Productivity – Looking for a Balance

Productivity. Is this key? Or should this be banished from my goals during this phase of life with little ones? 

I read all the headlines: How to Get More Done in a Day. Maximize Your Mornings. How to Get Up Early. Organize Your Home. Declutter in a month. Write a Book in 30 days. (Seriously?) I see them and consider scheduling my next day accordingly. I considered scheduling each and every day out to the hour. 

Sign up for every 30-day challenge you can find! E-mail me (daily, please) listing my task for the day and I will do it all! 

Then I look at my children and reconsider. Does it matter that I have crossed 7 things off my to-do list by 8 AM? If they are my main focus, does it matter if I get anything else done?

I happily gave up a career to be home with my children. It was important to both myself and my husband. The first few years are so important and we wanted them to be raised in our home by mom or dad. I wanted to be there to teach them and lead them in a loving, Christian home. All day…not just after work.

This was more important than my career. The time with my children is precious. I will not be able to get it back. So far I can tell you it’s well worth it.

As a mom, I don’t spend as much time doing the activities I used to enjoy. (That’s an understatement!) I have mothering and household duties at the top of my list. This is just fine by me; it’s the most wonderful blessing I could ask for. My children and husband are way more precious than getting on a 6 mile run. Or having 30 uninterrupted minutes.

BUT…that doesn’t mean that I need to give up working out (that doesn’t go well!) or having a few minutes by myself. I just need to find those minutes that I’m not needed by my sweet girls (and now a boy too!).

I want to get more done in a day and have some time alone, but not at the detriment of less quality time with my children. How do I plan on doing this?

– Get Up Early

– Add snippets of scheduled time to my day

– Waste Less Time…this just may include time online.

– Add efficiencies and organization to my day, so I can truly ENJOY the unscheduled time with my girls. Too much of the time, I’m staring at what I need to clean, cook, and organize and it’s hard for me to sit down and give 100% of my time. A piece of this is continuing my goal to declutter and simplify the home.

What is my starting point??

Get Up Early – I’m setting a goal to get up at 6:00 AM every morning for 2 weeks. I am a night owl TO THE CORE, so this is not easy for me.

When I am up and I have that Bonus Hour before the girls wake up, I enjoy every second and wonder why I don’t do it every morning. So here it goes…Day 1: Success!

What one change made a drastic difference on the course of my days? I decided to make the most of my mornings by creating an early morning wake-up habit. I think you should give it a shot! Read all about it here:

How to Enjoy an Early, Joyful, and Productive Morning

7 Habits to Add to Your Morning Routine

Updated: Finding this time is not easy with 3 children! Someone is always getting up with me. I am desperately missing this morning time alone.

When it was just my daughters, I was able to get up before them and have an hour to myself. I loved spending the time drinking coffee, reading my devotion, and working on my blog. Due to new schedules with school my girls wake up earlier than they used to. I no longer get this time. Even if I wake up early, I have a buddy with me!

My three year old will sit on the couch with me while I drink coffee and I will read my devotion to her. This early morning time with her is actually a very special time. 

The early morning friend, the baby waking during the night, and just life with kids has made this morning time go away. I will say it again…I really miss it. 

While my sole goal is not productivity, I am stepping back to see how I am using my time to see how I can get this morning time back. 

I’m not shooting for 100% productivity! I am just looking to use my time wisely so I can focus on my children and have quality time with them, while also finding a small window of time for just coffee and quiet. I am looking for a balance in productivity.

Do you struggle balancing out productivity and your true priorities?

Once you make something a habit, it’s more likely to get done. Read about habits for both your morning and evening:

7 Habits to Add to Your Morning Routine

10 Habits to Add to Your Evening Routine

Originally posted Dec 9, 2014