Hey there! How is it going? Man o man, it’s a lot right now isn’t it? So much to juggle and I 1000% don’t get it right every day. I’m a mom to two daughters who are 8 and 5 and I’m a full-time artist as well. My husband is working from home so that is a blessing. But our worlds, just like everyone else I can imagine, has been rocked with COVID19.
We are social distancing like crazy, barely seeing our family. Prior to this we saw them every week, they alternated watching the kids on Fridays, our youngest was in daycare and our oldest was in school and after care sometimes. Look at all of that time we had to work and get things done! Sometimes that looked like being a stealthy ninja and relocating huge toys to the basement or purging some toys altogether when the kids weren’t here. Flash forward to now and we have been together 24/7 since March. It’s a beautiful time in many ways but it does take a lot of getting used to as well. Sometimes I work on a blog post, brainstorm or research on my iPad while we are cuddled up on the couch watching Bluey or another favorite show. At other times I tell them to go ahead and watch their shows without me because I’m in my flow and I’m about to actually finish something I started.
SOME WAYS WE ARE PLANNING OUR TIME MORE EFFICIENTLY
Grocery pickup is the ABSOLUTE best and I am taking full advantage at this time. Usually it costs $5 an order but it has been free this year so that is a way that we save time. I meal plan and order, some beautiful person shops it and then we pick it up and put it away.
I have designated days for things. When I get orders I work hard to get them out first thing in the morning because who knows how the rest of the day will go. Mondays I don’t schedule anything and I actually leave Wednesdays and Thursdays for any future appointments. Tuesdays are my hair days which is great because I started transitioning away from my relaxers in February. I can really focus and I’m turning these days more into self-care/spa days too. It’s great, mindset is key. Thursdays are the days that I clean the bathrooms from top to bottom. Fridays are my catch up days. Then I fit everything else around those main plans that are already handled.
Upping our organization game. I am on a constant journey to get better with decluttering, purging and organization. Less stuff really does mean less maintenance. Grumble. Grumble. I have read so many books, watched so many YouTube videos, etc and my favorite is Unclutter Your Life by Andrew Mellen. He gets to the heart of why we don’t stay organized and how we can. Like with like and give everything a home are the two things that made everything click for me. The other book I just listened to while I was organizing my art studio/office is The Clutter Connection by Cassandra Aarssen. I have followed Cass for years on YouTube and just recently on Instagram. Her talks about people being different types of clutterbugs has been fascinating and her book finally tied things together for me. I love visual simplicity but I didn’t know how to make things pretty behind closed doors. Once I started making collections of like with like and macro organizing, everything changed. I think this process is going to stick and having systems that work saves us so much time and sanity. Lightly cleaning and resetting the house daily is a must. If you have any interest in becoming more of a minimalist, The Minimalists podcast is a great resource as well!
It can be a stressful time right now so I’m trying to keep our environment in check and promote a calming and peaceful attitude. This frees up time to enjoy our schedule flexibility, play with our kids and enjoy our time more as a family instead of planning and working non-stop. Taking things off my plate is helping too and I have a video game coming so I can chill and have a moment to not think of anything. Why is turning our brains off so hard to do sometimes? How are you handling things right now?
We will get through this and I wanted to share what is working for me. Hang in there mama, you’re doing great.
Interested in a new way to destress and relax? I have a watercolor guide with videos here! I share tips, tricks I wish I knew when I started painting.
xo,
Erika