In the survey responses, there were a couple of people who asked me how I managed my time and said they would love to see one of the “day in the life” posts. Y’all, everyday is a whole new ballgame around here. I try to plan out my time wisely, but it never fails that when I do that something else hits the fan and I’m dealing with that.
So my new time management theory is to just get as much shit done as I can during the allotted time.
This may mean I only cross one or two things off my ever-growing to-do list. It may mean I cross off four or five things.
It may also mean I throw my hands up in the air, while flipping the bird to no one or nothing in particular but the imaginary “man” who seems to always be against me and my getting work done. If this happens, then most likely nothing gets crossed off the list and I will consider 2pm an acceptable time to drink a beer.
In theory, and I really want to emphasize the theory part, this is how my typical day goes – if it’s a good day and the man is on my side for once. This also just pertains to Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays when the Circus is at preschool. Mondays and Fridays are nothing but straight up survival of the fittest. I usually lose on those days.
5:30 a.m. – 6 a.m.: At some point during this timeframe, I will have hopefully only hit snooze once, maybe twice. Despite my alarms having motivational and inappropriate names, it seems they still don’t stand much of a chance somedays.
My goal every weekday morning is to be watching the coffee pour forth from the Keurig at 6 a.m. and then stumble to my office, coffee cup in hand afterward.
6 a.m. – Whatever time the Circus decides to start her day (usually anywhere from 7:30 – 8:00 a.m.): During this time, I schedule some social media if I have a new post up, check and respond to emails (there’s usually a minimum of 75 new ones to sort through) and if time permits, I edit photos or work on writing new posts. Time usually doesn’t permit that. Sometimes, like this morning with this post, I’m still writing it even though I wanted it to go live at 6 a.m.
Whatever time the Circus Rises – 9:20ish: Hang out with the Circus – A.K.A. be her personal servant by bringing her apple juice and a princess gummy as soon as she situates herself on the couch. Fix her breakfast 30 minutes or so after she wakes up as she does not take her breakfast immediately upon awakening. Most likely, she will hardly touch her breakfast, so I will spend a ridiculous amount of time spoon feeding her and telling her to chew and not just hold it in her mouth. Then, I’ll brush my teeth and wash my face and find sweats to wear that I didn’t wear the previous day so that the preschool teachers won’t judge me too much. Around this time, I’ll remember that I forgot to let Zoe, our dog, out of her dog apartment and feed her. I’ll run around the house – possibly half naked – doing this. After that, I’ll get the Circus ready. She’ll fight me on brushing her teeth and her hair. Right before it’s time to walk out the door, I’ll remember that I still haven’t made her lunch for the day. I’ll go to toss a bag of Funyuns, a jelly sandwich that I constructed in under 15 seconds and a YooHoo into her lunch box and realize I didn’t clean out her lunchbox from last week’s last lunch and the smell that greets me upon unzipping the lunchbox will be nothing short of toxic.
9:45 a.m. – 1:50 p.m.: After I drop the Circus off, I usually head home – unless I haven’t been thrifting in a few days. If I haven’t been thrifting in a few days, then I’ll tell myself I’m only hitting a few, but end up going down a rabbit hole because I tell myself that I really need to be on the lookout for stuff for the 70’s Landing Pad. Two hours later, I will have found nothing except damn napkin rings which I really didn’t need, but wanted and will have essentially wasted two whole hours of precious work time.
If I don’t go thrifting, then I head straight home and work. Depending on what needs to be done for the week (projects, taking photos, editing photos, writing posts, etc.) I will work on that during this nearly 4 1/2 hour block. Usually I’m running back and forth between the garage and my office. I’ll be painting something and while the paint is drying, I’m typing about something or editing photos.
There’s also a good chance during this timeframe that Bill is going to text me and say he needs something to eat, forgot something, etc. and I’ll be running around fixing that situation.
1:50 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.: During this time, I pick up the kid. We go get a slush at Sonic or make a milkshake at home afterward just for the hell of it. We play or watch cartoons until 3:00p.m. At 3 p.m., I make her go to her room. She can watch a movie, but I tell her she has to stay in bed. The idea is that I squeeze in a little more work time, while she takes a much needed nap. However, only half the time does she end up taking a nap. The other half, my words have no bearing on her whatsoever and she ends up frolicking all around the house. If by the grace of God, she naps, then I do computer work like photo-editing, post writing, etc. If the man is against me that day and she refuses to nap, then I try to do a little work in between being a dinosaur or the bad guy, helping her change princess costumes or putting Ken’s head back on for the 108th time that day.
At 5:00 p.m., I usually call it quits and start making dinner. Grunt Labor will usually be home around this time with Bill in tow. After dinner, if there is something work related which is time sensitive and didn’t get done that day, then Grunt Labor will watch the Circus while I work a little more. Right now, we are winding down with basketball season, so for the past few months, we’ve had basketball games at least two nights a week right after dinner. If there’s no ball games and I don’t need to work, then we all chill around the house. The Circus will be in bed by 9 p.m. and Grunt Labor and I will watch a little television after that and then are usually in bed around 10 p.m.
Please note nowhere in that schedule does it mention cleaning. Or washing clothes. Or dishes. My house is rarely clean y’all. Don’t let my pretty pictures fool you for a second, my floors are usually disgusting most days and there’s a protective cover of dust a few inches thick on my furniture. I clean the entire house maybe once a month or prior to visitors. And even then, Grunt Labor usually does the floors. I don’t wash clothes or dishes – Grunt Labor does that. The bed is never made unless Grunt Labor does it. Essentially, we would be living in a pigsty if it weren’t for him.
See, I wasn’t lying. These are un-edited, un-clean and un-styled photos. Real life, y’all. And lord, I know those sheets are hideous, but damn they are so warm and cozy during the winter. And yes, all my art is down from above the bed because I highjacked it for the hall.
My dresser is always cluttered.
There’s a stack of books, some of which I’ve read and some of which I haven’t, a fallen down piece of art behind the green bust and a #BO$$BABE sticker that’s falling off the mirror.
My desk is one hot mess and so am I most days.
Barbies have taken up residence in the vintage radio in the living room and apparently some freakish-head-moving-talking unicorn is their protector.
There is rarely a pretty “styled” surface around here.
For example, the Circus felt the dog holding a (broken) picture frame was better suited wearing Snow White baby’s bow and residing in the living room next to scratch-off lottery tickets that I’m not sure are worth anything or not or how they came to be there.
I don’t do it all.
I don’t do it all every single day.
But I do the best I can everyday and that’s good enough.
