Balancing life's responsibilities one task at a time.
It's Labor Day, 9am, and I'm in the bed watching Mr.PeaBody and Sherman with the kids as I write this. It's days like this that remind me that sometimes I just need to sit back and relax. In my mind, I'm making a mental list of all the things I think I should be doing right now, what I need to clean, what stores I need to go to, etc., but sometimes those things can wait. But I'm learning to find balance.
As a FT wife, mother, HR Rep., Youth Praise and Worship Leader, friend, sister, child and the list goes on and on, sometimes it's hard to balance the demands of life in my many roles. But now that I'm 34 (5 days in, happy belated birthday to me) I'm learning that I'm just one person, I can only do so much, and I can only be in one place, and if I continue to try to be all of those things all the time, not only am I going to continue to wear myself out, but my will family suffer. I might be saved, and filled with the Holy Ghost, but unlike Him, I can't be omnipresent cause I'm just Chenèe.
It's only fair to myself, and my family, that I learn to balance my life so they can have "All of Me" like John Legend said, and not just a piece of me from being stretched so thin. My family is my 1st ministry. So after some prayer and councel from some of those close to me (my Mom and Dad, Kameron, Brittany, Kris, and Bobette in particular), I've created a list of things to do to start helping balance my life.
1. Pray. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV
I need to pray for peace of mind, clarity, etc.. I find myself being confused and anxious when I make decisions on my own without praying 1st.
2. I need to learn how to say no. Again, I can't be everywhere all the time and manage my responsibilities without getting warn out. I'm just one person.
3. I'm in the process of creating a list of my priorities, and things that come before anything else. This way, it will make it easier to say no to things that aren't a priority.
4. I need to organize my home from clutter, find useful organizing mechanisms that can help my day to day responsibilities. For example, I bought a 12 drawer organizer for the kids room. I'm going to label each drawer Monday-Friday and PJ's x2 (1 side for Max, 1 side for Peyton) and pick out/iron all of the clothes for the week on Sunday evenings, even PJ's. Also, I need to be more consistant with meal planning and using my crock pot for dinner. This will save me time to allow me to "balance" more effectively.
5. I need to make time for myself. People sometimes tease me for being on such a strict schedule during the week, and putting the kids to bed at 7:30pm sharp. Not only do they need enough hours of rest to be productive at school the next day, but I need time to unwind. Whether its to dig in my word and study, create a list of personal goals, or spend some quality time with Lowell, me time is so necessary to stay sane! And not to mention, I deserve it!
If you're struggling with balancing life, hopefully these tips can help you to start finding some balance in your life. We're in this together, so if you have any suggestions, please share, because I don't have it all together, but I'm working on it. If nothing else, make sure you ask the Lord for guidance for anything you set forth to do. He'll make a clear and precise plan for you!