April 1, 2010, marked the first day that our family of five had two parents who work full time outside the house. Before that point we had managed to maintain the flexibility of either me or my husband working part time and/or from home. It was grand.
When my husband started his new job after many months of unemployment it was such a blessing that the issues of scheduling and time management hardly crossed our minds - for the first couple months we were floating on joy and relief. Then summer came and we enjoyed the ease of our in-home summer nanny.
So, it really wasn't until the start of school last month when reality sank in. There are simply not enough hours in the day (and I mean this literally) to work, commute, participate in the kids activities, do homework, shop, cook, clean, do laundry, see friends, continue our hobbies, maintain our property, sleep, and - most importantly - have fun as a family. My head is spinning and my heart is yearning for a simpler life.
How do we keep this up without becoming lifeless cogs in the 9-5 machine? The joy of my family is really important to me.
I here declare that I refuse to let the insanity consume me.
So what am I going to do? I am calling in the professionals.
Yep, I am finally giving in and paying people to help me balance my life. I have never liked paying for services that I can do myself, but hell, I'm at the point that I barely can!
First up, I signed up for grocery delivery service and it is spectacular. Why did I wait until now?
Next, I am meeting with LifeShine coach Michelle Stimpson tomorrow to define one thing I can start doing differently right now to help create more balance in my life. I am very excited about this opportunity for guided motivation!
Then, on Tuesday I have the professionals from In The Pink cleaning service coming for a cleaning AND organization consultation! I am seriously going to let these people into my closets and all and help me create the organized systems that a busy family like ours needs. Yay! Plus they are going to clean the place top to bottom once a month. (Yes, there is a huge smile on my face as I write that!)
When I told my friend Jenn about all this she said "Someone's got a fire lit under her!" Yeah, I know, a lot at once. But would you really expect anything less of me?
I am all about breakdown prevention!
Now I just need to find someone I can pay to do the laundry...
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Jen!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely blog post - you are quite an inspiration. I can't tell you how many women I've worked with who aim to really, truly 'do it all.' Sure, we can do a lot of things...but why not ask for help where we need it? It can make the road a lot nicer and the path a lot easier, with less effort. It's brave to ask for help!
I'm big on "working smarter, not harder" and always counsel my clients to ask for help where they can. Besides, it frees them up to do what they do best and focus on the things that bring them joy! :)
Kudos to you for making a bold move. I wish you all the best as you hold true to your new declaration!