A Working Moms Guide to COVID-19: How I Plan My Day

This is the perfect storm.

I am HOME with my FAMILY surrounded by everything that I LOVE and I finally have the TIME I had been talking about needing.

I know many of you are scared. I know you're uncertain and worried. I want you to have faith that we are in a community where nobody is going to let you starve. Nobody is going to let you wipe your butt with leaves. I promise. We're going to be okay. *

Now.

If you're like me, you've found yourself working from home right along side our little angels sent down from the heavens above to eat all the snacks. If you're like me, your kids have boring imaginations and find themselves to be bored every 15 minutes and need another snack. I asked these little angels where their school stomachs went. Do they really get THIS many snacks at school? My goodness!

Early last week I worried how I'd get every thing done. How could I focus on my work? How can I separate work life from home life? How am I going to thrive in this situation?

Here's how I'm doing it:

I'm becoming intentional with my time and prioritizing my day.

This means I'm letting go of this idea of working 9-5. I work 8 out of my 24 hours. Sometimes it means logging in at 6am and others it is wrapping up emails at 8pm. Why shouldn't I spend an hour reading to my kid in between conference calls? Who says I can't research some resolutions for a client at 7pm? I am available during the normal business day for meetings and phone calls, but the in-between time definitely has opportunities to be more flexible!

Each day will be different. In this ever changing climate, I look at my calendar multiple times a day and sit down in the morning to go over what is happening for the day so I have a clear picture of where I'm spending my time. I set intentions each day to get things done and keep those in mind as I'm deciding how to fill my day.

Talk to your manager and see if this is something you can make work for your various roles. There are many in a similar boat as I am and I acknowledge that I'm very fortunate to have the position I hold. I also acknowledge and respect that there are many who are not near my boat. (Don't give up if this is you. Your time is coming. Keep going.)

Whether you are in the same boat as me or not, setting a routine and leading yourself intentionally is exactly what you and your community need as we work through this pandemic together.

I use this Start Today priority planner to set the course for my day. It forces me to think about my top 3 priorities for the day. I identify what would make me proud at the end of the day and it also gives me the opportunity to anticipate roadblocks or things that will try to get in my way and throw me off track.

This is not an ad. Rachel Hollis doesn't pay me to write about her products (Although she could if she wanted to. I'd be honored.) but here is a link to the online store to get your own when they are back in stock. You can also get one at Target when the next line comes out sometime in May.

Thanks for stopping by! Be blessed!

Sarah

* Please reach out to me at sarah@onlybetter.life if you have an immediate need that you need help with. I will connect you to a resource in your area that will be there for you. We are in this together.