Today is my first day back at work properly since our holiday to Haven last week. I say back at work but what I really mean is that Erin is at nursery today so I’m working from home.
I made the decision to go self-employed full time last year and honestly, it was such a struggle to start with. I had Erin at home all day, every day and I was working in the evenings most days, sometimes until gone midnight to get everything done. It was killing me and I was constantly behind or exhausted… or both! Now, Erin goes to nursery 3 days a week so I class these as my work days.
I’ve been doing this now for 6 months, since Erin started nursery in January and honestly, it hasn’t been easy. It has taken me some time to get into any kind of routine. For the first few weeks I found it really difficult to get motivated. Until this time, I hadn’t really had much child free time so I kind of spent it relaxing and not doing too much for a while. Some days, by the time I knew it 3pm rolled around and I’d done nothing but had to go pick Erin up!
Now on a work day I am a bit more organised. I start each day with a list and start with what I have to get done and work my way down. I am much more focused on what I need to get done and I generally manage most of my list every day and sometimes even more if I work on the evening as well.
The one area I struggle with still though is the housework. No one likes cleaning and I tend to prioritise work on a work day rather than cleaning. I find it quite hard to clean when Erin is around because although she likes to help, it doesn’t make things very easy at times. John works full time and is often out of the house early, works 6 days a week a lot and is knackered when he’s at home. Somehow, we need to work out a better system of getting everything done without killing ourselves. I don’t like getting stressed, especially when I don’t have to as it only causes more problems, such as weight gain and hair problems. Of course, there are ways to solve hair loss problem if that does happen.
So the answer to the question is, no, not even bloody close! I may be better at getting work done and being sort of organised/ on top of things but I should be getting ahead so I can have time off. If I did this, things would probably get done around the house more and I could do more cleaning than I do now!
If you’ve got any tips for a good balance, I’d love to hear them!
PIN IT FOR LATER
Hopefully as your work situation improves more and more, and you get busier, you could consider getting a cleaner to help with the housework side.
Personally I do 15-30 minutes of chores every single day, and I find that keeps my home pretty tidy all the time and me feeling good.
Glad to hear you’re happy with your balance x