Good morning! I hope your week has started off well and if your kids went back to school this week, I hope that went smoothly too. I was away last week for the last week of the school holidays. It was a working holiday for me. I didn’t have to work my usual hours but I did need to work an hour or two each day. To be able to do that, I did front load quite a bit of work in the couple of weeks leading up to going away.
When you work for yourself and are yet to have a team around you, if you don’t do the work, then it doesn’t get done! I love what I do so don’t find it hard to set myself to work but the reality is we all need time away from work and we need to find the right mix of time with family and time for work.
There are definitely times when I feel the pull of both work and family strongly but over the last eight years or so I have been managing this much better. I used to try and “do it all” and that saw me exhausted and reaching a point of wanting to give up the work I was doing. I would work a second shift after the kids went to bed and would end up going to bed late but still getting up early to fit in my running and other fitness pursuits. It was unsustainable and it really took the joy out of life.
So how did I change it? I stopped for a bit. I took time completely off to reflect and redirect myself. I realised that:
I didn’t need to work as many hours if I got more sleep and was more productive in the shorter hours I worked.
I didn’t have to do it all myself. As the kids were growing older they could start doing more around the house to help.
I was never going to have a balance with work and family over a day or even a week but I could tilt to what area needed me most for a short period of time and do the best I could in the other area, then tilt back again as needed.
I needed to set boundaries so I could manage my time better.
I needed to have a clear goal so I knew what I actually wanted to do with my time and where I should prioritise spending it.
Managing the pull between work and family is challenging. You want to be present for your kids and you want to be successful in your work. At times it feels like you're constantly just treading water and not doing well in either area. It is like you're just keeping your head above the surface and barely managing to get by.
If you are having similar feelings to this right now and you have read my emails over the last week or so and you are thinking Planned + Present could help you but you “don’t have time for it right now” then ask yourself how will your life be different this time next year if you do nothing?
If we want change, we have to start thinking and acting differently. Change is uncomfortable and committing to an e-course like Planned + Present can be scary. It means you are signing up to do the work - to do the work that will help you and your family get organised for the long term and give you more time for the things you love. You are making a time investment now that will pay huge dividends moving forward.
I promise you it will be worth it and these aren't just empty words, I have a 30 day no questions asked and no hard feelings refund policy. I want you to feel less stressed, more in control and more present.
And you don't just have to take my word for it. Here are just some of the lovely things that members of Planned + Present have said about the impact the course has had on their life:
From Jackie: Just a note to say I am loving your course! I'm considered to be a very organised person by many of my friends but I have already got so much out of your course and we are only halfway. I was also a bit skeptical about how I would find the time to do this as I am very time poor at the moment with 4 children 5 and under including 1 year old twins, but the way you have set out the course makes it really manageable I think.
From Kate: Tacking control back - over myself, my habits, my time, my home, my routines, my kids, my happiness. This has meant lots of little changes that add up to some pretty significant impacts.
From Lisa: The Planned + Present eCourse was well worth the money - it would have only been a couple of weeks before the money was recovered just in the amount I saved through meal planning alone! By investing in a little time each week to put Nicole's strategies into place, and having a supportive, inspiring closed Facebook group with other like minded people wanting to better organise themselves and their families, I have saved money through not over-buying / buying for convenience. More importantly, I am no longer chasing my tail and overwhelmed by home/school demands. Set routines have created calmness and allowed me to be a present force for myself and my beautiful family - and that is priceless.
I know you are probably thinking that you don't have time to fit in another thing, but the truth is, if you don't make time to create an organised base now, you won’t be able to fully show up for your family or find the time for the things you love.
The eCourse is self-paced, so you can work through it at a time that suits you. Plus, there is the option of a private Facebook group where you can connect with other mums who are on the eCourse journey with you.
You can find out more and sign up here - Planned + Present.
Nic