My Quest for Work/Life Balance.....

If only we had more hours in a day!

Typical day.....

Alarm

Hit Snooze

Alarm

Curse

Running gear on

Up and out (after 2 miles realising top on inside out and have odd socks on – could be worse could have odd trainers on again….not even kidding)

30 mins or 1 hr later…depending on mood…

Back in and kettle on after trying to take a selfie which doesn’t make me look like I’ve just run a marathon

Cuppa and toast

Shower too quick as don’t have time for a lovely long one

Another cuppa whilst packing Katies lunch (if hubby not already done it)

Get ready

Make sure Katie ready

Shout at Katie for not being ready

Promise myself to be more organised tomorrow and not shout at Katie

School run

And breath…

Office

Cuppa (a reoccurring themeJ

Emails checked

Urgent emails dealt with

Review plan for the day

Completely change plan for the day

Meeting

Emails

Work

Re do plan for the day

Lunch and another cuppa

Realise its now 2pm and replan the rest of the day

Panic

Cuppa to calm down

School run

Back to work or work from home

Taxi to athletics/drama/dance….

Emails whilst waiting to pick up from above

Taxi back from above

Get tea ready or iron whilst hubby sorts tea

Eat (with a cuppa obviously)

Wash up

Catch up on social media

TV

Glass of wine or another cuppa (actually quite a decision)

Fall asleep and miss end of whatever was watching

Bed

And repeat….

Sound familiar?

My question to you all today is ‘How do you balance work, parenting, family, friends, activities and how do you manage to actually have a social life…?’

Where does all the time come from? As for Sunday being a day of rest… Really!?

I’m sure you, like me, will have read countless articles where the wise of the world have it all sorted and suggest making time for yourself and having a cut off time from work. This then gives way to good old fashioned ‘spare’ time, when as a family you can run through fields of corn with the wind in your hair and even fly a kite before munching on a picnic set out on a beautiful gingham rug (all very famous 5)…. What utter tosh!

Reality is much more… well… real. It’s hard to turn down overtime or not stay late to get a job finished.

That all said though the wise really do have a point. We do all need to find a balance and not feel guilty if the scales tip too far one way and then the other as sooner or later they will level out. And the balance doesn’t have to mean grand gestures and days at the spa (although I’d take it), it can be the small stuff like cuddling on the sofa watching crappy tv together, cooking a meal from scratch with a glass of wine and catching up without rushing and worrying about where you have to be in 10 minutes. It’s about reading to your kids at bedtime and actually taking the time to enjoy it or playing football on the garden in the rain!

So let me know what your secret to a balanced life is as I’m certainly a long way off but I’m on the journey and absolutely loving the ride!