Drafting from a spin bike. Literally.
I like Mondays.
Really, I do.
I have for as long as I've viewed them as the breath I take before my week really begins...which started when my kids started full-time daycare.
(That's when I realized that the weekends were the most taxing part of my week, and I needed a hot minute to transition between the chaos of full-time kids to making the most of the time they're in childcare.)
I couldn't put an exact date on when this became my practice, but somewhere along the lines in my work-from-home career I started to pencil Monday in as a buffer day.
That mental boundary looks like:
I'll book fill-me-up calls on Mondays, get acquainted with the work that I need to accomplish that week, fit a workout in, and allocate most of my to-dos to Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
Each week brings the opportunity to make some tweaks to how I'm doing things; I'm kind of constantly taking stock of the things that worked and the things that didn't, so I can do more and less of each one, respectively.
Note: This isn't about optimizing my output and productivity to ensure that I'm getting the most dollars out of every minute, but be mindful of the way my energy naturally flows, so that I can work with it instead of trying to control, manipulate, or maximize it.
Realistically, I have work things to do, house things to do, yard things to do. Some things I like more than others, but all adulting things do need to happen one way or the other. My goal is to reduce friction and introduce ease wherever I can, whenever I can.
Ease and freedom are my hashtag best life.
Anyway.
One of the other things I've learned is that setting myself up for success in the morning starts the night before.
Over the years my PM household checklist has grown to include putting together the kids’ lunches for daycare the next day, tidying up the kitchen, and cleaning out the French press so I'm ready for caffeination ASAP in the AM.
Some nights vary — on Thursdays I try to get the garbage and recycling out, on Fridays there is no packing of kids lunches...and for the last couple weeks I've been adding something new: my nighttime routine now includes packing my gym bag so I can work out after dropping the kids off at daycare.
I won't lie — at the end of the day, when the kids are finally in bed, the last thing I feel like doing is more things.
But.
It is SO MUCH EASIER to do things like think about balanced snack options and packing activity appropriate gear for the kids without adorable assholes vying for my attention constantly. (Seriously — how many snacks can they possibly need? JUST EAT YOUR BREAKFAST!)
Plus, it makes for a much more enjoyable morning when all I have to think about is consuming coffee, doling out breakfast, and getting dressed.
(My next next step is planning out breakfast and laying out clothes so the only thing I have to worry about is coffee...but one thing at a time, right?)
Despite my best efforts and the many iterations of morning routine → daycare drop off → get shit done that I've done, I sometimes miss details. Like sometimes, I forget to charge my bluetooth headphones before I go to the gym.
It's a bit of a bummer because my favourite way to sweat is on a spin bike, and a solid playlist (mine is heavy on Taylor Swift, Beyonce, and a lil bit of Tegan and Sara and I LOVE IT) is key when you're spinning.
Once I got over my initial frustration at spinning without TSwift and the fact that I'd missed a step in preparation, I decided it didn't matter because today is supposed to be a chill movement day anyway — I pushed myself yesterday and the goal of today was just to get the blood flowing. When I have music in my earholes, I inevitably work harder because I want to chase the beat...
Today, working harder wasn't the point. Today, the point was to slow down. To take it easy. To indulge in some active recovery.
Also, would you believe that my kid went to bed with the sniffles, which has me worried that I’ll lose a solid chunk of childcare in a season of questionable coverage.
It is likely a result of the fact that I cut the lawn today…but still.
Working parents everywhere feel an instant increase in anxiety at the prospect of losing childcare.
It's the adult equivalent of being told someone ate all of your Halloween candy.
That's one of the most frustrating parts of the whole working parent thing. It doesn't matter how carefully I plan my time blocks or how much buffer I account for in my schedule — there is no preparing for the consequences of your children getting sick. Especially in the seasons that it happens repeatedly. Relentlessly.
And of course, you know you're next because #BurnOut, unless you prioritize your self and #SelfCare. But don't neglect your poor sick child because #MomGuilt.
Okay I'll stop.
But it does really suck that taking care of yourself so you can take care of your sick kids takes time, and I'm sorry but who has more of that when you're dealing with a household immunity crisis?
To be at my momming best, I need three things:
I need to sweat, I need to create, and I need to have time to myself.
It's not too much to ask, is it?I know. Ha.
In my "ideal week," and on my "vision board," those are 3 distinct and separate activities: time at the gym, time holed up writing, and time spent laying down by my self with a sheet mask on while I listen to an audiobook.
Living. The. Dream.
When things go according to plan, I can make that happen. But weeks (j/k — MONTHS) like these past few, when I just can't seem to catch a break?
I'm doing well if I nail one of those categories, let alone all three.
Unless I let go of the idea of doing the things perfectly and let them happen all at once, like now: I'm at the gym by myself, writing, while I'm sweating it out on the spin bike.
This won't be my best writing, work out, or the most restorative pocket of time — but it is what it looks like for me to fight tooth and nail for what I want need to take care of myself in this season of perpetual insanity.
Yeah, multi-tasking well isn't a thing or whatever. But if the alternative is doing nothing at all?
Well, then you do what you can, when you can, and cut yourself some freaking slack for what you can't get to because you are human and need to take care of yourself in all of the madness too.
So my friend, I hope these words find you fighting tooth and nail for your Self, so that you can do more of what feels good.
Until next time,
J
PS. Nobody: Hey Justine! Where's your spinning playlist? Me: Oh of course! It's here. Just hit shuffle and enjoy the random ride.