Finding Time Amongst the Chaos

What is up! Thank you for coming to my blog! I am so excited to have started this blog as part of Nicole Simensky Photography. My goal is to try to make life a little simpler for you, whether that’s photography related or not. Life is crazy and if I can help make it a little less stressful for you, I’ll be happy.

Which is the perfect segue into today’s topic! How can we find pockets of time to check things off of our to-do list.

Life isn’t always glamorous with photoshoots and picture perfect walks along the beach. It’s also the mundane everyday tasks of grocery shopping, washing dishes, doing laundry etc. And let’s face it, every single adult is busy. Whether that’s from working two jobs, caring for a grandparent, raising children, working 60 hours a week, training for a marathon, we’re all busy in our own way. 

Myself, for example, I work full-time in accounting, work my photography business part-time, train for powerlifting 4 days a week, have a dog, while also trying to find time with my boyfriend, friends and loved ones. 

So how do we find time to do those mundane things we have to do amongst all of the other things we have to do and want to do. And still find time to rest so we don’t drive ourselves bonkers!

As someone who is currently navigating through this myself, I thought why not share some of my thoughts. For me, I am a procrastinator of things I don’t want to do. Cleaning is not my favorite, but ironically, I feel so good after it is done. I started to realize how much time I was wasting in certain areas of my life and wanted to change that. I knew I could be better, for myself and everyone around me. 

CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING

LUNCH BREAKS

What do you do on your lunch break? Eat at your desk and scroll aimlessly through social media or news stories? online shop for things you don’t need? 

I work from home so my routine was to let my dog out, eat my lunch and turn on my latest Netflix obsession. Lately, I have been more aware of this and trying to find other things to do instead. I will do my dishes, fold some laundry, vacuum my floors (holy shedding season). You could even take your dog for a walk, clean your bathroom. 

Now maybe you say “Nicole, that’s great but I don’t work from home” Totally get that! I know how that goes also. What about doing your grocery run over lunch, if you have a place to store the cold stuff? Or place your grocery order online for pickup when you get off of work. Respond to some emails you have been putting off. Schedule that doctor’s appointment. Take a walk outside, yes not quite a “to-do” list item but you’ll get some exercise and some vitamin D so you’ll feel ready to tackle the rest of the day. These tasks may not take very long, but can help relieve some of that “brain fog stress.”

CLEANING AND COOKING

Now this one I love. Instead of sitting on the couch waiting for my food to cook, I will empty/load the dishwasher, wipe down my counters, maybe clean out the fridge, or clean up the catch-all spot that is my dining room table. It doesn’t take long but it really makes a difference

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WAITING FOR APPOINTMENTS

Are you the type of person that only has their phone while waiting for an appointment? Why not take something you can do to fill that time? Take a non-fiction book to read while waiting, you’re filling your mind with something positive and you may even get a little something out of it! I love taking my iPad with me wherever I go so I can edit photos or do some of the ‘behind the scenes’ work on the go. The perfect time to draft an email or get my thoughts down for my next social media or blog post! Waiting to pick your kids up from school? Make that next doctor’s appointment, order groceries for pick up tomorrow, RSVP to that wedding that ‘oh shoot that is coming up and I know I need to RSVP for but just haven’t done it yet.’

AFTER WORK

I know it is so very tempting and easy to come home from work, change into something comfy, and just plop down on the couch. I’ve done it many times, and then that productive night I told myself I was going to have turned into me eating a microwaved dinner at 9pm and nothing accomplished. And hey, sometimes we need those nights too. I am in no way saying with all of this that you need to be on the go, checking things off of your to-do list 24/7. That’s not sustainable; we all need time to relax and reset.

But, here’s what I am suggesting. You get home at 5pm, tell yourself for the next 20 minutes you’ll tidy up the house a bit, go for that walk, play with the dog or kids, then you can relax. Watch what happens….. You get into a bit of a groove don’t you?! More things get cleaned, you walk a little longer, you’re having so much fun with your kids you just keep playing. The 20 minutes turns into 40 minutes, then 60 minutes. Now your whole house is clean (on a Wednesday!), you’ve made great memories with your children, or you hit your step goal for the day. Small things can turn into big things!

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WORKING OUT

Now, this is a time where you should truly forget about everything else on your plate. But, say you think of something you need to do later. Add it to the notes section in your phone then get back to your workout. You won’t keep trying to remember it and can refocus on your workout. Bring your kids along with you for your workout, if they are at the proper age. This is just another great way to bond with your child and they will be able to see the dedication their mom or dad has to their health. You’re setting a great example! I block off my calendar on the days I am scheduled to train so that those times are “my time”. Once I’m done lifting, I’ll use my time doing cardio to catch up on photography education, editing or reading. It helps the time pass quickly!

WEEKENDS

If you’re like me, weekends feel like a time to ‘“do everything I didn’t have time to do during the week.” But what happens come Sunday night? You feel like you worked all weekend and didn’t get to enjoy time relaxing, time with your family, or doing something fun. Implementing a few of the items above will help with this. But, here’s what you could also try. Instead of sleeping or watching TV until 11am, get up and clean for an hour, do that grocery or Target run. You’ll start your weekend off on a good note. Write down your three ‘must do’ tasks for the weekend and focus on those.

Try scheduling one weekend or one Saturday per month where you and your family have nothing scheduled. Where you can all just take a breath in the morning and ask “what should we do today?” These weekends, in my opinion, are that much more relaxing. When you aren’t worried about running from one thing to the next, you can truly enjoy whatever you decide to do that day, or not decide to do! Doing nothing, with nothing nagging in the back of your mind, is just that much more relaxing. 

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At the end of the day, we all have a ton of things on our plate. I am by no means suggesting to be on the go all the time. We still need some time to relax and rest. However, when you feel like you have a ton of things you have to do but no time to do it, think about these things. Then your down time will feel that much more purposeful.

I hope you found this helpful and found one thing you could implement in your own life. I know there are things on here that I could definitely implement! I’d also love to hear from you too! How do you find time to do everything you need to do and want to do amongst all of life’s busyness? What pockets of time do you use to your advantage?

Until next time, 

xoxo Nicole