This week, I was late to school. Oh, class started on time, but the board was empty and I had to write the lessons as I taught. I felt behind, sluggish. 6:45 am will do that to you. Or just me.
This week has felt very normal to me. I mothered, I wifed, I housekept. Nothing was done perfectly, but the necessaries got done and nobody starved. We had fun. We were a family.
I also started my third of three part-time jobs. That sounds impressive, doesn’t it? Don’t fall for it. I work a maximum of 12 hours a week. I just really, really like variety. And commas.
When I’m not taking care of Nate or day-to-day living, I write this column once a week, teach a class of third graders once a week, and do freelance editing for a small publishing house. It’s a fun change up every day, and I like the challenge. I’m a firm believer that when a mom is doing what she loves, whether it’s taking care of her children, working, or some combination thereof, her family will be happier, healthier. This works for us.
Like others, I often fail. Like when there’s nothing written on the board or when it’s 2 p.m. on a Saturday and I have no idea what to write for this column. I’m also a procrastinator. Cleaning the bathrooms? Writing out a lesson plan? Please. Let’s go write some more. There’s always Pinterest and blogs and work. Oh, and a red-haired toddler always up for tickling.
That’s why I have a motto printed out on my desk: get it done early.
I need to see it every time I sit down. I need to remember to plan, to not delay, and to get it done. Do it early.
It was a lesson I learned as a senior in college, when a 100-page assignment was due at the end of the semester. I saw my peers delay the challenge, waiting until the last days to pull multiple all-nighters. I knew that would give me an F, so I planned things differently. I wrote a little, tweaked my outline, and researched whenever I could. It wasn’t long before the paper was done and I still had time to edit everything and turn it in calmly.
It applies to adult life as well: get it done early.
That baby shower that I’m decorating in two weeks? Buy the supplies, make the favors, and cut out the decor not the night before, but today, when there are hours to fill. Otherwise, I’ll run out of time and energy and will show up with nothing more than a tablecloth and thrown away plans. That awful chore I hate—scrubbing bathrooms? Get it done first thing in the day. It’ll be off my mind and I won’t dread it or put it off all day.
When I listen to myself (which, honestly, isn’t that often), it tends to work out well. This life is full, of good things and small things. And I like it that way.