In 2018, I started a deep dive into time management. Cash was three and Quinn was two, and I had just finished my third year review for promotion and tenure at NC State. It might have been one part existential crossroads, one part overcoming imposter syndrome, and one part fear of dropping all the things I was trying to juggle. Regardless, it quickly became obvious that I needed help with time management and prioritizing ALL the things.
Cash and Quinn were at different schools, which meant double the drop offs, double the emails, double the lunch rules (Cash: No trash, no peanuts, no tree nuts; Quinn: no meat, no tree nuts), double the calendars, and double the pick ups. If you’ve ever done this, you know it basically equates to picking up a part time job. I was literally spending 12-15 hours a week on drop off and pick up each week, and their school calendars weren’t aligned so it was November before we had a “typical” week in which they were both in school following their schedules. I was incredibly grateful for both of their schools, which made this chaotic schedule doable.
A month in and I decided I needed to hire a time management consultant. I needed an outside perspective to help me find balance between work and home as well as to help me take advantage of every minute of my working day. I remember meeting her at a coffee shop. She walked me through a series of exercises, talked to me about my very busy season of life, and helped me realize how much I needed to carve out time for myself.
By December, I had fully embraced my new appreciation for time management and began to set real boundaries between work and everything else, for the very first time. I was nervous, but also knew just how necessary this step was. Every day I wrote the same quotation at the top of my planner, “What are you willing to give up in order to have the life you keep pretending you want?” Ouch. This is when barre classes came back into my life and when Friday planning changed what I say yes to and how I budget my energy. I’ve never looked back.
Joyful Striving 