Today was Monday- sandwiched in between some long program days at work. Last Thursday and Friday were 12 and 10 hour days. And this week I have three days of commutes and work in Indy. It’s not a surprise. They’ve been on my calendar. I love the work I do and am honestly honored to do it and happy to take it all on. But what I am really making an effort to not do is become a victim of my calendar.

It’s easy to do, to get sucked in to your schedule and the daily grind of work. I’ve done it plenty of times. One can run from meeting to meeting, apologizing for being out of control of their schedule, frazzled.
But, we can make a choice to commit to owning our own time and calendar. It takes effort, it’s constant and it’s continuous.
As you know, I am a working mom and wouldn’t have it any other way but that doesn’t mean that my family isn’t my priority. Work is certainly a priority too but that also does not mean that my kiddos have to suffer. It’s all about balance.
As a small, recent, example, looking ahead at my calendar and seeing this December Monday surrounded by long days, I made a commitment to leave early, at 3 PM. Sounds so simple, right? It is, but if I didn’t actually block that time off in my calendar, I may not have left as early as I hoped. And just to hold me to it, I told the boys this morning that I would pick them up after nap to go to our favorite park. Believe me, they would not forget. Josh describes Hunters memory as a steel trap.

So knowing that I’d be leaving the house before they even wake 3 days this week, we did just that and enjoyed the afternoon. On what was likely the last warm December day before winter officially hits us hard, and at 65 degrees, we spent some time riding bikes and playing in the park. While there, I was a little sad that this may be our last time here for a while with 30 degree highs approaching, but we embraced the warmth (and strong winds) and had a ball even for a short time. Because next spring, they’ll be a little older, Hunter will be in kindergarten soon, they’ll have bigger bikes and I’ll have a 3rd boy to pull at my precious time. And I know one day they won’t want me to play with them and chase them around the playground.

I’m not always great at scheduling and spending my time exactly how I should but I at least try to always be aware of my time and particularly my calendar. Time is a very precious thing to us working mamas and to ALL of us. I make an effort. I won’t be a victim of my calendar. Today was a good day. Work, life, it’s all about balance, right?

And if I can leave you with a recent related article that I read and loved: 10 professional life hacks