How do I do it all? How do I have enough time to get anything done? How did I find the time to write and publish a book? How do I find the time to read? To grow my craft? To create internet content or edit other authors work?
I get these questions almost daily.
It's easy for me to just laugh if off and say 'Oh you know, i just don't sleep anymore' to make the asker feel more comfortable. I've done that a lot. But the thing is, most people who ask don't want to real answer. They don't want to know how incredibly hard it is to do what I do every. single. day. It's a marathon, not a sprint, it takes an incredible amount of sacrifice and self-awareness. Writing, publishing, being the CEO of my own published works and business enterprises while being a wife, mother, and working full-time in Cardiology... it's a Herculean effort and I've cracked under the pressure many times.
So let me take you on a little tour of my day:
5:00AM: Wake up. Get dressed and pull hair back. Typically I have about 15-25 mins in the morning to get ready before my son wakes up so I make sure to set out my clothes and things the night before. I also don't wear any makeup or fix my hair, I just don't have the time. In fact, if my son wakes up too early I may even leave the house without brushing my teeth. (So I carry a toothbrush, floss, and toothpaste in my purse with me just in case... i'm not gross people, just strapped for time).
5:30AM-6:30AM: My son wakes up, I get him out of his crib. Change his diaper and get him dressed for the day. Usually I have to start some cartoons because he doesn't wake up easily and its a good way to get him focused on something while I try to wrangle him into his tiny little shoes.... toddler shoes are HARD people. I get him some juice or milk and something to eat for breakfast. (Oatmeal and fruit are a favorite for him). By 6:30 AM I've gotten the both of us ready for the day, made my coffee, and gathered our many MANY bags. We load everything up in the car and head off for our day.
6:30AM-7:00AM: Listen to an audiobook that is CHILD APPROPRIATE... don't ask... mistakes were made. By 7:00AM I normally arrive at my sister's house to drop off my son. She takes him to school since the drop off isn't until 9:00AM and I'm already in clinic for an hour by then. He loves spending time with my nephew who's a couple years older so he has a ton of fun in the mornings before school.
7:00AM-8:00AM: Travel to work. Listen to whatever audiobook I want. LOL! (There is an office that takes me nearly 3 hours to travel to but I don't go there very regularly so that's not a typical day for me and I usually have to make special arrangements) Clinic starts at 8:00AM so usually I pull up to whichever office I'm traveling to that day around 7:45AM because I like to get settled and write my to do list before patients begin arriving in clinic.
8:00AM-4:00PM: WORK. These are my normal hours to work my full-time job. I do get a 30 min lunchbreak which I usually spend eating and reading, sometimes making notes or brainstorming for my writing projects, or making lists... lists of blog post topics to write. Youtube videos to script and film, lists of different articles to read or plot point in a novel that need revision. It's a good way for me to get my mind off of work for a little while, and start planning for tasks to accomplish in my writing, editing, publishing journey. Sometimes I spend the entire 30 mins just responding to emails for my author life. By the end of the day @ 4PM I pack all my things and head out to go pick up my son.
4:00PM-5:00PM: More Audiobook traveling to pick up my son.
5:00PM-5:30PM: More Child Appropriate Audiobook traveling with my son until I get home.
5:30PM-6:00PM: Feed my son dinner. Play. Pack his lunch and bag for school the next day. Let him watch some cartoons or help him with puzzles.
6:30PM-7:00PM: Nightime routine. Bath. Brush teeth. Pajamas. Wind down with me reading my son books and rocking him in the rocking chair. We says prayers and talk about the things during our day we were grateful for. Then I tuck my son into bed for the evening.
7:00PM-8:00PM: My nighttime routine. Eat. Bathe. Get in pajamas. Lay out my clothes for the next day. Pick up the toys in the living room. Make sure all the doors are locked and the thermostat is set (I live in an old house, LOL).
8:00PM-???: This is when I get my work done. Either on live stream with my friends or cuddled up in bed with my laptop and headphones. I usually make sure to take care of my highest priority tasks, whether it's marketing, website management, editing, or writing. I work until I can't anymore. Sometimes until 1 or 2AM, then I usually fall into an exhausted sleep and get up to start at 5AM all over again.
Now you'll notice this timeline didn't include my husband... that's because as a first responder for 2 different fire departments there are days at a time during the week when he isn't home. When he is home I do get a little more relief. He'll take over making dinner or helping with housework or bathing the baby at night. I usually get to add in a little extra work in those times so that I can spend time with him once the baby is in bed.
As you can tell, this doesn't leave me a lot of time for myself or for outside pursuits. Often I sacrifice social events, weekend time with my family, and more so that I can stay on task and productive. It's hard to keep this kind of schedule all day every day. It takes a lot of fortitude and sacrifice to keep pushing towards your goals. How about you? Do you struggle to find time to do all the things you want to do in a day? Would you like to see a vlog of my day to see exactly how I can get it all done? Let me know!
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