One Day at a Time

The thing that helps me stay organized and focused is to just take one day at a time. As much as I hate taking time from my evening to prepare for the next day, it is a huge relief to wake up and know that I am ready. Now getting my kids ready? That’s a whole separate ball game. But at least I am ready! I even do my best to get dressed and ready before I even go in the girls’ room. This helps me stay focused on them and their needs during our crazy morning routine.

Something that helps me stay focused on one day at a time is to keep my calendar current and up-to-date. I have my physical calendar on the wall in the kitchen with handwritten plans and commitments, plus my icalendar on my phone. I make sure to keep both accurate to keep myself focused. I appreciate that I can set reminders on my phone. I usually do a one day before reminder and a second one hour before reminder to keep my schedule in check.

Another thing that gets me focused is to have short term goals throughout the day. For example, my goal is to have the girls fed and ready by 8am, so that when the two sweet girls I babysit and take to school arrive, we are mostly ready. Once my girls are ready I know that we can leave at the drop of a hat if needed. I have already packed the car the night before, or at least organized our bags to take to the car when we leave. That give me a little wiggle time to wash dishes or maybe even apply some mascara and brush my own teeth before we have to leave at 8:30.

My focus is just getting out the door. I know that if I have done my part to have things ready so that we can be out of the house for a few hours all I have to do is get myself and the kids out the door. Once we are in the car we can take one thing at a time as it comes. Just getting out the door sometimes is a huge feat and should always be celebrated!

Finally, take care of yourself. I go through periods of time where just taking care of my two kids is exhausting. The thought of making another lunch for myself just seems like too much. However, on the days I do take the time to pack something for me to eat too I am so much happier and better able to handle all the little bumps in our day. Don’t forget water too! I try pack a large cooler of water so that I can fill up my smaller bottle throughout our day to keep myself hydrated.

Are you able to focus on one day at a time? What tips could you share to keep yourself from getting overwhelmed by your schedule and commitments?