIME!
♀ … caught up with family so they remember what I look like.
♀ … written emails, answered emails and deleted LOTS of emails.
♀ … walked the dog 10 times (probably more).
♀ … fixed a phobia.
♀ … been a friend in need and a friend indeed.
♀ … helped someone to start sleeping.
♀ … finished reading 2 books.
♀ … did supermarket shopping, birthday pressie shopping and nutritional stuff           shopping.
♀ … encouraged myself, berated myself, got angry with myself and compassionate   with myself … then loved myself ♥
♀ … helped a special lady with Parkinson’s strengthen her core muscles.
♀ … cooked 6 dinners, organized 12 lunches and put together 20 breakfasts.
♀ … played board games, amused the dog, read bedtime stories and talked homework.
♀ … watched webinars … seminars, you tube success stars …
♀ … had 3 baths and 4 showers – I can see you counting on your fingers!
♀ … learnt about ‘niche’ markets, target markets … market needs, markets do’s and market don’ts!
♀ … ironed clothes, cleaned floors, washed dirty dogs and muddy boots.
♀ … ran down sand dunes … walked up sand dunes.
♀ … created media images, facebook posts, uploaded instagram pics and forgot about the twitter account!
♀ … given hugs and received hugs … aww …
♀ … done some yoga.
♀ … coached someone through a panic attack.
♀ … meditated, mediated and ruminated.
♀ … finalized my new website.
♀ … cheered my sons football team and clapped at my daughter’s dodgy dance moves!
♀ … encouraged, disciplined, guided and taught …
♀ … helped a lovely soul ‘re-find themselves’.
♀ … wiped away tears … theirs and mine 😦
♀ … enrolled my daughter into dance – to stop the dodgy dance moves.
♀ … slept … well!
♀ … written this list, amended the other list and drew some horizontal lines through another list – YAY! 😉

In writing THIS list, which isn’t exhaustive of my week’s activities, I have come to realise that in the scheme of being a mother, a wife, friend, self-employed therapist, coach and budding business bod, I actually get quite a lot done!

I’ve forgotten lately that in a driven bid to feel like I’m moving forward, the more static stuff of life … the important bits like home, family, friends and time out to breathe are at least 50% of my ‘doing’.
Although they don’t bring in the £’s, it’s this, that makes Me. And it’s being Me, that helps others and keeps me doing what I love. I’ve forgotten to be patient and compassionate with myself. In a drive to make progress I left a little of myself standing a few miles back wondering what the all rush is about.

You see it’s often easier to give others the time, the energy, the compassion … it’s the nature of my work but it’s also the nature of who I am and yet it has to start at home, primarily with me. The ironing pile will NEVER be bottomless, the floors clean for more than 2 hours … my website will NEVER be perfect and as long as I have a family they will ALWAYS need my time, attention and love.

Therefore, I’m now reminding myself … again, to …

… ‘GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK WOMAN’!!

On a more practical level I have also ordered the book by Shaa Wasmund ‘Stop talking, Start doing!’ so I can hopefully manage my time a little more effectively and stop the jibes from my other half! I  love self-help books if they come in a ‘no brain fatigue’ format which = easy read and hopefully easy action! It also means I have to think less which is always a good thing … I think :-0

Whilst writing this, the lyrics of the song “I am woman” played through my mind  … so in the words of the marvelous aussie Helen Reddy …

“I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am womaaaan …”

Celebrating YOU and ME in all our amazing fabulousness of ‘doing’!…
Steph x♥x♥