Stepping Off the Hamster Wheel

I’m stepping off the hamster wheel…for good!

We are all seeking something…in my case, it’s time!  That’s why I created MomTime Café.  Because I wanted a place to share ideas and strategies on how busy moms can make the most of their time and find balance in their lives.  By all means, MomTime Cafe isn’t arriving at a particular destination.  I think life is a constant state of evolution.  People change, circumstances change, priorities change and we must adapt…always.

For years, I have really struggled with time.  ALWAYS late.  Taking on too much.  Overbooking myself.  Not allowing myself to rest.  Does this sound like I’m being a little tough on myself?  

Maybe, but all of it is 100% true.  It stinks to type those words…but in an odd way, it’s therapeutic.  My kids and husband constantly crave me…and NOT the me that says, “Sweetie, I’ll be out to play in a second, I gotta load the dishwasher” or the wife that in the same breath says, “Honey, I love you…when are you ever going to mow the grass?” 

My to-do lists are always endless.  Sometimes, I think that I add more stuff to my to-do list out of insanity, but other times, I like to feel accomplished by crossing each task off. With all that I have going on, I beat myself up because as much as I crave to be a spontaneous, fun mom and the wife that can completely engaged and in the moment, it’s been a struggle to get there.  I’m always distracted (see previous post on my phone addiction), overwhelmed and a bit envious at the moms who always seem to have it together.  How can I ever get there if my house is always a mess and I’m constantly feeling disorganized? Hate is a strong word, but I hate that my life has been so unbalanced.

For most of my mom life, I’ve been a walking ball of stress in a “happy, I’ve got it all together” exterior.  I can’t tell you how many self development books I have read over the past several years.  In some shape or form, I have collected a nugget or two of helpful information that I have applied to my life.  Despite my consummate focus on my personal health and fitness and my positive, upbeat personality, I still felt as if nothing seemed to “fix” the unbalance. 

Until I started “Unstuff Your Life!”  This book has been my wake-up call to action.  I don’t like using the overused word “epic”, so I won’t, but it’s been a game changer in my life.  Maybe it might be for you!  You can check the book out for yourself and all the reviews on it!  I’m halfway through the book and I have uncovered several techniques that I haven’t been using that are directly tied to my constant disorganization. 

1. Identifying designated homes for every item in my house.
2. Putting things away promptly after use.

Sounds easy enough, doesn’t it?  I touched on this a little in one of my recent blog posts, but it’s been so revolutionary in these past few weeks that it deserves more coverage on the blog.  For years, I have been guilty of getting things out and not putting them back.  I had read in the past that if you neglect dealing with it promptly, you significantly increase your time later to putting it back.  It’s true!  Tell me you don’t have a mountain of paperwork overflowing in your house that you’re dreading to go through?!  Over the past few weeks, I have dealt with things immediately and the effects have been quite powerful.  It’s like I’ve been added extra time in my time bank by applying these basic principles into my daily life.  Be mindful, this only works if you have a home for everything.  Everything MUST have a home and “like” things should be kept together.

I can’t remember a weekend where I had so much going on with my family – FUN STUFF…where we actually connected and enjoyed each other and I didn’t come home feeling incredibly overwhelmed with what I had to get done before Monday morning arrived or worse harboring resentment toward my husband for not helping me with my bottomless pit of work that still must get done.  This weekend, I had:

• More spontaneous time with my kids playing with no guilt or worries that I had piles of laundry to catch up on.
•  A fun date night with my husband and I wasn’t spending my whole afternoon cleaning for a sitter to come.  I was fully dressed with shoes on before the sitter arrived and I had dinner done for the kids.  Normally, this is sooo not the case!
• More peace knowing that there are no dishes in my sink.
•  Extra time to meal plan.
•  More time to do things that I wouldn’t normally have time to do – like take an hour and organize my daughter’s bedroom and make a trip to Goodwill.

I am seriously amazed at what this book has done for me.  I’m not saying this book is for you!  I’m simply saying that if you need to get a handle on your crazy life and how you function in your home, this might be for you!  Definitely check out the audiobook.  I heard the book, if you’re just reading it, is a little tough to get into.  Good luck…and keep me posted on how it’s helping you!

They say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.  Well, I'm stepping off the hamster wheel because I refuse the insanity and doing something different. Won't you join me?

 What are you doing today that’s preventing you from getting to where you want to be?