It's that time again where the school holidays creep up and I realise I am as disorganised as ever,  and I realise I have the potential to get into a bit of a panic about how its all going to work out!

As I work for myself I feel that the expectation can be "well you work for yourself, so you can be flexible" - but the work still needs to be done so its not quite that easy!

Or is it? 

I have learnt a few things over the years now about juggling that I think may be good reminders (not only for me!) but also for anyone out there feeling the same as me!

Juggling Work, Family, Friends, Kids...

Worry and stress never changes a single thing!

We can so easily get caught up in the stress of there being too much to do, and not believing that its possible to get it all done that we forget the amount of time we actually waste ‘worrying’. It can be exhausting! 

We are so much more effective in anything we do when we have a quieter mind.

I used to buy into the myth that I ‘work well under pressure’ and so it was fine to be disorganised and leave everything to the last minute. Yet I now see that when I go with the flow and have a quieter mind rather than waiting until I am stressed, it actually only takes me half the time do get stuff done.

With a quieter mind we will think more clearly and our creativity and ideas flow with more ease. 

Procrastination

I also realised that when I procrastinate it's nothing to do with laziness or me not being capable, it's literally a sign that I am overwhelmed and placing too many expectations and pressure on myself.

When I notice procrastination creeping in, it is a wonderful sign for me to lower my expectation and just start small. 

We can only ever do our best and that is good enough.

The time will pass anyway, so why waste any of that beating yourself up?

It can create a vicious cycle of low mood and insecure thinking that will only get in our way. Quality over quantity is key.

I now schedule down time over summer with my kids. While it may not be as much as I like, I would rather really connect and be present for a shorter time, than spend more time with them while I'm miles away in my thinking. 

It can wait

Often we tell ourselves that things can’t wait, and then they end up having to wait anyway as we get so overwhelmed.

It can also be very tempting once we get overwhelmed and busy in our minds to search for more problems. It's just what the brain does.

So if you find yourself adding more and more to the to do list, remember its potentially a sign you are overstimulated and it may be time to get present.

In all honestly if we are really compassionate with ourselves, we realise there is a lot that actually CAN wait - we just need to give ourselves permission. 

However you spend your summer, I hope you manage to get present and spend your time in a way that feels good for you.

If you don’t know how to pause or be more compassionate with yourself, you could join my membership and we can learn together!