Time Management

I've known for some time now that I was going to have to make some changes to my daily schedule at some point.  It was just a matter of when.  When were the challenges I was facing going to bother me enough to do something about it is what it really came down to.

The start of October, a brand new month, a new slate as it were, seemed the perfect time to do it.  Also because it started on a Tuesday.  I knew I didn't want to initiate my change of schedule on a Monday.  So on the last day of September I slept in leisurely for the last time.  Now when I say "sleep in" I understand this is a very relative term.  For me, sleeping in means until 7 or so. 

Usually at 7 I would get up, bathe my son, feed him, bathe myself, do whatever errands or house chores needed to be done, do preschool, eat lunch, then there would always be something that I needed to tend to after lunch.  Then after that I was prepping dinner & then I'd spend some fun time with my son, then I'd be making dinner, then putting my son in bed, then spending what precious little time I get with my hubby, & then off to bed to do it all over again the next day.  Everything was always so rushed & no matter how hard I tried I could never accomplish everything I needed to, not even half of what I needed to.  I felt like a hamster stuck on a wheel.....running as fast as I can but getting nowhere.  Then there's also the matter of working out.  I stopped working out on a regular basis last November (I've been working out since I was 19).  My health was declining & I didn't feel it was a wise choice to continue working out given the circumstances.  I've learned much since then & my body has healed tremendously in the past almost-year-time-span, enough to the point where I do feel it's safe to work out.  So I know I need to get back on the horse & get back in shape.  I just feel so flabby & unfit, not to mention the lack of energy & the sleep struggles that come along with not working out for me.

So on October 1st I got up at 5 am.  (Incidentally the night prior I somehow managed to stay up until past 1 am--this is an extremely rare occurence for me & the temptation was there to use that as an excuse & just sleep in, but I still got up at 5 am.  I did a 70 minute workout, then showered.  Shortly after my shower my son was already up (he's an early riser) & I found myself rushing, which I was trying to avoid.  Plus, the time I was showering is the time my hubby is normally showering for work.  He just happened to sleep in a little later because he had also stayed up until past 1 am.  So I've now decided to get up at 4 am on the days I want to workout & 5 am on the days I don't workout.

Now, I'm a morning person.  I love to be up early & see the beauty that morning has to offer.  My entire day is just different--happier--when I do so.  I also want need to spend time with God.  So I don't mind getting up early at all.  I do, however, wish my son would sleep in just a tad longer, just to give me a little quiet time to myself in the morning.  But so far that's just not happening.

So today is October 2nd, I slept extremely well last night, which is wonderful.  And I had such a wonderful day yesterday, so relaxed yet I got so much accomplished, & I just so enjoyed my day yesterday.  Today I did not workout, and I did sleep until 5:30.  But I plan to continue with this, to be more productive & just to have more joy in my daily life.  I may occasionally allow myself a day to sleep in, but for the most part I think I'm gonna love this new schedule!!

I haven't spent much time on facebook for some time now--very hit & miss on there.  But I did decide to announce my new schedule plan yesterday.  It's amazing to me how negative people are about stuff like this.  How/why is it that people think getting up early is such a bad thing??  Part of me regrets sharing it on fb, but I am still hoping it will inspire someone who needs to change their schedule & needed encouragement to do so.  That was the whole reason behind me sharing it.