Single mom of 2, business owner, home owner, dog owner, worship leader, currently adding in home school teacher to the mix (yowzas)…I would say those are my main responsibilities.

I could VERY easily take the road of “Poor me, I have so much on my plate” but where would that ever get me? Absolutely NO WHERE. I get asked often how I keep up with daily life + work. So I thought I would share a few of my personal habits and ways to keep myself on track.

1- I DON’T WATCH TV OR MOVIES

Biggest time suck ever. Sorry…but true. I don’t have the desire to fill my brain with random stories that don’t pertain to my life. I honestly feel like I don’t have the brain space. Not to mention if I sit down to watch a movie in the evening with my kids, I fall asleep within 15 minutes maximum. Every time.

How many hours get wasted every single day by binge-watching something on Netlix? It’s just not for me.

2- WRITE STUFF DOWN

This is nothing new. Everyone has heard this. But it’s true. Write down your list and do it. Cross that stuff off. And be proud of yourself when it’s done.

3- EXERCISE + EAT RIGHT

I have tested this theory…and TRUST ME. I am SO much more productive and my brain works so much better if I take at least 45 minutes to do some kind of workout before I sit down to work. We have every single capability at our finger tips with doing at home workouts on youtube or to get outside and move that body! 🙂 If you’re not doing a daily workout already, try it and let me know how that mental boost feels!

Eating right…this is HUGE for me. If I eat a lot of carbs and sugar, within 15 minutes I feel completely exhausted and can’t function unless I take a nap. Not cool. And certainly not productive. I do my best to make sure I’m eating foods that actually make my body feel good.

4- STAYING MOTIVATED

Motivation is key. If you’re not motivated, none of these tips are going to help you. Not-a-one. What is your motivation? Most days, mine is simply to feel good. To feel good in my home, I clean it! To feel good with my business, I mark off my to-do list knowing that it feels good to make money and provide for my kids. To feel good in my body, I eat right and exercise. With family, it feels good to spend time outside away from screens and enjoying each other and nature. To feel good spiritually, I need to pray and read the Bible.

In the last couple weeks, I have really been focusing on the idea of “What am I currently doing that is NOT good for me?” Good for my mental, physical, emotional health, etc. Personally, as dumb as it sounds…I don’t drink enough water. It baffles me that we do things that we KNOW are not good for us, and many times we don’t care! I challenge you to figure out what is NOT helping you, and change it.

5- TEACH YOUR KIDS TO BE HELPFUL

Obviously, if you don’t have kids…this won’t work for you. Maybe you can borrow someone else’s for the day. 😉 But! Thinking realistically, I don’t have time to do everything I need, take kids to and from all the usual places and activities AND clean up after them! Nope. Keeping our house tidy and neat is high on the priority list. My kiddos know how to load/unload the dishwasher, vacuum floors, clean bathrooms, do laundry, etc etc. Yes…sometimes it’s a disaster (like when one child spills laundry detergent all over the washer instead of in the tray). Sometimes it feels like a waste (like when one child says they spent 20 minutes cleaning the bathroom but actually just sat on the floor the whole time singing…gotta say those bathroom acoustics are the best). 🙂 No matter what, they are learning what it takes to take care of a home so they can do it on their own someday AND they are learning that families require teamwork from each member. No matter how small.

Trust me…we don’t have it all together. There are days when I feel like I won’t just drop one of the balls I’m juggling, but all of them. There are days that I procrastinate on the important stuff cause I want to do my artsy fartsy stuff. But the goal is to focus on the progress. Focus on those goals and actually do what it takes to make them happen.

Sending lots of love from our home to yours! And if you have any extra tips on productivity, I would love to hear them!

HUGS!

Elise